Former Giants, Browns Champion, 9-Year NFL Veteran Dies
Defensive tackle Jim Kanicki, whose nine-year NFL career brought him a historic championship with the Cleveland Browns, died April 14. He was 84.
Kanicki played collegiately at Michigan State, where he was named the Spartans’ most valuable lineman from 1960-62. He was so decorated in East Lansing, he was drafted twice.
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The Browns selected Kanicki in the second round (23rd overall) in the 1963 NFL Draft. The Buffalo Bills took him in the seventh round (52nd overall) in the AFL draft the same year.
Kanicki signed with the Browns - and he chose wisely. The next seven years of his career (1963-69) coincided with one of the last eras of sustained greatness in the franchise’s history.
Kanicki started only one game as a rookie in 1963, as the Browns finished 10-4. They went 10-3-1 in 1964 under first-year head coach Blanton Collier, who promoted Kanicki to start at defensive tackle in all 15 games. That included the NFL championship game - a predecessor to the Super Bowl - in which Cleveland defeated the Baltimore Colts 27-0.
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Kanicki and the Browns’ defense shut down the favored Colts and future Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas. Their victory was the last by a Cleveland sports team until 52 years later, when the Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA Finals.
Kanicki started 55 of the 61 games he played from 1965-69. The Browns made the playoffs in four of the five seasons, but could not repeat as champions.
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The Browns traded Kanicki and Wayne Meylan to the New York Giants ahead of the 1970 season for wide receiver Homer Jones. Kanicki recorded 6.5 sacks over the next two seasons, retiring after the 1971 NFL campaign with a career total of 31.
In 1974, Kanicki played with the Houston Texans and Shreveport Steamers of the World Football League.
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The Bay County Sports Hall of Fame inducted Kanicki and his brother, Walt, into its Hall of Fame in 1993.
Kanicki is survived by his wife of 63 years, Sandi, and sons Barton, Gregory, J.T. and Matthew along with 10 grandchildren.
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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 6:41 PM.