Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns
Current season
Established June 4, 1944; 74 years ago (June 4, 1944)[1] First season: 1946 Play in FirstEnergy Stadium Cleveland, Ohio Headquartered in the Cleveland Browns Training and Administrative Complex Berea, Ohio
Logo Wordmark
League/conference affiliations
All-America Football Conference (1946–1949) Western Division (1946–1948) National Football League (1950–present) American Conference (1950–1952) Eastern Conference (1953–1969) Century Division (1967–1969) American Football Conference (1970–1995; 1999–present) AFC Central (1970–1995; 1999–2001) AFC North (2002–present)
Current uniform
Team colors	Brown, orange, white[2][3]
Mascot	Chomps, Swagger, Brownie the Elf
Personnel
Owner(s)	Jimmy Haslam Dee Haslam[4][5][6]
President	Paul DePodesta
General manager	John Dorsey
Head coach	Gregg Williams (interim)[7][8]
Team history
Cleveland Browns (1946–1995, 1999–present) Suspended operations (1996–1998)
Championships
League championships (8) AAFC Championships (4) 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 NFL Championships (4) 1950, 1954, 1955, 1964
Conference championships (11) NFL American: 1950, 1951, 1952 NFL Eastern: 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969
Division championships (12) AAFC Western: 1946, 1947, 1948 NFL Century: 1967, 1968, 1969 AFC Central: 1971, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989
Playoff appearances (28)
AAFC: 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 NFL: 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 2002
Home fields
Cleveland Stadium (1946–1995) FirstEnergy Stadium (1999–present)

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) North division. The Browns play their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium, which opened in 1999,^[9][10] with administrative offices and training facilities in Berea, Ohio. The Browns' official colors are brown, orange and white.^[3] They are unique among the 32 member franchises of the NFL in that they do not have a logo on their helmets.^[11][12]

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 seasons and winning its championship in each.^[13] When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, the Browns joined the National Football League along with the San Francisco 49ers and the original Baltimore Colts. The Browns won a championship in their inaugural NFL season, as well as in the 1954, 1955, and 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 during that period.

In 1995, owner Art Modell, who had purchased the Browns in 1961, announced plans to move the team to Baltimore. After threats of legal action from the city of Cleveland and fans, 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 in trust and the franchise was regarded by the NFL as suspended, with a new team to be established by 1999 either by expansion or relocation. The Browns were announced as an expansion team in 1998 and resumed play in 1999.^[14]

Since resuming operations in 1999, the Browns have struggled to find success. They have had only two winning seasons (in 2002 and 2007), one playoff appearance (2002), and no playoff wins. The franchise has also been noted for a lack of stability with quarterbacks, having started 30 players in the position since 1999.^[15] Through the end of the 2017 season, the Browns' win–loss record since returning to the NFL in 1999 is 88–216.^[16] In 2017, the Browns became only the second team in league history to finish a season 0–16, joining the 2008 Detroit Lions. Through the 2017 season, the Browns hold the longest active playoff drought in the NFL, at 15 seasons.

History

The history of the Cleveland Browns American football team began in 1944 when taxi-cab magnate Arthur B. "Mickey" McBride secured a Cleveland franchise in the newly formed All-America Football Conference (AAFC). Paul Brown was the team's namesake and first coach. The Browns began play in 1946 in the AAFC. The Browns won each of the league's four championship games before the league dissolved in 1949. The team then moved to the more established National Football League (NFL), where it continued to dominate. Between 1950 and 1955, Cleveland reached the NFL championship game every year, winning three times.

McBride and his partners sold the team to a group of Cleveland businessmen in 1953 for a then-unheard-of $600,000. Eight years later, the team was sold again, this time to a group led by New York advertising executive Art Modell. Modell fired Brown before the 1963 season, but the team continued to win behind running back Jim Brown. The Browns won the championship in 1964 and reached the title game the following season, losing to the Green Bay Packers.

When the AFL and NFL merged before the 1970 season, Cleveland became part of the new American Football Conference (AFC). While the Browns made it back to the playoffs in 1971 and 1972, they fell into mediocrity through the mid-1970s. A revival of sorts took place in 1979 and 1980, when quarterback Brian Sipe engineered a series of last-minute wins and the Browns came to be called the "Kardiac Kids". Under Sipe, however, the Browns did not make it past the first round of the playoffs. Quarterback Bernie Kosar, who the Browns drafted in 1985, led the team to three AFC Championship games in the late 1980s but lost each time to the Denver Broncos. In 1995, Modell announced he was relocating the Browns to Baltimore, sowing a mix of outrage and bitterness among Cleveland's dedicated fan base. Negotiations and legal battles led to an agreement where Modell was allowed to move the team, but Cleveland kept the Browns' name, colors and history.

