Cleveland Browns
Established 1946 Play in File:Cleveland Municipal Flag.svg Cleveland, Ohio
League/conference affiliations
All-America Football Conference (1946-1949) Western Division (1946-1948) National Football League (1950–present) American Conference (1950-1952) Eastern Conference (1953-1969) Century Division (1967-1969) American Football Conference (1970-1995; 1999-present) AFC Central (1970-1995; 1999-2001) AFC North (2002-present)
Current uniform
Team colors	Seal Brown, Burnt Orange, and White
Personnel
Owner(s)	Randy Lerner
General manager	Phil Savage
Head coach	Romeo Crennel
Team history
Cleveland Browns (1946-1995) Suspended operations (1996-1998) Cleveland Browns (1999–present)
Championships
League championships (8) AAFC Championships (4) 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 NFL Championships (4) 1950, 1954, 1955, 1964
Conference championships (11) NFL American: 1950, 1951, 1952 NFL Eastern: 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969
Division championships (13) AAFC Western: 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 NFL Century: 1967, 1968, 1969 AFC Central: 1971, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989
Home fields
Cleveland Municipal Stadium (1946-1995) Cleveland Browns Stadium (1999-present)

The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the Northern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Browns began play in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and joined the NFL in 1950 after the AAFC folded. The team won all four AAFC titles and had one undefeated season (1948 - 15-0), as well as four NFL Championships.

Fans

A 2006 study conducted by Bizjournal determined that Browns fans are the most loyal fans in the NFL. The study was largely based on fan loyalty during winning and losing seasons (however, it does not account for the ratio of winning to losing seasons by a team), attendance at games, and challenges confronting fans (such as inclement weather or long-term poor performance of their team). [1] The study noted that Browns fans filled 99.8% of the seats at Cleveland Browns Stadium during the last seven seasons, despite a combined record of 36 wins and 76 loses over that span. [2]

The most prominent organization of Browns fans is the Browns Backers Worldwide (BBW). The organization has approximately 50,000 members and is considered the largest sports-fan organization in the USA. [3] Browns Backers clubs can be found in every major city in the United States, and in a number of military bases throughout the world, with the largest club being in Phoenix, AZ. In addition, the organization has a sizable foreign presence in places as far away as Egypt, Australia, Japan, and Sri Lanka.

Perhaps the most visible Browns fans are those that can be found in the Dawg Pound. The Dawg Pound is located at the east end zone of Cleveland Browns Stadium and features hundreds of fans clad in orange and brown and canine attire. The fans are known to be rowdy and loud and have impacted many games.

History

1946-1949: The AAFC years

The Cleveland Browns were founded in 1946 under owner Arthur 'Mickey' McBride. A fan contest was conducted to determine the name of the team, with the most popular choice being "Panthers." However, Coach Paul Brown objected to the name as there was a semipro team using it already. A second contest was held, and the name "Browns" was selected. The coach was uncomfortable with the idea of having the team named after him, but stated publicly that the new team was named after boxing champion Joe Louis, who was known as the "Brown Bomber."^[1]

It bears noting that there is absolutely no proof that the nickname "Browns" was chosen because it was the last name of Coach Paul Brown. Indeed, on June 4, 1944, when the Cleveland Browns were awarded an AAFC franchise, the St. Louis Browns AL baseball team, long-time losers, had started the season winning their first nine games, had fallen out of first place in late May, but then had regained first place with a four-game winning streak to end the month ... and, interestingly enough, were the team the Cleveland Indians were next slated to play (starting on June 8, 1944) at the time of the AAFC organizational meeting. (Baseball took off June 6, 1944, owing to the Normandy invasion.) The St. Louis Browns even scored 18 runs on the day before the AAFC organizational meeting. Finally, there is the fact that AAFC organizational meeting took place in ... St. Louis. Thus, while it is certainly possible that McBride chose the name "Browns" because of Paul Brown, it is not undisputedly so.

Moreover, by the time Cleveland fans voted to name the team, the heretofore sad-sack St. Louis Browns had won the AL pennant and played in the World Series. The nickname might well have been on voters' minds.

In any event, the Browns were extremely successful early into their existence, dominating the new All-America Football Conference, winning all four of its championships including the 1948 season in which they went unbeaten and untied - 24 years before the NFL's 'first' perfect team, the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Cleveland's undefeated streak (including ties) reached 29 games including 18 straight wins.

