Cleveland Browns

"Browns" redirects here. For other uses, see Browns (disambiguation).

Cleveland Browns
Established 1946 Play in Cleveland Browns Stadium Cleveland, Ohio Headquartered in Berea, 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)
Uniforms
Team colors	Brown, orange, white
Mascot	CB, Chomps, TD, and Trapper
Personnel
Owner(s)	Randy Lerner
General manager	George Kokinis
Head coach	Eric Mangini
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
Playoff appearances (28)
AAFC: 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 NFL: 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 2002
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 play in the AFC North division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Cleveland Browns began play in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and joined the NFL in 1950 after the AAFC folded.

Cleveland has won a total of eight league championships; they won all four AAFC titles (including a 15-0 undefeated season in 1948), and after joining the NFL won four additional championships prior to the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. The Browns were one of three teams which joined ten former AFL teams to form the American Football Conference. Despite the Browns' historical successes the club has not played in a league championship game since the merger; however, they have competed for the AFC Championship three times. Having lost all three games, along with two NFL Championship Games of the Super Bowl era prior to the merger (in 1968 and 1969), Cleveland is one of the five NFL teams that has yet to qualify for the Super Bowl. Additionally, Cleveland has not hosted a Super Bowl, making it the only NFL city to have neither hosted nor sent a team to the Super Bowl.

History

Main article: History of the Cleveland Browns

Further information: Cleveland Browns seasons

LMFAO

1957–70: The Jim Brown Era

The Browns responded in 1957 when they drafted fullback Jim Brown out of Syracuse University, 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 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 1,527 yards, almost twice as much as any other running back. In his nine seasons in the league, he crossed the 1,000-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. However, the Giants limited Jim Brown to eight 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 1,329 yards. In 1960, Plum threw for 21 touchdowns and Brown's 1,257 yards was still best in the NFL, but the team still finished second at 8–3–1.

Art Modell purchased the team from David Jones (who had bought the team from McBride in 1953) 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." 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.

After a 7–6–1 record in 1962, Modell fired Brown and replaced him with longtime assistant Blanton Collier. Many of the Browns' younger players—such as Jim Brown and Frank Ryan had chafed under Brown's autocratic coaching style. Collier rode his team with a considerably looser rein. He also installed a much more open offense and allowed Ryan to call his own plays. In Collier's first season, the Browns went 10–4 and finished a game out of the conference title, led by Jim Brown's record 1,863 yards rushing.

In 1964, the Browns went 10–3–1 and reached their first title game in 7 years. The Browns throttled the heavily favored Baltimore Colts 27–0, with receiver Gary Collins catching 3 TD passes to earn the MVP award. The Browns would go to three more NFL title games in Collier's eight-year tenure—including 1968 and 1969, after Jim Brown retired. After the 1970 season, Collier retired due to increasing deafness; that same year the Browns finished 7–7 and was replaced by offensive coordinator Nick Skorich.

1971–84: The Kardiac Kids

Skorich led the Browns to a division title in 1971 and a wild-card berth in 1972. In the latter year, the Browns nearly defeated the Dolphins in the second round—the closest the Dolphins would come to losing a game that season (until the Dolphins played the Steelers in the Conf. Championship game, beating the Steelers by only 4 points compared to the Browns 6. They barely missed the playoffs in 1973.

However, the Browns' era of success came to a crashing halt as the team dropped to 4–10 in 1974. Neither Mike 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 only the second losing season in franchise history, and it cost Skorich his job.

Assistant coach Forrest Gregg took over in 1975, but the Browns stumbled out of the gate 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 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 1,000 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 2,900 yards during the 1978 NFL season. Greg Pruitt and Mike Pruitt led a rushing attack that gained almost 2,500 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 1,294 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 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns with only 14 interceptions(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.

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 1,004 yards receiving for six touchdowns.