After three years of suspension while Cleveland Stadium was demolished and Cleveland Browns Stadium built in its place, the Browns started play again in 1999 under new owner Al Lerner. The Browns struggled throughout the 2000s and 2010s, posting a record of 88–216 (.289) since their 1999 return. The Browns have only posted two winning seasons and one playoff appearance (2002) since returning to the NFL. The team's struggles have been magnified since 2012, when the Lerner family sold the team to businessman Jimmy Haslam. In six seasons under the Haslam ownership, the Browns went through four head coaches and four general managers, none of whom had found success. In 2016 and 2017 under head coach Hue Jackson, the Browns went 1–31 (.031), the worst two-year stretch in NFL history, and received the number one overall draft pick each of those years.

Logos and uniforms

Logos

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 to 1960; and an unused "CB" logo^[17] was created in 1965,^[18] 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.

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.

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 design remaining largely as is.^[3][11][19]

Uniforms

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.

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.

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.

Socks: 1. Solid Brown. 2. Solid white. 3. solid Orange.

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

Over the years, the Browns have had on-again / off-again periods of wearing white 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.

Numerals (called "TV numbers") 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.

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.

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.^[20]) 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.

In 1999, the expansion Browns adopted the traditional design with two exceptions: first, the TV numbers, previously on the sleeves, were moved to the shoulders; and second, the orange-brown-orange pants stripes were significantly widened.

Experimentation with the uniform design began in 2002. An alternate orange jersey was introduced that season as the NFL encouraged teams to adopt a third jersey, 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.

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.

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.

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.^[21] They were not worn again until the Browns "family" scrimmage on August 9, 2009 with white-striped socks.^[22] The Browns have continued to wear the brown pants throughout the 2009 season.^[23] 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".^[24] 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."^[25] At the time, the brown pants weren't officially dropped by the team, but simply not used.

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.^[26]

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.^[27]

On April 14, 2015, the Cleveland Browns unveiled their new uniform combinations, consisting of the team's colors of orange, brown and white.^[28][29]

Rivalries

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.

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 and Denise DeBartolo York reside in Youngstown, 60 miles southeast of Cleveland. Former long-time veteran placekicker and fan favorite, Phil Dawson, signed with the 49ers in 2014, along with backup quarterback Colt McCoy.

Divisional rivalries

Pittsburgh Steelers

Often called the "Turnpike Rivalry",^[30] 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 74–58, making it the oldest rivalry in the 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 6–33 record against the Steelers since returning to the league in 1999, including one playoff loss), the Steelers are still top rival for Cleveland.

Cincinnati Bengals

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 50–39, having won the majority of games against the Browns since they returned to the NFL in 1999 (25 wins for Cincinnati and 12 wins for Cleveland).

Baltimore Ravens

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 29–9. 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 the Super Bowl for the Ravens in 2000. Had the Browns stayed in Cleveland, these teams (drafted by general manager Ozzie Newsome) might have given the Browns the title after a 35-year drought.^[31] This bitterness was compounded when the Ravens won their second Super Bowl in 2012.

Other rivalries

Detroit Lions

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. Since the NFL-AFL merger of 1970, the teams have met much less frequently with the Browns' move to the AFC. From 2002 to 2014, the two teams played an annual preseason game known as the "Great Lakes Classic".^[32]

Buffalo Bills

The Bills rivalry had its roots back to the days of the AAFC, when there was a 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. Despite this "rivalry" being known for ugly games such as a 6-3 Browns win in which Browns quarterback Derek Anderson only completed 2 of 17 passes,^[33] 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.^[34]

Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts

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 avenged themselves by beating the Browns in the 1968 NFL Championship. The Browns also beat the Indianapolis Colts in a 1987 divisional playoff game.

Denver Broncos

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 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.