The city of Cleveland showed terrific support for the Browns from the moment they were created. The team saw a record setting average attendance of 57,000 a game in its first season. The success of the Browns was largely a reason for Cleveland's NFL franchise, the Rams to leave town. ^[2]

1950-56: NFL

The Browns won the 1950 league championship in their inaugural NFL season, behind a potent offense that included future Hall of Famers Otto Graham, Marion Motley, Dante Lavelli, and Bill Willis. After going 10-2 in the regular season, the Browns defeated the New York Giants 8-3 in a playoff game and then beat Cleveland's previous NFL tenants, the Rams (who were now in Los Angeles), 30-28, in the NFL Championship game.

During the next season, the Browns went 11-1, facing the Rams in a rematch. A fourth quarter, 73-yard touchdown pass by Norm van Brocklin to Tom Fears put Los Angeles in the lead for good. The 24-17 loss was the Browns' first in a championship game.

Cleveland also advanced to the 1952 NFL championship game, finishing 8-4 to face the Detroit Lions. A muffed punt, several defensive stands, and a 67-yard touchdown run by Doak Walker combined to help the Lions win 17-7, frustrating the Browns for the second consecutive year. On the upside, Ray Renfro became a star with 722 yards receiving and 322 yards rushing.

The Browns then started the 1953 season winning 11 straight games, but finished with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the final week, and then lost the 1953 Championship game in a rematch with the Lions. The game was, however, closer than the year before. With the score tied at 10 going into the final quarter, Lou Groza kicked two field goals to put Cleveland up 16-10. But Detroit's Bobby Layne threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jim Doran with under two minutes left and the Lions won 17-16.

In 1954, the Browns finished 9-3 and met up with Detroit in the championship for a third consecutive year. This time, however, the Browns were relentless on both sides of the ball, intercepting Bobby Layne six times and forcing three fumbles. Otto Graham threw three touchdowns and ran for three more, en route to a 56-10 thrashing and the Browns second NFL crown.

Another successful campaign for the Browns occurred in 1955. Chuck Noll had a productive season at linebacker with five interceptions, Graham passed for 15 touchdowns and ran for six more, and the team, who finished 9-2-1, won their third NFL Championship game in six seasons 38-14, against the Los Angeles Rams.

Graham retired before the 1956 season season due to injuries, and the Browns floundered without him behind center. Three quarterbacks (George Ratterman, Babe Parilli, and Tommy O'Connell) were used, none of them throwing more touchdowns than interceptions. The team's 5-7 record saw the Browns shut out of a championship game for the first time in team history.

1957-65: The Jim Brown years

The Browns responded in 1957 when they drafted fullback Jim Brown, who easily became the NFL's leading rusher (and NFL Rookie of the Year) with 942 yards in a 12-game regular season. Once again at the top of the division at 9-2-1, they advanced back to the championship game against their nemeses from Detroit. But the Lions dominated from start to finish, causing six turnovers and allowing the Browns' two quarterbacks (Tommy O'Connell and Milt Plum) only 95 yards passing in a 59-14 rout.

In 1958 Jim Brown ran for 1527 yards, almost twice as much as any other running back. In his nine seasons in the league, he crossed the 1000-yard barrier seven times. The only snag in their getting back to another championship was the New York Giants. They lost to New York on the last week of the season after a spirited fourth-quarter comeback, then, due to their equal 9-3 records, faced the Giants again in a tiebreaker game with the winner going to the finals. This one was never in doubt: Jim Brown was limited to 8 yards and the team committed four turnovers as they were shut out 10-0.

In 1959 the Browns started 6-2 but finished 7-5, out of championship contention, despite Brown once again leading the league in rushing with 1329 yards. In 1960, Plum threw for 21 touchdowns and Brown's 1257 yards was still best in the NFL, but the team still finished second at 8-3-1.

Art Modell purchased the team in 1961. The beginnings of a power struggle between Paul Brown and Art Modell took its toll. Journalist D.L. Stewart recounted in Jeff Miller's book on the AFL, Going Long, "As you well can imagine, Jimmy Brown and Paul were not thick. The buzz was that Jimmy had Modell working for him, and Paul took exception to that."^[3] The season otherwise was typical: a fifth consecutive league-leading season from Jim Brown and a half-decent performance in the standings, but again, at 8-5-1, they were two games out of a berth in the championship.

In 1962, coach Paul Brown ended his 16-year career as the head coach of the Browns when he was fired by Art Modell. He left with a combined NFL record of 115-49-5 on top of his AAFC record of 52-4-3.

In 1964, under second year head coach Blanton Collier, the Cleveland Browns went 10-3-1 and once again reached the NFL Championship game. On December 27, 1964, the Browns defeated the Baltimore Colts 27-0. This was the Cleveland Browns' last championship season. [4].

