Difference between revisions of "Cleveland Browns"

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{{pp-vandalism|expiry=18:51, 11 September 2018|small=yes}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2013}}
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{{Use Indian English|date=November 2016}}
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{{Infobox NFL team
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{{Infobox person
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| name = Cleveland Browns
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| name = Ashmitha
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| current = 2017 Cleveland Browns season
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| image =
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| logo = Cleveland Browns logo.svg
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| caption =
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| wordmark = Cleveland Browns wordmark.svg
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| birth_name = Ashmitha Subramaniyam
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| founded = {{Start date and age|June 4, 1944}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Cleveland Browns Team Facts|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/teams/cleveland-browns/team-facts/|publisher=[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]|accessdate=October 2, 2017}}</ref>
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| birth_date  =  
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| first_season = [[1946 Cleveland Browns season|1946]]
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| birth_place = [[Chennai]], [[India]]
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| city = [[FirstEnergy Stadium]]<br />[[Cleveland, Ohio]]
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| residence =  
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| misc = '''Headquartered''' in the Cleveland Browns<br />Training and Administrative Complex<br />[[Berea, Ohio]]
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| other_names =  
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| uniform = File:New Cleveland Browns uniforms 2015.png
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| occupation = Actress
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| colors = Brown, Orange, White<ref>{{cite web|title=Cleveland Browns Team Capsule|url=https://nflcommunications.com/Documents/2016%20NFL%20Record%20and%20Fact%20Book.pdf#page=58|publisher=National Football League|work=2016 Official National Football League Record and Fact Book|date=July 15, 2016|accessdate=August 4, 2016}}</ref><ref name="NewBrownsLogos2015">{{cite web|title=New Browns Logo|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/2015_Logos.html|publisher=Cleveland Browns|date=February 23, 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224235956/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/2015_Logos.html |archivedate=February 24, 2015|accessdate=June 11, 2016|deadurl=yes}}</ref>
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| years_active = 2013–present
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{{color box|#311D00}} {{color box|#FF3C00}} {{color box|#FFFFFF}}
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| imagesize =
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| mascot = Chomps, Swagger
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| homepage =  
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| owner = [[Jimmy Haslam]]<br />[[Dee Haslam]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Rosenthal|first=Gregg|title=Cleveland Browns' sale to Jimmy Haslam complete|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82afebd3/article/cleveland-browns-sale-to-jimmy-haslam-complete|publisher=National Football League|date=August 2, 2012|accessdate=August 4, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Florjancic|first=Matt|title=Haslam approved as new Browns owner|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-1/Haslam-approved-as-new-Browns-owner/a3a2766a-37c9-4ef0-853a-11ec1cda93e5|publisher=Cleveland Browns|date=October 16, 2012|accessdate=April 1, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Cabot|first=Mary Kay|title=Cleveland Browns sale to Jimmy Haslam group is complete|url=http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/08/cleveland_browns_sale_to_jimmy.html|work=[[The Plain Dealer]]|location=Cleveland, Ohio|date=August 2, 2012|accessdate=August 2, 2012}}</ref>
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| notable role =
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| president = [[Paul DePodesta]]
 
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| general manager = [[Sashi Brown]] <ref>{{cite news|last=Gribble|first=Andrew|title=Sashi Brown named Browns executive VP of football operations|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Sashi-Brown-named-Browns-executive-VP-of-football-operations/a7f4dc8c-5811-407a-923d-921a211f3068|publisher=Cleveland Browns|date=January 3, 2016|accessdate=April 1, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Garafolo|first=Mike|title=For once, Cleveland is making the right move in giving Sashi Brown control of personnel|url=http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/cleveland-browns-sashi-brown-control-of-personnel-jimmy-haslem-mike-pettine-ray-farmer-010416|publisher=[[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox Sports]]|date=January 4, 2016|accessdate=April 1, 2016}}</ref>
 
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| coach = [[Hue Jackson]]
 
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| nicknames =
 
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| hist_yr = 1946–1995, 1999
 
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| hist_misc2 =
 
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* ''Suspended operations'' (1996–1998)
 
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| affiliate_old =
 
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[[All-America Football Conference]] (1946–1949)
 
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* Western Division (1946–1948)
 
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| NFL_start_yr = 1950
 
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| division_hist =
 
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* American Conference (1950–1952)
 
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* Eastern Conference (1953–1969)
 
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** Century Division (1967–1969)
 
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* '''[[American Football Conference]] (1970–1995; 1999–present)'''
 
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** [[AFC Central]] (1970–1995; 1999–2001)
 
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** '''[[AFC North]] (2002–present)'''
 
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| no_league_champs = 8
 
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| no_conf_champs = 11
 
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| no_div_champs = 12
 
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| league_champs =
 
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* '''[[All-America Football Conference|AAFC Championships]] (4)'''<br />[[All-America Football Conference playoffs#1946|1946]], [[All-America Football Conference playoffs#1947|1947]], [[All-America Football Conference playoffs#1948|1948]], [[All-America Football Conference playoffs#1949|1949]]
 
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* '''[[List of NFL champions|NFL Championships]] (4)'''<br />[[NFL Championship Game, 1950|1950]], [[NFL Championship Game, 1954|1954]], [[NFL Championship Game, 1955|1955]], [[NFL Championship Game, 1964|1964]]
 
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| conf_champs =  
 
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* '''NFL American:''' {{nfly|1950}}, {{nfly|1951}}, {{nfly|1952}}
 
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* '''NFL Eastern:''' 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969
 
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| div_champs =
 
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* '''AAFC Western:''' 1946, 1947, 1948
 
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* '''NFL Century:''' 1967, 1968, 1969
 
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* '''AFC Central:''' [[1971 NFL season|1971]], [[1980 NFL season|1980]], [[1985 NFL season|1985]], [[1986 NFL season|1986]], [[1987 NFL season|1987]], [[1989 NFL season|1989]]
 
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| stadium_years =
 
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* [[Cleveland Stadium]] (1946–1995)
 
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* '''[[FirstEnergy Stadium]] (1999–present)'''
 
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| playoff_appearances =
 
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* '''AAFC:''' [[1946 Cleveland Browns season|1946]], [[1947 Cleveland Browns season|1947]], [[1948 Cleveland Browns season|1948]], [[1949 Cleveland Browns season|1949]]
 
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* '''NFL:''' [[1950 NFL playoffs|1950]], [[1951 NFL playoffs|1951]], [[1952 NFL playoffs|1952]], [[1953 NFL playoffs|1953]], [[1954 NFL playoffs|1954]], [[1955 NFL playoffs|1955]], [[1957 NFL playoffs|1957]], [[1958 NFL playoffs|1958]], [[1964 NFL playoffs|1964]], [[1965 NFL playoffs|1965]], [[1967 NFL playoffs|1967]], [[1968 NFL playoffs|1968]], [[1969 NFL playoffs|1969]], [[1971–72 NFL playoffs|1971]], [[1972–73 NFL playoffs|1972]], [[1980–81 NFL playoffs|1980]], [[1982–83 NFL playoffs|1982]], [[1985–86 NFL playoffs|1985]], [[1986–87 NFL playoffs|1986]], [[1987–88 NFL playoffs|1987]], [[1988–89 NFL playoffs|1988]], [[1989–90 NFL playoffs|1989]], [[1994–95 NFL playoffs|1994]], [[2002–03 NFL playoffs|2002]]<!-- Please do not vandalize this field to make a comment about the Cleveland Browns' on-field performance. Thank you. -->
 
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| no_playoff_appearances = 28
 
 
}}
 
}}
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<ref>https://twitter.com/NFLhistory/status/518871685668147200</ref>
 
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The '''Cleveland Browns''' are a professional  [[American football]] team based in [[Cleveland, Ohio]]. The Browns compete in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) as a member club of the [[American Football Conference]] (AFC) [[AFC North|North]] division. The Browns play their home games at [[FirstEnergy Stadium]], which opened in 1999,<ref>{{cite news|last=Florjancic|first=Matt|title=Browns Stadium to become 'FirstEnergy Stadium'|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-1/Browns-Stadium-to-become-FirstEnergy-Stadium/eebc8394-ae91-4d2d-b7e9-6bf1413e9809|publisher=Cleveland Browns|date=January 15, 2013|accessdate=April 1, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Naymik|first=Mark|title=Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has spell over football fans and politicians alike|url=http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2013/03/browns_owner_jimmy_haslam_has.html|newspaper=[[The Plain Dealer]]|date=March 8, 2013|accessdate=April 1, 2016}}</ref> with administrative offices and training facilities in [[Berea, Ohio]]. The Browns' official colors are brown, orange and white.<ref name="NewBrownsLogos2015" /> They are unique among the 32 member franchises of the NFL in that they do not have a logo on their helmets and are the only team named after a specific person, original coach [[Paul Brown]].<ref name="BrownsLogosSneakPeek">{{cite web|last=Gribble|first=Andrew|title=Browns' logos sneak preview of what's to come|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Browns-logos-sneak-preview-of-whats-to-come/8303930c-367a-4ce9-ac73-760ad433eac4|publisher=Cleveland Browns|date=February 24, 2015|accessdate=August 29, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Gribble|first=Andrew|title=Putting to rest 5 historic myths about the Browns' uniforms|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Putting-to-rest-5-historic-myths-about-the-Browns%E2%80%99-uniforms/74d243ba-9209-4627-8a17-c08a2436f4e4|publisher=Cleveland Browns|date=April 2, 2015|accessdate=June 30, 2016}}</ref>
 
  
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The franchise was founded in 1945 by businessman [[Arthur B. McBride]] and coach Paul Brown as a charter member of the [[All-America Football Conference]] (AAFC). The Browns dominated the AAFC, compiling a 47–4–3 record in the league's four active seasons and winning its championship in each of them.<ref name="pigskinacademy">{{cite web|url=http://www.pigskinacademy.com/Cleveland_Browns.html |title=Cleveland Browns-Team history|publisher=pigskinacademy.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref>  When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, the Browns joined the National Football League along with the [[San Francisco 49ers]] and the [[Baltimore Colts (1947–1950)|original Baltimore Colts]]. The Browns won a championship in [[1950 NFL season|their inaugural NFL season]], as well as in the [[1954 NFL season|1954]], [[1955 NFL season|1955]], and [[1964 NFL season|1964]] seasons, and in a feat unequaled in any of the North American major professional sports, played in their league championship game in each of the Browns' first ten years of existence. From 1965 to 1995, they made the playoffs 14 times, but did not win another championship or appear in the [[Super Bowl]] in that period.
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'''Ashmitha''' is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Tamil language films. After making her debut in the Tamil film ''[[Veeram (2014 film)|Veeram]]'' (2014), she has been in films including ''[[Ninaithathu Yaaro]]'' (2014) and ''[[Atti (film)|Atti]]'' (2016).
  
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In 1995, owner [[Art Modell]], who had purchased the Browns in 1961, announced plans to move the team to [[Baltimore, Maryland]]. After threats of legal action from the city of Cleveland and fans, [[Cleveland Browns relocation controversy|a compromise]] was reached in early 1996 that allowed Modell to establish the [[Baltimore Ravens]] as a new franchise while retaining the contracts of all Browns personnel. The Browns' [[intellectual property]], including team name, logos, training facility, and history, were kept [[Trust law|in trust]] and the franchise was regarded by the NFL as suspended. A new team would be established by 1999 either by [[expansion team|expansion]] or relocation. The Browns were announced as an expansion team in 1998 and resumed play in 1999.<ref>{{cite news |title=Art Modell's decision to move Cleveland Browns haunted him for rest of life |url=http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/09/art_modell_never_really_recove.html |author=Cabot, Mary Kay |newspaper=[[The Plain Dealer]] |date=September 6, 2012 |accessdate=August 25, 2014}}</ref>
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==Career==
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Born in Chennai, Ashmitha attended [[Don Bosco matriculation school]] in [[Vyasarpadi]], Chennai. In 2014, Ashmitha worked on four films, with her first release being the [[Ajith Kumar|Ajith]]-starrer ''[[Veeram (2014 film)|Veeram]]'', where she portrayed the small supporting role of the daughter of [[Thambi Ramaiah]]'s character. She was also subsequently seen in [[Vikraman]]'s family drama ''[[Ninaithathu Yaaro]]'' and then as a rape victim in Ramakrishnan's ''Pongadi Neengalum Unga Kadhalum'', though neither film did well at the box office. The first film she had shot for, Yuvan's ''Athiyayam'', also had a low-profile release during the year.<ref>https://twitter.com/Vinayak4709/status/406642700910215168</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXYriWcC5fI</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHqdu_-_6bw</ref>
  
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Since resuming operations in 1999, the Browns have struggled to find success. They have had only two winning seasons (in [[2002 NFL season|2002]] and [[2007 NFL season|2007]]), one playoff appearance (2002), and no playoff wins. The franchise has also been noted for a lack of stability with [[quarterback]]s, having started 28 players in the position since 1999.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hogan will be Browns' 28th starting quarterback since 1999 |url=http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/10/11/kevin-hogan-will-be-browns-28th-starting-quarterback-since-1999/ |author=Smith, Michael David |publisher=NBC Sports |date=October 11, 2017 |accessdate=October 11, 2017}}</ref> Through the end of the 2016 season, the Browns'  win-loss record since returning to the NFL in 1999 is 88–200.<ref name="pro-football-reference">{{cite web|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/ |title=Cleveland Browns Team Encyclopedia &#124; Pro-Football-Reference.com |publisher=pro-football-reference.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref>
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Both of her initial films as the lead actress had long-delayed releases in December 2016. Despite beginning work in 2014, ''[[Pazhaya Vannarapettai]]'' released first followed by ''[[Atti (film)|Atti]]'' opposite [[Ma Ka Pa Anand]], where she portrayed a speech therapist.<ref>http://www.deccanchronicle.com/160105/entertainment-kollywood/article/ma-ka-pa-anand-turns-solo-hero</ref><ref>http://www.indiaglitz.com/atti-tamil-movie-review-19210.html</ref><ref>http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/Pazhaya-Vannarapettai/movie-review/55744097.cms</ref>
  
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==History==
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==Filmography==
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{{Main article|History of the Cleveland Browns}}
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{| class="wikitable"
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{{details|List of Cleveland Browns seasons}}
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|- style="background:#cccccf; text-align:center;"
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| '''Year''' || '''Film''' || '''Role''' || '''Notes'''
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===Founding and success in the AAFC (1944–49)===
 
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The Browns' origins date to 1944, when taxicab magnate [[Arthur B. McBride|Arthur B. "Mickey" McBride]] secured the rights to a Cleveland franchise in the newly formed All-America Football Conference (AAFC).<ref name="PD Browns Founded">{{cite news|title=City To Get New Pro Gridiron Club|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=September 3, 1944|agency=Associated Press|page=B1}} "Organization of the All-America Football Conference, a new coast-to-coast professional football league sponsored by 'men of millionaire incomes,' was announced officially today by Arch Ward, sports editor of the Chicago Tribune and prime organizer of the new loop which will begin operations next year. ... Owners of franchises, Ward disclosed, were ... Cleveland, Arthur McBride, taxi-cab magnate."</ref> The AAFC was to compete with the dominant National Football League (NFL) once it began operations at the end of [[World War II]], which had forced many professional teams to curtail activity, merge, or go on hiatus as their players served in the [[United States Armed Forces]].<ref name="WWII and football">{{cite web|title=Football And America: World War II|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/war/worldwar2/page2.aspx|publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame|accessdate=May 10, 2012}}</ref>
 
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Early in 1945, McBride named 36-year-old [[Ohio State Buckeyes]] coach [[Paul Brown]] as the team's head coach and general manager and gave him a share in its profits. The move surprised and upset Buckeye fans, who had hoped he would resume his successful run at the school after the war.<ref name="Brown Signs Contract">{{cite news|last=Dietrich|first=John|title=Paul Brown Signs 5-Year Contract to Coach New Grid Team Here|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=February 9, 1945|page=A1|quote=In the most astonishing football story in many years, Lieut. (J.G.) Paul E. Brown, the Massillon boy who skyrocketed to fame as coach of Ohio State and Great Lakes, yesterday signed a five-year contract as coach and general manager of the Cleveland professional team in the new All-American Conference ... Also, Brown will technically become part owner, as he will share in the profits ... Though there has been a startling tendency for the leading coaches of the country to jump into the pro ranks, Brown, at the end of the war, was figured a sure thing either to return to Ohio State, where his 1942 team won a national championship, or take some lucrative college post elsewhere, possibly on the Pacific Coast.}}</ref> Brown, who had built an impressive record as coach of a [[Massillon Washington High School|Massillon, Ohio, high school]] team and brought the Buckeyes their first national championship, at the time was serving in the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] and coached the football team at [[Naval Station Great Lakes|Great Lakes Naval Station]] near Chicago.<ref name="Paul Brown bio">{{cite web|title=Paul Brown|url=http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2147|publisher=Ohio History Central, the Ohio Historical Society|accessdate=May 11, 2012|quote=[At Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio] Brown posted a record of eighty victories, eight losses, and two ties ... Brown coached at OSU from 1941 to 1945, attaining a record of eighteen victories, eight losses, and one tie. In 1942, his team also won the Buckeyes their first national championship in football.}}</ref><ref name="Brown named Great Lakes coach">{{cite news|title=Paul Brown To Coach The Great Lakes Grid Machine|newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World|date=August 22, 1944|agency=Associated Press|page=6|quote=Lt. Paul E. Brown, Ohio State's dynamic young football strategist, is a coaching king-pin again, but instead of guiding his erstwhile 'Baby Buckeyes,' he'll be steering the course this fall for the Great Lakes' Bluejackets.}}</ref>
 
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The name of the team was at first left up to Paul Brown, who rejected calls for it to be christened the "Browns".<ref name="Naming up to Brown">{{cite news|last=Dietrich|first=John|title=Brown Signs 5-Year Contract To Coach New Grid Team Here|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=February 9, 1945|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=15|quote=[McBride] said that the new coach would pick the nickname for the team, and would be backed with plenty of money in hiring talent.}}</ref><ref name="Brown rejects name">{{cite news|title=Brickles Is Back From Coast Trip|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=May 11, 1945|page=17|quote=The original suggestion for a name was that the team be called the 'Browns' in deference to the coach, but this suggestion was turned down by the lieutenant. The club – and the newspapers – are hoping for a short, snappy name that goes easily into headlines.}}</ref> The franchise and the local newspaper, the [[Cleveland Plain Dealer]], then held a naming contest to publicize the team, promising a $1,000 [[war bond]] to the winner. In June 1945, a committee selected "Panthers" as the new team's name, named after a [[Cleveland Panthers|failed American Football League (AFL) franchise in Cleveland]] which only lasted part way through that professional league's single season in 1926 (although as a semi-professional team the Cleveland Panthers existed between 1919 and 1933). It is unclear whether "Panthers" was the highest vote-getter, or if it was second-highest behind "Browns", which was again rejected by Paul Brown.<ref name="Cleveland team named Panthers">{{cite news|title=New Pro Grid Club Is Named Panthers|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=June 9, 1945|page=12|quote=Panthers will be the name of Cleveland's team in the new All-America Football Conference, and John J. Hartnett of Lawrence, Mass., ... is the recipient of a $1,000 War Bond ... [Hartnett] got the big prize for the winning name in a contest that drew some 2,000 entries. There were 35 others who suggested Panthers ...}}</ref><ref name="latimesblogs.latimes.com">{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/12/were-the-cleveland-browns-named-after-boxer-joe-louis.html|title=Sports news from Los Angeles and beyond|publisher=latimesblogs.latimes.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref>
 
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George T. Jones, who been the secretary for the Panthers under the AFL team owner General [[Charles X. Zimmerman]] (who died in November 1926), had become manager of the re-established semi-professional Cleveland Panthers in 1927 and had the rights to the name. Jones apparently demanded several thousand dollars from the new franchise owner, Arthur McBride, for the use of the name. McBride refused to pay, reopened the contest, and selected the Browns name for his team.<ref name=Encyclopedia >[{{cite web|title=CLEVELAND PANTHERS - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History|url= http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=CP1 |publisher=Case Western Reserve University and Western Reserve Historical Society| accessdate=1 May 2017}}</ref> At this point, Paul Brown bowed to popular sentiment and agreed to the "Browns" name.<ref name="latimesblogs.latimes.com"/>
 
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Brown remained uncomfortable with the idea of the team being named after him. For some time after, he would occasionally cite an alternate history of the team name, claiming that they were actually named after boxer [[Joe Louis]], whose nickname was "The Brown Bomber". This alternate history of the name was even supported by the team as being factual as recently as the mid-1990s, and it continues as an [[urban legend]] to this day. However, Paul Brown never held fast to the Joe Louis story, and later in his life admitted that it was false, invented to deflect unwanted attention arising from the team being named after him. The Browns and the NFL now both support the position that the team was indeed named after Paul Brown.<ref name="latimesblogs.latimes.com"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Franchise nicknames|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/news/franchise-nicknames/|publisher=[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]|accessdate=April 8, 2016|quote=The Cleveland All-America Football Conference franchise conducted a fan contest in 1945 to name the team. The most popular submission was "Browns" in recognition of the team's first coach and general manager Paul Brown, who was already a popular figure in Ohio sports. Brown at first vetoed the choice and the team selected from the contest entries the name "Panthers." However, after an area businessman informed the team that he owned the rights to the name Cleveland Panthers, from an earlier failed football team, Brown rescinded his objection and agreed to the use of his name.}}</ref>
 
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[[File:Paul Brown (American football coach).jpg|thumb|left|175px|[[Paul Brown]], the first head coach and namesake of the Browns, who won four AAFC and three NFL championships as coach of the Browns, is a [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] member, and is widely regarded as one of football's greatest coaches of all time.]]
 