Fan base

A 2006 study conducted by Bizjournal determined that Browns fans are the most loyal fans in the NFL. The study, while not scientific, was largely based on fan loyalty during winning and losing seasons, attendance at games, and challenges confronting fans (such as inclement weather or long-term poor performance of their team).^[35] 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.^[36]

Dawg Pound

Perhaps the most visible Browns fans are those that can be found in the Dawg Pound. Originally the name for the bleacher section located in the open (east) end of old Cleveland Municipal Stadium, the current incarnation is likewise located in the east end of 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.^[37]

Retired cornerback Hanford Dixon, who played his entire career for the Browns (1981–1989), is credited with naming the Cleveland Browns defense 'The Dawgs' in the mid-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.^[38] The fans adopted that name in the years after.^[37] Due to this nickname, since the team's revival the Browns have used a bulldog as an alternate logo.^[39]

Browns Backers

The most prominent organization of Browns fans is the Browns Backers Worldwide (BBW). The organization has approximately 305,000 members^[40] 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.^[41] According to The Official Fan Club of the Cleveland Browns, the two largest international fan clubs are in Alon Shvut, West Bank and Niagara, Canada, with Alon Shvut having 129 members and Niagara having 310.^[42]

Following former Browns owner Randy Lerner's acquisition of English football club 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]}

Famous fans

The Cleveland Browns were the favorite team of Elvis Presley.^[43][44] This was because his friend Gene Hickerson - with whom he had played football in their common youth in Memphis - was contracted by the Browns in 1957 and played there during his entire career until 1973.^[45] Also defender 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 "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.^[46] Fellow WWE wrestlers The Miz and Dolph Ziggler (both Cleveland natives) are also fans.^[47] Another fan of the team is baseball legend Hank Aaron.^[48] 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, Paul Adelstein, Iron Chef Michael Symon, ESPN sportscaster Jay Crawford and Brad Paisley.^[49][50]

Players of note

Current roster

Cleveland Browns roster view talk edit
Quarterbacks  6 Baker Mayfield  9 Drew Stanton  5 Tyrod Taylor Running backs 24 Nick Chubb 25 Dontrell Hilliard 29 Duke Johnson Wide receivers 11 Antonio Callaway 81 Rashard Higgins 80 Jarvis Landry 19 Breshad Perriman 18 Damion Ratley 10 Da'Mari Scott Tight ends 86 Pharaoh Brown 82 Orson Charles 87 Seth DeValve 88 Darren Fells 85 David Njoku		Offensive linemen 75 Joel Bitonio G 63 Austin Corbett G 69 Desmond Harrison T 74 Chris Hubbard T 78 Greg Robinson T 64 JC Tretter C 71 Earl Watford G 70 Kevin Zeitler G Defensive linemen 93 Trevon Coley DT 94 Carl Davis DT 95 Myles Garrett DE 90 Emmanuel Ogbah DE 65 Larry Ogunjobi DT 91 Brian Price DT 50 Chris Smith DE 92 Chad Thomas DE 97 Anthony Zettel DE		Linebackers 52 Ray-Ray Armstrong MLB 55 Genard Avery OLB 51 Jamie Collins OLB 59 D'Juan Hines OLB 53 Joe Schobert MLB 54 Tanner Vallejo OLB Defensive backs 20 Briean Boddy-Calhoun FS 31 Juston Burris CB 38 T. J. Carrie CB 33 Phillip Gaines CB 26 Derrick Kindred SS 22 Jabrill Peppers SS/RS 23 Damarious Randall FS 27 Tavierre Thomas CB 21 Denzel Ward CB 35 Jermaine Whitehead SS Special teams  4 Britton Colquitt P 47 Charley Hughlett LS 17 Greg Joseph K				Reserve lists 28 E. J. Gaines CB (IR) 91 Lenny Jones DE (IR) 58 Christian Kirksey MLB (IR) 15 Ricardo Louis WR (IR) 39 Terrance Mitchell CB (IR) 13 Rod Streater WR (IR) 84 Derrick Willies WR (IR) 24 Howard Wilson CB (IR) Practice squad 96 Daniel Ekuale DT 16 Blake Jackson WR 34 Robert Jackson CB 68 Kyle Kalis G 99 Devaroe Lawrence DT 33 Devante Mays RB 30 Montrel Meander SS 35 Tigie Sankoh FS (Exempt.) 60 Brad Seaton T 31 Arrion Springs CB 56 Xavier Woodson-Luster MLB Rookies in italics Roster updated November 7, 2018 Depth chart • Transactions 53 Active, 8 Inactive, 11 Practice squad → AFC rosters → NFC rosters
AFC East BUF MIA NE NYJ North BAL CIN CLE PIT South HOU IND JAX TEN West DEN KC LAC OAK NFC East DAL NYG PHI WAS North CHI DET GB MIN South ATL CAR NO TB West ARI LAR SF SEA

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.^[51] 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. All of the Browns' Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees thus far have been from the pre-1996 incarnation; no members of the Hall of Fame played for the Browns after 1999.