1974-84: The Kardiac Kids

The Browns' era of success came to a crashing halt as the team dropped to 4-10 in 1974. Neither Phipps nor rookie QB Brian Sipe was effective; they threw 24 combined interceptions to only 10 touchdowns. The Browns allowed 344 points, most in the league. It was the first losing season in franchise history and head coach Nick Skorich saw his tenure with the team end as a result of the collapse.

Assistant coach and former Green Bay Packer offensive lineman Forrest Gregg took over in 1975, but the bad fortunes of the team remained with an 0-9 start that finally came to an end on November 23 in a 35-23 comeback victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Three weeks later, third-year running back Greg Pruitt paced the team with 214 yards rushing in a rout over the Kansas City Chiefs, helping the team finish the season 3-11.

Cleveland showed marked improvement with a 9-5 mark in 1976 as Brian Sipe firmly took control at quarterback. Sipe had been inserted into the lineup after a Mike Phipps injury in the season-opening win against the New York Jets on September 12. After a 1-3 start brought visions of another disastrous year, the Browns jolted the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers with an 18-16 victory on October 10. Third-string quarterback Dave Mays helped lead the team to that victory, while defensive end Joe "Turkey" Jones's pile-driving sack of quarterback Terry Bradshaw fueled the heated rivalry between the two teams. That win was the first of eight in the next nine weeks, helping put the Browns in contention for the AFC playoffs. A loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the regular season finale cost them a share of the division title, but running back Greg Pruitt continued his outstanding play by rushing for exactly 1000 yards, his second-straight four-digit season.

The Browns continued to roll in the first half of the 1977 NFL season, but an injury to Brian Sipe by Pittsburgh's Jack Lambert on November 13 proved to be disastrous. Cleveland won only one of their last five games to finish at 6-8, a collapse that led to Forrest Gregg's dismissal before the final game of the season. Dick Modzelewski served as interim coach in the team's 20-19 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

On December 27, 1977, Sam Rutigliano was named head coach, and he aided a healthy Sipe in throwing 21 touchdowns and garnering 2900 yards during the 1978 NFL season. Greg Pruitt and Mike Pruitt led a rushing attack that gained almost 2500 yards, but problems with the team's dismal pass defense resulted in the Browns finishing 8-8 on the year.

The 1979 campaign started with four consecutive wins, three of which were in the final minute or overtime. Four more games were won by less than a touchdown. This penchant for playing close games would later earn them the nickname "Kardiac Kids". Sipe threw 28 touchdown passes, tying him with Steve Grogan of New England for most in the league, but his 26 interceptions were the worst in the league. Mike Pruitt had a Pro Bowl season with his 1294 rushing yards, while the defense was still shaky, ranking near the bottom in rushing defense. The team finished 9-7, behind division rivals Houston and Pittsburgh in a tough AFC Central.

The 1980 season is still fondly remembered by Browns fans. After going 3-3 in the first six games, the Browns won three straight games with fourth-quarter comebacks, and stopped a late comeback by the Baltimore Colts to win a fourth. The Browns won two more games in that fashion by the end of the season, and even lost a game to the Minnesota Vikings on the last play when a Hail Mary pass was tipped into the waiting hands of Ahmad Rashad. Sipe passed for 4000 yards and 30 touchdowns with only 14 INTs (enough for him to be named the NFL MVP), behind an offensive line that sent three members to the Pro Bowl: Doug Dieken, Tom DeLeone and Joe DeLamielleure. The "Kardiac Kids" name stuck. A fourth-quarter field goal by Don Cockroft in the final game against the Cincinnati Bengals helped the Browns capture the division with an 11-5 mark, with the Oakland Raiders their opponent in the team's first playoff game in eight years. However, a heartbreaking end of this dramatic season came in the closing seconds when Sipe called what became known as "Red Right 88" and passed toward the end zone, only to watch Oakland's Mike Davis intercept the ball. The Raiders went on to win the Super Bowl, and "Red Right 88" has numbered among the list of Cleveland sports curses ever since (see: The Drive; The Fumble; The Shot by Michael Jordan; 1994 Major League Baseball strike; Cleveland State basketball coach Kevin Mackey's arrest and conviction for cocaine and Game 7 of the 1997 World Series).

If 1980 was a dream season, then 1981 was a nightmare. Sipe threw only 17 touchdowns while being picked off 25 times. The Browns went 5-11, and few of their games were particularly close. Tight end Ozzie Newsome, their only Pro Bowler, had 1004 yards receiving for six touchdowns.

In 1982 Brian Sipe split quarterbacking duties with Paul McDonald, and both put up similar numbers. The Browns had little success rushing or defending against it, finishing in the bottom five teams in both yardage categories. Despite going 4-5, Cleveland was able to make the playoffs due to an expanded playoff system in the strike-shortened year. They were matched up with the Raiders in the playoffs, but were easily defeated 27-10.