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[[File:1948 Cleveland Browns football team.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Official portrait of the 1948 Cleveland Browns team|The 1948 Cleveland Browns recorded professional football's second-ever unbeaten and untied season (official team portrait).<ref name="Cleveland wins 1948 championship" /> The squad included seven future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.<ref name="Cleveland hall of fame members" />]]
 
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As the war began to wind down with [[German Instrument of Surrender|Germany's surrender]] in May 1945, the team parlayed Brown's ties to [[college football]] and the military to build its roster. Negotiations with players were handled by John Brickels, the team's acting manager, as Brown was still in the Navy.<ref name="Brown denies recruitment">{{cite news|title=Brown Denies He Is Trying To Sign '42 Ohio Players|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=May 5, 1945|agency=United Press|location=Chicago|page=11|quote=[Brown] added that since he is in naval service all Cleveland contract matters are being handled by John Brickels, acting manager of the team ... 'I haven't talked to any men,' Brown declared. 'Our league cannot hope to operate until the 1946 season and the availability of those 1942 freshmen now in service is contingent upon how long it takes to whip the Japanese.'}}</ref> The first signings were Otto Graham, a former star [[quarterback]] at [[Northwestern Wildcats football|Northwestern University]], and Herb Coleman, a [[Center (American football)|center]] at [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]], both of whom were then in the military.<ref name="Graham signed">{{cite news|title=Brown Signs 2 Stars For New Grid Team|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=April 1, 1945|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=1|quote=In his first visit here since he signed for the new post at a salary now known to be at least $25,000, Brown announced the first two players signed for his prospective team, and the appointment of another assistant coach. The players are Otto Graham, former star quarterback and forward passing phenom at Northwestern, and Herb Coleman, center of Notre Dame's 1943 national championship team. Graham is now a navy flier, and Coleman in the army.}}</ref> The Browns later signed [[placekicker|kicker]] and [[offensive tackle]] [[Lou Groza]]<ref name="Groza signs">{{cite news|title=Groza Signs With Browns, Continues Ohio State Studies|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=February 14, 1946|location=Cleveland|page=20|quote=The signing of Lou Groza, 22-year-old tackle and place-kicking star, who was a freshman star at Ohio State in 1942, was announced yesterday by the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Conference.}}</ref> and [[wide receiver]]s [[Dante Lavelli]]<ref name="Lavelli a Brown">{{cite news|title=Brown Explains All 'Secrets' Of His T Formation|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=May 4, 1946|location=Cleveland|page=16|quote=Some 15 of Brown's players who will try to bring Cleveland the first All-America title next fall were on hand. Among them were several who were on his teams at Ohio State – Lin Houston, Jim Daniell, Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli and Gene Fekete.}}</ref> and [[Mac Speedie]].<ref name="Speedie mention">{{cite news|title=Brown Grooms Entire Corps of Pass Catchers|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=August 2, 1946|location=Bowling Green, Ohio|page=17|quote=Don Greenwood, Tom Collella, Dippy Evans, Ray Terrell, Mac Speedie, Dante Lavelli, John Yonakor and Alton Coppage did most of the pass receiving [at the team's opening drills].}}</ref> [[Fullback (American football)|Fullback]] [[Marion Motley]] and [[nose tackle]] [[Bill Willis]], two of the earliest African Americans to play professional football, also joined the team in 1946.<ref name="Bill Willis obit">{{cite news|last=Goldstein|first=Richard|title=Bill Willis, 86, Racial Pioneer in Pro Football, Dies|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/sports/football/29willis.html|accessdate=May 10, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 29, 2007|quote=In the autumn of 1946, a year before Jackie Robinson broke the racial barrier in major league baseball, Willis joined the newly formed Browns of the fledgling All-America Football Conference, playing guard on offense and middle guard – akin to today's noseguard – on defense. ... When Brown was putting together his first Browns team, no black player had appeared in a pro football game since the National Football League of the early 1930s. But Brown signed Willis and Marion Motley, a powerful fullback. They were joined by Kenny Washington, a running back, and Woody Strode, an end, both with the 1946 Los Angeles Rams of the N.F.L., as the first black players in the modern game.}}</ref>
 
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The Browns' first [[National Football League regular season|regular-season]] game took place September 6, 1946, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium against the [[Miami Seahawks]] before a record crowd of 60,135.<ref name="Browns first game">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Browns Show Record 60,135 Versatile Attack, Crush Miami, 44–0|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=September 7, 1946|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=12|quote=The Cleveland Browns made 60,135 friends last night at Cleveland Stadium. ... the Browns made their championship debut in the new All-American Conference and first Cleveland appearance highly successful as they undid the Miami Seahawks, 44 to 0. It was appropriate that the largest crowd ever to see a league game in professional football was on hand to watch the inaugural of the Brownies ...}}</ref> That contest, which the Browns won 44–0, kicked off an era of dominance. With Brown at the helm, the team won all four of the AAFC's championships from 1946 until the conference's dissolution in 1949, amassing a record of 52 wins, four losses, and three ties.<ref name="Hall of Fame team records">{{cite web|title=Cleveland Browns|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/history/team.aspx?TeamAlias=cleveland-browns&InfoTab=Facts&print=y|publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame|accessdate=May 10, 2012|quote=The Cleveland Browns began as members of the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC). After capturing that league's title in each of the four seasons the AAFC existed, the Browns moved to the NFL in 1950. ... AAFC Record: 52–4–3}}</ref> This included the 1948 season, in which the Browns became the second unbeaten and untied team in professional football history, 24 years before the NFL's 1972 [[Miami Dolphins]] duplicated the feat. Cleveland's total undefeated streak stretched to 18 wins and included the 1947 and 1948 AAFC championship games.<ref name="Cleveland wins 1948 championship">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Browns Win Third Title, 49 To 7|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 20, 1948|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=1|quote=For the Brownies, the victory was their 15th of the year, the 18th in a row over two seasons and it marked their 24th game without defeat. Thus, they became the first club in pro football history to go through a regular campaign and playoff without defeat and the first to rule their league three years in a row.}}</ref>
 
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The Browns had few worthy rivals among the AAFC's eight teams, but the [[New York Yankees (AAFC)|New York Yankees]] and [[San Francisco 49ers]] were their closest competition. Cleveland met the Yankees in the 1946 and 1947 championships<ref name="1946 AAFC standings">{{cite web|title=1946 AAFC Standings|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1946_AAFC/|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com}}</ref><ref name="1947 AAFC standings">{{cite web|title=1947 AAFC Standings|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1947_AAFC/|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com}}</ref> and faced the 49ers for the title in 1949,<ref name="1949 AAFC standings">{{cite web|title=1949 AAFC Standings|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1949_AAFC/|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com}}</ref> winning all of those games. One of the highlights of the AAFC years was a contest between the 49ers and Browns in 1948. Both teams came into the game undefeated, with the Browns 9–0 and the 49ers 10–0.<ref name="Browns prepare for 49ers">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Browns Dig in to Stop 49ers' Rush|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=November 14, 1948|page=1|quote=The Browns, with nine victories and no defeats, and the San Franciscans, who have won 10 in a row, collide this afternoon at the stadium at 2.}}</ref> Behind a stiff defense and helped by San Francisco turnovers, the Browns won the "clash of the unbeaten" by a score of 14 to 7 before a crowd of 82,769, a professional football attendance record at the time.<ref name="Browns defeat 49ers">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Quick Score Sets 49ers Down, 14–7|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=November 15, 1948|page=1|quote=With the largest crowd in professional football history witnessing the clash of the unbeaten – a throng of 82,769 that filled every seat and all available standing room – the Cleveland Browns got the jump by converting a San Francisco fumble into a touchdown 45 seconds after the opening [[whistle]] and conquered their rugged opponents from the west coast, 14 to 7, yesterday at the stadium ... The story is one of defensive play – the champions' defense – as it so often is in any collision between elevens that have proven themselves so powerful offensively.}}</ref>
 
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While the Browns excelled on defense, Cleveland's winning ways were driven by an offense that employed Brown's version of the [[T formation]], which emphasized speed, timing, and execution over set plays.<ref name="Brown T formation">{{cite news|title=Brown Explains All 'Secrets' Of His T Formation|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=May 4, 1946|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=16|quote=Dwelling upon his version of the T formation, which he developed in his two years as coach of the Great Lakes Bluejackets, Brown explained the workings of every position on the team. The 'secret' of success, of course, rests upon speed, timing and execution, rather than set plays.}}</ref> Brown liked his players "lean and hungry", and championed quickness over bulk.<ref name="Brown training camp 1946">{{cite news|last=Dietrich|first=John|title=Browns, Big And Brawny, Set For Training Kickoff|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=July 29, 1946|location=Bowling Green, Ohio|page=15|quote='Gee, some of these kids are in great shape,' declared Paul E. Brown, head coach and general manager, as full of ginger as ever and his sharp eye seeking out the 'lean and hungry' candidates.}}</ref> Graham became a star under Brown's system, leading all passers in each of the AAFC's seasons and racking up 10,085 passing yards.<ref name="Graham stats">{{cite web|title=Otto Graham|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=77&tab=Stats|publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame|accessdate=May 11, 2012|quote=Topped AAFC passers four years, NFL two years.}}</ref> Motley, who Brown in 1948 called "the greatest fullback that ever lived,"<ref name="Brown says 1948 team best yet">{{cite news|last=Jones|first=Harry|title=Brown Calls His First Unbeaten and Untied Team Since '40 His Best Yet|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 20, 1948|page=23|quote=[Brown said:] 'How that boy can run I think he's the greatest fullback that ever lived ... Did you ever see a fullback who runs like a halfback in an open field?'}}</ref> was the AAFC's all-time leading rusher.<ref name="Motley hall of fame site">{{cite web|title=Marion Motley|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?player_id=156|publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame|accessdate=May 11, 2012|quote=All-time AAFC rushing champ.}}</ref> Lavelli was the league's top receiver in 1946,<ref name="Lavelli hall of fame site">{{cite web|title=Dante Lavelli|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PLAYER_ID=125|publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame|accessdate=May 11, 2012|quote=.Top AAFC receiver as rookie, scored winning TD in title game, 1946.}}</ref> while Speedie won those honors in 1947 and 1949.<ref name="Speedie career stats">{{cite web|title=Mac Speedie NFL Football Statistics|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SpeeMa00.htm|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 11, 2012}}</ref> Brown and six players from the Browns' AAFC years were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Graham, Motley, Groza, Lavelli, Willis, and center [[Frank Gatski]].<ref name="Cleveland hall of fame members">{{cite web|title=Franchises|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/teams.aspx|publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame|accessdate=May 11, 2012}}</ref>
 
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The Cleveland area showered support on the Browns from the outset. Brown's celebrity was cresting in the late 1940s, thanks to his success with teams at the high school, college, and now professional levels.<ref name="Paul Brown bio" />  Meanwhile, the Browns unexpectedly had Cleveland to themselves; the NFL's [[Cleveland Rams]], who had continually lost money despite winning the [[1945 NFL Championship Game|1945 NFL championship]], moved to Los Angeles after that season.<ref name="Rams move">{{cite news|title=Rams, Pro Grid Champions, Will Move to Los Angeles|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wXcbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vUwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6119,3551810&dq=rams+move+to+los+angeles&hl=en|accessdate=May 11, 2012|newspaper=Pittsburgh Press|date=January 13, 1946|agency=United Press|location=New York|page=37|quote=The National Football League today gave the Cleveland Rams, pro champions, permission to transfer their franchise to Los Angeles ... The Rams lost $40,000 despite their championship team in 1945, [owner Dan Reeves] said, continuing a record of financial setbacks suffered each year since he took over in 1941, and he had long planned to leave Cleveland.}}</ref>  The Browns' on-field feats only amplified their popularity, and the team saw a record-setting average attendance of 57,000 per game in its first season.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Neft |first=David S.|last2=Cohen|first2=Richard M. |lastauthoramp=yes|last3=Korch|first3=Rick|title=The Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of Professional Football from 1892 to the Present|edition=Second |location=New York|publisher=St. Martin's Press|year=1994|page=194|isbn=0-312-11435-4 }}</ref>
 
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The Browns, however, became victims of their own success. Their dominance exposed a lack of balance among AAFC teams, which the league tried to correct by sending Browns players including quarterback [[Y. A. Tittle]] to the [[Baltimore Colts (1947–50)|Baltimore Colts]] in 1948.<ref>{{cite news|title=Browns Send 2 Backs To Colts|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=April 15, 1948|page=23|quote=[Jake] Leicht said he received a letter from Commissioner Jonas Ingram of the All-America Conference stating that he, Y.A. Tittle, and Charley O'Rourke would go to Baltimore in another move to strengthen the Colts.}}</ref> Attendance at Browns games fell in later years as fans lost interest in lopsided victories.<ref name="Browns to get competition" /> Despite an undefeated season in 1948, only 23,891 people showed up to see the Browns beat the [[Buffalo Bills (AAFC)|Buffalo Bills]] in the championship game.<ref name="Browns too good">{{cite news|last=Doyle|first=James E.|title=The Sport Trail|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 21, 1948|page=23|quote=So good were Cleveland's Browns this year that their title playoff payoff was not so good ... All the citizens knew that the Buffalo Bills would be buffaloed Bills, and worse, in that final game at the stadium, so all but 22,891 of them stayed away.}}</ref>  These factors – combined with a war for players between the two leagues that raised salaries and ate into owners' profits – ultimately led to the dissolution of the AAFC and the merger of three of its teams, including the Browns, into the NFL in 1949.<ref name="Talent war ends">{{cite news|title=Pro Football 'World Series' Game Assured As Two Leagues End Feud|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 10, 1949|page=17|quote=To the harried football moguls, who have been bleeding red ink in the costly battle to land big name college stars, it means a chance to get the business down to a sensible basis. ... Attendance fell off alarmingly in both circuits this year, but costs still were going up – especially in the player market.}}</ref><ref name="Leagues make peace">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=2 Pro Football Leagues in Merger|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 10, 1949|page=1|quote=The most costly war in the history of organized sports ended yesterday when the All-America Conference and National Football League were merged into one 13-team circuit. ... The new circuit will be called the National-American Football League and will consist of the 10 clubs now operating in the National League and the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts of the All-America Conference.}}</ref> The NFL has so far refused to acknowledge AAFC statistics and records because the Browns' achievements – including their perfect season – did not take place in the NFL or against NFL teams, and not even in a league fully absorbed by the NFL.<ref name="AAFC records unrecognized">{{cite web|last=Grossi|first=Tony|title=1948 Cleveland Browns still lacking NFL respect|url=http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/2008/02/1948_cleveland_browns_still_la.html|publisher=cleveland.com|accessdate=May 11, 2012|date=February 15, 2008|quote=NFL Vice President Joe Browne stated that going undefeated and untied was 'a sterling achievement,' but 'it was not achieved in the NFL nor against NFL teams, nor in a league which became in its entirety part of the NFL.' 'As such,' Browne wrote, 'our historians believe it is appropriate that it not be part of the official NFL records.'}}</ref>
 
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===Success and challenges in the NFL (1950–56)===
 
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The AAFC proposed match-ups with NFL teams numerous times during its four-year existence, but no inter-league game ever materialized.<ref name="N.L. challenge">{{cite news|title=N.L. Challenged By All-America|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=February 21, 1945|agency=Associated Press|location=Chicago|page=18|quote=Jim Crowley, commissioner of the All-America Football Conference, said today his league was willing to challenge the rival National Football League to a series of eight charity games before the beginning of the 1946 season.}}</ref><ref name="NFL snubs AAFC challenge">{{cite news|title=A.A. Challenge Snubbed By N.L.|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=August 25, 1947|page=16|quote=The National Football League tonight declined a formal challenge by the All-America Conference to meet in a championship game with all the proceeds going either to the winner or to charity.}}</ref> That made the Browns' entry into the NFL in the 1950 season the first test of whether their early supremacy could continue into a more established league.<ref name="Browns to get competition">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Browns Figure To Get Competition|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=September 10, 1950|page=2–C|quote=A year ago, when attendance at the Cleveland Browns' home games dropped more than 30% below the 1948 figures, the alarming decline in interest was attributed mainly to the Browns' complete dominance of the old All-America Conference. Fans made a plea for competition, though only two of eight games played a year ago were one-sided affairs. The competition is now available for the Browns, beginning Saturday night in Philadelphia where they clash with the eagles, two-time champions of the National League ...}}</ref>  Some people suggested Cleveland was at best the dominant team in a minor league, while others were confident of its prospects in the NFL.<ref name="Views about AAFC Browns">{{cite news|last=Jones|first=Harry|title=Brown Calls His First Unbeaten and Untied Team Since '40 His Best Yet|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 20, 1948|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=23|quote=Some say that the 1948 Cleveland Browns, undefeated and untied champions of the All-America Conference, unquestionably have the greatest football team of all time. Others say that the Browns may or may not be among the all-time greats, but are certainly the best in the land today, better by far than the Philadelphia Eagles of the National League. And there are a few who say that the Browns are simply a good team in a weak league.}}</ref> The proof of Cleveland's mettle came quickly: its NFL regular-season opener was against the two-time defending champion [[Philadelphia Eagles|Eagles]] on September 16 in Philadelphia.<ref name="Browns prepare for Eagles">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Rugged Eagles Send Veteran Squad Against Browns; 31 Back From 1949|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=September 12, 1950|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=21|quote=It will be a big, experienced, defense-minded football team the Browns face when they make their bow in the National League Saturday night at Philadelphia. The Eagles are virtually the same team that has won the National League's eastern division three years in a row and the league championship the last two.}}</ref> The Browns quashed any doubts about their prowess in that game, amassing 487 yards of offense—including 246 passing yards from Graham and his receivers—en route to a 35–10 win before a crowd of 71,237.<ref name="Browns defeat Eagles in opener">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Browns' Versatile Air Attack Bewilders Eagles and Turns Opener into Rout|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=September 18, 1950|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|page=24|quote=That was the story of Cleveland's pleasant baptism in the National Football League, the stunning 35-to-10 victory over the Eagles before 71,237 fans. ... Graham completed 21 passes for 246 yards ... It was [a game] that clinched the opinions that there was nothing freakish about Cleveland's invincibility in the league that went out of business last December.}}</ref>
 