In 1982 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 3,566 yards, while Mike Pruitt ran for 10 scores on 1,184 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 with 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: Kosar and the Broncos Rivalry

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 1,000+ yards, a feat that would not be repeated until the 2008-09 season, when Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward of the New York Giants each broke the 1,000-yard barrier. 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 Browns 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 1986 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, having only lost once to the Browns in a span that still continues to this day. 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 famous 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 3,000 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 traveled 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 less than 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 an intentional safety, the Broncos had 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 an injured Don Strock (recently signed ex-Dolphins quarterback), 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.

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 1,236 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.

1991–95: Bill Belichick and Modell's move

Main article: Cleveland Browns relocation controversy

The Browns saw only a slight improvement under Belichick in 1991, finishing 6–10. Kosar was markedly better, with a ratio of 18 touchdowns to 9 interceptions, and Leroy Hoard had a breakout season. The next season, 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 cutting Kosar while back-up Vinny Testaverde, who had been signed from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was injured. The Browns were in first place at the time and the Browns faltered as Todd Philcox became the starter. Kosar was signed by the Dallas Cowboys and a few days later led the Cowboys to a win in place of an injured Troy Aikman. Kosar would win a ring that season as the Cowboys won the Super Bowl with a healthy Aikman. Cleveland won only two of its final nine games 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.

Modell announced on November 6, 1995, that he had signed a deal to relocate the Browns to Baltimore in 1996—a move which would return the NFL to Baltimore for the first time since the Colts relocated to Indianapolis after the 1983 season. The very next day, on November 7, 1995, Cleveland voters overwhelmingly approved an issue that had been placed on the ballot at 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. 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 on the site of Municipal Stadium.

Browns fans reacted angrily to the news. Over 100 lawsuits were 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. A protest was held in Pittsburgh during the Browns' game there but ABC, the network broadcasting the game, declined to cover or mention the protest. It was one of the few instances that Steelers fans and Browns fans were supporting each other, as fans in Pittsburgh felt that Modell was robbing their team of their rivalry with the Browns.

Virtually all of the team's sponsors immediately pulled their support, leaving 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 Browns lost 3 straight before the news broke about the team's impending move cut the legs out from under the team. They finished 5–11, including a 2–7 record in the nine games after the announcement. 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. Rows of empty seats were torn from the stadium and thrown on the field. Stalls and sinks in the restrooms were torn from the walls. Several fans set fires in the stands, especially in the "Dawg Pound" section, and assaulted security officials and police officers who tried to quell the growing fires. The Browns won their final home game.

1996–1999 (Inactivity)

After extensive talks between the NFL, the Browns and officials of the two cities, Cleveland accepted a legal settlement that would keep the Browns legacy in Cleveland. In February 1996, the NFL announced that the Browns would be 'deactivated' for three years, and that a new stadium would be built for a new Browns team, as either an expansion team or a team moved from another city, that would begin play in 1999. Modell would in turn be granted a new franchise, (the 31st NFL franchise), for Baltimore, the Baltimore Ravens, retaining the current contracts of players and personnel. The Browns ceased play at the end of the 1995 season when Modell relocated to Baltimore, becoming what the NFL declared to be the expansion Baltimore Ravens. The Browns franchise was then reactivated, and its roster restocked via an expansion draft before resuming play in the 1999 season. There would be a new team, but the Browns' name, colors, history, records, awards and archives would remain in Cleveland. Coincidentally, the only other current NFL team to suspend operations without merging with another, the St. Louis Rams, had once played in Cleveland (they suspended during the 1943 season, at the height of World War II, also during their time in Cleveland). During this period the threat of relocation to Cleveland was used by several teams, such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos, to help convince the taxpayers in those areas to fund new stadiums.

