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Obituary: Former Browns players remember Kent Roosevelt grad Tom DeLeone as tough leader of Kardiac Kids, lovable character off field

By Nate Ulrich

Beacon Journal sports writer

Tom DeLeone, a two-time Pro Bowl center who played for the Browns during their Kardiac Kids era, died early Sunday morning surrounded by family and friends at his home in Park City, Utah.

“The sky was magnificent. It was a blue moon last night. Tom was kind of laying in the moonshine,” former Browns defensive lineman and close friend Carl Barisich said by phone from Utah. “We were all with him the whole time. At the end, it was very peaceful.”

DeLeone was 65. Diagnosed with brain cancer in 2011, he left an impression on those close to him while battling the disease.