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Behind a potent offense that featured Graham, Groza, Motley, Lavelli, and running back [[Dub Jones (American football)|Dub Jones]],<ref name="1950 Browns stats">{{cite web|title=1950 Cleveland Browns|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/1950.htm|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 12, 2012}}</ref> the Browns finished the 1950 regular season with a 10–2 record, tied for first place in their conference.<ref name="Browns 1950 regular season">{{cite news|title=Sudden Death Overtimes for Both Playoff Games|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 11, 1950|page=1|quote=The New York Giants meet the Cleveland Browns for the American [Conference] title at Cleveland ... The Giants and Browns tied each with 10 victories and two defeats.}}</ref> Cleveland then won a playoff game 8–3 against the [[New York Giants]] on December 17 behind a pair of Groza [[Field goal (American and Canadian football)|field goals]], turning the tables on a team that handed the Browns both of their regular-season losses.<ref name="Browns beat Giants, 1950">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Browns Whip Giants, 8–3, on Groza's 2 Field Goals, Play Rams for Title Sunday|url=http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19501217BROWNS.html|accessdate=May 12, 2012|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 17, 1950|quote=Taking command in the first four minutes of play, a Cleveland team obsessed with a terrible eagerness to erase the memory of its only two losses of the season accomplished the mission by beating the New York Giants, 8–3, on the frozen field at the stadium to win the American Conference title.}}</ref> That set up the [[1950 NFL Championship Game|NFL championship match]] a week later in Cleveland, between the Browns and the [[History of the Los Angeles Rams|Rams]], the NFL team that had moved from Cleveland just five years earlier. The Browns won the championship game, 30–28, on a last-minute Groza field goal. Fans stormed the field after the victory, carting off the goalposts, ripping off one player's jersey, and setting a bonfire in the bleachers. "There never was a game like this one," Brown said.<ref name="Browns win 1950 championship">{{cite news|last=Jones|first=Harry|title=Groza's Field Goal Is Signal for Celebration|url=http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19501224BROWNS.html|accessdate=May 12, 2012|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 24, 1950|quote=The moment Lou Groza's 16-yard field goal cleared the crossbar in the last 20 seconds of what may well be the greatest gridiron spectacle in Cleveland history, 29,751 citizens went berserk at the stadium.}}</ref>
 
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{{Quote box
 
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|quote="Show me another guy who toes a football as neatly as Lou Groza"
 
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|source=– Doggerel signed "Hoosier Pick," 1946, on Groza's nickname, "The Toe."<ref name="Groza quote">{{cite news|last=Doyle|first=James E.|title=The Sport Trail|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=September 2, 1946|page=25}}</ref>
 
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After five straight championship wins in the AAFC and NFL, the Browns appeared poised to bring another trophy home in 1951. The team finished the regular season with 11 wins and a single loss in the first game of the season.<ref name="Browns beat Eagles 1951">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Cleveland Defeats Eagles 24 to 9, For 11th in Row|url=http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19511216BROWNS.html|accessdate=May 12, 2012|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 16, 1951|quote=Otto Graham threw two touchdown passes, Carl Taseff drove over from the one-yard line for another, and Lou Groza kicked a 21-yard field goal for the Browns' points as they chalked up their 11th consecutive victory as the National League's regular season drew to a close.}}</ref> Cleveland faced the Rams on December 23 in a [[NFL Championship Game, 1951|rematch]] of the previous year's title game. The score was deadlocked 17–17 in the final period, but a 73-yard touchdown pass by Rams quarterback [[Norm van Brocklin]] to wide receiver [[Tom Fears]] broke the tie and gave Los Angeles the lead for good. The 24–17 loss was the Browns' first in a championship game.<ref name="Browns lose to Rams 1951">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Browns Lose Title to Rams, 24–17|url=http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19511223BROWNS.html|accessdate=May 12, 2012|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 23, 1951|location=Los Angeles|quote=The city's six-year reign in professional football, started by Bob Waterfield and the old Rams back in 1945 and prolonged by the Browns through five glamorous seasons, ended today as Waterfield and the new Rams squeezed through to a 24–17 victory before 59,475 in the Coliseum.}}</ref>
 
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The 1952 and 1953 seasons followed a similar pattern, with Cleveland reaching the championship game but losing both times to the [[Detroit Lions]]. The Browns finished 8–4 in 1952,<ref name="1952 NFL standings">{{cite web|title=1952 NFL Standings|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1952/|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 12, 2012}}</ref> but lost that year's [[1952 NFL Championship Game|championship game]] 17–7 after a [[muffed punt]], several Lions defensive stands and a 67-yard touchdown run by [[Doak Walker]] scuttled their chances.<ref name="Detroit beats Browns 1952">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Lions Beat Browns, 17–7, For Title|url=http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19521228BROWNS.html|accessdate=May 12, 2012|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 28, 1952|quote=A touchdown by Bobby Layne from one yard out in the second period following Horace Gillom's weak, 22-yard punt, Pat Harder's 36-yard field goal set up by Ken Carpenter's fumbled punt in the fourth period, and a dazzling 67-yard run off right tackle by Doak Walker in the third stanza did the business for the boys from across the lake as they capped a victorious season with a hard-earned 17–7 decision over the Browns ...}}</ref> The team finished 11–1 in 1953,<ref name="1953 NFL standings">{{cite web|title=1953 NFL Standings|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1953/|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 12, 2012}}</ref> and narrowly lost the championship game to the Lions by a score of 17–16 on a 33-yard Bobby Layne touchdown pass to [[Jim Doran]] with just over two minutes left.<ref name="Browns lose 1953 championship">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Browns Lose Title Game, 17–16|url=http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19531227BROWNS.html|accessdate=May 12, 2012|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 27, 1953|location=Detroit, Michigan|quote=Detroit's Lions scored the decisive points with only two minutes and eight seconds of play remaining to retain their league banner in a game that was just as close as the final score shows. ... For the Browns, it was the third straight season to end in the bitterness that comes with losing the championship game. This one was especially bitter, for the Browns were well on the way to a perfect record until two weeks ago.}}</ref>
 
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[[File:1954 Bowman Otto Graham.png|thumb|right|Former Browns QB [[Otto Graham]] led the Browns to four AAFC and three NFL championships, and is a [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] member.]]
 
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While the championship losses sowed bitterness among Cleveland fans who had grown accustomed to winning,<ref name="Browns lose 1953 championship" /> the team continued to make progress. [[Len Ford]], whom the Browns picked up from the defunct AAFC [[Los Angeles Dons]] team, emerged as a force on the defensive line, making the [[Pro Bowl]] each year between 1951 and 1953.<ref name="Len Ford career stats">{{cite web|title=Len Ford NFL Statistics|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FordLe00.htm|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 12, 2012}}</ref> Second-year wideout [[Ray Renfro]] became a star in 1953 with 722 yards receiving and 352 yards rushing, also reaching the Pro Bowl.<ref name="Ray Renfro career stats">{{cite web|title=Ray Renfro NFL|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RenfRa00.htm|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 12, 2012}}</ref>
 
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Meanwhile, in a November 15, 1953 game against the 49ers, Otto Graham took an elbow from linebacker [[Art Michalik]] that put a gash on his face requiring 15 stitches.<ref name="Graham face injury">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=80,698 See Browns Win, 23–21|url=http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19531115BROWNS.html|accessdate=May 12, 2012|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=November 15, 1953|location=Cleveland, Ohio|quote=... Otto Graham was forced out of action for the second time in his pro career with a gash on the left side of his face that required 15 stitches. Graham was hurt with the second period half completed when he caught an elbow flung by the 49ers' Art Michalik ...}}</ref> Graham's helmet was fitted with a clear plastic mask and he was sent back on the field. While the use of face masks was not unheard-of – Y.A. Tittle was using one that season as he nursed a fractured cheekbone – the injury contributed to their development.<ref name="Graham face mask">{{cite news|title=It's Open Season on T-Quarters|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=November 17, 1953|agency=Associated Press|location=Baltimore, Maryland|page=26|quote=Otto Graham of the Cleveland Browns was chopped up against the San Francisco 49ers. They put 15 stitches in his face and sent him out to finish the game with a plastic mask. A month ago, Y.A. Tittle of the 49ers received a triple fracture of the cheek bone and is back wearing a mask.}}</ref> Brown is often credited with inventing and patenting the single-bar face mask.<ref name="ESPN single-bar mask">{{cite web|last=Graham|first=Tim|title=Face of the NFL is gone: An ode to the single-bar|url=http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/2102/face-of-the-nfl-is-gone-an-ode-to-the-single-bar|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=May 12, 2012|year=2009|quote=Team namesake and patriarch Paul Brown conceived the single-bar facemask. He ordered equipment manager Leo Murphy to fashion an appliance to keep quarterback Otto Graham on the field during a game in 1953.}}</ref> [[Riddell Sports Group, Inc.|Riddell]], a sports equipment manufacturer, claims the "bar tubular" mask was invented by G.E. Morgan for Graham in 1955,<ref name="Riddell history">{{cite web|title=Riddell History |url=http://www.riddell.com/innovation/history/ |publisher=Riddell |accessdate=May 12, 2012 |quote=The breakthrough in face masks came in 1955. G.E. Morgan, invented the BT-5 face mask for quarterback Otto Graham. The "BT" in the invention's name was for bar tubular |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101230537/http://www.riddell.com/innovation/history/ |archivedate=January 1, 2012 }}</ref> although by the end of that year many players were already wearing some form of face protection.<ref name="Face mask criticism 1955">{{cite news|title=Marshall Hits Use of Masks By Pros|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=November 4, 1955|agency=Associated Press|location=Washington, D.C.|page=29|quote=A check was run on Marshall's Redskins and it turned out that all but four of the 33 players on the squad use face masks.}}</ref>
 
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During the summer before the 1953 season, the Browns' original owners sold the team for a then-unheard-of $600,000.<ref name="Browns sold">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Browns' Sale Brings $600,000|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=June 11, 1953|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=1|quote=The biggest franchise transfer in the history of the National Football League was completed yesterday afternoon when Arthur B. McBride and associates sold their Cleveland Browns ... Homer H. Marshman handed McBride a check for $50,000 as a binder in the $600,000 transaction, the biggest price ever paid for a professional football team. Marshman, Cleveland attorney and first president of the old Cleveland Rams in 1937, ... is in the syndicate that purchased the Browns and announced that Dave R. Jones would be the new president. Jones is president of Geometric Stamping Co. and a former Cleveland Indians director. Others in the deal are Ellis Ryan, former president of the Cleveland Indians ... Saul Silberman, owner of Randall Park race track ... Ralph DeChairo, an associate of Silberman's.}}</ref> The old stockholders were Arthur B. "Mickey" McBride and his son Edward, along with minority owners including McBride business associate Dan Sherby, Brown, and four others.<ref name="Brown to continue after sale">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Brown Expected to Continue If Team Is Sold|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=June 9, 1953|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=25|quote=McBride is president of the Browns, but his son, Edward, a Miami (Fla.) attorney, is the team's largest stockholder. Edward recently purchased the stock held by his brother, Arthur Jr., the elder McBride revealed. Other stockholders are Dan Sherby, vice-president; Harry Sherby, Dan's father; James F. Breuil of Buffalo, who acquired an interest in the team when his own Buffalo Bills were disbanded four years ago; Patrick Dunne, Robert H. Gries and Brown.}}</ref> The buyers were a group of prominent Cleveland businessmen: [[Homer Marshman]], an attorney, Dave R. Jones, a businessman and former [[Cleveland Indians]] director, [[Ellis Ryan]], a former Indians president, Saul Silberman, owner of the Randall Park race track, and Ralph DeChairo, an associate of Silberman.<ref name="Browns sold" /> McBride said he made the deal simply because he "had his fling" with football and wanted to move on to other activities.<ref name="McBride comments on sale">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Browns' Sale Brings $600,000|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=June 11, 1953|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=1|quote='I've simply had my fling at football and convinced myself that Cleveland always will buy the best,' he said. 'Now I'm getting out. I have a few other things to keep me busy.'}}</ref> McBride's tenure as owner was viewed favorably, partly because of the Browns' on-field success, but also because he gave Brown a free hand to sign players and coaches.<ref name="Opinion on McBride">{{cite news|last=Cobbledick|first=Gordon|title=McBride's Policy of Giving Hired Experts Free Hand in Running Grid Club Paid Off|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=June 10, 1953|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=1|quote=McBride has always stuck pretty close to the grandstand pew, which is what stamps him as an uncommonly shrewd club owner. He hired the best available talent to run his ball club for him, and he gave the talent a free hand. Scarcely knowing the difference between an end zone and an onside kick, he never undertook to tell Paul Brown how to coach the team, what players to buy, sell or trade or whom to claim in the college draft. Elementary? Maybe it should be, but most often it doesn't work that way.}}</ref> One of the new ownership group's first acts was to assure Cleveland fans they would give Brown the same kind of leeway.<ref name="1953 Browns owners assure on Brown">{{cite news|last=Sauerbrei|first=Harold|title=Browns' Sale Brings $600,000|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=June 11, 1953|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=1|quote='Will the new owners be as generous in allowing Brown to run their team as McBride was?' the group was asked. 'The answer to that,' Jones said, 'is yes!'}}</ref>
 
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The Browns came into 1954 as one of the most powerful teams in the NFL, having reached the championship in each of their first four years in the league, but the future was far from certain. Graham, whose leadership and throwing skills had been instrumental in the Browns' championship runs, said he planned to retire after the season.<ref name="Graham talks retirement">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Graham Lacks Blockers, But Retains Aerial Skill|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=September 4, 1954|page=22|quote=Graham, who claims that he will retire from football after this season, compiled the record against Green Bay and the Los Angeles Rams despite the fact that his protection has not been the best.}}</ref> Motley, the team's best rusher and blocker in its early years, retired at the beginning of the season with a bad knee.<ref name="Motley retires">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Noll's Return Puts Browns at Full Strength for Opener with Eagles|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=September 21, 1954|page=27|quote=The number to be pared from the squad was down to six last night after Marion Motley announced his retirement from football. Hampered by a bad knee, which seemed to be getting chronic, the onetime great fullback called it a career after talking it over with Brown. ... 'He was one of the truly fine fullbacks in his prime, the type that comes along once in a lifetime,' [Brown said]. 'I certainly never will forget some of his runs and I imagine Cleveland football fans feel the same.'}}</ref> Star [[defensive lineman]] Bill Willis also retired before the season.<ref name="Willis retires">{{cite news|title=Brown's Original Club Reduced to 5 Players|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=March 17, 1954|page=30|quote=The number of Cleveland Browns remaining from the original squad organized by Paul Brown is down to five after yesterday's announcement from Guard Bill Willis that he has pulled on the football pads for the last time. ... 'In my opinion Bill ranks as one of the outstanding linemen in the history of professional football,' Brown said. 'He certainly was the fastest and many coaches use his technique as a model in teaching line play.'}}</ref> Still, Cleveland finished the regular season 9–3 as Graham and Lavelli excelled on offense and linemen [[Len Ford]] and [[Don Colo]] held up the defense.<ref name="1954 Browns stats">{{cite web|title=1954 Cleveland Browns|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/1954.htm|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 12, 2012}}</ref> The Browns met Detroit on December 26 in the [[NFL Championship Game, 1954|championship game]] for a third consecutive time. And this time the Browns dominated on both sides of the ball, intercepting Bobby Layne six times and forcing three fumbles while Graham threw three touchdowns and ran for three more. The Browns, who lost the last game of the regular season to the Lions only a week before, won their second NFL crown 56–10. "I saw it, but still hardly can believe it," Lions coach [[Buddy Parker]] said after the game. "It has me dazed."<ref name="Browns win 1954 championship">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Browns Regain Title, 56 to 10|url=http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19541226BROWNS.html|accessdate=May 12, 2012|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 26, 1954|quote=Down and being counted out only seven days back, the Cleveland Browns unloaded years of pent-up frustration on the Detroit Lions yesterday at the stadium to take over as the new champions of the National Football League.}}</ref>
 
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The Browns kept rolling in 1955 after Brown convinced Graham to come back and play, arguing that the team lacked a solid alternative.<ref name="Graham out of retirement">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Graham Agrees To Join Browns|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=September 4, 1955|page=C-1|quote=Graham, one of football's all-time great passers, retired last winter after nine successful seasons with Cleveland. However, he made it clear that he would return if the Browns got into trouble and that seems to be the case. So tomorrow morning he takes up his grid labors. ... George Ratterman, originally slated to inherit the top passing job, proved accurate enough. However, he was not able to throw the long ball as effectively as his predecessor and needed stronger pass protection because of his lack of size and slowness of foot.}}</ref> [[Chuck Noll]] had a productive season at linebacker with five interceptions, Graham passed for 15 touchdowns and ran for six more, and the team finished the regular season 9–2–1.<ref name="1995 Browns statistics">{{cite web|title=1955 Cleveland Browns Statistics & Players|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/1955.htm|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 12, 2012}}</ref> The Browns went on to win their third [[NFL Championship Game, 1955|championship game]] in six NFL seasons, beating the Los Angeles Rams 38–14.<ref name="Browns win 1955 championship">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=87,695 See Browns Keep Title|url=http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19551226BROWNS.html|accessdate=May 12, 2012|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 26, 1955|quote=Theft of seven passes plus a brilliant bow-out by the incomparable Otto Graham permitted the defending champions to romp with almost ridiculous ease to a 38–14 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.}}</ref> It was Graham's last game; the win capped a 10-year run in which he led his team to the league championship every year, winning four in the AAFC and three in the NFL.<ref name="Otto Graham retires for good">{{cite news|title=Graham & Brown Firm Dissolution Marks End of Era in Pro Football|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 28, 1955|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=25|quote=... for both the Browns and Graham it's the finish of an era ... Although Graham helped bail out the club when trouble came this season, there will be no further call for aid. His wish to retire is sincere and no attempt will be made to change that decision. ... A decade of Cleveland Browns football – one of 10 division crowns and three world titles and almost unbelievable success ended last Sunday.}}</ref>
 
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The end of the Graham era, however, was also the end of the Browns' dominant streak. The team floundered in 1956 as it struggled to find a permanent replacement for Graham. The season began with long-time backup [[George Ratterman]] at quarterback, but [[Babe Parilli]] took his place when the starter was injured. After Parilli was hurt, relative unknown [[Tommy O'Connell]] took up the position for the remainder of the season.<ref name="1956 quarterback injuries">{{cite news|title=Rookies Led Browns Back into Spotlight|newspaper=The Wilmington News|date=December 24, 1957|agency=Associated Press|page=12|quote=Otto Graham had retired for the second and last time, and soon George Ratterman was hurt. They gave Babe Parilli the quarterback job and picked up an almost unknown, Tommy O'Connell, as insurance. Parilli was hurt, and O'Connell had to finish out the season.}}</ref> None of them threw more touchdowns than interceptions, and Cleveland's 5–7 finish was its first losing season ever.<ref name="1956 Browns statistics">{{cite web|title=1956 Cleveland Browns Statistics & Players|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/1956.htm|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 12, 2012}}</ref> Dante Lavelli and Frank Gatski retired at the end of the season, leaving Groza as the only original Cleveland player still on the team.<ref name="Lavelli, Gatski retire">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Lavelli, Gatski To Retire|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 11, 1956|page=55}}</ref>
 
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While the Browns' on-field play in 1956 was uninspiring, off-the-field drama developed after a Cleveland-based inventor named George Sarles let Brown test a helmet with a radio transmitter inside. After trying it out in [[Training camp (National Football League)|training camp]], Brown used the helmet to call in plays during a September 15 preseason game against the Lions with Ratterman behind center. The device allowed the coach to direct his quarterback on the fly, giving him an advantage over franchises which had to use messenger players to relay instructions.<ref name="Radio transmitter tested">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Browns Launch 'Guided Missile'|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=September 15, 1946|page=8–C|quote=George Ratterman was wired for sound tonight as the Cleveland Browns tested the closed circuit radio communication system for the first time under game conditions during the Browns-Lions contest at the Rubber Bowl. ... This system, invented by George Sarles of Cleveland ... could eliminate the use of messenger players to run the plays into the huddle. Tests were made at Hiram College, the Cleveland training camp, just before the Browns departed earlier this month ...}}</ref> The Browns used the device off and on into the regular season,<ref name="Radio helmet use planned">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Browns Cut to 33-Player Limit by Putting Smith and Goss on Waivers|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=October 10, 1956|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=35|quote=The Browns again plan to use the radio helmet for play calling on Sunday and it has been further refined so that coaches watching from upstairs will be connected with Brown's microphone and able to hear his play calling.}}</ref> and other teams began to experiment with their own radio helmets.<ref name="Teams use radio helmet">{{cite news|title=Giant Problem For Browns Is Gifford|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=October 12, 1956|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=36|quote=The Detroit Lions, victors in their first two games, have joined the growing list of teams using the radio helmet.}}</ref>  The NFL's commissioner at the time, [[Bert Bell]], banned the device in October 1956.<ref name="Radio helmet banned">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Silencer Put on Radio Helmets|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=October 19, 1956|page=33|quote=Ban of radio or any form of electronic equipment in the helmets of professional girders was announced in Philadelphia by Commissioner Bert Bell after a poll of the 12 teams in the league. 'All electronic devices, including walkie talkies, must be eliminated for the remainder of the season,' the directive from Bell stated.}}</ref> Today, however, all NFL teams use in-helmet radios to communicate with players.<ref name="Radio helmet use, current">{{cite web|title=NFL installs new coach-to-defense communications system|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d809f61c6&template=with-video&confirm=true|publisher=National Football League|accessdate=May 12, 2012}}</ref>
 
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−
===Jim Brown and new ownership (1957–63)===
 
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[[File:1961 Kahn's Wieners Jim Brown-crop.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Former Browns FB [[Jim Brown]] was a prominent member of the 1964 NFL championship team, the team's all-time leader in rushing yards, and a Pro Football Hall of Fame member. He is currently a special advisor with the Browns.]]
 
