Cleveland Browns
Introduction
Cleveland Browns was founded in 1945 and became a successful football team within a few years. Since its formation, it has won 18 divisional titles and 8 league championships.
Many Browns have been added in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.such as
- Jim Brown
- Gene Hickerson
- Lou Groza
- Leroy Kelly
- Ozzie Newsome
- Bobby Mitchell
- Bill Willis
In 1946, Bill Willis and Marion Motley joined the Cleveland Browns, which broke the professional football’s color barrier. The team saw both victory and defeat.
Formation of the Cleveland Browns
Arthur B. Mcbride and Robert H.Gries founded the Cleveland Browns on 20th April, 1945. They participated in the AAFC and won four titles.
From 1946 till 1962, Paul Brown remained the head coach. His innovative mindset, combined with his influence in the football world, earned him the nickname ‘Father of the modern offense’.
He recruited excellent players from Ohio State and Great Lakes who all joined the Cleveland Browns. In 1950 Browns joined the NFL and won three titles.
Mcbride Sells Browns
On June 9, 1953, Mcbride sold the Cleveland Browns to an investment group for $600,000. The group’s leader was Dave R. Jones. From 1954 to 1955, Browns won consecutive league championships.
Ottoman Graham was the quarterback during this period. In 1956 they suffered their first defeat. This was also the year they did not participate in the league’s championship which broke their ten-year streak.
During the off-season, the team recruited Jim Brown. He remained a part of the team from 1957 to 1965 during which he set numerous NFL records.
In 1957, Cleveland Browns once again participated in the NFL championship league. However, they were defeated by the Detroit Lions.
Arthur B. Modell Takes Over
After eight years, the team was sold to Art Modell who was an executive at New York’s advertising agency. In 1963, he fired Paul Brown and hired a new coach Blanton Collier.
Under his guidance, the Browns won the NFL crown. From 1965 to 1969, the team won four divisional titles but did not win any league championship. During the 1971 – 74 period, Nick Skorich was the head coach. He led the team to the 1971 and 1972 playoffs.
During the mid-1970s a shift took place in the Cleveland Browns performance. In 1980 Brian Sipe joined the Browns team and won NFL’s most prestigious Player Award.
This was an exciting period in Cleveland Brown’s history. They were given the nickname Kardiac Kids. In 1995,
Modell decided to move the team to Baltimore, which enraged the Browns fan base. After a lengthy legal battle, Modell was finally allowed to move the team; however, Cleveland acquired the rights in Brown’s history and name, etc.
Reactivation of the team
The Browns were not allowed to play until the establishment of Cleveland Browns stadium. The team resumed their activities under the guidance of new owners, i.e., Al Lerner.
Current situation
Jimmy Haslam owns the current Cleveland Browns team. On January 9th, 2019, Freddie Kitchens became the new head coach.
In March 2019, the Browns succeeded in acquiring Beckham Jr and Oliver Vernon. They are currently being regarded as a potential Super Bowl contender.
