AFC
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Cleveland Browns, professional football team and one of six teams in the Central Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football League (NFL). Under the league’s realignment plan, which will take affect in 2002, the Browns will play in the North Division of the AFC. The original Cleveland Browns franchise moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and took the name Baltimore Ravens in 1996, but in 1998 the NFL granted ownership of a new Browns franchise to a group of investors headed by businessman Al Lerner and former San Francisco 49ers president Carmen Policy. Using their traditional team colors of orange, brown, and white, the Browns rejoined the NFL in 1999. The team plays in Cleveland Browns Stadium.
The Browns became a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946, with Paul Brown as head coach and general manager. Cleveland dominated the AAFC, losing just four regular-season games while winning every championship during the league’s four-year existence. The Browns boasted several future Hall of Fame members, including quarterback Otto Graham, tackle-placekicker Lou Groza, end Dante Lavelli, and halfback Marion Motley.
Cleveland joined the NFL in 1950 and immediately became one of the league’s best teams. That year, with Motley leading the league in rushing (810 yards), the team captured the first of six consecutive division crowns and the NFL title. (The Super Bowl was not played until 1967.) Directed by Graham, who led Cleveland’s top-rated offense, the team also won NFL titles in 1954 and 1955. The Browns fielded the league’s toughest defense six times from 1951 to 1957; it was anchored by future Hall of Fame end Len Ford.
After Cleveland’s one-year absence from the postseason in 1956, rookie sensation Jim Brown carried the team back into the playoffs in 1957. Brown, a strong runner with great speed, earned top rookie honors and the first of his eight rushing titles. Behind Brown and rookie wide receiver Paul Warfield, Cleveland won the NFL title in 1964, besting the Baltimore Colts (now Indianapolis Colts) in a 27-0 victory in the championship game. The following season Brown was named player of the year. He retired with a total of 12,312 career rushing yards.
Running back Leroy Kelly replaced Brown as Cleveland’s main offensive threat and won rushing championships in 1967 and 1968. Under head coach Blanton Collier the Browns won division titles in 1968 and 1969, but they lost in the championship game both years.
The Browns’ dominance faded in the 1970s. Cleveland’s playoff appearances in 1971 and 1972 ended in first-round losses, and the team failed to reach the postseason from 1973 to 1979. However, in 1980 the Browns won the AFC Central Division. Cleveland suffered early playoff losses in 1980 and then again in 1982.
The Browns drafted Bernie Kosar in 1985. He teamed with Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack to power Cleveland’s resurgence in the mid-1980s. The Browns made the playoffs from 1985 through 1989, and Kosar became one of the NFL’s top-ranked quarterbacks. Cleveland reached the AFC Championship Game in 1986, 1987, and 1989, but each time, the Browns lost to the Denver Broncos. These matchups made the rivalry between the two teams one of the most celebrated in the NFL.
The Browns suffered five losing seasons in their final six years in Cleveland. Midway through the 1995 season, team owner Art Modell announced plans to move the team to Baltimore. Three months after the announcement, which shocked loyal Browns fans and the city of Cleveland, the NFL granted Cleveland a team and rights to the Browns’ name, colors, and memorabilia.
During a special expansion team draft in February 1999, the Browns drafted a number of veteran players, including center Jim Pyne of the Detroit Lions and cornerback Antonio Langham of the San Francisco 49ers. In April of the same year the Browns used their number-one pick in the NFL amateur draft to select quarterback Tim Couch of the University of Kentucky. The new Browns struggled during their first season, finishing with a win-loss record of 2-14.
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