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With Otto Graham and most of the other original Browns in retirement, by [[1957 Cleveland Browns season|1957]], the team was struggling to replenish its ranks.<ref name="Browns rebuilding 1957">{{cite news|title=Browns Swap Parilli For Garrett|newspaper=News-Dispatch (Jeannette, Penn.)|date=April 19, 1957|agency=United Press|page=10|quote=... the Cleveland quarterback problem ... has existed since the retirement of Otto Graham after the 1955 season and was a major factor in the Browns' loss of their Eastern Division NFL crown.}}</ref> Cleveland was coming off a series of bad drafts, including in [[1954 NFL draft|1954]], when the team selected quarterback [[Bobby Garrett]] with the first pick.<ref name="Browns draft Garrett">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Trade Likelihood Spiked By Brown|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=January 28, 1954|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|page=25|quote=After picking Bobby Garrett, the coveted Stanford quarterback, as a bonus baby before the regular drafting began today at the annual National Football League meeting, the Cleveland Browns then proceeded to select from the college ranks with an eye to the rebuilding job Coach Paul Brown envisions for next fall.}}</ref> Garrett, Graham's presumed successor, did not play a single game for Cleveland, which traded him to [[Green Bay Packers|Green Bay]], brought him back three years later, then released him for good after he could not overcome a stutter that made calling plays in the huddle difficult.<ref name="Garrett done">{{cite news|last=Sell|first=Jack|title=Roamin' Around|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=October 3, 1957|page=33|quote=Cleveland dropped unfortunate Bobby during a West Coast exhibition tour in early September and he joined his dad in the real estate business in California. Thus ended the pro career of what proved to be the poorest bonus choice in pro history. Garrett was afflicted with a speech impediment.}}</ref>
 
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In [[1957 NFL draft|1957's draft]], however, Cleveland took fullback [[Jim Brown]] out of [[Syracuse Orange football|Syracuse University]] in the first round.<ref name="Jim Brown drafted">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Browns Acquire Four Standouts in Pro Grid Draft|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=November 28, 1956|page=35}}</ref> In his first season, Brown was the NFL's leading rusher with 942 yards in a 12-game regular season and was voted rookie of the year in a United Press poll.<ref>{{cite news|title=Brown Named Top Rookie of the Year|newspaper=The Wilmington News|date=December 24, 1957|agency=United Press|quote=Jim Brown ... today was named the National Football League's outstanding 1957 rookie in the annual United Press poll. Brown's 942 rushing yards gave him the league ball-carrying championship ... [He] received 28 of the 32 votes cast by sports writers ...}}</ref> Led by Brown's running and quarterback Tommy O'Connell's passing, Cleveland finished 9–2–1 and again advanced to the [[NFL Championship Game, 1957|championship game]] against Detroit,<ref name="1957 standings">{{cite web|title=1957 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1957/|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 15, 2012}}</ref> but the Lions dominated the game, forcing six turnovers and allowing only 112 yards passing in a 59–14 rout, Detroit's last league championship to date.<ref name="1957 championship">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Lions Crush Browns, 59–14 Win Title With Five TD Aerials|url=http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19571229BROWNS.html|accessdate=May 15, 2012|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 28, 1957}}</ref>
 
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Before the [[1958 Cleveland Browns season|1958 season]], Cleveland was again in search of a quarterback. O'Connell had played well in the previous two seasons – he led the league in passing in 1957 – but lacked the stature and durability Paul Brown wanted in a starter. He stood at just 5 feet, 10 inches tall and was hurt numerous times, including a sprained ankle and a broken bone in his leg that kept him out of the last two games of the 1957 regular season. Due in part to these injuries, O'Connell retired early in 1958 to take a coaching job in Illinois, and [[Milt Plum]] was named the starter.<ref name="O'Connell retires">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Plum Moves Up As O'Connell Quits|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=January 22, 1958|page=25|quote=Retirement of Tommy O'Connell from the Cleveland Browns yesterday to take the position of backfield coach at Illinois puts the quarterbacking squarely on the broad shoulders of Milt Plum ... The decision of the 27-year-old O'Connell probably was swayed by the fact that he ran into several injuries in his second season with the Browns. Although he finished as the league's leading passer ... the chunky little fellow was out of the last two regular season games with a sprained ankle and what turned out to be a broken bone in his leg ... Brown indicated that O'Connell's physical limitations prevented him from figuring too prominently in long range plans. O'Connell is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs 190.}}</ref> Cleveland, however, was relying increasingly on the running game, in contrast to its pass-happy early years under Graham. As the team built up a 9–3 regular-season record, Brown in 1958 ran for 1,527 yards – almost twice as much as any other back and a league record at the time.<ref name="1958 leaders">{{cite web|title=1958 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1958/leaders.htm|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 16, 2012}}</ref>
 
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Entering the final game of the 1958 season, Cleveland needed to either win or tie against the [[New York Giants]] to clinch the Eastern Conference title and the right to host the [[NFL Championship Game, 1958|championship game]].<ref name="Browns prepare for Giants, 1958">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Browns Set To Pass Against Giants|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 13, 1958|page=21|quote=If they lose to the Giants, there will be a playoff for the eastern division crown Dec. 21 at Yankee Stadium. If the Browns win there will be a weekend of rest before the championship game against the Baltimore Colts Dec. 28 at Cleveland Stadium.}}</ref> On the game's first [[play from scrimmage]], Brown raced 65 yards for a touchdown, giving Cleveland a 7–0 lead. Entering the fourth quarter, the Browns held a 10–3 advantage, but the Giants tied it then won it with two minutes left on a 49-yard field goal by [[Pat Summerall]] under snowy conditions.<ref name="Giants beat Browns, 1958">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Browns lose to Giants, 13–10|url=http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19581214BROWNS.html|accessdate=May 16, 2012|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 14, 1958}}</ref> That set up a playoff between the Browns and Giants the following week. In that game, Brown was held to eight yards and the team committed four turnovers in a 10–0 loss.<ref name="Browns lose playoff 1958">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Browns Lose Playoff, 10–0|url=http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19581221BROWNS.html|accessdate=May 16, 2012|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 21, 1958}}</ref> The Giants went on to play the [[History of the Baltimore Colts|Baltimore Colts]] in the [[1958 NFL Championship Game|championship]], a game often cited as the seed of professional football's popularity surge in the U.S.
 
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Cleveland's campaigns in [[1959 Cleveland Browns season|1959]] and [[1960 Cleveland Browns season|1960]] were noteworthy for Brown's league-leading rushing totals in both seasons.<ref name="Browns end 1959 season">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Browns' 14 in 4th Nip Eagles, 28–21|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=December 14, 1959|page=35|quote=Jim Brown ... for the third straight year the National League rushing champion with 1,329 yards ...}}</ref> Plum became established as the starting quarterback, bringing a measure of stability to the squad not seen since Graham's retirement. The [[Penn State Nittany Lions football|Penn State]] product led the team to a 7–5 record in 1959, and one year later, he turned in one of the greatest statistical seasons at his position in NFL history. Nonetheless, in 1960, the Browns dropped three games by a total of 10 points, finished with an 8–3–1 record and out of the playoffs for the second consecutive season.<ref name="1959 Browns stats">{{cite web|title=1959 Cleveland Browns Statistics & Players|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/1959.htm|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 16, 2012}}</ref><ref name="1960 Browns stats">{{cite web|title=1960 Cleveland Browns Statistics & Players|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/1960.htm|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=May 16, 2012}}</ref>
 
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{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:10px"
 
−
|+Browns ownership, 1961
 
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|-
 
−
! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|Owner
 
−
! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}}};"|Stake
 
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|-
 
−
| National Insurance Co.
 
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| 30%
 
−
|-
 
−
| Bob Gries
 
−
| 20%
 
−
|-
 
−
| Homer Marshman
 
−
| 14%
 
−
|-
 
−
| Jones Ryan
 
−
| 12%
 
−
|-
 
−
| Ellis Ryan
 
−
| 12%
 
−
|-
 
−
| Paul Brown
 
−
| 12%
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|'''Total'''
 
−
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|'''100%'''
 
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|}
 
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[[Art Modell]], a 35-year-old advertising executive from [[Brooklyn]], purchased the team in [[1961 Cleveland Browns season|1961]] from a group of shareholders led by National Insurance Company. 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."<ref name="Going Long">{{cite book |last=Miller|first=Jeff|title=Going Long|publisher=Contemporary Books, McGraw Hill| page=268|year=2003 |location=New York|isbn=0-07-141849-0}}</ref> 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.
 
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After a [[1962 Cleveland Browns season|7–6–1 record in 1962]], Modell fired Paul Brown on January 9, 1963, and replaced him one week later with longtime assistant [[Blanton Collier]]. Many of the Browns' younger players, such as Jim Brown and quarterback [[Frank Ryan (American football)|Frank Ryan]], had chafed under Brown's autocratic coaching style; in contrast, Collier ran the club with a much looser grip. He installed a much more open offense and allowed Ryan to call his own plays. In [[1963 Cleveland Browns season|Collier's first season]], the Browns won their first six games, but a damaging midseason slump ended up costing them the Eastern Division title as they finished one game back with a 10–4 mark. On an individual level, Jim Brown won Most Valuable Player accolades with a record 1,863 yards rushing.
 
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===Continued success under Blanton Collier (1964–70)===
 
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In [[1964 Cleveland Browns season|1964]], the Browns went 10–3–1 and reached their first [[1964 NFL Championship Game|title game]] in seven years. They throttled the heavily favored Baltimore Colts 27–0, with receiver [[Gary Collins (American football)|Gary Collins]] catching three touchdown passes to earn the MVP award. The [[1965 Cleveland Browns season|following year]], the Browns again reached the [[NFL championship game, 1965|title game]], but came up short against the Green Bay Packers.
 
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That 1965 title game marked the final game in a Browns uniform for Jim Brown. During the start of the subsequent training camp, Brown was in England filming scenes for ''[[The Dirty Dozen]]'' due to production delays, and on July 14, Brown announced his retirement from football to concentrate on his acting career. The Browns were able to blunt the effect of Brown's departure with the emergence of third-year running back [[Leroy Kelly]], who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the next three seasons, leading the league during the latter two years.
 
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After missing out on the postseason in [[1966 Cleveland Browns season|1966]], the Browns rebounded with a [[1967 Cleveland Browns season|9–5 season the following year]]. However, they were quickly eliminated by the [[Dallas Cowboys]], 52–14 in the first round of the playoffs for the Eastern Conference title. In each of the next two seasons, the Browns took revenge on the Cowboys in the playoffs, winning by scores of 31–20 in [[1968 Cleveland Browns season|1968]] and 38–14 in [[1969 Cleveland Browns season|1969]]. However, both victories were in turn followed by stinging defeats, preventing them from reaching the [[Super Bowl]].
 
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In May 1969, the Browns, along with the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] and Baltimore Colts, agreed to move in 1970 to the postmerger [[American Football Conference]]. Inconsistent performances throughout the [[1970 Cleveland Browns season|1970]] campaign proved to be fatal to postseason hopes as the team finished one game behind Paul Brown's upstart [[Cincinnati Bengals]] with a 7–7 record. Late in the [[1970 NFL season|1970 season]], Collier officially announced his retirement due to increased hearing problems, and was replaced by the team's [[offensive coordinator]] [[Nick Skorich]].
 
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===The "Kardiac Kids" (1971–84)===
 
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Skorich led the Browns to a division title in {{nfly|1971}} and a wild-card berth in {{nfly|1972}}. In the latter year, the Browns battled the undefeated Miami Dolphins before losing 20–14, as the Dolphins went on to capture their first Super Bowl title with a spotless 17–0 mark. In {{nfly|1973}}, the Browns were handicapped by a struggling offense, but remained in contention until the closing weeks of the season, finishing with a 7–5–2 record.
 
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However, the team's era of success came to a crashing halt as it dropped to 4–10 in 1974. Neither quarterback [[Mike Phipps]] nor rookie [[Brian Sipe]] was effective behind center; 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.
 
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[[File:Sipe1979bySherk.jpeg|thumb|right|upright|Former Browns quarterback [[Brian Sipe]], who was the 1980 [[NFL MVP]]]]
 
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Assistant coach [[Forrest Gregg]] took over in {{nfly|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.
 
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Cleveland showed marked improvement with a 9–5 record in {{nfly|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 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 Jones (American football)|Joe "Turkey" Jones]]' pile-driving sack of Pittsburgh quarterback [[Terry Bradshaw]] fueled the heated [[Browns–Steelers rivalry|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. The Browns rattled off wins over the [[Atlanta Falcons]] and [[San Diego Chargers]], before a 21–6 loss to their cross-state rivals, the Paul Brown-owned Bengals. The Browns rebounded and picked up wins over the [[Houston Oilers]], [[Philadelphia Eagles]], [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]], [[Miami Dolphins]], and a second victory over Houston, giving the Browns a series sweep for the season. A 39–14 blow out loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the regular season finale cost them a share of the division title, but running back Pruitt continued his outstanding play by rushing for exactly 1,000 yards, his second-straight four-digit season. Sipe finished the season completing 178 passes in 312 attempts, for 2,113 yards. He also had 17 touchdown passes versus 14 interceptions.
 
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The Browns continued to roll in the first half of the [[1977 NFL season|1977 season]], but an injury to Sipe by Steelers linebacker [[Jack Lambert (American football)|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.
 
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[[File:Sam-Rutigliano-1979.jpg|left|upright|thumb|Former head coach [[Sam Rutigliano]] led the Browns to the 1980 [[AFC Central]] title.]]
 
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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]] (no relation) 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.
 
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The [[1979 NFL season|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.
 
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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 Rashād]]. Sipe passed for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns with only 14 interceptions (enough for him to be named the [[National Football League Most Valuable Player Award|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 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 to this dramatic season came in the closing seconds when Rutigliano called what became known as "[[Red Right 88]]" and had Sipe pass toward the end zone, only to watch Oakland's [[Mike Davis (defensive back)|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 curse]]s ever since.
 
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If 1980 was<!-- subjunctive --> a dream season, then {{nfly|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.
 
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In {{nfly|1982}}, Sipe split quarterbacking duties with [[Paul McDonald (American football)|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 again with the Raiders in the playoffs, but were easily defeated 27–10.
 
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Sipe and the Browns got some of their spark back in {{nfly|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 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.
 
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In 1984, a rebuilding year, Brian Sipe had defected to the upstart [[United States Football League]] 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.
 
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===Near misses (1985–90)===
 
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In [[1985 Cleveland Browns season|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 ten 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. 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 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.
 
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[[File:Bernie-Kosar-Browns-Preseason-Game-Aug31-06.jpg|right|thumb|175px|Former Browns [[Pro Bowl]] QB [[Bernie Kosar]], who led the Browns to four [[AFC Central]] titles, and three [[AFC Championship]] games during the 1980s]]
 
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The Browns broke into the ranks of the NFL's elite—particularly on defense—with a 12–4 showing in {{nfly|1986}}. Behind Kosar's 3,854 yards passing and one of the league's stingiest defenses featuring five Pro Bowlers ([[Chip Banks]], [[Hanford Dixon]], [[Bob Golic]], [[Clay Matthews, Jr.|Clay Matthews]], and [[Frank Minnifield]]), the Browns dominated the AFC Central with the best record in the AFC and clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. In the divisional playoffs, 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 third and 24 situation. [[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, a 23–20 victory for the Browns.
 
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In the 1986 AFC championship game, the [[Denver Broncos]] arrived in the windswept, hostile confines of [[Cleveland Municipal Stadium]]. No one knew at the time, but the Broncos would become Cleveland's nemesis of the Kosar era, having only lost once to the Browns in a span that still continues to this day. As with the divisional playoffs of the previous week, the AFC title game would also prove to be an overtime heart-stopper. But this time, [[John Elway]] and the Broncos came away the victors. Pinned in on the Denver two-yard line with 5:11 left to play and the wind in his face, Elway embarked on his now-famous 98-yard march downfield, which is now known by NFL historians as simply "[[the Drive]]". With 34 seconds on the clock, Elway's five-yard touchdown pass to [[Mark Jackson (American football player)|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 left upright to win the game 23–20 for Denver early into overtime.
 
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The Browns' success was replicated in {{nfly|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 line]]man [[Cody Risien]]). Cleveland won another AFC Central crown with a 10–5 record and easily defeated the Indianapolis Colts 38–21 in the divisional playoff to set up a rematch with the Broncos in the AFC championship game, this time in Denver. 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 four-yard touchdown catch tied the game 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 one final drive by the Browns. Kosar drove the Browns to the Broncos' 8-yard line with 1:12 to go, and handed off to Byner. Just when it looked like he had an open route to the end zone, Broncos defensive back [[Jeremiah Castille]] stripped him of the ball. The Broncos recovered what became known as "[[The Fumble]]". After taking an intentional safety, the Broncos had shocked the Browns again, 38–33.
 
