| No. 52 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1953-01-17)January 17, 1953 (age 72) New Rochelle, New York, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Iona Prep(New Rochelle) | ||||||||
| College: | Virginia | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1975: 12th round, 290th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Richard John Ambrose (born January 17, 1953) is an American former professionalfootball player who was alinebacker for nine seasons with theCleveland Browns of theNational Football League (NFL) from 1975 to 1983. During his playing days he was nicknamed "Bam-Bam", after theeponymous character fromThe Flintstones, for his tackling and physicality.
Ambrose playedcollege football for theVirginia Cavaliers. After retiring from the NFL, he became an attorney and has been a judge of theCuyahoga CountyCourt of Common Pleas since 2004.[1]
A graduate ofIona Prep, Ambrose playedcollege football at theUniversity of Virginia and earned All-ACC (first-team) honors during his junior and senior seasons.[2] He graduated with aBachelor of Science in Education from Virginia. In the1975 NFL draft he was drafted by theCleveland Browns in the 12th round (290th overall).[3]
Ambrose played ten seasons with theCleveland Browns and was starting middle/rightlinebacker during the late 1970s to early 1980s before injuries curtailed his career. As a 12th-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 the1980 team known as the "Kardiac Kids" which won thedivision title for the first time since 1971 but lost in thedivisional playoffs by a mere two points to theOakland Raiders. His final season (1984) 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, graduatingmagna cum laude in 1987 fromCleveland State University 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 ofAnthony Sowell, the Cleveland serial killer who was found guilty on 82 charges. On August 12, 2011, Ambrose sentenced Sowell to death.[7]