Nobody wants to be left on the outside looking in.
That’s especially true for athletes. They’re built different than the rest of us. Their fierce pride pushes them to be the best at everything. To them, second place is no place.
But this situation might be different. Those who have been left off the list of the top 30 – or in this case, with ties, 32, but please don’t tell anyone – players on the Browns for the era of 1946-64, probably won’t complain too much, or at least they shouldn’t. In fact, some may be happy that they were simply considered for inclusion.
The franchise’s first 19 years produced what are still all eight of the Browns’ league titles. They played in four more league championship games and posted 18 winning records. Of the team’s 15 Pro Football Hall of Fame players, all but two of them spent at least a portion of their careers during this time span.
As such, there’s no shame in having to stand aside for some of the greats who have been included.
But whatever the case, hear are some of the players who felt just short of making it, in no particular order:
*Tony Adamle – linebacker – played with the Browns from 1947-51, 1954 – Before he became a very accomplished doctor in Kent, Ohio, he was a very accomplished defender on five league championship teams.
*Ken Carpenter – running back – played with the Browns from 1950-53 – He served as a reliable complement to Hall of Fame fullback Marion Motley.
*John Morrow – center – played with the Browns from 1960-66 – He fortified the middle of the line for those great offenses from 1963-66, and was at his best in keeping the Baltimore Colts out of the backfield in the 1964 NFL Championship Game victory.
*Fred “Curly” Morrison – running back – played with the Browns from 1954-56 – Rushing for 824 yards and averaging 5.3 yards a carry, he was a key ingredient on the offense that helped propel the 1955 Browns to the NFL title.
*Darrel “Pete” Brewster – wide receiver – played with the Browns from 1952-58 – He had 186 receptions for 19 touchdowns in his career, but it was still tough to steal the limelight away from other, higher-profile receivers such as Dante Lavelli, Ray Renfro and Mac Speedie.
*Weldon Humble – linebacker – played with the Browns from 1947-50 – Have you checked out just how good those defenses were?
*Milt Plum – quarterback – played with the Browns from 1957-61 – He had three straight impressive seasons from 1959-61, and in 1960 turned in one of the best years ever by a Cleveland quarterback by throwing for 21 touchdowns with just five interceptions for a team-record 110.4 passer rating.
*Bernie Parrish – cornerback – played with the Browns from 1959-66 – His idea to be physical against their receivers kept the Colts from executing their timing passing attack and was a big key in the 1964 title win.
*Harold “Chick” Jagade – running back – played with the Browns from 1951-53 – He was a valuable receiver as well as a runner in helping the 1952 and ’53 Browns to league championship game appearances.
*Harold Bradley – offensive guard – played with the Browns from 1954-56 – He was a starter in 1954 and ’55 when the Browns captured NFL crowns.
*Don Fleming – safety – played with the Browns from 1960-62 – From tiny Shadyside, Ohio along the Ohio River, he was really coming into his own when he was killed in an offseason construction accident in June 1963.
*Junior Wren – safety – played with the Browns from 1956-59 – He had 10 interceptions in a three-year span.
*Dick Modzelewski – defensive tackle – played with the Browns from 1964-66 – Injuries forced the 1964 Browns to acquire an old adversary from the arch rival New York Giants, and it couldn’t have worked out better as he stabilized the middle of the defensive line in that championship season.
*Ed Modzelewski – running back – played with the Browns from 1955-59 – Dick’s older brother, “Big Mo,” was a versatile offensive weapon when the Browns won the 1954 league title.
*Ken Gorgal – safety – played with the Browns from 1950, 1953-54 – He had 10 interceptions in his first two years with the Browns.
*Bobby Franklin – safety – played with the Browns from 1960-66 – Gene Hickerson’s good friend intercepted eight passes as a rookie, two of which he returned for touchdowns, and held for Lou Groza on kicks.
*Jim Shofner – cornerback – played with the Browns from 1958-63 – Thirteen of his 20 career interceptions came in 1960 and ’61.
*Art Hunter – center – played with the Browns from 1956-59 – He very impressively bridged the gap at center between the careers of Frank Gatski and John Morrow.
*Lin Houston – offensive guard – played with the Browns from 1946-53 – Jim Houston’s older brother was a starter on the franchise’s first seven teams.
*John Sandusky – right tackle – played with the Browns from 1950-55 – Before Mike McCormack arrived, he did a good job of manning the position.
*George Young – defensive end – played with the Browns from 1946-53 – One of the defensive rocks on those great early teams.
*Hal Herring – linebacker – played with the Browns from 1950-52 – The Browns stonewalled everyone defensively in his first two seasons.
*Cliff Lewis – safety/quarterback – played with the Browns from 1946-51 – He started at quarterback in the franchise’s first game and then settled in as a very productive safety.
*Forrest “Chubby” Grigg – defensive tackle – played with the Browns from 1946-51 – He was 294 pounds, which was huge for the time, and that very much annoyed Paul Brown, but he could really play.
*Lou Rymkus – right tackle – played with the Browns from 1946-51 – He was as good as any tackle in the game at that time.
*Ed Ulinski – offensive guard – played with the Browns from 1946-49 – How much better can you get than starting on four straight league championship teams?
*Lou Saban – linebacker – played with the Browns from 1946-49 – Another outstanding Browns defensive player from the early years who never got his due because of all the stars on offense.
*John Yonakor – defensive end – played with the Browns from 1946-49 – With the likes of him, Lou Rymkus, Bill Willis and Chubby Grigg, the Browns probably had the best defensive front in the game in those first seasons after World War II.