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[[File:Browns CM 57.png|thumb|right|175px|Browns linebacker [[Clay Matthews, Jr.|Clay Matthews]] -  a 1978 Browns first round draft choice, and a four-time [[Pro Bowl]] selection during the 1980s]]
 
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Injuries to Kosar and two of his backups sidelined them for much of the {{nfly|1988}} season, but the Browns still finished 10–6. A final-week comeback victory in a snowstorm at Cleveland Municipal 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]] (the 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.
 
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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. The Kansas City Chiefs quickly hired Schottenheimer for the {{nfly|1989}} season. [[Bud Carson]] was his replacement in Cleveland, but his tenure was short—only one and a half years.
 
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The 1989 season opened with the Browns defeating the [[Browns–Steelers rivalry|rival]] Pittsburgh Steelers at [[Three Rivers Stadium]] in Pittsburgh 51–0, which as of [[2010 NFL season|2010]] remains the most lopsided game in the rivalry, as well as the all-time worst loss for the Steelers. The rest of the season was headlined by Slaughter's Pro Bowl-worthy 1,236 yards receiving, and was a success at 7–3 until a 10–10 tie with Schottenheimer's Chiefs in November led to a three-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 three points and, later, when [[Jim Kelly]]'s desperation pass to the [[end zone]] on the final play of the game was intercepted by Clay Matthews.
 
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Cleveland's 34–30 win set them up for another game with the Broncos in Denver for the AFC championship. While their two previous matchups went down to the wire, the result of this particular game 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.
 
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In {{nfly|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.
 
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===Bill Belichick and Modell's move (1991–95)===
 
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{{Main article|Cleveland Browns relocation controversy}}
 
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The Browns had only a slight improvement under Belichick in {{nfly|1991}}, finishing 6–10. Kosar was markedly better, with a ratio of 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions, and [[Leroy Hoard]] had a breakout season. [[1992 NFL 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.
 
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The {{nfly|1993}} season had Belichick make the controversial decision of cutting Kosar while backup [[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 won 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.
 
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[[File:1980-modell-browns crop.jpg|thumb|left|175px|Former Browns owner [[Art Modell]], who became infamous in Cleveland for controversial actions such as the firing of Paul Brown in 1962 and moving the team to [[Baltimore]] in 1995]]
 
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Cleveland managed to right the ship in {{nfly|1994}}, although the quarterback situation had not quite improved. A solid defense led the league for fewest yards allowed per attempt, sending four players ([[Rob Burnett (American football)|Rob Burnett]], [[Pepper Johnson]], [[Michael Dean Perry]], and [[Eric Turner (American football)|Eric Turner]]) to the Pro Bowl. The Browns finished 11–5, making the playoffs for the first time in five 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.
 
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Modell announced on November 6, 1995, that he had signed a deal to relocate the Browns to Baltimore in {{nfly|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&nbsp;million in tax dollars to refurbish the outmoded and declining Cleveland Municipal Stadium.<ref name="sandomir">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/12/sports/pro-football-a-city-fights-to-save-the-browns.html?ref=art_modell&pagewanted=all|title=A City Fights To Save The Browns|publisher=New York Times|accessdate=August 7, 2010|date=November 12, 1995|first=Richard|last=Sandomir}}</ref> Taxpayers ultimately paid close to $300&nbsp;million to demolish the old stadium and construct a new stadium for the Browns on the site of Municipal Stadium.
 
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Browns fans reacted angrily to the news of Modell's plan to relocate the Browns. 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—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.<ref name="sandomir"/> Virtually all of the team's sponsors immediately pulled their support, leaving Municipal Stadium devoid of advertising during the team's final weeks.
 
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The {{nfly|1995}} season was a disaster on the field, as well. After starting 3–1, the Browns lost three straight.  They split the next two games, but the announcement of the move to Baltimore cut the legs out from under the team.  They finished 5–11, including a 1–6 record in the seven games after the announcement. Fans in the [[Dawg Pound]] became so unruly during their final home game against the Bengals that all offensive plays had to be run from 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 quench the growing fires.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/news/2001/12/16/jaguars_browns_ap/|title=Fans get unruly about overturned call in final minute|date=December 2001|accessdate=December 1, 2011|work=CNN}}</ref> The Browns won their final home game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/1995.htm|title=1995 Cleveland Browns Statistics & Players|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=December 30, 2010}}</ref> Belichick was fired by Modell by telephone in February 1996, exactly one week after the switch to Baltimore was made official. The new team became the [[Baltimore Ravens]].
 
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===Inactivity (1996–99)===
 
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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.<ref name="BAL-CLE_Deal">Morgan, Jon. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-modell020996,1,1050941.story Deal clears NFL path to Baltimore], ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]'', February 9, 1996.</ref> In February 1996, the NFL announced the Browns would be 'deactivated' for three years, and [[Cleveland Browns Stadium|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 NFL's 31st, 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 the organization to Baltimore. The Browns franchise was then reactivated, and its roster restocked by an expansion draft before resuming play in the 1999 season. The team would be new, but the Browns' name, colors, history, records, awards, and archives would all remain in Cleveland.<ref name="BAL-CLE_Deal"/>  The move fueled a proliferation of 12 new stadiums throughout the NFL. Using the NFL–City of Cleveland agreement's promise to supply a team to Cleveland by 1999, several NFL franchises used the threat of relocation to coerce their respective cities to build new stadiums with public funds.<ref>{{Cite journal|first=Katherine C.|last=Leone|title=No Team, No Peace: Franchise Free Agency in the National Football League|journal=[[Columbia Law Review]]|volume=97|issue=2|pages=473–523|year=1997|doi=10.2307/1123368|ref=harv }}</ref>
 
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Cleveland NFL Football LLC (Cleveland Browns Trust) was formed by the NFL. The 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, using 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'' 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 to former Browns minority owner [[Al Lerner]]. The purchase price was a then- North American record $530&nbsp;million, more than double any previous selling price for a professional sports team.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sandomir|first=Richard|title=Lerner Wins Browns for $530 Million|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/09/sports/pro-football-lerner-wins-browns-for-530-million.html?pagewanted=1|accessdate=May 9, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 9, 1998}}</ref> Commissioner Tagliabue announced that the Browns would be an expansion team, rather than a relocated team, at the owners' meeting in March 1998.<ref name=henkel111>{{harvnb|Henkel|2005|p=111}}</ref>
 
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Officially, the National Football League, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Browns, and Ravens all recognize the current Browns team as a continuation of the team founded in 1946.<ref name=henkel111 /> The Ravens ''1998 Fan and Media Guide'' referred to longtime staffers as having worked for "the Modell organization" before the Ravens were created in 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citypaper.com/columns/story.asp?id=8519 |title=Baltimore City Paper – Columns:8 Upper |publisher=Citypaper.com |date=September 23, 1998 |accessdate=December 2, 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090817094004/http://www.citypaper.com/columns/story.asp?id=8519 |archivedate=August 17, 2009 }}</ref>
 
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===Lerner family ownership (1999–2012)===
 
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[[File:Cleveland Browns.JPG|thumb|305px|The Browns' headquarters in [[Berea, Ohio]] ]]
 
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====Team's return====
 
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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 (American football)|Chris Palmer]], former offensive coordinator of the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]], was hired as head coach. The team was [[1999 Cleveland Browns season#Draft|rebuilt]] from a special expansion draft and the regular NFL draft; the latter included the number one selection, QB [[Tim Couch]].
 
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The resurrected Browns were expected to 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. The [[1999 Cleveland Browns season|1999]] season started with a home game against the rival Steelers on ''[[ESPN Sunday Night Football]]'', with Cleveland native Drew Carey participating in the opening-game [[Coin flipping|coin toss]]. However, that was the only highlight for the Browns that night. The Steelers beat the Browns 43–0 in their first game back. It was the team's worst shutout loss ever, topped later only by a 48–0 loss to Jacksonville on December 3, 2000.
 
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The 1999 season Browns start was 0–7 en route to a 2–14 finish, the worst in franchise history until [[2016 Cleveland Browns season|2016]]. The {{nfly|2000}} season 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 (American football)|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]].
 
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====Davis regime====
 
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Under Davis, the Browns became more competitive, finishing 7–9 in {{nfly|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 {{nfly|2002}}, the Browns finished 9–7, and due to multiple tiebreakers, 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 17 points—they led 24–7 in the third quarter; after that, the Steelers outscored them 29–9. Also during the 2002 season, owner Al Lerner died on October 2, and ownership then was taken over by his son [[Randy Lerner|Randy]].
 
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The Browns could not sustain the momentum from 2002, finishing with double-digit losing records in {{nfly|2003}}, {{nfly|2004}}, {{nfly|2005}}, and {{nfly|2006}}. Davis resigned November 30, 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.
 
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[[File:CB 07-04-2008 01;22;59PM.JPG|thumb|right|305px|Close-up look at then Cleveland Browns (now FirstEnergy) Stadium]]
 
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====Savage/Crennel====
 
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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. The team also hired [[Phil Savage]] – who had been Ravens VP/GM [[Ozzie Newsome]]'s top aide – as a new general manager. But despite the changes, the Browns losing trend continued for 2005 and 2006, with records of 6–10 and 4–12, respectively. Prior to the Browns' final game of the 2005 season, ESPN reported that team president [[John Collins (American Football executive)|John Collins]] was going to fire 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 until 2008, with owner Randy Lerner filling in as ''de facto'' CEO until Michael Keenan was hired.
 
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In the [[2007 Cleveland Browns season|2007 season]], the team had a remarkable turnaround on the field. After opening the season with a 34–7 defeat by the Steelers, the Browns traded starting quarterback [[Charlie Frye]] to the [[Seattle Seahawks]], with backup [[Derek Anderson (American football)|Derek Anderson]] assuming the starting role. In his first start, Anderson led the Browns to a 51–45 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, tying the franchise record of five touchdown passes in a single game. The Browns finished the 2007 season a surprising 10–6, but missed the playoffs due to a tie-breaker. Nevertheless, the record was the team's best since 1994. Six players earned Pro Bowl recognition, with Anderson starting for the [[American Football Conference|AFC]] in place of New England Patriots quarterback [[Tom Brady]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/2008-01-28-3488501906_x.htm|title=Browns long snapper Pontbriand named to Pro Bowl - USATODAY.com|publisher=Usatoday.com|date=January 28, 2008|accessdate=December 13, 2008}}</ref> Coach Crennel agreed to a two-year contract extension.<ref>{{cite web|author=CBSSports.com wire reports |url=http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10605249 |title=After breakthrough season, Browns' Crennel to sign two-year extension – NFL – CBSSports.com Football |publisher=Sportsline.com |accessdate=December 13, 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208202716/http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10605249 |archivedate=December 8, 2008 |df=mdy }}</ref>
 
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The Browns entered the [[2008 Cleveland Browns season|2008 season]] with high expectations, and many pundits predicted the team would win the division.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2008-09-03-preseason-picks_N.htm|title=USA Today's NFL preseason picks 2008|work=[[USA Today]]|date=September 5, 2008|accessdate=December 29, 2008}}</ref> 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 ended up using four starting quarterbacks during the season: Derek Anderson, [[Brady Quinn]], and [[Ken Dorsey]] were lost to injury; the fourth, [[Bruce Gradkowski]], was signed midseason. Ending with six straight losses, the Browns finished with a franchise-first two consecutive shutouts.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nfl.com/teams/schedule?team=CLE&season=2008&seasonType=REG|title=NFL.com 2008 Schedule|work=[[NFL]]|date=September 5, 2008|accessdate=December 29, 2008}}</ref> Savage and Crennel were subsequently fired.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.myfoxcleveland.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=8155939&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1 |title=Browns Fire GM Phil Savage |date=December 28, 2008 |accessdate=December 28, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Withers |first=Tom |url=http://www.myfoxcleveland.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=8158822&version=10&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1 |title=Browns Fire Coach Romeo Crennel |agency=Associated Press |date=December 29, 2008 |accessdate=December 29, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
 
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====Mangini years====
 
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On January 5, 2009, the Browns hired former New York Jets coach [[Eric Mangini]] as head coach.<ref>[http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=9357 Browns, Mangini reach agreement – ClevelandBrowns.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218075525/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=9357 |date=February 18, 2009 }}</ref> Mangini, who started his career as a ballboy in Cleveland, worked as an assistant under former Browns coach Bill Belichick until becoming head coach of the Jets in 2006. On January 25, the team hired [[George Kokinis]] as the team's general manager. The Browns continued to struggle as they became accustomed to a completely new coaching staff. Throughout the preseason, Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson competed for the starting quarterback position. Quinn ended up winning the job, but after three games marked by team inconsistency (and an 0–3 record), he was benched in favor of Anderson. On November 1, the team announced the firing of GM Kokinis after only eight regular-season games (and a 1–7 record), with his duties essentially being assumed by Mangini. Soon afterwards, Mangini decided that a quarterback switch was to be made again, and Quinn given the starting job back. After being 1–11 at the three-quarters point in the season, the team went on a four-game winning streak and finished with a record of 5–11, highlighted by the team beating the Steelers after 12 consecutive losses against their rival.
 
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On December 21, 2009, as Mangini's first season was coming to a close, former Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks head coach [[Mike Holmgren]] was hired as team president and was given authority over the team's football operations. This hire was made after Browns owner Randy Lerner announced he wished to bring in a "serious, credible leader" to steer the team in the right direction. After much public speculation by the media that Holmgren and Mangini would not be able to coexist,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.nfl.com/2009/12/16/holmgrens-arrival-would-likely-mean-end-for-mangini/| publisher=NFL.com|last=La Canfora|first=Jason|title=Holmgren's arrival likely would mean end for Mangini|date=December 16, 2009| accessdate=January 8, 2010|ref=harv|postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} }}</ref> Holmgren announced the retention of Mangini and the entire coaching staff for the 2010 season.<ref>{{Cite journal| title=Cleveland Browns' Eric Mangini will coach team in 2010|last=Grossi|first=Tony|publisher=[[The Plain Dealer]]|url=http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2010/01/post_17.html|date=January 7, 2010|accessdate=January 8, 2010| ref=harv| postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}}}}</ref> The following week, Holmgren hired former Philadelphia Eagles general manager Tom Heckert to become the new GM for the Browns.
 
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After taking control as president, Holmgren decided to release Anderson and trade away Quinn (getting back eventual 1,100+ yard rusher and fan favorite running back [[Peyton Hillis]] in return). He signed veteran quarterback [[Jake Delhomme]], who had led the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2003, along with veteran backup [[Seneca Wallace]] from the Seattle Seahawks. During the 2010 draft, the team of Holmgren, Heckert, and Mangini focused mostly on improving the team's defensive secondary, although they also managed to acquire the University of Texas's [[Colt McCoy]] in the third round; McCoy has the most recorded wins as a starting quarterback in NCAA history.
 
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Despite heading into the 2010 season with an overall sense of optimism, the Browns started off poorly. They set an NFL record when they lost their first three games after leading in the fourth quarter. They finally won their first game against the Cincinnati Bengals in week 4. However, both Delhomme and Wallace injured their ankles over the first five games, forcing Colt McCoy to start in week 6 against the Steelers, though Mike Holmgren stated he would sit and learn the entire season. Though McCoy lost his first NFL start against the Steelers, he was able to win the following week when the Browns upset the defending Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints. With this victory, the Browns defeated the defending Super Bowl Champions three years in a row, becoming the seventh NFL team to achieve this feat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/10495/browns-stun-super-bowl-champs-again|title=Browns stun Super Bowl champs again|date=October 24, 2010|accessdate=October 24, 2010 }}</ref> The Browns continued this positive streak by outplaying the New England Patriots for a 34–14 victory in their next game. However, they lost to the New York Jets in overtime the following week, despite a late fourth-quarter, game-tying touchdown drive by McCoy. On January 3, 2011, after losing four games in a row to end the season, Holmgren and the Browns decided to fire head coach Eric Mangini, who posted a record of 10–22 in his two seasons as head coach.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Browns fire coach Eric Mangini|last=AP|publisher=[[ESPN]]|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5984058|date=January 3, 2011|accessdate=January 3, 2011|ref=harv|postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}}}}</ref> Eleven days later, Holmgren signed St. Louis Rams [[offensive coordinator]] [[Pat Shurmur]] to become the new head coach, and former Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears head coach [[Dick Jauron]] as their defensive coordinator.
 
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====Holmgren/Heckert/Shurmur====
 
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While potentially hamstrung in attempts to install a new offensive system by the NFL lockout, the Browns played through the first half of the 2011 season at or near the bottom of the league in almost every offensive category. Starting several rookies, Shurmur's team was frequently beset by confusion in personnel and play-calling at critical junctures. Early in the year, the defense surrendered a touchdown on a failure to break the defensive huddle, and the team's chances in several games were compromised by a host of special-teams mistakes and meltdowns. At the midpoint of the season, in a telling series in which Shurmur called for a conservative ball-protection strategy, the Browns recovered their own fumble resulting from a mistakenly called handoff to a third-string tight end lined up at fullback, only to botch a short go-ahead field goal attempt with a failed snap and uncoordinated line movement.
 
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The Browns went 4–12 in Shumur's first season, including losing six in a row to end the 2011 campaign. During that same season, comedian and frustrated Browns fan [[Mike Polk]] made a video to complain about the team's futility, screaming "You are a factory of sadness!" to the Browns' home stadium; the colloquial "Factory of Sadness" name for the stadium has stuck ever since.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/11/cleveland_browns_fans_growing.html | title=Are Cleveland Browns fans at last growing weary of their NFL 'factory of sadness'? | publisher=Cleveland.com | work=The Plain Dealer | date=November 11, 2011 | accessdate=December 1, 2015}}</ref>
 
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New owner [[Jimmy Haslam]] announced on October 16, 2012, that Holmgren would stay on through the 2012 season in a lesser role (though still officially listed as president), and would then retire. On November 25, [[CBS]] reported and the Browns confirmed Holmgren would officially step down following the Browns 20–14 win over the Steelers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.twitter.com/TonyGrossi |title=Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) op Twitter |publisher=Twitter.com |date= |accessdate=January 31, 2013}}</ref>
 
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<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/NFLhistory/status/925162082387091456 |title=Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) op Twitter |publisher=Twitter.com |date=}}</ref>
 
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===Haslam ownership (2012–present)===
 
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[[File:Haslam 2012 Sports Awards (cropped).jpg|right|thumb|175px|Current Browns owner [[Jimmy Haslam]]]]
 
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[[File:Johnny Manziel training camp Browns 2014.jpg|right|thumb|175px|The Browns selected high-profile and controversial quarterback [[Johnny Manziel]] in the first round of the [[2014 NFL draft]] with much fanfare.<br />After two seasons of inconsistent play and numerous off the field incidents, Manziel was waived by the team on March 11, 2016]]
 
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In July 2012, owner Randy Lerner announced he planned to sell the Browns to businessman [[Jimmy Haslam]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82ad9ba4/article/cleveland-browns-up-for-sale-mike-holmgren-confirms?module=HP11_breaking_news |title=Cleveland Browns up for sale, Mike Holmgren confirms |publisher=Nfl.com |date= |accessdate=June 2, 2013}}</ref> The sale was finalized on August 2, 2012, in excess of $1&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite web|first=Adam|last=Schefter |url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8225861/randy-lerner-sells-cleveland-browns-more-1b-sources-say |title=Randy Lerner sells Cleveland Browns for more than $1B, sources say |publisher=ESPN |date=August 2, 2012 |accessdate=September 3, 2012}}</ref> Haslam officially was approved as the new owner on October 16, 2012, at the NFL owners' meetings, and the very next day former Eagles president [[Joe Banner]] was named as the Browns' new CEO.
 
