A seat on the bus and lots of drama

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the eighth in a series of stories about former Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano as he turned 90 on July 1.

By STEVE KING

This is a story about a person refusing to give up their seat on a bus.

No, not THAT story. Come on! That story was historic, iconic and world-changing.

This story is merely interesting, telling and funny. There was nothing funny in the other story.

In any event, tensions were high and nerves were on edge – and rightfully so – on the morning of Jan. 21, 1980 as the Browns boarded their bus outside their Fountain Square hotel in Downtown Cincinnati for the short ride down the hill to Riverfront Stadium, where they would meet the Cincinnati Bengals in a virtually all-or-nothing regular-season finale beginning at 1 p.m.

If the Browns (11-5) won, then they would make the AFC playoffs for the first time in eight years and capture the Central Division crown for the first time in nine seasons. But if they lost, then they would have almost no chance to get into the postseason, even as a wild card.

So, the stakes were high. The Browns had throttled the lowly Bengals (6-9) 31-7 in Cleveland a month earlier, but Cincinnati had improved a lot and would have the advantage of playing at home this time. As such, the Browns had their work cut out for them.

It seemed fitting that the Kardiac Kids, who had lived on the edge all season, were in such a dramatic situation now in this final game.

When Browns owner Art Modell got onto the team bus, he was startled to see head coach Sam Rutigliano sitting in the seat that was usually reserved for him. Modell just smiled and sat down.

After a minute or so, Modell finally interrupted the quietness of the bus to address Rutigliano.

“You know, Sam, season tickets are at an all-time,” he said. “The atmosphere surrounding the Browns is just electric. The team is back. So, I just wanted to say to you that no matter what happens out there this afternoon, it’s been a great season.”

“Bu——!” Rutigliano answered quickly in a disbelieving, sarcastic way.

“Who’s the guy who will be standing on the sideline coaching the Bengals today? It’s Forrest Gregg. You fired him, remember?

“And who’s the guy who will be sitting up in the owner’s box today? It’s Paul Brown. You fired him, too.

“Those two guys would like nothing better than to beat us today and deny us – and you – the chance to go to the playoffs.

“So don’t try to tell me that it’s OK if we lose. You want to win this game more than you want to take your next breath.”

Modell just smiled and sat back in his seat. He knew Rutigliano was right.

Indeed, the Browns couldn’t lose, and, to be truthful, they knew they wouldn’t, their confidence buoyed by all those close victories they had had all year.

But they couldn’t have guessed – no one could have guessed, really – in a million years how it would all play out.