Sipe and the Browns got some of their spark back in 1983. Sipe had 26 touchdown passes and 3566 yards, while Mike Pruitt ran for 10 scores on 1184 yards. Cleveland even won two games in overtime and another in the fourth quarter. A fourth-quarter loss to the Houston Oilers in their second-to-last game dashed their playoff hopes. At 9-7 the Browns finished one game behind the Steelers, and lost out on a wild-card spot due to a tiebreaker.

1984 was a rebuilding year. Brian Sipe defected to the upstart USFL after the 1983 season, and Paul McDonald was named the starting quarterback. Mike Pruitt missed much of the season and later ended up on the Buffalo Bills. Coach Sam Rutigliano lost his job after a 1-7 start as Marty Schottenheimer took over. The Browns coasted to a 5-11 record.

1985-90: The Bernie Kosar years

In 1985, the Browns selected University of Miami quarterback Bernie Kosar in the Supplemental Draft. As a rookie, Kosar learned through trial by fire as he took over for Gary Danielson midway through the 1985 season. Progressing a bit more each Sunday, the young quarterback helped turn the struggling season around, as the Browns won four of the six games Kosar started. Two young rushers, Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack, played a large part in the team's success as well; each ran for 1000+ yards. The Browns' 8-8 record gave the team the top spot in a weak AFC Central, and they looked poised to shock the heavily favored Miami Dolphins in the 1986 Divisional Playoff game with a 21-3 lead at halftime. It took Dan Marino's spirited second-half comeback to win the game for Miami 24-21. While the Brown's faithful may have felt the initial sting of disappointment, there was tremendous upside in the loss: Schottenheimer's team, with Kosar at quarterback, reached the playoffs each of the next five seasons, advancing to the AFC Championship game in three of those years.

The Browns broke into the ranks of the NFL's elite -- particularly on defense -- with a 12-4 showing in 1986. Behind Kosar's 3,854 yards passing and a defense with five Pro Bowlers (Chip Banks, Hanford Dixon, Bob Golic, Clay Matthews and Frank Minnifield), the Browns dominated the AFC Central with the best record in the AFC, and one of the NFL's stingiest defenses. With these on their side, the Browns clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. In the 1987 Divisional Playoff game, the Browns needed some serious heroics (and a bit of luck) to overcome the New York Jets. The Jets were leading 20-10 with less than four minutes to play, with the Browns in a dire 3rd and 24 situation. As fate would have it, Mark Gastineau was called for roughing the passer, which gave Cleveland a first down. The drive ended with Kevin Mack running into the end zone for a touchdown. After going three-and-out the Jets went back on defense, but allowed the rejuvenated Browns to again drive the ball deep into their end of the field. With 11 seconds remaining in regulation, Mark Moseley kicked a field goal to tie the game. In the first of two ensuing overtime periods, Moseley missed his next attempt, but later redeemed himself by ending what had become the second longest game in NFL history. Final score Browns 23, Jets 20.

The 1986 AFC Championship game saw the Denver Broncos arrive in the windswept, hostile confines of Cleveland Municipal Stadium. No one knew at the time, but the Broncos would become Cleveland's arch-nemesis of the Kosar era. As it had been the previous week, the showdown proved again to be it was an overtime heart-stopper. But this time, it was John Elway and the Broncos who came away the victors. Pinned in on their own two yard line with 5:11 left to play and the wind in his face, Elway led his now infamous (or, for the Bronco's fans, 'legendary') 98-yard drive, which is now known by NFL historians as simply "The Drive"). With 37 seconds on the clock, Elway's 5-yard touchdown pass to Mark Jackson tied the game at 20 apiece. The 79,973 Browns fans in attendance were silenced when Rich Karlis' field goal attempt just made it inside the right-side upright to win the game for Denver early into overtime.

The Browns success was replicated in 1987, with 22 touchdown passes and 3000 yards for Kosar, and eight Pro Bowlers: Kosar, Mack, Dixon, Golic, Minnifield, linebacker Clay Matthews, wide receiver Gerald McNeil and offensive lineman Cody Risien. At 10-5, the Browns won the AFC Central again. Cleveland easily defeated the Indianapolis Colts 38-21 in the divisional playoff and travelled to Denver for a rematch with the Broncos in the AFC Championship. With the score 21-3 in favor of the Broncos at halftime, Kosar led a third-quarter comeback with two touchdowns by Earnest Byner and another by Reggie Langhorne. Early in the fourth quarter, Webster Slaughter's 4-yard touchdown catch tied it at 31-31. The Broncos regained the lead with a 20-yard Sammy Winder touchdown with under five minutes to go, setting the stage for another Browns comeback...or so they thought. Kosar drove the Browns to the Broncos' 8 yard line with 1:12 to go, and handed off to Byner. When it looked like he had an open route to the end zone, he was stripped of the ball by Jeremiah Castille. The Broncos recovered what became known as "The Fumble". After taking a safety, the Broncos shocked the Browns again, 38-33.