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The Browns began the 2012 season by losing their first five games. Having lost their last six games to end the 2011 season, this marked an 11-game losing streak, tied for the longest in team history with the 1974–75 teams.<ref>[https://archive.is/20130120023351/http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2012/10/cleveland_browns_loseto_the_n_1.html ]</ref> On October 12, the Browns defeated the Bengals 34–24 in Cleveland, behind two touchdown passes from rookie quarterback [[Brandon Weeden]] (on his 29th birthday) to end the streak.  On December 31, 2012, head coach Pat Shurmur and general manager [[Tom Heckert, Jr.|Tom Heckert]] were fired. Shurmur went 9–23 in his two seasons as head coach.
 
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====Banner/Lombardi/Chudzinski====
 
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After interviewing numerous candidates such as [[Chip Kelly]] and [[Ken Whisenhunt]], the Browns decided to hire former offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, [[Rob Chudzinski]], on January 10, 2013.
 
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On January 15, 2013, Haslam / Banner announced the naming rights to Cleveland Browns Stadium were sold to [[FirstEnergy]], and the stadium would be renamed FirstEnergy Stadium. The name change officially received [[Cleveland City Council]] approval on February 15, 2013.
 
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On January 18, 2013, the Browns hired [[Michael Lombardi (sportscaster)|Michael Lombardi]] – who had a previous stint with the Browns in the player personnel department in the 1980s and 90s – as Vice President of Player Personnel (two months later he was officially given the title of general manager), making him Tom Heckert's replacement.<ref>{{cite web|author=JEFF [email protected]@jsbrownsinsider |url=http://morningjournal.com/articles/2013/03/06/sports/doc5136b61a5c34b767388986.txt |title=Cleveland Browns name Mike Lombardi General Manager, hire Ray Farmer as Assistant GM |publisher=morningjournal.com |date=March 6, 2013 |accessdate=June 2, 2013}}</ref>
 
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The Browns would finish with a 4-12 record in the first season under the new regime, finishing last in the AFC North Division, and losing seven in a row to finish the 2013 campaign. Following the 2013 season finale on December 29, 2013, the Browns fired Chudzinski after only one year as head coach.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sessler|first=Marc|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000305869/article/rob-chudzinski-fired-by-cleveland-browns|title=Rob Chudzinski fired by Cleveland Browns|publisher=[[National Football League]]|date=December 29, 2013|accessdate=December 29, 2013}}</ref>
 
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====Scheiner/Farmer/Pettine====
 
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On January 24, 2014, the Browns hired Bills defensive coordinator [[Mike Pettine]] as the 15th full-time head coach in team history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10330448/cleveland-browns-tab-mike-pettine-head-coach |title=Cleveland Browns tab Mike Pettine as next coach - ESPN |publisher=Espn.go.com |date=January 24, 2014 |accessdate=August 17, 2014}}</ref> On February 11, 2014 the Browns announced that Lombardi would be replaced by [[Ray Farmer]] as GM, and that Joe Banner would resign as CEO.<ref name="go">{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10435830/cleveland-browns-overhaul-front-office-name-ray-farmer-new-gm |title=Cleveland Browns overhaul front office, name Ray Farmer as new GM |publisher=espn.go.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref> In the first round of the [[2014 NFL draft]], the Browns selected [[cornerback]] [[Justin Gilbert]] from [[Oklahoma State Cowboys football|Oklahoma State]] with the eighth pick, and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback [[Johnny Manziel]]  of Texas A&M with the 22nd overall pick.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-nfl-draft-live-20140508-htmlstory.html|title=Browns 2014 draft picks|publisher=[[LA Times]]|accessdate=May 13, 2014}}</ref>
 
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Beginning in the 2014 season, the Browns use a live [[bullmastiff]] named "Swagger" as their new mascot.<ref name = "Swagger">{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000364960/article/browns-to-use-live-bullmastiff-swagger-as-mascot|title=Cleveland Browns to Use Live Bullmastiff as Mascot|publisher=[[NFL.com]]|accessdate=July 14, 2014}}</ref> On October 5, 2014, the Browns staged the largest rally in team history, when after trailing the [[Tennessee Titans]] 28-3 with 1:09 left in the second quarter, Cleveland scored 26 unanswered points to win the game 29-28. This was also the largest rally by a road team in NFL history.<ref name="go2">{{cite web|url=http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=400554204 |title=Browns vs. Titans - Game Recap - October 5, 2014 - ESPN |publisher=scores.espn.go.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref><ref name="twitter">{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/NFLhistory/status/518871685668147200 |title= Browns' rally - Twitter.com/NFL History |publisher=twitter.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref>  After a 7-4 start, the Browns would lose their final five games to finish the 2014 season at 7-9, last in the AFC North.
 
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In February 2015, the team made headlines when two high-profile players were in the news due to substance abuse issues. On Monday February 2, it was announced quarterback [[Johnny Manziel]] had checked himself into a treatment center, reportedly for alcoholism. The following day, wide receiver [[Josh Gordon]] was suspended for the 2015 season due to failing a drug test.<ref name="espncleveland">{{cite web|url=http://espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=17&post_id=41941 |title=It's time for Browns GM Ray Farmer to face the music and answer some tough questions |publisher=espncleveland.com |accessdate=September 29, 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930155325/https://espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=17&post_id=41941 |archivedate=September 30, 2015 |df=mdy }}</ref> On February 28, it was revealed that former [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] quarterback [[Josh McCown]] had signed a three-year deal with the Browns. On March 30, the NFL announced that Browns general manager [[Ray Farmer]] would be suspended for the first four regular season games, and that the team would be fined $250,000 (U.S.) for Farmer text messaging the coaching staff during games in the 2014 season, which is against NFL rules. The story had been dubbed "Textgate" due to its scandalous nature.<ref name="espncleveland2">{{cite web|url=http://espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=17&post_id=43681 |title=The penalties on the Browns and GM Ray Farmer run deeper than a fine and suspension |publisher=espncleveland.com |accessdate=September 29, 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930125814/https://espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=17&post_id=43681 |archivedate=September 30, 2015 |df=mdy }}</ref>
 
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On April 14 at a ceremony at the [[Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland]], the team unveiled their new uniforms. They feature brown, white, and orange jerseys along with brown, white, and orange pants that can be worn in any combination. Unique features include the word "Cleveland" across the front of the jersey, the word "Browns" going down the pant leg, and the words "Dawg Pound" on the inside collar - all first of their kind features on NFL uniforms. Browns President [[Alec Scheiner]] compared these new jerseys to those of the [[Oregon Ducks football]] team, as the Ducks are known for their various uniform combinations.<ref name="espncleveland3">{{cite web|url=http://espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=17&post_id=44131 |title=Browns two-year uniform makeover returns attention now to the team and quarterback |publisher=espncleveland.com |accessdate=September 29, 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930130329/https://espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=17&post_id=44131 |archivedate=September 30, 2015 |df=mdy }}</ref>
 
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In the [[2015 NFL draft]], the Browns had two first round picks, selecting [[nose tackle]] [[Danny Shelton]] from [[Washington Huskies football|Washington]] at #12, and [[offensive lineman]] [[Cameron Erving]] from [[Florida State]] at #19.
 
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On September 8, 2015, the Browns announced that they indefinitely suspended offensive line coach [[Andy Moeller]] after an alleged domestic assault incident at his home during Labor Day weekend. This meant that at the beginning of the 2015 regular season, the team had a player ([[Josh Gordon]]), a coach ([[Moeller]]), and a front office executive ([[Ray Farmer]]) all suspended for various league and legal infractions.<ref name="irontontribune">{{cite web|url=http://www.irontontribune.com/2015/09/08/browns-suspend-moeller |title=Browns suspend Moeller &#124; The Tribune |publisher=irontontribune.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref>  Moeller would subsequently be fired on September 29.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsnet5.com/sports/browns/cleveland-browns-and-offensive-line-coach-andy-moeller-agree-to-part-ways|title=Cleveland Browns and offensive line coach Andy Moeller agree to 'part ways'|first=Tim|last=Rearden|date=September 30, 2015|publisher=}}</ref>
 
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After starting 2-3, the Browns lost 10 of their last 11 games to finish the 2015 season at 3-13. This stretch included a 33-27 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens in which Ravens safety Will Hill return a blocked field goal 64 yards for a touchdown on the game's final play. The Browns lost at home 37-3 to the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals the following week, dropping the team´s record to 2-10 and making them the first team in the 2015 season to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. On January 3, 2016, soon after the final game of the season (a 28-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers), both Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine were fired from their respective positions as GM and head coach.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rosenthal|first=Gregg|title=Cleveland Browns fire Mike Pettine, GM Ray Farmer|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000614532/article/cleveland-browns-fire-general-manager-ray-farmer|publisher=National Football League|date=January 3, 2016|accessdate=January 31, 2016}}</ref>
 
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====DePodesta/Brown/Jackson====
 
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[[file:Hue Jackson Browns Mini Camp.png|right|thumb|175px|Current head coach [[Hue Jackson]]]]
 
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In January 2016, the Browns made headlines when after firing Farmer and Pettine, promoted general counsel [[Sashi Brown]] to Executive VP of Football Operations, and hired longtime baseball executive [[Paul DePodesta]] as [[chief strategy officer]].  These moves were viewed nationally as the Browns trying to take a more analytics intensive approach to building the team, taking a page from the "[[Moneyball]]" style of [[Major League Baseball]] teams like the [[Oakland Athletics]] - of which DePodesta helped pioneer during his time as an assistant to Athletics GM [[Billy Beane]].  With Brown essentially taking over GM duties, this marks the fourth different head of personnel (either as GM or similar job title) under the Haslam ownership era, which began in 2012.<ref name="BrownsHireDePodesta">{{cite web|title=Paul DePodesta named Browns Chief Strategy Officer|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Paul-DePodesta-named-Browns-Chief-Strategy-Officer/fffdcf77-786a-441c-ba4d-a715669be515|publisher=Cleveland Browns|date=January 5, 2016|accessdate=January 31, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-browns/post/_/id/17513/paul-depodesta-takes-browns-from-draft-day-to-moneyball|title=Paul DePodesta takes Browns from 'Draft Day' to 'Moneyball'|publisher=}}</ref>
 
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On January 13, 2016, the Browns hired Bengals offensive coordinator (and former Oakland head coach) [[Hue Jackson]] as head coach - making him the eighth full-time head coach since the team's return in 1999 and fourth since 2012, when the Haslam ownership era began.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cabot|first1=Mary Kay|title=Hue Jackson hired as Cleveland Browns' 8th head coach since 1999|url=http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/01/hue_jackson_named_cleveland_br.html#incart_big-photo|accessdate=January 13, 2016|agency=Cleveland.com|publisher=The Plain Dealer|date=January 13, 2016}}</ref>
 
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On January 28, the Browns hired Andrew Berry - a longtime scout with the [[Indianapolis Colts]] - as VP of Personnel.  Berry, being a [[Harvard]] alumnus like DePodesta and Sashi Brown, has been noted as furthering the Browns new analytic approach, and the trio has been dubbed as the "Harvard Connection" (and other similar monikers) by local and national media.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2016/02/wfny-roundtable-cleveland-browns-staff/|title=WFNY Roundtable: Meet the Browns staff|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/cleveland-browns-sashi-brown-paul-depodesta-andrew-berry-harvard-front-office-012816|title=Harvard triumvirate now running the show in Cleveland - FOX Sports|date=January 28, 2016|publisher=}}</ref> On March 4, team president Alex Scheiner announced he would be stepping down from his post effective March 31, and would remain with the team as a consultant for the rest of the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14902886/alex-scheiner-resigns-cleveland-browns-president-effective-march-31|title=Browns president Scheiner resigns from post|publisher=}}</ref>  With this move, Paul DePodesta essentially became the top ranked executive of the team in his role as Chief Strategy Officer.<ref name = "PDP">{{cite web|url=http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/01/05/cleveland-browns-new-york-mets-paul-depodesta-hired|title=Browns hire Paul DePodesta as executive VP|first=SI|last=Wire|publisher=}}</ref>  This makes DePodesta the fourth different top executive of the team under the Haslams' ownership. On March 11, following two seasons of inconsistent play on the field and numerous highly publicized incidents off the field, the Browns waived quarterback Johnny Manziel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14933932/johnny-manziel-waived-cleveland-browns-tumultuous-two-years|title=Browns part ways with Manziel after two seasons|publisher=}}</ref> On March 24, the Browns signed quarterback [[Robert Griffin III]] to a two-year contract.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/15058201/cleveland-browns-sign-robert-griffin-iii|title=Browns sign RG III as latest quarterback project|publisher=}}</ref>
 
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Going into the [[2016 NFL Draft]], the Browns had the #2 overall pick.  They traded that pick to Philadelphia in exchange for the #8 pick in the first round (along with various later round 2016 picks, and Philadelphia's first round pick in 2017).  On draft night they traded the #8 pick to Tennessee in exchange for the #15 pick in the first round (and later round picks).  With the #15 pick in the 2016 draft, the Browns selected wide receiver [[Corey Coleman]] from [[Baylor University|Baylor]].
 
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The 2016 season began with the Browns losing their first 14 games, which combined with losing their last three games in 2015, gave the team a franchise record 17 game losing streak.  On December 24, in a game that has since been dubbed "The Christmas Miracle", the Browns defeated the [[San Diego Chargers]] 20-17.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsnet5.com/sports/browns/a-christmas-miracle-browns-get-first-win-of-the-season-beat-chargers-20-17|title=A Christmas miracle: Browns get first win of the season, beat Chargers 20-17|first=TOM|last=WITHERS|date=December 24, 2016|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2016/12/24/browns-hang-on-to-beat-chargers-20-17/|title=A Christmas Miracle: Browns Hang On To Beat Chargers 20-17|first=Daryl |last=Ruiter|publisher=}}</ref> The Browns would lose their last game of the season to finish 1-15 - the worst record in team history.  With that final game loss, the Browns clinched the #1 pick in the [[2017 NFL Draft]], with which the Browns selected [[Myles Garrett]], a [[defensive end]] from [[Texas A&M Aggies football|Texas A&M]].
 
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==Logos and uniforms==
 
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{{Main article|Cleveland Browns logos and uniforms}}
 
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===Logos===
 
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The Browns are the only National Football League team without a helmet logo. The logoless helmet serves as the Browns' official logo. The organization has used several promotional logos throughout the years; players' numbers were painted on the helmets from the [[1957 NFL season|1957]] to [[1960 NFL season|1960]]; and an unused "CB" logo<ref>{{cite web|url=http://content.sportslogos.net/logos/7/155/full/5225.gif |title=Image of Cleveland Browns "CB" helmet |date= |accessdate=June 2, 2013}}</ref> was created in 1965,<ref>{{cite news|last=Grzegorek |first=Vince |url=http://www.clevescene.com/64-and-counting/archives/2010/02/09/the-hunt-for-the-great-orange-brown-and-white-whale-unraveling-the-mystery-of-the-1965-cb-cleveland-browns-helmet-logo |title=The Hunt for the Great Orange, Brown, and White Whale: Unraveling the Mystery of the 1965 "CB" Cleveland Browns Helmet Logo &#124; '64 and Counting: Scene's Sports Blog |publisher=Cleveland Scene |date=February 9, 2010 |accessdate=June 2, 2013}}</ref> But for much of their history, the Browns' helmets have been an unadorned [[burnt orange]] color with a top stripe of dark brown (officially called "[[seal brown]]") divided by a white stripe.
 
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The team has had various promotional logos throughout the years, such as the "[[Brownie Elf]]" mascot or a Brown "B" in a white football. While Art Modell did away with the Brownie Elf in the mid-1960s, believing it to be too childish, its use has been revived under the current ownership. The popularity of the Dawg Pound section at First Energy Stadium has led to a brown and orange dog being used for various Browns functions. But overall, the orange, logo-less helmet continues as the primary trademark of the Cleveland Browns.
 
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On February 24, 2015, the team unveiled its new logos and word marks, the only differences being minor color changes to the helmet with the helmet logo remaining largely as is.<ref name="NewBrownsLogos2015"/><ref name="BrownsLogosSneakPeek"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Patra|first=Kevin|title=Cleveland Browns unveil new logos|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000473731/article/cleveland-browns-unveil-new-logos |publisher=[[National Football League]] |date=February 24, 2015 |accessdate=August 29, 2015}}</ref>
 
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===Uniforms===
 
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The original designs of the jerseys, pants, and socks remained mostly the same, but the helmets went through many significant revisions throughout the years. The Browns uniforms saw their first massive change prior to the 2015 season.
 
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'''Jerseys:''' 1. Brown: Brown (officially "[[seal brown]]") with orange colored numbers and writing, and an orange-white-orange stripe sequence on the sleeves. 2. White (Away): white with orange numbers and writing, with a brown-orange-brown stripe sequence. 3. Orange: Orange with white numerals and writing, and a brown-white-brown stripe sequence.
 
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'''Pants:''' 1. Brown - Brown pants with an orange-white-orange stripe sequence down 2/3rds the length of the pants. the other third is the word "BROWNS," written in orange. 2. White - white pants with a brown-orange-brown stripes. "BROWNS" Is written in Brown. 3. Orange - Orange pants with a brown-white-brown stripe sequence. "BROWNS" is written in brown.
 
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'''Socks:''' 1. Solid Brown. 2. Solid white. 3. solid Orange.
 
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'''Helmet:''' Solid white (1946–1949); solid white for day games and solid orange for night games (1950–51); orange with a single white stripe (1952–56); orange with a single white stripe and brown numerals on the sides (1957–59); orange with a brown-white-brown stripe sequence and brown numerals on the sides (1960); orange with a brown-white-brown stripe sequence (1961–95 and 1999–present).
 
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Over the years, the Browns have had on-again / off-again periods of wearing white for 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 have 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.
 
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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; this was removed in 2013 upon Jimmy Haslam assuming ownership of the team.
 
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Orange pants with a brown-white-brown stripe sequence were worn from 1975 to 1983 and become symbolic of the "Kardiac Kids" era. The orange pants were worn again occasionally in 2003 and 2004.
 
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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 one pre-season game.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kFlAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=v1YMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1066,2673152|title=Browns' Home Jerseys Will Be Modified|newspaper=Youngstown Vindicator|date=August 8, 1984|accessdate=December 30, 2010}}</ref>) However, this particular uniform set was not popular with the fans, and in 1985 the uniform was returned to a look similar to the original design. It remained that way until 1995.
 
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In 1999, the expansion Browns adopted the traditional design with two exceptions: first, jersey-sleeve numbers were moved to the shoulders; and second, the orange-brown-orange pants stripes were significantly widened.
 
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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, and 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 2007.
 
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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.
 
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Additionally 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.
 
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The Browns wore brown pants for the first time in team history on August 18, 2008, preseason game against the [[New York Giants]]. 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=8699 |title=Cleveland Browns &#124; Brown out |publisher=Clevelandbrowns.com |accessdate=December 13, 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822033723/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=8699 |archivedate=August 22, 2008 |deadurl=yes |df=mdy }}</ref> They were not worn again until the Browns "family" scrimmage on August 9, 2009 with white-striped socks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2009/08/scrimmage_shows_offense_still.html|title=Scrimmage shows Cleveland Browns' offense still needs work|publisher=Cleveland.com|accessdate=August 9, 2009}}</ref> The Browns have continued to wear the brown pants throughout the 2009 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/nfl/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1248597145139770.xml&coll=2|title=Cleveland Browns might wear brown pants for all road games during 2009 NFL season|publisher=Cleveland.com|date=|accessdate=July 26, 2009}}</ref> Browns quarterback [[Brady Quinn]] supported the team's move to wearing the brown pants full-time, claiming that the striped pattern on the white pants "prohibit[ed] mobility".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2009/08/cleveland_browns_scrimmage_ans.html|title=Cleveland Browns' scrimmage answers some Brady Quinn concerns; WR Leggett impresses|newspaper=[[The Plain Dealer]]|accessdate=August 10, 2009}}</ref>
 
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However, the fans generally did not like the brown pants, and after being used for only one season, the team returned to their white shirt-on-white pants in 2010. Coach [[Eric Mangini]] told ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' the Browns won't use the brown pants anymore. "It wasn't very well-received," Mangini said. "I hope we can get to the point where we can wear fruit on our heads and people wouldn't notice."<ref>{{cite news|url= http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/08/eric-mangini-cleveland-browns-will-abandon-the-brown-pants-look/1|title=Eric Mangini: Cleveland Browns will abandon the brown-pants look|work=[[USA Today]] |date=August 17, 2010|accessdate=August 17, 2010}}</ref> At the time, the brown pants weren't officially dropped by the team, but simply not used.
 
