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.