Cleveland NFL Football LLC (Cleveland Browns Trust) was formed by the NFL. President of the Trust was Bill Futterer, and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was the Trustee. The Trust represented the NFL in the stadium design and construction, managed the sale of suites and club seats, and sold Permanent Seat Licenses and season tickets. Additionally, the Trust reorganized the Browns Backers fan clubs across the United States, resumed coaches shows on television and radio throughout the state of Ohio, and conducted a dramatic one-year countdown celebration that incorporated the first live Internet broadcast in NFL history. The Trust operated its campaign under a Countdown to '99 theme, utilizing Hall of Famers such as Lou Groza and Jim Brown extensively, and sold nearly 53,000 season tickets—a team record in 1998. It remains the only time in professional American football history that a league operated a team "in absentia" in order to preserve the history of the franchise and to build value in that franchise for the future owner. The NFL sold the Browns as an expansion team in 1998 for a North American record $530 million for a professional franchise, more than double any previous selling price for a pro sports team. Commissioner Tagliabue announced that the Browns would be an expansion team, rather than a relocated team, at the owners meeting in March 1998. Some consider the current Baltimore Ravens and the pre-1995 Cleveland Browns organization as one continuous entity, using terms like "The Modell organization" or "Art Modell's Franchise" to denote it. Officially, the National Football League, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens all consider the current Browns team to be a continuation of the team founded in 1946.

1999–2004: Rejoining the NFL

The Browns on the field in 2004 against the Washington Redskins.

Cleveland returned to the NFL in 1999 with high hopes and expectations, featuring deep-pocketed ownership in Al Lerner. The team's football operations appeared to be in solid hands in the form of president and CEO Carmen Policy and general manager Dwight Clark, both of whom had come from the San Francisco 49ers. Chris Palmer, former offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars, was hired as head coach. The team was rebuilt from a special expansion draft and the regular NFL draft; the latter included the number one selection, QB Tim Couch.

It was to be expected that the resurrected Browns would struggle at first, as for all practical purposes they were an expansion team. However, the Browns' first two seasons were awful even by expansion standards. 1999 saw the Browns start 0–7 en route to a 2–14 finish, the worst in franchise history. 2000 was slightly better, with a 3–13 finish—the lone highlight being the Browns' first home win in five years, against the Steelers on September 17. Compounding the fans' frustration was the Baltimore Ravens' win over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV that season. Though the Ravens were considered a "new franchise", the team still had players such as Matt Stover and Rob Burnett who had played for the Browns before the Modell move. Palmer was fired after the season and replaced by University of Miami coach Butch Davis.

Under Davis the Browns became more competitive, finishing 7–9 in 2001, three games out of the playoffs. With the team apparently close to being a contender again, Clark was forced to resign after the season, and Davis was named general manager as well as coach. In 2002, the Browns finished 9–7, and thanks to multiple tiebreakers they made the playoffs for the first time since 1994. Facing Pittsburgh in the first round, the Browns led 33–21 with five minutes to go, but ultimately lost 36–33. Their largest lead in the game was actually 17 points - they led 24-7 in the third quarter; after that point the Steelers outscored them 29-9 - eerily the very score the Browns had lost by in the 1994 playoff meeting.

The Browns did not sustain the momentum, finishing with double-digit losing records in 2003 and 2004. Davis resigned in December 2004 with the team shouldering a 3–8 record; Policy had resigned earlier in the year. Offensive Coordinator Terry Robiskie, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the 2004 season.

2005–present

Close-up look at Cleveland Browns Stadium

Before the 2005 season began, Romeo Crennel, a one-time Browns assistant coach under Chris Palmer and, at the time, defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, was named the Browns head coach. Despite the change, the 2005 and 2006 seasons saw the Browns losing trend continue.

Prior to the Browns' final game of the 2005 NFL season, ESPN reported that team president John Collins was going to fire general manager Phil Savage. However, the resulting uproar from fans and local media was strong, and on January 3, 2006 Collins resigned instead. The role of team "President and CEO" was vacated, with owner Randy Lerner filling in as de facto CEO for the time being.

In the 2007 season, the team saw a remarkable turnaround on the field. After opening the season with a 34–7 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns traded starting quarterback Charlie Frye to the Seattle Seahawks, with backup Derek Anderson assuming the starting role. In his first start, Anderson led the Browns to a 51–45 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, throwing five touchdown passes, which tied the franchise record. The Browns finished the 2007 season 10–6, barely missing the playoffs on tie-breaker rules. Nevertheless, the 10–6 record was the team's best record since 1994. Six players earned Pro Bowl recognition, with Anderson starting for the AFC in place of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Coach Crennel agreed to a two-year contract extension.

