Florida construction company during the off-season to stay in shape and gain industry experience. On June 4, 1963, Fleming and a co-worker, Walter Smith, were operating a crane on a construction site west of Orlando, Florida, when the boom of the crane brushed an overhead 12,000-volt high-tension electrical transmission line. Fleming and Smith were electrocuted, and attempts to revive them at the hospital failed. Earlier the same day, the Browns had announced that Fleming had signed his contract for the 1963 season. His death came only 17 days after that of Ernie Davis, the overall No. 1 pick in the 1962 NFL Draft, whom the Browns had acquired in a trade. The Browns retired both Davis' uniform number No. 45 and Fleming's No. 46 in memory of the players. Fleming Field at Shadyside High School, Fleming's alma mater, is named in his memory. When the Browns practiced at Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (Hiram College), the field house they used also carried Fleming's name. Fleming was nominated for the Florida Sports Hall of Fame within days of his death, and he was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great." See also History of the Cleveland Browns List of Florida Gators in the NFL Draft List of University of Florida alumni List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members References Bibliography Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). . Carroll, Bob, et al., Total Football II, HarperCollins, New York, New York (1999). . Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). . Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). . McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). . McEwen, Tom, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). . 1937 births 1963 deaths Accidental deaths by electrocution Accidental deaths in Florida American builders American football safeties Chicago Cardinals players Cleveland Browns players Florida Gators baseball players Florida Gators football players Industrial accident deaths People from Bellaire, Ohio National Football League players with retired numbers