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The Browns chose to wear white at home for the 2011 season, and wound up wearing white for all 16 games as when they were on the road, the home team would wear their darker colored uniform.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-1/Ask-Matt/7d2d23e9-ca93-4b86-8174-dabec878ba30 |title=Ask Matt |publisher=Cleveland Browns |date=June 16, 2011 |accessdate=September 3, 2012}}</ref>
 
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The Browns brought back the brown pants in their home game against the [[Buffalo Bills]] on October 3, 2013 on ''[[Thursday Night Football]]'', pairing them with the brown jerseys. It marked the first time the team wore an all-brown combination in team history.<ref name="cleveland">{{cite news |url=http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2013/10/browns_unveil_all-brown_unifor.html |title=Browns unveil all-brown uniforms vs. Bills: What do you think? &#124; cleveland.com |newspaper=[[The Plain Dealer]] |accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref>
 
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On April 14, 2015, the Cleveland Browns unveiled their new uniform combinations, consisting of the team's colors of orange, brown and white.<ref>{{cite news |last=Shook|first=Nick|title=Cleveland Browns unveil new uniforms|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000485371/article/cleveland-browns-unveil-new-uniforms|publisher=[[National Football League]] |date=April 14, 2015|accessdate=April 15, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The 6 significant changes to the Browns uniforms|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/The-6-significant-changes-to-the-Browns-uniforms/957b8f01-028f-4436-8d1e-b6482f6cd80f|publisher=Cleveland Browns|date=April 15, 2015|accessdate=January 30, 2016}}</ref>
 
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==Rivalries==
 
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The Cleveland Browns have rivalries with all three of its [[AFC North]] opponents. In addition, the team has had historical rivalries with the [[Indianapolis Colts]], [[Denver Broncos]], [[Buffalo Bills]], and [[Detroit Lions]].
 
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The team's biggest rival in the AAFC was the [[San Francisco 49ers]], though this has cooled and in some cases turned into a friendly relationship, as the Browns now play in AFC and the 49ers play in the NFC. Additionally, many 49ers personnel helped the Browns relaunch in 1999 as well as former team President [[Mike Holmgren]] having started his NFL career in San Francisco. Also, 49ers owners [[John York]] & [[Denise DeBartolo York]] reside in [[Youngstown, Ohio]] 60 miles southeast of Cleveland. Former long-time veteran placekicker and fan favorite, [[Phil Dawson]], signed with the 49ers in 2014, along with backup QB [[Colt McCoy]].
 
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===Divisional rivalries===
 
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====Pittsburgh Steelers====
 
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{{main article|Browns–Steelers rivalry}}
 
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Often called the "Turnpike Rivalry",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kdka.com/local/Steelers.Browns.rivalry.2.564970.html |title=Steelers To Take On Browns For First Place In The AFC North |publisher=Kdka.com |date=October 14, 2010 |accessdate=June 2, 2013}}</ref> the Browns' main rival has long been the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]. Though the Browns dominated this rivalry early in the series (winning the first eight matchups), the Steelers currently have the all-time edge 68–58, making it the oldest rivalry in the [[American Football Conference|AFC]]. Former Browns owner [[Art Modell]] scheduled home games against the Steelers on Saturday night from 1964 to 1970 to help fuel the rivalry. The rivalry has been fueled by the proximity of the two teams, number of championships both teams have won, players and personnel having played and/or coached for both sides, and personal bitterness. Though the rivalry has cooled in Pittsburgh due to the Modell move (as well as the Browns having a 5–24 record against the Steelers since returning to the league in 1999), the Steelers are still top rival for Cleveland.
 
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====Cincinnati Bengals====
 
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{{main article|Bengals–Browns rivalry}}
 
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Originally conceived due to the personal animosity between [[Paul Brown]] and [[Art Modell]], the "Battle of Ohio" between the Browns and the [[Cincinnati Bengals]] has been fueled by the sociocultural differences between [[Cincinnati]] and Cleveland, a shared history between the two teams, and even similar team colors, since Brown used the exact shade of orange for the Bengals that he used for the Browns. (Though this has changed since then, as the Bengals now use a brighter shade of orange.) Modell, in fact, moved the Browns to the AFC after the [[AFL–NFL merger]] in order to have a rivalry with the Bengals. The rivalry has also produced two of the eight highest-scoring games in NFL history. Cincinnati has the all-time edge 46–39, having won the majority of games against the Browns since they returned to the NFL in 1999.
 
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====Baltimore Ravens====
 
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Created as a result of the [[Cleveland Browns relocation controversy]], the rivalry between the Browns and Ravens was more directed at Art Modell than the team itself, and is simply considered a divisional game in Baltimore. Unlike the other two rivalries, this one is more lopsided: the Ravens lead 25-9. Additionally, this matchup is more bitter for Cleveland than the others due to the fact that the draft picks for 1995 to 1998 resulted in the rosters that won Super Bowl for the Ravens in 2000. Had the Browns stayed in Cleveland, these teams (drafted by GM [[Ozzie Newsome]]) might have given the Browns the title after a 35-year drought.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rav/|title=Baltimore Ravens Team Encyclopedia|publisher=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=December 30, 2010}}</ref> This bitterness was compounded when the Ravens won their second world title in 2012.
 
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===Other rivalries===
 
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====Detroit Lions====
 
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The Lions rivalry began in the 1950s, when the Browns and Lions played each other in four NFL championships. The Lions won three of those championships, while the Browns won one. This was arguably one of the NFL's best rivalries in the 1950s. From 2002 to 2014, the two teams played an annual preseason game known as the "Great Lakes Classic".<ref name="The Great Lakes Classic">{{cite news|url=http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2009/11/22/sports/mj1925578.txt|title=Great Lakes Classic has lacked luster since its beginning|date=November 22, 2009|accessdate=March 21, 2009|author=Schudel, Jeff|publisher=[[The Morning Journal]]}}</ref>
 
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====Buffalo Bills====
 
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The Bills rivalry had its roots back to the days of the AAFC, when there was a [[Buffalo Bills (AAFC)|team from Buffalo with the same name]] in that league. The Browns and AAFC Bills played six games, including a league championship game, before the Browns were selected to merge into the NFL and the Bills left out. After the current incarnation of the Bills joined the NFL, the Browns and Bills have played each other from time to time. Though the Browns and Bills are in different AFC divisions, a mellow rivalry has since developed between the teams due to the similarities between Buffalo and Cleveland and shared misfortune between the teams. There have been some competitive moments between the Bills and Browns as well, such as a playoff game in 1990 and two games with playoff-implications in 2007 and 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2014/11/cleveland_browns_vs_buffalo_bi_8.html|title = Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills series has seen it all: A championship, a fired coach and blizzard|first = Tim|last = Warskinskey|work = [[The Plain Dealer]]|publisher = Cleveland.com|date = November 30, 2014}}</ref>
 
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====Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts====
 
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The Colts rivalry was hot in the 1960s. The Browns upset the Colts in the 1964 NFL championship (the last championship to date for the Browns) and the Colts got revenge by beating the Browns in the 1968 NFL Championship. The Browns also beat the Indianapolis Colts in a 1987 divisional playoff game.
 
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====Denver Broncos====
 
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The Browns had a brief rivalry with the Broncos that arose from three AFC championship games from 1986 to 1989. In the 1986 AFC Championship, quarterback John Elway led [[The Drive]] to secure a tie in the waning moments at Cleveland Municipal Stadium; the Broncos went on to win in 23–20 in overtime. One year later, the two teams met again in the [[1986–87 NFL playoffs|1987 AFC Championship game]] at Mile High Stadium. Denver took a 21–3 lead, but Browns' quarterback Bernie Kosar threw four touchdown passes to tie the game at 31–31 halfway through the 4th quarter. After a long drive, John Elway threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to running back Sammy Winder to give Denver a 38–31 lead. Cleveland advanced to Denver's 8-yard line with 1:12 left, but Broncos' safety Jeremiah Castille stripped Browns' running back Earnest Byner of the football at the 2-yard line—a play that has been called [[The Fumble]] by Browns' fans. The Broncos recovered it, gave Cleveland an intentional safety, and went on to win 38–33. The two teams met yet again in the 1989 AFC Championship at Mile High Stadium, which the Broncos easily won by a score of 37–21.
 
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==Fan base==
 
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A 2006 study conducted by ''Bizjournal'' determined that Browns [[fan (person)|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, attendance at games, and challenges confronting fans (such as inclement weather or long-term poor performance of their team).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14686579/ |title=Cleveland No. 1 in NFL fan loyalty - NFL- nbcsports.msnbc.com |publisher=Msnbc.msn.com |accessdate=December 13, 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211031008/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14686579 |archivedate=February 11, 2009 }}</ref> 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 36-76 over that span.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/specials/slideshow/13.html |title=NFL Fan Support Rankings |publisher=Bizjournals.com |accessdate=December 13, 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080229063926/http://www.bizjournals.com/specials/slideshow/13.html |archivedate=February 29, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
 
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===Dawg Pound===
 
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{{main article|Dawg Pound}}
 
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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 Stadium|Cleveland Municipal Stadium]], the current incarnation is likewise located in the east end of [[FirstEnergy Stadium (Cleveland)|FirstEnergy 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.<ref name="pfojix">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/browns/2006-02-16-dawg-pound_x.htm|title=Judge finds nobody beats out Cleveland for 'Dawg Pound'|work=Usatoday.com|publisher=Gannett Company|date=February 16, 2006|accessdate=December 13, 2008|first=Larry|last=Newmeister}}</ref>
 
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Retired cornerback [[Hanford Dixon]], who played his entire career for the Browns (1981–89), is credited with naming the Cleveland Browns defense 'The Dawgs' in the mid-1980s. Dixon and 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=6887 |title=Cleveland Browns &#124; Rookies get a history lesson |publisher=Clevelandbrowns.com |accessdate=December 13, 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206075303/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=6887 |archivedate=December 6, 2008 }}</ref> The fans adopted that name in the years after.<ref name="pfojix"/> Due to this nickname, since the team's revival the Browns have used a bulldog as an alternate logo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportslogos.net/logos/list_by_team/155/Cleveland_Browns/|title=Cleveland Browns Logos |publisher=Sportslogos.net |accessdate=July 14, 2014}}</ref>
 
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===Browns Backers===
 
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The most prominent organization of Browns fans is the ''Browns Backers Worldwide'' (BBW). The organization has approximately 305,000 members<ref name="zprxmw">{{cite web|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/fans/backers/ |title=Cleveland Browns |publisher=Clevelandbrowns.com |accessdate=January 17, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20010618091444/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/fans/backers/ |archivedate=June 18, 2001 }}</ref> and 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, Sri Lanka, and [[McMurdo Station]] in [[Antarctica]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Mike|last=Deneen|title=Lakewood Native Takes Browns Backers to South Pole|url=http://www.lakewoodobserver.com/read/2006/01/11/lakewood-native-takes-browns-backers-to|work=The Lakewood Observer|date=January 11, 2006|accessdate=November 29, 2011}}</ref> According to The Official Fan Club of the Cleveland Browns, the two largest international fan clubs are in [[Alon Shvut]], West Bank and [[Niagara Falls, Ontario|Niagara]], Canada, with Alon Shvut having 129 members and Niagara having 310.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/fans/backers/results.php?id=INT |title=Cleveland Browns |publisher=Clevelandbrowns.com |accessdate=December 13, 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206075318/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/fans/backers/results.php?id=INT |archivedate=December 6, 2008 }}</ref>
 
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[[File:Cleveland Browns mascot Chomps with the National Guard.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Browns mascot Chomps (shown greeting [[U.S. National Guard]] members at [[FirstEnergy Stadium (Cleveland)|FirstEnergy Stadium]].)]]
 
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Following former Browns owner Randy Lerner's acquisition of English [[Association football|football]] club [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]], official Villa outlets started selling Cleveland Browns goods such as jerseys and NFL footballs. This has raised interest in England and strengthened the link between the two sporting clubs. Aston Villa supporters have set up an organization known as the [[Aston]] (Villa) Browns Backers of [[Birmingham]].{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}
 
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===Famous fans===
 
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The Cleveland Browns were the favorite team of [[Elvis Presley]].<ref>June Moore (with assistance from [[Kathy Westmoreland]]): ''Kathy Westmoreland: Elvis' voice of an angel'', Ju'Mel Publishing, USA, Juni 2010, S. 159 / {{ISBN|978-0-9827845-0-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/5025/top-20-surprising-elvis-facts/|title= TOP 20 surprising Elvis Facts|publisher=Weeklyworldnews.com|accessdate=February 7, 2014}}</ref> This was because his friend [[Gene Hickerson]] - with whom he had played football in their common youth in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] - was contracted by the Browns in 1957 and played there during his entire career until 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dcoughlin.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/gene-hickerson-elvis-took-his-calls/|title= Gene Hickerson: Elvis Took His Calls|publisher=Dan Coughlin|accessdate=February 7, 2014}}</ref> Also defender [[Bobby Franklin (American football)|Bobby Franklin]], who had played from 1960 to 1966 for the Browns, was a friend of Presley. [[WWE Hall of Fame]] wrestler and commentator [[Jerry Lawler|Jerry "The King" Lawler]] - though he has spent most of his life in Memphis - spent part of his childhood in the Cleveland area and is a fan of the Browns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/wwe/index.ssf/2013/09/cleveland_native_jerry_the_kin.html|title=Cleveland native Jerry "The King" Lawler talks Browns, Indians and wrestling again (video)|publisher=Cleveland.com|accessdate=March 16, 2014}}</ref> Fellow WWE wrestlers [[The Miz]] and [[Dolph Ziggler]] (both Cleveland natives) are also fans.<ref name="twitter2">{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/CaseyKulas/status/544176174382194688/photo/1 |title= Lawler, Ziggler, and Miz at Browns game - Twitter.com |publisher=twitter.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref> Another fan of the team is [[Baseball]]-legend [[Hank Aaron]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orble.com/elvis-and-henry-aarons-favorite-football-team/ |title=Touchdown Tim's NFL: Elvis' and Henry Aaron's favorite football team |publisher=Orble.com |accessdate=February 7, 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222021052/http://www.orble.com/elvis-and-henry-aarons-favorite-football-team/ |archivedate=February 22, 2014 |df=mdy }}</ref> Other famous Browns fans include [[Arsenio Hall]], [[Drew Carey]], [[Patricia Heaton]] (her father, [[Chuck Heaton]], was a sportswriter for ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'', which covered the Browns and wrote two books about the team), [[Terri Garr]], [[Martin Mull]], [[Condoleezza Rice]], [[Valerie Bertinelli]] (her husband is from the Northeast Ohio area), [[Machine Gun Kelly (rapper)|Machine Gun Kelly]], [[Paul Adelstein]], [[Iron Chef]] [[Michael Symon]], [[ESPN]] sportscaster [[Jay Crawford]] and [[Brad Paisley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://djsdoingwork.com/2014/04/21/machine-gun-kelly-visits-the-browns-facilities-photo// |title=Machine Gun Kelly Visits The Browns Facilities |publisher=djsdoingwork.com |accessdate=May 2, 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503015547/http://djsdoingwork.com/2014/04/21/machine-gun-kelly-visits-the-browns-facilities-photo// |archivedate=May 3, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-1/‘Scandal’-actor-Paul-Adelstein-talks-Cleveland-Browns/fd132eae-cd06-495c-aa90-378b1c40dc30|title=‘Scandal’ actor Paul Adelstein talks Cleveland Browns|last=Jones|first=Keith|date=June 18, 2014|publisher=Cleveland Browns official website|accessdate=July 13, 2014}}</ref>
 
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==Players of note==
 
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===Current roster===
 
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{{Cleveland Browns roster}}
 
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===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 16 enshrined players elected based on their performance with the Browns, and eight more players or coaches elected who spent at least one year with the Browns franchise.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hall of Famers by Franchise |work=Pro Football Hall of Fame |url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/teams.html |accessdate=April 2, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317093424/http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/teams.html |archivedate=March 17, 2007 |deadurl=yes |df=mdy }}</ref> No Browns players were inducted in the inaugural induction class of 1963. [[Otto Graham]] was the first Browns player to be enshrined as a member of the class of 1965, and the most recent Browns player to be included in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is [[Gene Hickerson]], who was a member of the class of 2007.
 
−
{| class="wikitable"  style="text-align:center"
 
−
|-
 
−
! colspan="5" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|Cleveland Browns Hall of Famers
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|Inducted
 
−
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|No.
 
−
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|Player name
 
−
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|Tenure
 
−
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|Position(s)
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1965
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 60, 14
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Otto Graham]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1946–1955
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Quarterback|QB]]
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1967
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| —
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Paul Brown]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1946–1962
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Head coach]]
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1968
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 76, 36
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Marion Motley]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1946–1953
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Fullback (American football)|FB]]
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1971
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 32
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Jim Brown]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1957–1965
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Fullback (American football)|FB]]
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1974
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 46, 76
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Lou Groza]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1946–1959<br />1961–1967
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Offensive tackle|OT]]<br />[[Placekicker|K]]
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1975
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 56, 86
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Dante Lavelli]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1946–1956
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Wide receiver|WR]]
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1976
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 53, 80
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Len Ford]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1950–1957
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive end|DE]]
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2| 1977
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 30, 45, 60
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Bill Willis]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1946–1953
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Tackle (gridiron football position)|T]], [[Offensive guard|OG]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| —
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Forrest Gregg]] <sup>*</sup>
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1975–1977
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| Head coach
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1981
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 77
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Willie Davis (defensive end)|Willie Davis]] <sup>*</sup>
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1958–1959
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive end|DE]]
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1982
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 83
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Doug Atkins]] <sup>*</sup>
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1953–1954
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive end|DE]]
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2| 1983
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 49
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Bobby Mitchell]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1958–1961
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Wide receiver|WR]], [[Running back|RB]], [[Halfback (American football)|HB]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 42
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Paul Warfield]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1964–1969<br />1976–1977
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Wide receiver|WR]]
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1984
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 74
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Mike McCormack (football player)|Mike McCormack]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1954–1962
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Offensive tackle|OT]]
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1985
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 22, 52
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Frank Gatski]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1946–1956
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Center (American football)|C]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1987
+
|rowspan="4"|2014 || ''[[Veeram (2014 film)|Veeram]]'' || Savarimuthu's daughter ||  
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 18
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Len Dawson]] <sup>*</sup>
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1960–1961
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Quarterback|QB]]
 
−
|- style="text-align:center
 
−
!1993
 
−
| 65
 
−
|[[Chuck Noll]] <sup>*</sup>
 
−
|1953–1959
 
−
|[[Right Guard|RG]]<br />[[Linebacker|LB]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1994
+
| ''[[Ninaithathu Yaaro]]'' || ||  
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 44
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Leroy Kelly]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1964–1973
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Running back|RB]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1995
+
| ''Pongadi Neengalum Unga Kadhalum'' || Sameera ||  
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 72
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Henry Jordan]] <sup>*</sup>
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1957–1958
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive tackle|DT]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
!1997
+
| ''Athiyayam'' || ||  
−
|96, 44
 
−
|[[Don Shula]] <sup>*</sup>
 
−
|1951–1952
 
−
|[[Defensive Back|DB]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1998
+
|rowspan="2"|2016 || ''[[Pazhaya Vannarapettai]]'' || ||  
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 29
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Tommy McDonald (American football)|Tommy McDonald]] <sup>*</sup>
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1968
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Wide receiver|WR]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 1999
+
| ''[[Atti (film)|Atti]]'' || ||  
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 82
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Ozzie Newsome]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1978–1990
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Tight end|TE]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 2003
+
[[Niram Maaratha Pookkal (TV series)|Niram Maaratha Pookkal]]
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 64
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Joe DeLamielleure]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1980–1984
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Offensive guard|OG]]
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"| 2007
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 66
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Gene Hickerson]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1958–1960<br />1962–1973
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Offensive guard|OG]]
 
−
|-
 
−
| colspan="6" | * Performance with Browns incidental to induction
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
===Cleveland Browns legends===
+
==Television==
−
The Cleveland Browns 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:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanownews.com/story/23541972/browns-to-induct-fiss-gibron-to-legends |title=Browns to induct Fiss, Gibron to Legends |publisher=www.americanownews.com |accessdate=May 2, 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503012507/https://www.americanownews.com/story/23541972/browns-to-induct-fiss-gibron-to-legends |archivedate=May 3, 2014 |df=mdy }}</ref>
+
{| class="wikitable"
−
 
+
|-  style="background:#cccccf; text-align:center;"
−
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center
+
| '''Year''' || '''Film''' || '''Role''' || '''Channel'''
−
|-
 
−
! colspan="5" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|Cleveland Browns legends
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|Inducted
 
−
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|No.
 
