The name on the award was all that mattered to Reggie Langhorne.
The former Browns wide receiver was honored Tuesday with the Dino Lucarelli Lifetime Achievement Award at the Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Cleveland Touchdown Club's Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet. Langhorne, who played for the Browns from 1985-91, was recognized for the work he did in the community during his playing days and what he's continued to do in the decades since he ended his NFL career.
"The name of Dino Lucarelli means a lot to me. It has been for 30 years," Langhorne said. "What he instilled in us with Art Modell back in 1985 as far as getting out in the community and doing work has been a privilege to be a part of this community for the last 30 years. It started with my parents years ago and the things I learned in college and with my fraternity brothers with the uplifting of the community."
The award is named in honor of Lucarelli, who served in several capacities with the Browns, including player relations, media relations and alumni relations, from 1975 to 2014. Both the Browns' media center and the Cleveland Chapter of the Professional Football Writers of America "Good Guy" award are named after him.
"There are many players in Cleveland Browns history that meant so much to me and Reggie is one of those people," Lucarelli said. "He meant a lot to me as a player and an individual. He was very instrumental in my career and helping me to meet the standards of the community, the people that were in hospitals and various institutions and Reggie was a willing volunteer in everything I tried to accomplish."
During his playing days, Langhorne was always available to mingle with the public on behalf of the organization, logged hundreds of hours of community service during his seven seasons with the Browns and was a regular visitor at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital on his off days. On top of that, he planned and developed a group home for special needs individuals in Hampton, Virginia, helped out annually with the Veterans Administration Medical Center's National Wheelchair Games and presented scholarships to area students on behalf of Cleveland Scholarship Programs.
He hasn't slowed down since his final NFL season in 1993, as he's remained in Cleveland and remained active in the Browns' charitable endeavors. He's a regular participant in several charity golf events and has stayed involved with the Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Club, United Way and many other organizations. He helped found and currently runs the Eddie Johnson Memorial Foundation in honor of his former teammate.
"Cleveland's been great for me. It was an honor to play ball here," Langhorne said. "I've been involved with quite a few different organizations and tried to help out where I can. That's kind of the duty of all human beings is to help someone else. I'm grateful God gave me the willingness to take part of it and I'm very honored to carry something with Dino Lucarelli's name on it."
