Gatski, Frank ("Gunner")
Football
b. March 13, 1922, Farmington, WV
d. Nov. 23, 2005
After graduating from high school, Gatski worked as a coal-miner for a year and then was given a tryout with the Marshall University football team. He played at Marshall until entering the military service in 1943 and spent a year at Auburn University after his discharge in 1945.
Gatski joined the Cleveland Browns of the new All-America Football Conference in 1946 and played both offensive center and defensive linebacker in his rookie year. He had 3 interceptions and returned one of them for a touchdown.
In 1947, the 6-foot-3, 233-pound Gatski settled in as Cleveland's starting center and remained there for the next 10 seasons. The AAFC folded after the 1949 season and the Browns moved into the NFL, where Gatski was named to the All-Pro team from 1951 through 1953 and in 1955.
After the 1956 season, Gatski went to the Detroit Lions and spent a year there before retiring. After having played in 10 championship games with the Browns he played in his 11th with the Lions, and he helped them beat the Browns 59-14 for the title.
Another Hall of Fame player, Chuck Bednarik, referred to Gatski as "an immovable object" and said of him, "He was the best and toughest I ever played against."