Injuries to Kosar and two of his backups sidelined them for much of the 1988 season, but the Browns still finished 10-6. A final-week comeback victory in a snowstorm at Cleveland Stadium over the Houston Oilers clinched them a wild-card playoff spot, and a home game rematch against the Oilers in the first round. After Mike Pagel, in for Kosar, threw a touchdown pass to Webster Slaughter late in the fourth quarter to pull the Browns within a point at 24-23, the Browns had three chances to recover an onside kick (due to penalties), but the Oilers recovered and stopped the Cleveland comeback.

Coach Marty Schottenheimer left the Browns by mutual agreement with Modell shortly after the loss to the Oilers. Modell was tired of losing in the playoffs, and Schottenheimer was tired of what he perceived as Modell's interference with his coaching personnel and game strategy. Schottenheimer was quickly hired by the Kansas City Chiefs for the 1989 season. Bud Carson was his replacement in Cleveland, but his tenure was short - only one and a half years. The 1989 season, headlined by Slaughter's Pro Bowl-worthy 1236 yards receiving, was a success at 7-3 until a 10-10 tie with Schottenheimer's Chiefs in November led to a 3-game losing streak. Two comeback wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Oilers in the season's final two weeks kept them in the playoff race. The tie ended up being the Browns' saving grace, with their 9-6-1 record winning them the AFC Central title and first-round bye over the Oilers and Pittsburgh Steelers at 9-7. The Browns narrowly survived a scare from the Buffalo Bills in their divisional playoff game, when Scott Norwood missed an extra point that would have pulled Buffalo within 3 points and, later, when Jim Kelly's desperation pass to the end zone on the final play of the game was intercepted.

Cleveland's 34-30 win set them up for a rematch with the Broncos in Denver for the AFC Championship. While their two previous matchups went down to the wire, this one was never in doubt. The Broncos led from start to finish, and a long Elway touchdown pass to Sammy Winder put the game away in the fourth quarter. Denver easily won 37-21.

In 1990 things began to unravel. Kosar threw more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (10) for the first time in his career; and the team finished last in the league in rushing offense, and near the bottom in rushing defense. Carson was fired after a 2-7 start, and the team finished 3-13, second-worst in the league. After the season Bill Belichick, defensive coordinator of the then-Super Bowl champion New York Giants, was named head coach, setting off a chain of events that some fans believe led to the demise of the original franchise.

1991-95: Bill Belichick and Modell's move

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.

The Browns saw only a slight improvement under Belichick in the 1991, finishing 6-10. Kosar was markedly better, with a ratio of 18 touchdowns to 9 interceptions, and Leroy Hoard had a breakout season.

In 1992, with Kosar sitting out much of the season and Mike Tomczak in under center, Cleveland was in the thick of the AFC Central race before dropping their final three games to finish 7-9.

The 1993 season saw Belichick make the controversial decision of benching Bernie Kosar in favor of Vinny Testaverde, who had been signed from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The immensely popular Kosar was later released by the team, prompting a heated reaction from fans, mostly aimed at Belichick. Cleveland won only two of its final nine games after Testaverde took over under center, finishing 7-9 once again.

Cleveland managed to right the ship in 1994, although the quarterback situation hadn't quite improved, a solid defense led the league for fewest yards allowed per attempt, sending four players (Rob Burnett, Pepper Johnson, Michael Dean Perry, and Eric Turner) to the Pro Bowl. The Browns finished 11-5, making the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. In the AFC Wild Card game against the New England Patriots, the Browns' defense picked off Drew Bledsoe three times, with Testaverde completing two-thirds of his passes, to win 20-13. Arch-rival Pittsburgh ended the Browns' season the following week, however, with a 29-9 blowout in the AFC Divisional game.

Team owner Art Modell announced on November 6, 1995, that he had signed a deal to relocate the Browns to Baltimore for 1996. The very next day, on November 7, 1995, Cleveland voters overwhelmingly approved an issue that had been placed on the ballot at Art Modell's request, before he made his decision to move the franchise, which provided $175 million in tax dollars to refurbish the outmoded and declining Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Art Modell's plan was later scrapped and taxpayers ultimately paid close to $300 million to demolish the old stadium and construct a new stadium for the Browns.

