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Cleveland
Browns History
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Cleveland Browns, professional
football team and one of six teams in the Central Division of
the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football
League (NFL). Under the league’s realignment plan, which
will take affect in 2002, the Browns will play in the North
Division of the AFC. The original Cleveland Browns franchise
moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and took the name Baltimore Ravens
in 1996, but in 1998 the NFL granted ownership of a new Browns
franchise to a group of investors headed by businessman Al Lerner
and former San Francisco 49ers president Carmen Policy. Using
their traditional team colors of orange, brown, and white, the
Browns rejoined the NFL in 1999. The team plays in Cleveland
Browns Stadium.
The original Browns were one of the NFL’s most consistent
teams, posting just 12 losing records in 46 seasons. Head coach
Paul Brown collected three league championships and seven division
titles from 1950 to 1962. One of Cleveland’s first stars,
running back Jim Brown, became one of the most prolific runners
in professional football history, capturing eight rushing titles
during his nine-year career. Cleveland made the playoffs seven
times during the 1980s, including three AFC Championship Game
appearances. These teams featured players such as quarterback
Bernie Kosar and running backs Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack.
The Browns became a charter member of the All-America Football
Conference (AAFC) in 1946, with Paul Brown as head coach and
general manager. Cleveland dominated the AAFC, losing just four
regular-season games while winning every championship during
the league’s four-year existence. The Browns boasted several
future Hall of Fame members, including quarterback Otto Graham,
tackle-placekicker Lou Groza, end Dante Lavelli, and halfback
Marion Motley.
Cleveland joined the NFL in 1950 and immediately became one
of the league’s best teams. That year, with Motley leading
the league in rushing (810 yards), the team captured the first
of six consecutive division crowns and the NFL title. (The Super
Bowl was not played until 1967.) Directed by Graham, who led
Cleveland’s top-rated offense, the team also won NFL titles
in 1954 and 1955. The Browns fielded the league’s toughest
defense six times from 1951 to 1957; it was anchored by future
Hall of Fame end Len Ford.
After Cleveland’s one-year absence from the postseason
in 1956, rookie sensation Jim Brown carried the team back into
the playoffs in 1957. Brown, a strong runner with great speed,
earned top rookie honors and the first of his eight rushing
titles. Behind Brown and rookie wide receiver Paul Warfield,
Cleveland won the NFL title in 1964, besting the Baltimore Colts
(now Indianapolis Colts) in a 27-0 victory in the championship
game. The following season Brown was named player of the year.
He retired with a total of 12,312 career rushing yards.
Running back Leroy Kelly replaced Brown as Cleveland’s
main offensive threat and won rushing championships in 1967
and 1968. Under head coach Blanton Collier the Browns won division
titles in 1968 and 1969, but they lost in the championship game
both years.
The Browns’ dominance faded in the 1970s. Cleveland’s
playoff appearances in 1971 and 1972 ended in first-round losses,
and the team failed to reach the postseason from 1973 to 1979.
However, in 1980 the Browns won the AFC Central Division. Cleveland
suffered early playoff losses in 1980 and then again in 1982.
The Browns drafted Bernie Kosar in 1985. He teamed with Earnest
Byner and Kevin Mack to power Cleveland’s resurgence in
the mid-1980s. The Browns made the playoffs from 1985 through
1989, and Kosar became one of the NFL’s top-ranked quarterbacks.
Cleveland reached the AFC Championship Game in 1986, 1987, and
1989, but each time, the Browns lost to the Denver Broncos.
These matchups made the rivalry between the two teams one of
the most celebrated in the NFL.
The Browns suffered five losing seasons in their final six years
in Cleveland. Midway through the 1995 season, team owner Art
Modell announced plans to move the team to Baltimore. Three
months after the announcement, which shocked loyal Browns fans
and the city of Cleveland, the NFL granted Cleveland a team
and rights to the Browns’ name, colors, and memorabilia.
During a special expansion team draft in February 1999, the
Browns drafted a number of veteran players, including center
Jim Pyne of the Detroit Lions and cornerback Antonio Langham
of the San Francisco 49ers. In April of the same year the Browns
used their number-one pick in the NFL amateur draft to select
quarterback Tim Couch of the University of Kentucky. The new
Browns struggled during their first season, finishing with a
win-loss record of 2-14.
The Cleveland Browns have never played in the Super Bowl. |
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