The Browns entered the 2008 season with high expectations, and many pundits predicted the team would win the division. The highlight of the season was an upset of the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants on Monday Night Football. However, inconsistent play and key injuries led to a disappointing 4-12 record. The Browns used four starting quarterbacks: Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn and Ken Dorsey were lost to injury; the fourth, Bruce Gradkowski was hired mid-season. Ending with six straight losses, the Browns finished with two consecutive shutouts (a franchise first) and 24 consecutive quarters without an offensive touchdown. General Manager Phil Savage and Head Coach Romeo Crennel were subsequently fired. On January 2, 2009, the team hired George Kokinis as the team's general manager and on January 7, 2009, the Browns hired former New York Jets coach Eric Mangini to a four-year contract as the new head coach..

In the 2009 NFL Draft, the Browns traded away their fifth overall draft pick to the Jets. With the 21st overall pick, the Browns drafted center Alex Mack of California. With three second round picks, the Browns drafted Ohio State wide receiver Brian Robiskie, Georgia wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, and Hawaii linebacker David Veikune..

Logos and uniforms

Cleveland Browns uniform combination

File:AFC-Throwback2-Uniform-CLE.PNG

Cleveland Browns uniform: 1975-1983

File:AFC-Throwback-Uniform-CLE.PNG

Cleveland Browns uniform: 1985-1995

File:AFCN-Alternate-Uniform-CLE.PNG

Cleveland Browns alternate uniform: 2002-2005

The Browns are the only team in the NFL that does 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. There was an attempt by Modell to put a brown "CB" logo on the helmet in 1965, but the players removed them before the first preseason game so they never saw any kind of game action. It was widely believed that the "CB Logo Helmets" (as they're known by many Browns Fans.) were used in a Preseason Game vs The Green Bay Packers in 1965, but photographic evidence shows that this is not the case. 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 leather helmets before switching to orange plastic-shell helmets (with a white center stripe) on a full-time basis in 1952. (In the 1950 and 1951 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.

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: 1. White - white with an orange-brown-orange stripe sequence on the sides (the stripes are of equal width). 2. Brown - solid brown (no stripes).

Socks: Brown or white with matching stripe pattern to jerseys (1946–1983; 1985–1995; 1999–2002 mid-season); solid brown with brown jerseys and solid orange with white jerseys (1984); solid brown when worn with white pants(2002 mid-season–2008); white striped socks with brown pants (2009) Exceptions: White striped socks appeared occasionally with the white jerseys in 2003–2005 and again in 2007. Brown striped socks appeared with 1957-style throwback uniforms in 2006-2008.

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).

Over the years, the Browns have had on-again/off-again periods of wearing white in their home games, particularly in the 1970s and 80s, as well as in the early 2000s after the team returned to the league. Until recently, when more NFL teams started to wear white at home at least once a season, the Browns were the only non-subtropical team north of the Mason-Dixon line to wear white at home on a regular basis. Since 1999, the team has worn white, brown and orange jerseys at home. The Browns wear their white jersey at home in preseason games and at least for their regular season home opener.

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 team owner Al Lerner who died in 2002.

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 the white jerseys were outlined in orange. White numerals on the brown jerseys were double outlined in brown and orange. (Orange numerals double outlined in brown and white appeared briefly on the brown jerseys in the pre-season.) This particular uniform set was not popular with the fans.

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. The white striped socks appeared occasionally with the white jerseys in 2003–2005 and again in 2007.

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 Browns wore brown pants for the first time in team history on August 18, 2008, during a Monday night nationally-televised preseason game against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium. The pants contain no stripes or markings. The team had the brown pants created as an option for their away uniform when they integrated the gray facemask in 2006. They have not been worn in a regular-season game, however, at the Browns recent "family" scrimmage on August 9, 2009, the Browns unveiled the brown pants with the white jerseys but switched out the all-brown socks with the white striped ones. The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that Eric Mangini may have the team wear the brown pants for all road games during the 2009 season. Ohio native Brady Quinn has also gone on record to support the team's move to wearing the brown pants fulltime; claiming the stripes on the white pants "prohibits mobility".