The relocation announcement was met with unprecedented resistance from Browns fans, with over 100 lawsuits filed by fans, the city of Cleveland, and a host of others. Congress held hearings on the matter. Actor/comedian Drew Carey returned to his hometown of Cleveland on November 26, 1995, to host "Fan Jam" in protest of the proposed move. Virtually all of the team's sponsors immediately pulled their support, leaving Cleveland Municipal Stadium devoid of advertising during the team's final weeks.

The 1995 season was a disaster on the field as well. After starting 3-1, the rumors of relocation, and the eventual announcement, cast a pall on the team, who finished 5-11. When fans in the Dawg Pound became unruly during their final home game against the Cincinnati Bengals, action moving towards that end zone had to be moved to the opposite end of the field. The Browns won, the only game the team won after the news of the Browns' move got out.

Led by Mayor Mike White, Cleveland accepted a legal settlement that would keep the Browns legacy in Cleveland. In February 1996, the National Football League announced that the team would be 'deactivated' for three years, and that a new stadium would be built for a new Cleveland Browns team that would begin play in 1999. Modell would in turn be granted a new franchise for Baltimore, the Baltimore Ravens, retaining the current contracts of players and personnel. The Browns' name, colors, history, records, awards and archives would remain in Cleveland.

1999-2006

The city was granted a new expansion franchise in 1999. Cleveland returned to the NFL with high hopes and expectations, featuring deep-pocketed ownership and what appeared to be solid general management in the form of former San Francisco 49ers president Carmen Policy, general manager Dwight Clark, and head coach Chris Palmer. Policy, Clark, and Palmer did not live up to their advance billing, and the team floundered. Palmer was dismissed after the 2000 season, and Policy and Clark were forced out in 2003. Palmer was succeeded by former University of Miami coach Butch Davis. Despite a 2002 AFC Wild Card qualification, the team saw a dismal record during the next two seasons leading to Butch Davis' resignation in December 2004. Offensive Coordinator Terry Robiskie, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the 2004 season.

Just prior to the Browns' final game of the 2005 NFL season, the team's front office became embroiled in a major controversy that threatened to once again send the team into rebuilding mode. A reporter for ESPN went public with a story that Team president John Collins was going to fire general manager Phil Savage. The resulting uproar from fans and local media was so strong that it was Collins who resigned on January 3, 2006. The role of team "President and CEO" was vacated, with owner Randy Lerner filling in as de facto CEO for the time being.

2007

On April 28, 2007, the Browns used their first-round pick (3rd overall) on Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas. The Browns then picked Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn in the first round (22nd overall) of 2007 NFL Draft after acquiring it through a trade with the Dallas Cowboys. Quinn will likely compete for the starting job immediately against Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson and Ken Dorsey.

Logo and uniforms

The Browns are the only team in the NFL that do not have a logo on their helmets. Even though the team has had various logos throughout the years, such as the "Brownie Elf" mascot (a logo that Art Modell did away with in the mid-1960s, feeling it was too childish, however its use has been revived under the current ownership.) and the Brown "B" in a white football, the club's orange "logo-less" helmet has become its primary trademark. The only time that the Browns ever had a logo on their helmets was during one preseason game vs Green Bay in 1965; it was a brown "CB". (the "CB" Logo is what Art Modell tried to use as a replacement for the "Brownie Elf" mascot.)

Since debuting in 1946, the Browns' uniforms have essentially remained the same. However, the team originally wore white helmets before switching to orange (with a white center stripe.) on a full-time basis in 1952. (In the 1950 & '51 seasons, the Browns wore the white helmets in day games and plain orange helmets in night games because of an NFL rule prohibiting the use of white or light-colored helmets for night games because of the lighting and the use of a white football for night games. Also because of night games, they experimented with silver game pants in the 1950 & '51 seasons, and a third orange jersey for night games in the 1954 season.) From 1957 to 1960, the players' numbers were on the sides of their helmets. In 1960, the Browns went to the now familiar brown-white-brown stripe sequence on the helmets along with each player's respective number in brown on the side.

The original designs of the jerseys, pants and socks have remained mostly intact although the helmet has undergone significant revisions:

Jerseys: 1. Brown (officially "seal brown") with white numerals and a white-orange-white-orange-white stripe sequence on the sleeves. 2. White with brown numerals and a brown-orange-brown-orange-brown stripe sequence on the sleeves. The three white or brown stripes are approximately twice the width of the two orange stripes. (The original 1946 jerseys featured block-shadow numerals.)

Pants: White with an orange-brown-orange stripe sequence on the sides. The stripes are of equal width.

Socks: Brown or white to match the jerseys with the identical stripe sequence as the jersey sleeves.

