Editor’s note: The following, about the contest against the Baltimore Colts on Nov. 9 at Memorial Stadium, is the 10th in a series of stories on the games that made up the Browns’ 1980 Kardiac Kids season. This is the 35th anniversary of that memorable year.
We said in the introduction to this series about the 1980 Browns that there was never a lead they couldn’t lose, and never a deficit they couldn’t make up.
Nearly game after game, that’s how the season was for the Kardiac Kids.
And one of those games occurred 35 years ago today, on Nov. 9 at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium.
The Browns blew out to a 14-point first-quarter lead over the Baltimore Colts, and were still ahead 21-6 in after three quarters and 28-13 with just 1½ minutes left, before having to hold on for dear life to win 28-27.
The matter was not decided until Autry Beamon, after several of his teammates had bobbled the ball, recovered the Colts’ onside kick at the Cleveland 35 with 18 seconds remaining.
Along with Beamon, who was in the first of his two seasons with the Browns after playing for the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings for the previous five seasons, the other heroes were rookie Charles White, who had a pair of five-yard touchdown downs, and Brian Sipe, who continued his march toward being named the NFL MVP by throwing for the club’s two other TDs.
But it had not been for the missed extra point in the second quarter by the Colts’ Steve Mike-Mayer, the game would have gone into overtime.
It did not, though, and the play-it-right-down-to-the-end-of-regulation Browns had their fifth straight win — and seventh in eight games — to increase their record to 7-3, keeping them tied with the Houston Oilers for first place in the AFC Central.
Things started off well for the Browns as they jumped on top 14-0 in the first quarter on White’s first touchdown run and Sipe’s 39-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Dave Logan. It was 21-6 at halftime after another five-yard dash into the end zone by White, the team’s first-round pick in the 1980 NFL Draft.
The Browns went ahead 28-13 just a minute and a half into the fourth quarter on Sipe’s 12-yard TD pass to running back Greg Pruitt.
But then Colts quarterback Bert Jones, the son of Browns legendary wingback Dub Jones, threw a pair of TD passes, one with 1:27 left and then the next with 19 seconds remaining, to close the gap to just 28-27, setting the stage for Beamon to have to use his sure hands to seal the win.
Jones threw for three scores in all on the day and 289 yards. Baltimore’s other TD came on a five-yard run by Curtis Dickey, who ended up playing with the Browns in 1985 and ’86. He had 87 yards rushing on just 14 carries.
Mike Pruitt topped that with 103 yards in only 18 rushes, but his fumble at the Cleveland 40 with 1:13 left as the Browns were trying to run out the clock, set up Baltimore for its final touchdown and made everyone hold their breath. White added 77 yards rushing in 15 carries to go along with his two TDs.
Sipe threw for but 212 yards, but he had the two scores, with no interceptions, and hit on 22 of 29 attempts. Logan had five receptions for 85 yards, while Greg Pruitt also caught five passes for 47 yards. Wide receiver Reggie Rucker added four catches for 36 yards.
The Browns were hot and they knew how to play in the clutch, as evidenced by the fact that the last four of those five consecutive victories came by a combined total of just 13 points.
Now they faced the big test of trying to break the The Three Rivers Jinx in Pittsburgh the following Sunday.
Next: Take your pick.