Cleveland Browns in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Inducted	No.	Player name	Tenure	Position(s)
1965	60, 14	Otto Graham	1946–1955	QB
1967	—	Paul Brown	1946–1962	Head coach
1968	76, 36	Marion Motley	1946–1953	FB
1971	32	Jim Brown	1957–1965	FB
1974	46, 76	Lou Groza	1946–1959 1961–1967	OT K
1975	56, 86	Dante Lavelli	1946–1956	WR
1976	53, 80	Len Ford	1950–1957	DE
1977	30, 45, 60	Bill Willis	1946–1953	T, OG
	—	Forrest Gregg *	1975–1977	Head coach
1981	77	Willie Davis *	1958–1959	DE
1982	83	Doug Atkins *	1953–1954	DE
1983	49	Bobby Mitchell	1958–1961	WR, RB, HB
	42	Paul Warfield	1964–1969 1976–1977	WR
1984	74	Mike McCormack	1954–1962	OT
1985	22, 52	Frank Gatski	1946–1956	C
1987	18	Len Dawson *	1960–1961	QB
1993	65	Chuck Noll *	1953–1959	RG LB
1994	44	Leroy Kelly	1964–1973	RB
1995	72	Henry Jordan *	1957–1958	DT
1997	96, 44	Don Shula *	1951–1952	DB
1998	29	Tommy McDonald *	1968	WR
1999	82	Ozzie Newsome	1978–1990	TE
2003	64	Joe DeLamielleure	1980–1984	OG
2007	66	Gene Hickerson	1958–1960 1962–1973	OG
* Performance with Browns incidental to induction

Cleveland Browns legends

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:^[52]

Cleveland Browns legends
Inducted	No.	Player name	Position(s)	Tenure
2001	19	Bernie Kosar	QB	1985–1993
	92	Michael Dean Perry	DE	1989–1994
	34	Greg Pruitt	RB	1973–1981
	26	Ray Renfro	WR	1952–1963
2002	57	Clay Matthews	LB	1978–1993
	17	Brian Sipe	QB	1974–1983
	58/88	Mac Speedie	WR	1946–1952
2003	29	Hanford Dixon	DB	1981–1989
	74/79	Bob Gain	DT	1952–1964
	77/80	Dick Schafrath	OT	1959–1971
2004	86	Gary Collins	WR	1962–1971
	42/82	Tommy James	DB/P	1948–1955
	40/86	Dub Jones	WR	1948–1955
	43	Mike Pruitt	RB	1976–1984
2005	31	Frank Minnifield	DB	1984–1992
	13	Frank Ryan	QB	1962–1968
	72	Jerry Sherk	DL	1970–1981
	64/84	Jim Ray Smith	OT	1956–1962
2006	20/21/44	Earnest Byner	RB	1984–1988 1994–1995
	73	Doug Dieken	OT	1971–1984
	82	Jim Houston	LB	1960–1972
	34	Walt Michaels	LB	1952–1961
2007	12	Don Cockroft	K	1968–1980
	59/84	Horace Gillom	P	1947–1956
	80	Bill Glass	DE	1962–1968
	34	Kevin Mack	RB	1985–1993
2008	71	Walter Johnson	DT	1965–1976
	24/80	Warren Lahr	DB	1949–1959
	21	Eric Metcalf	RB	1989–1994
	84/86	Paul Wiggin	DE	1957–1967
2010	63	Cody Risien	OT	1979–1989
	60	John Wooten	OG	1959–1967
2011	50	Vince Costello	LB	1957–1966
	54	Tom DeLeone	C	1974–1984
2012	22	Clarence Scott	DB	1971–1983
	48	Ernie Green	RB	1962–1968
2013	35	Galen Fiss	LB	1956–1966
	34/64	Abe Gibron	G	1950–1956
2014	68	Robert Jackson	OG	1975–1985
	89	Milt Morin	TE	1966–1975
2015	70	Don Colo	DT	1953–1958
	79	Bob Golic	NT	1982–1988
2016	52	Dick Ambrose	LB	1975–1983
	27	Thom Darden	FS	1972–1981
2017	30	Bernie Parrish	DB	1959-1966
	74	Tony Adamle	LB/FB	1947–1951, 1954
2018	40	Erich Barnes	DB	1965-71
	51	Eddie Johnson	LB	1981-1990

Pro Bowlers

Retired uniform numbers

Cleveland Browns retired numbers view talk edit
Otto Graham QB, 1946-55	Jim Brown FB, 1957-65	Ernie Davis HB, 1962	Don Fleming S, 1960-62	Lou Groza OT/K, 1946-59, '61-67

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.^[53] In 2018, Joe Thomas was entered into the Ring of Honor with the number 10,363 - commemorating his NFL record of consecutive snaps played on offense.^[54]

Statues

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).