Fans

Perhaps the most visible Browns fans are those that can be found in the Dawg Pound. Originally the name for the bleacher section located in the open (east) end of old Cleveland Municipal Stadium, the current incarnation of is likewise located in the east end of Cleveland Browns Stadium and still features hundreds of orange and brown clad fans sporting various canine-related paraphernalia. The fans adopted that name in 1984 after members of the Browns defense used it to describe the team's defense.

Retired cornerback Hanford Dixon, who played his entire career for the Browns (1981–1989), is credited with naming the Cleveland Browns defense 'The Dawgs' in the mid-80's. Dixon and fellow teammates Frank Minnifield, and Eddie Johnson would bark at each other and to the fans in the bleachers at the Cleveland Stadium to fire them up. It was from Dixon's naming that the Dawg Pound subsequently took its title. The fans adopted that name in the years after.

File:CleBBW.png

The logo of the Browns Backers Worldwide.

The most prominent organization of Browns fans is the Browns Backers Worldwide (BBW). The organization has approximately 93,100 members and is considered the largest sports-fan organization in the USA. 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, Arizona. In addition, the organization has a sizable foreign presence in places as far away as Egypt, Australia, Japan, and Sri Lanka. According to The Official Fan Club of the Cleveland Browns, the two largest international fan clubs are in Alon Shvut, Israel and Niagara, Canada, with Alon Shvut having 129 members and Niagara having 310.

A 2006 study conducted by Bizjournal determined that Browns fans are the most loyal fans in the NFL. The study, while not scientific, 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). 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 losses over that span.

Following Browns owner Randy Lerner's takeover of English association football club Aston Villa, official Villa outlets have started selling Cleveland Browns goods such as jerseys and NFL balls. This has raised interest in England and strengthened the link between the two sporting clubs. Aston Villa supporters have also set up an organisation known as the Aston (Villa) Browns Backers of Birmingham.

Players of note

Current roster

Cleveland Browns roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 17 Dorian Thompson-Robinson  5 Jameis Winston  2 Bailey Zappe Running backs (RB) 24 Nick Chubb 34 Jerome Ford 27 D'Onta Foreman 20 Pierre Strong Jr. Wide receivers (WR) 16 Jaelon Darden  3 Jerry Jeudy  8 Elijah Moore 80 Jamari Thrash 19 Cedric Tillman Tight ends (TE) 88 Jordan Akins 85 David Njoku 84 Geoff Swaim

Offensive linemen (OL) 75 Joel Bitonio LG 78 Jack Conklin RT 68 Michael Dunn RG 65 Germain Ifedi RT 79 Dawand Jones RT 55 Ethan Pocic C 77 Wyatt Teller RG 71 Jedrick Wills LT 70 Zak Zinter RG Defensive linemen (DL) 95 Myles Garrett DE 51 Michael Hall Jr. DT 93 Shelby Harris DT 90 Maurice Hurst Jr. DT 57 Isaiah McGuire DE 54 Ogbo Okoronkwo DE 94 Dalvin Tomlinson DT

Linebackers (LB) 30 Devin Bush Jr. OLB 43 Mohamoud Diabate MLB 58 Jordan Hicks MLB 39 Khaleke Hudson OLB 59 Winston Reid OLB 40 Nathaniel Watson MLB Defensive backs (DB) 37 D'Anthony Bell SS  9 Grant Delpit SS 23 Martin Emerson CB 31 Mike Ford CB 33 Ronnie Hickman FS 12 Rodney McLeod SS 29 Cameron Mitchell CB  0 Greg Newsome II CB  1 Juan Thornhill FS 21 Denzel Ward CB Special teams 13 Corey Bojorquez P  7 Dustin Hopkins K 50 Rex Sunahara LS

