Cleveland reached the championship game in the following three seasons but lost each time, once to the Rams and twice to the Detroit Lions. Gillom led the NFL in punting in 1951, with a 45.5-yard average. He again led the league the following season, averaging 45.7 yards per punt, and was selected for the Pro Bowl, football's all-star game. Gillom was second in the NFL in punting average in 1953. During his years with the Browns, Gillom's long, high punts and his habit of standing further back from center than was usual set a precedent followed by many of his successors at the position. His kicks had a long hang time, which allowed teammates to get further downfield to defend the punt return. "We didn't just go back 40 yards, we went back 50, 60 yards because he just kicked it so damn far and so high", Otto Schnellbacher, who played against the Browns with the Yankees and Giants, later said. Gillom's positioning behind the center gave him more space to kick but also put more distance between him and the opposing linemen, reducing the likelihood of a block.