CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns radio color analyst Doug Dieken is calling the final game of his career on Sunday.
But the former Browns' left tackle will always maintain a presence in the team's radio booth.
Earlier this week, Dieken announced that he was retiring following Sunday's game, bringing an end to his more than 50-year-career in Cleveland, which has included time as a player and radio color analyst. During the second quarter of the Browns' Week 18 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, the team honored Dieken in front of the entire stadium, with his radio broadcast partner and 3News sports anchor Jim Donovan revealing that the franchise was renaming its radio booth in Dieken's honor.
You can watch the presentation in the video below.
“It’s been a great ride” Dieken said in a statement earlier this week. "I want to thank the Browns’ fans for accepting me first as a player and then as a broadcaster. I’ve had the most fantastic teammates on the field, in the radio booth, and in the community to make the last 50 years fun. We didn’t get the wins we all hoped for, but I feel like I’m leaving a winner because of my association with the organization and the great fans who listen to our broadcasts.”
The 72-year-old Dieken has been linked to Cleveland since 1971, when the Browns selected the Illinois tight end in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. After converting to offensive tackle, Dieken went on to spend 14 seasons playing in Cleveland, earning Pro Bowl honors in 1980 and later being selected to the Browns’ Legends in 2006. He also set franchise records with 194 consecutive starts – the most ever for an NFL left tackle – and 203 consecutive games played, in addition to winning the NFL Man of the Year Award following the 1982 season.
Following his retirement in 1984, Dieken spent time working a color commentator on Browns radio broadcasts alongside Nev Chandler and Jim Mueller (1985-1993) and Casey Coleman (1994-1995). When the Browns returned as a franchise in 1999, he resumed his role as the team’s radio color commentator, working alongside Donovan. The two have remained a team since then, with their undeniable on-air chemistry having been a bright spot for Cleveland fans.
The Browns say that they will "embark on a search to fill Dieken’s seat next to Donovan during the offseason."