Starting quarterbacks

First-round draft picks

Coaches of note

Head coaches

Current staff

Cleveland Browns staff v t e
	Front office Owners – Jimmy and Dee Haslam Chief strategy officer – Paul DePodesta Executive VP – JW Johnson General manager – John Dorsey Assistant general manager – Eliot Wolf VP player personnel – Andrew Berry, Alonzo Highsmith, Ken Kovash Vice president, football administration – Chris Cooper Director of research & strategy – Kevin Meers Director of scouting – Mike Cetta Assistant director of scouting – Glenn Cook Director of college scouting – Steve Malin Director of pro scouting – Dan Saganey Salary cap analyst – Chris Sosna Assistant director of pro scouting – Jim Noel Special advisor – Jim Brown Head coaches Interim HC/Def. Coordinator – Gregg Williams Assoc. HC/Off. Coordinator – Freddie Kitchens Offensive coaches Quarterbacks – Ken Zampese Running backs – Ryan Lindley Wide receivers – Adam Henry Tight ends – Greg Seamon Offensive line – Bob Wylie Assistant offensive line – Mark Hutson Senior assistant – Al Saunders Offensive quality control/assistant wide receivers – Bob Saunders Coaching assistant – Brian Braswell			Defensive coaches Assistant DC/Linebackers – Blake Williams Defensive line – Clyde Simmons Assistant defensive line – Ken Delgado Defensive backs – DeWayne Walker Assistant defensive backs – Jerod Kruse Defensive quality control – Eric Sanders Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Amos Jones Special teams assistant – Sam Shade Strength and conditioning Head of strength and conditioning – Larry Jackson Strength and conditioning coordinator – Evan Marcus Strength and conditioning assistant – Josh Christovich Strength and conditioning assistant – Monty Gibson Strength and conditioning assistant – Dale Jones Director, high performance – Adam Beard Sports scientist – Jamey Mroz → Coaching staff → Management → More NFL staffs
AFC East BUF MIA NE NYJ North BAL CIN CLE PIT South HOU IND JAX TEN West DEN KC LAC OAK NFC East DAL NYG PHI WAS North CHI DET GB MIN South ATL CAR NO TB West ARI LAR SF SEA

Media

WKNR (850 AM), WKRK-FM (92.3 FM), and WNCX (98.5 FM) serve as co-flagship stations for the Browns Radio Network. Play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan calls games on-site alongside color analyst Doug Dieken, a former Browns left tackle, and sideline reporter Nathan Zegura (though Zegura is currently serving an eight game suspension due to arguing with officials during a game).^[55] WKRK-FM personality Ken Carman, WKNR personalities Tony Rizzo & Je'Rod Cherry, and former Browns punter Dave Zastudil host the network pregame show, while WKRK-FM personalities Jeff Phelps and Dustin Fox host the network postgame show.^[56][57] WLFM-LP (87.7 FM) serves as the Spanish-language outlet for the team.^[58]

WEWS-TV (TV channel 5) serves as the broadcast TV home of the Browns, airing year-round team programming as well as non-network preseason games.^[59] Jay Crawford serves as play-by-play announcer, former Browns quarterback Tim Couch serves as color analyst, and former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar and Dustin Fox serve as sideline analysts.^[60] 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.^[61]

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)^[62]

References in popular culture

The Browns have (either directly or indirectly) been featured in various movies and TV shows over the years. Notable examples include:

• 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."^[63]
• 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.)
• Cleveland Brown is the name of a character originally featured on the Fox TV show Family Guy, and the central character of the spin-off series The Cleveland Show.
• On the TV show How I Met Your Mother, in the seventh-season premiere, the main characters go to a Cleveland Browns-themed wedding.
• 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.^[64] 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.^[65] 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.^[66]
• 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.^[67]
• The 2008 film The Express explains how Ernie Davis is traded to the Browns by the Washington Redskins.^[68] 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.
• In the 2010 film Hot Tub Time Machine, the Browns win the 1986 AFC Championship Game (the game famous for former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway's 98-yard drive). It is explained that the reason why the Browns win this game is due to the butterfly effect.
• In the 2014 film Draft Day, fictional Browns general manager Sonny Weaver, Jr. (Kevin Costner) attempts to land the number one pick in the NFL draft.

References

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cleveland Browns.

• Official website