Practice squad 97 Jowon Briggs DT 67 Javion Cohen G 28 Trey Dean S 41 Chris Edmonds FS 25 Kahlef Hailassie CB 98 Marcus Haynes DE 92 Sam Kamara DE 82 Cameron Latu TE 61 Roy Mbaeteka RT (IPP) 11 James Proche WR 52 Elerson Smith DE 69 Lorenzo Thompson LT 64 Cameron Tom C 87 Kadarius Toney WR 86 Blake Whiteheart TE 81 Michael Woods II WR Reserve 74 Hakeem Adeniji LT (IR) 18 David Bell WR (IR) 36 Brandon Bouyer-Randle OLB (IR) 38 Tony Brown CB (IR) 26 Myles Harden CB (IR) 53 Nick Harris C (IR) 22 Nyheim Hines RB (NF-Inj.) 66 James Hudson LT (IR) 47 Charley Hughlett LS (IR)  6 Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah OLB (IR)  4 Deshaun Watson QB (IR) 91 Alex Wright DE (IR) 56 Luke Wypler C (IR) As of November 5, 2024. Rookies in italics. 50 active, 13 reserve, 15 practice squad (+1 exempt) Roster Depth chart Transactions

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. 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	Tenure	Position(s)
1965	60, 14	Otto Graham	1946–1955	Quarterback
1967	—	Paul Brown	1946–1962	Head coach
1968	76, 36	Marion Motley	1946–1953	Fullback
1971	32	Jim Brown	1957–1965	Fullback
1974	46, 76	Lou Groza	1946–1959 1961–1967	Offensive tackle Placekicker
1975	56, 86	Dante Lavelli	1946–1956	Wide receiver
1976	53, 80	Len Ford	1950–1957	Defensive end
1977	30, 45, 60	Bill Willis	1946–1953	Middle guard Offensive guard
1981	77	Willie Davis†	1958–1959	Defensive end
1982	83	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	18	Len Dawson†	1960–1961	Quarterback
1994	44	Leroy Kelly	1964–1973	Running back
1995	72	Henry Jordan†	1957–1958	Defensive tackle
1998	29	Tommy McDonald†	1968	Wide receiver
1999	82	Ozzie Newsome	1978–1990	Tight end
2003	64	Joe DeLamielleure	1980–1984	Offensive guard
2007	66	Gene Hickerson	1958–1960 1962–1973	Offensive guard
† Performance with Browns incidental to induction

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:

Cleveland Browns Legends
Inducted	Player name	Position(s)
2001	Bernie Kosar	Quarterback
2001	Michael Dean Perry	Defensive end
2001	Greg Pruitt	Running back
2001	Ray Renfro	Wide receiver
2002	Clay Matthews	Linebacker
2002	Brian Sipe	Quarterback
2002	Mac Speedie	Wide receiver
2003	Hanford Dixon	Defensive back
2003	Bob Gain	Defensive tackle
2003	Dick Schafrath	Offensive tackle
2004	Gary Collins	Wide Receiver
2004	Tommy James	Defensive back/Punter
2004	Mike Pruitt	Running back
2005	Frank Minnifield	Defensive back
2005	Frank Ryan	Quarterback
2005	Jerry Sherk	Defensive lineman
2005	Jim Ray Smith	Offensive tackle
2006	Doug Dieken	Offensive tackle
2006	Jim Houston	Linebacker
2006	Walt Michaels	Linebacker
2007	Don Cockroft	Kicker
2007	Horace Gillom	Punter
2007	Bill Glass	Defensive end
2007	Kevin Mack	Running back
2008	Walter Johnson	Defensive tackle
2008	Warren Lahr	Defensive back
2008	Eric Metcalf	Running back
2008	Paul Wiggin	Defensive end

Retired uniform numbers

Cleveland Browns retired numbers
Otto Graham QB, 1946–1955	Jim Brown FB, 1957–1965	Ernie Davis HB, 1962	Don Fleming S, 1960–1962	Lou Groza OT/K, 1946–1959, 1961–1967

Starting quarterbacks

Main article: List of Cleveland Browns starting quarterbacks

First-round draft picks

Main article: List of Cleveland Browns first-round draft picks

Coaches of note

Head coaches

Main article: List of Cleveland Browns 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 2005–2008
• Eric Mangini 2009–Present