Helmet: Solid white (1946-1949); solid white for day games and solid orange for night games (1950-1951); orange with a single white stripe (1952-1956); orange with a single white stripe and brown numerals on the sides (1957-1959); orange with a brown-white-brown stripe sequence and brown numerals on the sides (1960); orange with a brown-white-brown stripe sequence (1961-1995 and 1999-present).

Numerals first appeared on the jersey sleeves in 1961. Over the years, there have been minor revisions to the sleeve stripes, the first occurring in 1968 (brown jerseys worn in early season) and 1969 (white and brown jerseys) when stripes began to be silk screened onto the sleeves and separated from each other to prevent color bleeding. However, the basic five-stripe sequence has remained intact (with the exception of the 1984 season). A recent revision was the addition of the initials "AL" to honor Al Lerner who died in 2002 after buying the resurrected team in 1999 and after helping to grease the skids for the 1995 move.

Orange pants with a brown-white-brown stripe sequence were worn from 1975-1983 and become symbolic of the Kardiac Kids era. The orange pants were worn again occasionally in 2003 and 2004.

Other than the helmet, the uniform was completely redesigned for the 1984 season. New striping patterns appeared on the white jerseys, brown jerseys and pants. Solid brown socks were worn with brown jerseys and solid orange socks were worn with white jerseys. Brown numerals on white jerseys were outlined in orange. White numerals on brown jerseys were double outlined in brown and orange.

In 1985, the uniform returned to a look similar to the original design and remained that way through 1995.

In 1999, the expansion Browns adopted the traditional design with two exceptions: 1. Jersey-sleeve numbers were moved to the shoulders. 2. The orange-brown-orange pants stripes were significantly widened.

Experimentation with the uniform design began in 2002. An alternate orange jersey was introduced that season as the NFL encouraged teams to adopt a third jersey. Also in 2002, a major design change was made when solid brown socks appeared for the first time since 1984 and were used with white, brown and orange jerseys. Other than 1984, striped socks (matching the jersey stripes) had been a signature design element in the team's traditional uniform. These white striped socks appeared occasionally with the white jerseys in 2003-2005.

Experimentation continued in 2003 and 2004 when the traditional orange-brown-orange stripes on the white pants were replaced by two variations of a brown-orange-brown sequence, one in which the stripes were joined (worn with white jerseys) and the other in which they were separated by white (worn with brown jerseys). The joined sequence was used exclusively with both jerseys in 2005. In 2006, the traditional orange-brown-orange sequence returned.

In 2006, the team reverted to an older uniform style, featuring gray face masks; the original stripe pattern on the brown jersey sleeves (The white jersey has had that sleeve stripe pattern on a consistent basis since the 1985 season.) and the older, darker shade of brown. The team discontinued the alternate orange jerseys as well as the orange pants. It is said that the team now has alternate brown pants, but that look has not appearred in an actual game. ^[4]

On November 26, 2006, as part of the commemoration of their 60th anniversary, the Browns wore a replica of their 1957-59 uniforms in a 30-0 loss to Cincinnati at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The "throwback" uniform was the same as that worn by Jim Brown in his 1957 rookie season.

As a result of the team not having a real logo, it is represented by orange when seen on Fox.

Paul Brown got his inspiration for the Brown's colors from the nearby Bowling Green State University. Early on B.G.S.U. also hosted Browns training camps. Today the University displays a plaque that commemorates this connection with the NFL franchise.

Season-by-season records

Players of note

Current roster

Players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Cleveland Browns have the fourth largest number of players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with a total of sixteen enshrined players elected based on their performance with the Browns, and five more players elected who spent at least one year with the Browns franchise.^[5] No Browns players were inducted in the inaugural induction class of 1963. Otto Graham was the first Brown to be enshrined as a member of the class of 1965, and the most-recent Brown to be included in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is Gene Hickerson, who was a member of the class of 2007.