−
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|Player name
 
−
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|Position(s)
 
−
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cleveland Browns}};"|Tenure
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=4| 2001
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 19
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Bernie Kosar]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Quarterback|QB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1985–1993
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 92
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Michael Dean Perry]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive end|DE]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1989–1994
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 34
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Greg Pruitt]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Running back|RB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1973–1981
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 26
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Ray Renfro]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Wide receiver|WR]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1952–1963
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=3| 2002
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 57
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Clay Matthews, Jr.|Clay Matthews]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Linebacker|LB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1978–1993
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 17
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Brian Sipe]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Quarterback|QB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1974–1983
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 58/88
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Mac Speedie]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Wide receiver|WR]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1946–1952
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=3| 2003
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 29
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Hanford Dixon]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive back|DB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1981–1989
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 74/79
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Bob Gain]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive tackle|DT]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1952–1964
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 77/80
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Dick Schafrath]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Offensive tackle|OT]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1959–1971
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=4| 2004
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 86
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Gary Collins (American football)|Gary Collins]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Wide Receiver|WR]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1962–1971
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 42/82
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Tommy James (football player)|Tommy James]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive back|DB]]/[[Punter (football)|P]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1948–1955
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 40/86
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Dub Jones (American football)|Dub Jones]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Wide Receiver|WR]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1948–1955
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 43
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Mike Pruitt]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Running back|RB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1976–1984
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=4| 2005
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 31
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Frank Minnifield]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive back|DB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1984–1992
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 13
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Frank Ryan (American football)|Frank Ryan]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Quarterback|QB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1962–1968
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 72
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Jerry Sherk]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive lineman|DL]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1970–1981
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 64/84
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Jim Ray Smith]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Offensive tackle|OT]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1956–1962
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=4| 2006
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 20/21/44
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Earnest Byner]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Running back|RB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1984–1988, 1994–1995
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 73
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Doug Dieken]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Offensive tackle|OT]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1971–1984
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 82
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Jim Houston]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Linebacker|LB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1960–1972
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 34
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Walt Michaels]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Linebacker|LB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1952–1961
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"  rowspan=4| 2007
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 12
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Don Cockroft]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Placekicker|K]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1968–1980
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 59/84
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Horace Gillom]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Punter (football)|P]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1947–1956
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 80
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Bill Glass]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive end|DE]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1962–1968
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 34
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Kevin Mack]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Running back|RB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1985–1993
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;"  rowspan=4| 2008
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 71
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Walter Johnson (football player)|Walter Johnson]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive tackle|DT]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1965–1976
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 24/80
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Warren Lahr]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive back|DB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1949–1959
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 21
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Eric Metcalf]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Running back|RB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1989–1994
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 84/86
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Paul Wiggin]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive end|DE]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1957–1967
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2| 2010
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 63
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Cody Risien]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Offensive tackle|OT]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1979–1989
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 60
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[John Wooten]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Offensive guard|OG]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1959–1967
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2| 2011
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 50
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Vince Costello]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Linebacker|LB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1957–1966
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 54
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Tom DeLeone]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Center (American football)|C]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1974–1984
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2| 2012
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 22
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Clarence Scott]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive Back|DB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1971–1983
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 48
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Ernie Green]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Running Back|RB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1962–1968
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2| 2013
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 35
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Galen Fiss]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Linebacker|LB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1956–1966
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 34/64
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Abe Gibron]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Guard (American football)|G]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1950–1956
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2| 2014
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 68
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Robert Jackson (guard)|Robert Jackson]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Offensive Guard|OG]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1975–1985
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 89
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Milt Morin]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Tight End|TE]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1966–1975
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2| 2015
+
| 2017-Present || [[Niram Maaratha Pookkal (TV series)|Niram Maaratha Pookkal]] ||  Venmathi
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 70
+
| [[Zee Tamil]]
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Don Colo]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Defensive Tackle|DT]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1953–1958
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 79
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Bob Golic]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Nose Tackle|NT]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1982–1988
 
−
|-
 
−
! style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2| 2016
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 52
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Dick Ambrose]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Linebacker|LB]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1975–1983
 
−
|-
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 27
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Thom Darden]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Free Safety|FS]]
 
−
| style="text-align:center;"| 1972–1981
 
 
|}
 
|}
−
 
−
===Pro Bowlers===
 
−
{{main article|List of Cleveland Browns Pro Bowlers}}
 
−
 
−
===Retired uniform numbers===
 
−
{{Cleveland Browns retired numbers}}
 
−
 
−
From 1993 to 2013, number 19 was unofficially retired for [[Bernie Kosar]] aside from [[Frisman Jackson]] briefly wearing it in 2004, later changing it due to fan outcry over the number being used. In 2014, [[Miles Austin]] asked for and received permission from Kosar to wear 19, after which 19 returned to regular circulation for the Browns.
 
−
 
−
===Ring of Honor===
 
−
Beginning in 2010, the Browns established a Ring of Honor, honoring the greats from the past by having their names displayed around the upper deck of FirstEnergy Stadium. The inaugural class in the Browns Ring of Honor was unveiled during the home opener on September 19, 2010, and featured the 16 Hall of Famers listed above who went into the Hall of Fame as Browns.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Davis|first1=Nate|title=Sixteen inaugural members of Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor unveiled|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/08/sixteen-inaugural-members-of-cleveland-browns-ring-of-honor-unveiled/1|accessdate=May 5, 2017|work=USA Today|date=August 26, 2010}}</ref>
 
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===Statues===
 
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The team has honored two of its alumni with statues - late owner [[Alfred Lerner]] (in front of the team's headquarters/practice facility), and Hall of Fame running back [[Jim Brown]] (in front of First Energy Stadium).
 
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===Starting quarterbacks===
 
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{{Main article|List of Cleveland Browns starting quarterbacks}}
 
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===First-round draft picks===
 
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{{Main article|List of Cleveland Browns first-round draft picks}}
 
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==Coaches of note==
 
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===Head coaches===
 
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{{Main article|List of Cleveland Browns head coaches}}
 
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===Current staff===
 
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{{Cleveland Browns staff}}
 
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==Media==
 
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{{Further information|List of Cleveland Browns broadcasters|Cleveland Browns Radio Network}}
 
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[[File:Dieken 2014 training camp (cropped).jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[Browns Radio Network]] analyst [[Doug Dieken]]]]
 
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[[WKNR]] (850&nbsp;AM), [[WKRK-FM]] (92.3&nbsp;FM), and [[WNCX]] (98.5&nbsp;FM) serve as co-[[Flagship (broadcasting)|flagship stations]] for the Browns Radio Network. Games are covered on-site by [[Sports commentator|play-by-play announcer]] [[Jim Donovan (sportscaster)|Jim Donovan]] (sports director/news anchor for [[WKYC]] channel 3), [[color commentator]] [[Doug Dieken]] (a former Browns [[Pro Bowl]] [[Tackle (American football)#Offensive tackle|left tackle]]), and sideline reporter Nathan Zegura. WKRK-FM personality Ken Carman, along with WKNR personalities Tony Rizzo, [[Matt Wilhelm]], and [[Je'Rod Cherry]] host the network pregame show (heard in Cleveland on WKNR exclusively), while WKRK hosts [[Jeff Phelps]] and [[Dustin Fox]] host the network postgame show (heard in Cleveland on WKRK-FM exclusively).<ref name="Browns personalities">{{cite web|url=http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2014/08/06/jeff-phelps-to-call-browns-preseason-games-team-announces-radio-network-programming/#.U-Ko6auuDC8.twitter |title=Jeff Phelps To Call Browns Preseason Games; Team Announces Radio Network Programming &laquo; CBS Cleveland |publisher=cleveland.cbslocal.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref>
 
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The team also produces ''Cleveland Browns Daily'', a year-round daily radio show hosted by Zegura and Wilhelm which airs weekday afternoons on WKNR.<ref name="twitter3">{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/NathanZegura/status/512284025176592384 |title=Nathan Zegura's Twitter page - Twitter.com |publisher=twitter.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref>  A weekly version of the show airs Saturday mornings on WKRK-FM. WKNR and WKRK also simulcast a Wednesday night preview show with Carman and Cherry, and Hue Jackson's Thursday night coach's show.<ref name="Browns personalities" /><ref name="Browns official stations">{{cite web|url=http://cbscleveland.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/browns-training-camp-july-27-18.jpg |title= Browns advertising and media partners - 92.3 The Fan.com |publisher=cbscleveland.files.wordpress.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref>
 
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[[WEWS-TV]] serves as the broadcast TV home of the Browns, airing year-round team programming as well as non-network preseason games.<ref name="newsnet5">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsnet5.com/sports/browns/newschannel-5-cleveland-browns-unveil-new-programming-sunday-march-8th |title=NewsChannel 5, Cleveland Browns unveil new programming Sunday, March 8th - newsnet5.com Cleveland |publisher=newsnet5.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref> [[Mike Patrick]] is the play-by-play announcer, while [[Solomon Wilcots]] serves as color commentator, and WEWS-TV sports anchor Hakem Dermish serves as pregame/halftime host and sideline reporter.<ref name="newsnet5a">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsnet5.com/sports/browns/mike-patrick-joins-solomon-wilcots-on-browns-preseason-tv-broadcast-team |title=Mike Patrick joins Solomon Wilcots on Browns preseason TV broadcast team - newsnet5.com Cleveland |publisher=newsnet5.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref>
 
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[[SportsTime Ohio]] (STO) is the cable outlet for the team, airing various Browns related programming during the season, STO had previously served as the team's cable outlet from its founding in 2006 until 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2017/04/browns_returning_to_fox_sports.html|title=Browns returning to SportsTime Ohio in 2017, according to report|publisher=}}</ref>
 
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The Browns in-house production team won a pair of [[Lower Great Lakes Emmy Awards]] in 2005. One was for a primetime special honoring the 1964 NFL Championship team (''The 1964 Championship Show'') and one was for a commercial spot (''The Paperboy'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-1/Browns-win-two-Emmy-Awards/59f3c64f-2c10-11df-8e39-01733cd36da8|title=Browns Emmys|publisher=Cleveland Browns|accessdate=April 30, 2014}}</ref>
 
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{{clear}}
 
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==References in popular culture==
 
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The Browns have (either directly or indirectly) been featured in various movies and TV shows over the years. Notable examples include:
 
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* Cleveland native [[Arsenio Hall]]'s television program, ''[[The Arsenio Hall Show]]'', is 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."<ref>{{cite web|author=kellywoo|title=Woof! Woof! Arsenio Hall Explains the Origins of His Late-Night Barks|url=https://news.yahoo.com/blogs/fall-tv/woof--woof--arsenio-hall-explains-the-origins-of-his-late-night-barks-174129559.html|publisher=[[Yahoo! News]]|date=September 6, 2013|accessdate=August 25, 2015}}</ref>
 
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* On ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'', Browns quarterback [[Bernie Kosar]] appears (uncredited) in the episode "Drewstock" (aired January 29, 1997). In the episode "Drew Goes To The Browns Game", (aired September 29, 1999), Drew attends the Browns' first regular season game since re-joining the NFL. (In real life, ''[[Drew Carey]]'' actually did appear on-field at the first regular season game when the team returned in 1999.)
 
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* [[Cleveland Brown]] is the name of a character originally featured on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] TV show ''[[Family Guy]]'', and the central character of the spin-off series ''[[The Cleveland Show]]''.
 
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* On the TV show ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'', in the [[The Best Man (How I Met Your Mother)|seventh-season premiere]], the main characters go to a Cleveland Browns-themed wedding.
 
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* The Browns have been featured on some level in episodes of ''[[Hot In Cleveland]]'' and even in promotional videos using at least one of the main characters. In the episode "How Did You Guys Meet, Anyway?" (January 4, 2012), the characters reminisce about how they met in the 1980s while waiting in the restroom line at a Cleveland Browns game.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hot in Cleveland - Season 3, Episode 6: How Did You Guys Meet, Anyway?|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/hot-in-cleveland/how-did-you-guys-meet-anyway-1629726/|publisher=[[TV.com]]|date=August 26, 2015|accessdate=August 26, 2015}}</ref> In the episode "God and Football" (January 18, 2012), Melanie ([[Valerie Bertinelli]]) develops a relationship with the Browns place kicker (played by [[Dan Cortese]]). In the episode "The Gateway Friend" (May 2, 2012) Browns wide receiver/return specialist [[Josh Cribbs]] appears as himself portraying a karaoke contestant. After [[Super Bowl XLVI]], [[Betty White]] appears in a video as Elka wearing a Browns jacket congratulating the [[New York Giants]] and hoping that the Browns win it one season.<ref name="youtube">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHs4M64UvMU |title=Betty White Congratulates The Giants on their Superbow XLVI Win! - YouTube |publisher=youtube.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref> After the first round of the [[2014 NFL draft]], the four main characters appear in a video welcoming [[Justin Gilbert]] and [[Johnny Manziel]] to the Browns.<ref name="youtube2">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQUiuEJW4Hs |title=Hot in Cleveland: Cleveland Browns Shout Out - YouTube |publisher=youtube.com|accessdate=September 29, 2015}}</ref>
 
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* The 1966 film ''[[The Fortune Cookie]]'' with [[Jack Lemmon]] and [[Walter Matthau]] features the Browns and the city of Cleveland throughout the movie and was made with the cooperation of the Browns.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Fortune Cookie (1966) - Overview|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/15862/The-Fortune-Cookie|publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|date=August 26, 2015|accessdate=August 26, 2015}}</ref>
 
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* The 2008 film ''[[The Express]]'' explains how [[Ernie Davis]] is traded to the Browns by the Washington Redskins.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=The Express Movie Review & Film Summary (2008)|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-express-2008|publisher=RogerEbert.com|date=October 8, 2008|accessdate=August 28, 2015}}</ref> Early in the film, [[Jim Brown]] is taking photos in his Browns uniform after being drafted by them. Later in the film, it shows Davis struggling with [[leukemia]] after being drafted and the Browns hold a special pre-game ceremony for him.
 
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* In the 2010 film ''[[Hot Tub Time Machine]]'', the Browns win the [[1986–87 NFL playoffs#AFC Championship: Denver Broncos 23, Cleveland Browns 20 (OT)|1986 AFC Championship Game]] (the game famous for former [[Denver Broncos]] quarterback [[John Elway]]'s [[The Drive|98-yard drive]]). It is explained that the reason why the Browns win this game is due to the [[butterfly effect]].
 
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* In the 2014 film ''[[Draft Day]]'', fictional Browns general manager Sonny Weaver, Jr. ([[Kevin Costner]]) attempts to land the number one pick in the [[National Football League draft|NFL draft]].
 
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{{Portal bar|Cleveland|}}
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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{{Reflist|30em}}
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{{Reflist|2}}
  
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==Further reading==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashmitha}}
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{{Refbegin|30em}}
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[[Category:Indian film actresses]]
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* {{cite book|title=PB, the Paul Brown Story|last1=Brown|first1=Paul|last2=Clary|first2=Jack|publisher=Atheneum|location=New York|year=1979}}
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[[Category:Tamil actresses]]
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* {{cite book|title=Cleveland Browns History|author= Henkel, Frank M.|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=2005|isbn=978-0-7385-3428-2|ref=CITEREFHenkel2005}}
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[[Category:Living people]]
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* {{cite book|title=Sundays in the Pound: The Heroics and Heartbreak of the 1985–89 Cleveland Browns|author=Knight, Jonathan|publisher=The Kent State University Press|location=Kent, OH|year=2006|isbn=978-0-87338-866-5|lccn=2005037574}}
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[[Category:Actresses in Tamil cinema]]
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{{Refend}}
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[[Category:Actresses from Chennai]]
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[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
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==External links==
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[[Category:21st-century Indian actresses]]
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{{Commons category}}
 
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* {{Official website}}
 
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{{Cleveland Browns}}
 
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{{Navboxes
 
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|list =
 
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{{NFL}}
 
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{{Cleveland Sports}}
 
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{{Ohio Sports}}
 
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[[Category:Cleveland Browns| ]]
 
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[[Category:National Football League teams]]
 
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[[Category:Sports clubs established in 1946]]
 

Latest revision as of 21:28, 7 March 2018

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Indian English Template:Infobox person

Ashmitha is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Tamil language films. After making her debut in the Tamil film Veeram (2014), she has been in films including Ninaithathu Yaaro (2014) and Atti (2016).

Career[edit | edit source]

Born in Chennai, Ashmitha attended Don Bosco matriculation school in Vyasarpadi, Chennai. In 2014, Ashmitha worked on four films, with her first release being the Ajith-starrer Veeram, where she portrayed the small supporting role of the daughter of Thambi Ramaiah's character. She was also subsequently seen in Vikraman's family drama Ninaithathu Yaaro and then as a rape victim in Ramakrishnan's Pongadi Neengalum Unga Kadhalum, though neither film did well at the box office. The first film she had shot for, Yuvan's Athiyayam, also had a low-profile release during the year.[1][2][3]

Both of her initial films as the lead actress had long-delayed releases in December 2016. Despite beginning work in 2014, Pazhaya Vannarapettai released first followed by Atti opposite Ma Ka Pa Anand, where she portrayed a speech therapist.[4][5][6]

Filmography[edit | edit source]

Niram Maaratha Pookkal
Year Film Role Notes
2014 Veeram Savarimuthu's daughter
Ninaithathu Yaaro
Pongadi Neengalum Unga Kadhalum Sameera
Athiyayam
2016 Pazhaya Vannarapettai
Atti

Television[edit | edit source]

Year Film Role Channel
2017-Present Niram Maaratha Pookkal Venmathi Zee Tamil

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ https://twitter.com/Vinayak4709/status/406642700910215168
  2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXYriWcC5fI
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHqdu_-_6bw
  4. ↑ http://www.deccanchronicle.com/160105/entertainment-kollywood/article/ma-ka-pa-anand-turns-solo-hero
  5. ↑ http://www.indiaglitz.com/atti-tamil-movie-review-19210.html
  6. ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/Pazhaya-Vannarapettai/movie-review/55744097.cms
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