Current staff

Cleveland Browns staff

	Front office Owners – Jimmy Haslam, Dee Haslam, Whitney Haslam-Johnson, J.W. Johnson Chief strategy officer – Paul DePodesta Executive vice president/COO – David Jenkins Executive vice president of football operations/general manager – Andrew Berry Assistant general manager/vice president of football operations – Catherine Hickman Assistant general manager/vice president of player personnel – Glenn Cook Vice president of football administration – Chris Cooper Vice president of research and strategy – Andrew Healy Vice president of player personnel process and development – Ken Kovash Director of football administration – Taylor Young Director of player personnel – Dan Saganey Director of pro scouting – Adam Al-Khayyal Director of college scouting – Max Paulus Senior personnel/coaching executive – Bob Quinn Senior executive advisor to the GM – Jimmy Raye III Advisor to the GM – Chris Polian Director of football operations – Tyler Hamblin Director of football operations & process – Joy Tapajcik Director of research and strategy – Dave Giuliani Director of scouting research – Mike Cetta Director of football information systems – Brad DeAngelis Head coaches Head coach – Kevin Stefanski Assistant head coach/special teams coordinator – Ray Ventrone Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Ken Dorsey Senior offensive assistant – Bill Musgrave Running backs – Duce Staley Pass game coordinator/wide receivers – Chad O'Shea Assistant wide receivers – Callie Brownson Pass game specialist/tight ends – Tommy Rees Offensive line – Andy Dickerson Assistant offensive line – Roy Istvan Offensive assistant – Jonathan Decoster Offensive assistant/quarterbacks – Ashton Grant Bill Willis diversity coaching fellow – Nemo Washington			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Jim Schwartz Defensive line – Jacques Cesaire Assistant defensive line – Jordan Thomas Linebackers – Jason Tarver Cornerbacks – Brandon Lynch Safeties – Ephraim Banda Defensive assistant – Zach Dunn Defensive quality control – Jeff Anderson Special teams coaches Assistant special teams – Stephen Bravo-Brown Support staff Senior assistant/special projects – Kevin Rogers Coordinator of coaching logistics – Riley Hecklinski Strength and conditioning Director of high performance – Shaun Huls Director of strength and conditioning – Larry Jackson Assistant strength and conditioning/sports science – Josh Christovich Assistant strength and conditioning – Monty Gibson Assistant strength and conditioning – Dale Jones Assistant strength and conditioning – Evan Marcus Director of performance nutrition – Katy Meassick → Coaching staff → Front office → More NFL staffs

Radio and television

Since 2001, the Browns' flagship radio stations are WMMS, 100.7 FM, a hot talk/rock station, and news/talk station WTAM 1100 AM. Jim Donovan, 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. WTAM morning co-host/sports director Mike Snyder and former Browns quarterback Mike Pagel host the pregame, halftime, and postgame shows. During the preseason and early September games, WTAM will broadcast the Cleveland Indians games while WMMS will broadcast Browns games when both teams play at the same time.

In 2006, preseason telecasts moved to WKYC (with Jim Donovan and Bernie Kosar in the booth, and WKYC weekend sports anchor Dave Chudowski as sideline reporter) from WOIO after a controversy arose over the 911 calls at the drowning death of the team owner's niece (see above). When Donovan does TV, Mike Snyder does the radio play-by-play, and WTAM evening host Bob Frantz handles pregame/halftime/postgame duties.

SportsTime Ohio is the official cable home of the team, and airs numerous weekly Browns related programs.

WJW-TV Channel 8 ("Fox 8") locally televises any regular season games which are nationally broadcast by ESPN or NFL Network.

Cleveland native Arsenio Hall's television program, The Arsenio Hall Show, was known for the audience's shouting "Woof, woof, woof!" while pumping their fists—a chant that was used by fans of the Cleveland Browns football team. He would refer to a section of the live audience as his "dawg pound."

References

• Henkel, Frank M. (2005). Cleveland Browns History. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738534282.

External links

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