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DE Jim Houston (All-American, CFB HOF, Pro Bowler, NFL Champion, R.I.P.)

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But when the Browns made Ohio State linebacker Jim Houston their first-round selection and eighth overall in the 1960 NFL draft, they signed him for $10,000, plus a $1,000 bonus. With inflation, that's about $80,000 today -- roughly the average NFL salary 30 years ago.

Houston, now 72 and living in Sagamore Hills, remembers when head coach Paul Brown first addressed the rookies at old League Park.

"Gentlemen," Brown said, "you're going to be off Mondays and Tuesdays. Get a job."

"So I did," said Houston, who opened an insurance and financial planning company that he still runs from his basement office. "All of us tried to get jobs that would help sustain the off-season. You needed money, you had to go to work."

Staying close to the community, to make ends meet

Houston, who retired after the 1972 season, said he earned considerably more in insurance than football. That wasn't unusual. The NFL was decidedly different. It was before multi-billion-dollar TV contracts meant players could be set for life if they played long enough and managed their money right. It was before the roster carousel of free agency, so players often spent their whole careers with one team, in one city. Many stayed to work in the community.
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Remember when ... off-season was work time for the Cleveland Browns (and all pro athletes)? | cleveland.com
 
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Cleveland Browns' 100 best all-time players: No. 28, Jim Houston (video)
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Jim Houston (82) next to Browns coach Nick Skorich at Cleveland Stadium during the 1971 season. (Plain Dealer)

By Mike Peticca, The Plain Dealer
June 24, 2013

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A countdown of the top 100 players in Cleveland Browns history. Players must have spent at least four seasons with the Browns. The ranking is based only on players' careers with the Browns.

No. 28, JIM HOUSTON, linebacker-defensive end, 1960-72

Jim Houston was considered by his teammates as one of the Browns' best athletes, a 6-3, 240-pounder who could take on opponents with his strength or catch them with his speed.

Houston's older brother, Lin, was a star offensive lineman for the Browns during their first eight seasons (1946-53). Lin Houston played for coach Paul Brown at Massillon High School, Ohio State and with the Browns.

Jim Houston's path to the Browns also included Massillon and Ohio State. He helped the Buckeyes win the 1957 national championship and was an All-American the next two seasons. Playing defensive and offensive end, Houston averaged more than 51 minutes played a game -- sitting out less than nine minutes per game -- during his three Ohio State seasons.

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http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2013/06/cleveland_browns_100_best_all-_38.html
 
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Jim Houston was one of my boyhood heroes. Got to see him play for the Bucks, and that's when I decided I wanted to be a defensive end. I played defensive end and linebacker in junior high and high school during the time he was with the Browns. I tried like heck to model my play after his, though it was at best a feeble imitation.

He was an absolute stud - great technique; never out of position; and almost never got beat.
 
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