Dick Ambrose

Dick Ambrose
No. 52
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1953-01-17) January 17, 1953
Place of birth: New Rochelle, New York
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school: New Rochelle (NY) Iona Prep
College: Virginia
NFL Draft: 1975 / Round: 12 / Pick: 290
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 116
Interceptions: 5
Fumbles Recovered: 9
Player stats at PFR

Richard John "Dick" Ambrose (born January 17, 1953) is a former American football linebacker who played nine seasons in the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns, from 1975 to 1983. During his playing days he was nicknamed "Bam-Bam," after the eponymous character from The Flintstones, for his tackling and physicality.

After retiring from the NFL, Ambrose became an attorney and has been a judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas since 2004.[1]

Football career

A graduate of Iona Prep, Ambrose played college football at the University of Virginia and earned All-ACC (first-team) honors during his junior and senior seasons.[2] He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education from Virginia. In the 1975 NFL draft he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the twelfth round (290th overall).[3]

Ambrose played ten seasons with the Cleveland Browns and was starting middle/right linebacker during the late 1970s to early 1980s before injuries curtailed his career. As a twelfth round pick, he would have been an undrafted free agent in the present-day and was not considered to be a starter. He stepped in as an injury replacement and became starting middle linebacker despite being a rookie.[4] He was part of the 1980 team known as the "Kardiac Kids" which won the division title for the first time since 1971 but lost in the divisional playoffs by a mere two points to the Oakland Raiders. His final season (1984 season) was spent on the injured reserve list, prompting his eventual retirement.[5] He was popularly known as "Bam Bam" for his hard-nosed tackling and physical skills. The Plain Dealer ranked him number 94 in its special feature of the Browns' top 100 all-time greats.[6]

Ambrose began his legal studies while still playing football for the Cleveland Browns, graduating magna cum laude in 1987 from Cleveland–Marshall College of Law. After graduating from Cleveland-Marshall, he joined the firm of McDonald Hopkins. He has also been associated with the firms of Chriszt McGarry Co. and Nicola Gudbranson and Cooper. He was the presiding judge in the trial of Anthony Sowell, the Cleveland serial killer who was found guilty on 82 charges. On August 12, 2011 Ambrose sentenced Sowell to death.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Judge Dick Ambrose". Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  2. ↑ "UVa Football: All-ACC". University of Virginia Athletics.
  3. ↑ "Virginia Football: Cavs in the NFL Draft". University of Virginia Athletics.
  4. ↑ "Browns Insider: Dick Ambrose Interview". clevelandbrowns.com. May 12, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Where Are They Now? - Dick Ambrose". clevelandbrowns.com.
  6. ↑ "Cleveland Browns' 100 best all-time players: No. 94". The Plain Dealer. August 4, 2012.
  7. ↑ Scott, Michael (August 12, 2011). "Anthony Sowell to die for murders of 11 women; judge accepts jury's advice". Cleveland, Ohio: The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
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