Pro Football Hall of Famers
Inducted	No.	Player name	Nat.	Tenure	Position(s)
1965	14, 60	Otto Graham		1946–1955	Quarterback
1967	—	Paul Brown		1946–1962	Head coach
1968	76	Marion Motley		1946–1953	Fullback
1971	32	Jim Brown		1957–1965	Fullback
1974	76	Lou Groza		1946–1959 1961–1967	Offensive tackle Placekicker
1975	56, 86	Dante Lavelli		1946–1956	Wide Receiver/Tight End
1976	80	Len Ford		1950–1957	Defensive end
1977	30, 60	Bill Willis		1946–1953	Defensive lineman
1981	87	Willie Davis†		1958–1959	Defensive end
1982	81	Doug Atkins†		1953–1954	Defensive end
1983	49	Bobby Mitchell		1958–1961	Wide receiver Halfback
1983	42	Paul Warfield		1964–1969 1976–1977	Wide receiver
1984	74	Mike McCormack		1954–1962	Offensive tackle
1985	22, 52	Frank Gatski		1946–1956	Offensive center
1987	16	Len Dawson†		1960–1961	Quarterback
1994	44	Leroy Kelly		1964–1973	Running back
1995	74	Henry Jordan†		1957–1958	Defensive tackle
1998	25	Tommy McDonald†		1968	Wide receiver
1999	82	Ozzie Newsome		1978–1990	Tight end
2003	64, 68	Joe DeLamielleure++		1980–1984	Offensive guard
2007	66	Gene Hickerson		1958–1973	Offensive guard
† Not inducted based on performance with Browns
++ Was significantly more successful with Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns Legends

The Legends program honors former Browns who made noteworthy contributions to the history of the franchise. In addition to all the Hall of Famers listed above, the Legends list includes:^[6]

• Earnest Byner, RB
• Gary Collins, WR
• Doug Dieken, OT
• Hanford Dixon, CB
• Bob Gain, DT
• Jim Houston, LB
• Tommy James, CB/P
• Dub Jones, RB/WR
• Bernie Kosar, QB
• Clay Matthews, LB
• Walt Michaels, LB
• Frank Minnifield, DB
• Michael Dean Perry, DL
• Greg Pruitt, RB
• Mike Pruitt, RB
• Ray Renfro, WR
• Frank Ryan, QB
• Dick Schafrath, OL
• Jerry Sherk, DL
• Brian Sipe, QB
• Webster Slaughter, WR
• Jim Ray Smith, OL
• Mac Speedie, WR

Other notable alumni

Retired numbers

The Cleveland Browns have retired five numbers throughout their history.

Retired numbers
No.	Player name	Nat.
14	Otto Graham
32	Jim Brown
45	Ernie Davis
46	Don Fleming
76	Lou Groza

All-time first-round draft picks

Coaches of note

Head coaches

• Paul Brown 1946-1962
• Blanton Collier 1963-1970
• Nick Skorich 1971-1974
• Forrest Gregg 1975-1977
• Dick Modzelewski 1977 (Interim)
• Sam Rutigliano 1978-1984
• Marty Schottenheimer 1984-1988
• Bud Carson 1989-1990
• Jim Shofner 1990 (Interim)
• Bill Belichick 1991-1995
• Chris Palmer 1999-2000
• Butch Davis 2001-2004
• Terry Robiskie 2004 (Interim)
• Romeo Crennel 2005 - present

Current staff

Radio and television

As of 2006, the Browns' flagship radio stations are WMMS, 100.7FM, a rock station known commonly as "The Buzzard", and news/talk station WTAM 1100AM. Jim Donovan, formerly of NBC Sports and sports director of WKYC Channel 3, is the play-by-play announcer, former Browns offensive tackle Doug Dieken is the color analyst, and WTAM sports anchor/reporter Andre Knott serves as sideline reporter.

In 2006, preseason telecasts moved to WKYC from WOIO after a controversy arose over the 911 calls at the drowning death of the team owner's niece (see above). Both Fox Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio have weekly shows about the team.

Trivia

• The Browns are one of only six NFL teams (along with the Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans) never to have played in the Super Bowl. Of those six teams, only the Browns (excluding the "suspended" years), Lions and Cardinals have been in existence since before the first Super Bowl was played in January 1967.

• Cleveland is the only current NFL city whose franchise has neither played in nor hosted a Super Bowl. The fact that Cleveland Browns Stadium is open-air, combined with Cleveland's typically cold winters, makes it highly unlikely that the city will host a Super Bowl.

• If the current incarnation of the Browns were to be considered a new franchise, then Cleveland would be the only NFL city to have given birth to 3 existing NFL franchises - the Cleveland-Los Angeles-St. Louis Rams, the Cleveland Browns - Baltimore Ravens, and the existing Cleveland Browns.

• In the eleventh episode of the third season of the Simpsons, entitled “Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk”, Homer Simpson is overheard by two German businessmen, Hans and Fritz, saying that Mr Burns wouldn’t sell the power plant for less than $100 million. The two businessmen, who are looking for a business acquistion, count all the cash they have and remark that they could pay that much and still “have enough for the Cleveland Browns”.

Notes and references

See also

• Dawg Pound
• The Drive
• The Fumble
• List of Cleveland Browns first-round draft picks
• Red Right 88
• Paul Brown
• Browncos

External links

• Cleveland Browns official web site
• Sports E-Cyclopedia.com