RMAC Hall of Fame

Don Cockroft

Prior to his 14-year NFL career, Cockroft was one of the nation's top collegiate punters at Adams State College. In 1966, Cockroft set a NAIA record with a punting average of more than 48 yards per attempt, which still stands in the ASC record books. After earning All-RMAC honors, the Cleveland Browns selected Cockroft in the third round of the 1967 draft. Cockroft was the Browns starting punter and kicker from 1968-1976 and was a NFL All-Pro in 1972 and 1978, and received the NFL "Golden Toe" award. He scored more than 1,000 points in his career, the second most in Browns history, and is 33rd on the NFL's All-Time list. Known as one of the greatest clutch kickers in NFL history, Cockroft connected on 17 of 17 game winning kicks during his career. Cockroft retired from the Cleveland Browns in 1981. His number "0" was retired at Adams State in 1995. In 2000, he was inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame.