Paul Wiggin

Paul David Wiggin (born November 18, 1934) is an American former football player and coach. He played professional as a defensive end with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He later coached in the NFL as well as in college football.

Wiggin was born on November 18, 1934, in Modesto, California, and attended Manteca High School in Manteca, California, where he competed in four sports. When he graduated Manteca High School in 1952, he was named the Most Outstanding Athlete.

Wiggin played tackle in football, was on the school's championship football team, and was selected to the All-Central California team in 1951. He received honorable mention twice for the All-Northern-California team, and was selected as an All-Star to play in the California high school North-South Shrine game in 1952. Wiggin also established a shot put record competing in track.

He attended Modesto Junior College, where he was a standout in football and track. Wiggin played both offense and defense on the football team. He is a member of the Modesto Junior College Athletics Hall of Fame. The Modesto Bee selected him at offensive tackle to its All-Big Seven Conference team in 1952.

Wiggin went on from Modesto Junior College to Stanford University, where he graduated in1957. He later earned a Master's degree from Stanford in 1959. At 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and 228 pounds (103.4 kg), he played defensive tackle on Stanford's football team from 1954-56. He was a two-time first team All-American and All-PAC-10 (1955–56), and played in the 1956 East-West Shrine Game and the 1957 Hula Bowl. Fans voted him Stanford's defensive player of the century. In 2005, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

The Cleveland Browns selected Wiggin in the sixth round of the 1956 NFL draft, 73rd overall. He started three games as a rookie in 1957, under future Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown. The Browns finished first in the NFL's East Division, but lost the 1957 NFL Championship game to the Detroit Lions.

Wiggin spent his entire 11-year playing career with Cleveland until his retirement following the 1967 NFL season. He never missed a game, playing in 146 straight games. He started eight games in 1958, all 12 games in 1959 (at right defensive end), and nine games in 1960 (at left defensive end). From 1961-66, he started all 14 games every year (chiefly at left defensive end); and started 11 of 14 games in his final season (1967).

Twice earning Pro Bowl honors as a starter (1965, 1967), Wiggin was a key member of the team's defensive line (consisting of Wiggin at left end, Dick Modzelewski at left tackle, Jim Kanicki at right tackle, and Bill Glass at right end), when it won the 1964 NFL championship with a 27–0 shutout of the Baltimore Colts; including a fumble recovery by Wiggin in the championship game. On the season in 1964, he had 8.5 quarterback sacks, and three fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown. In 1965, the Browns lost in the NFL championship game to the Green Bay Packers.