EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is the last in a four-part series on the top 41 Browns teams of all-time. Here we will chronicle spots 10 through 1.
The Great Depression had been over for a while.
The staggering unemployment numbers and soup lines that extended as far as the eye could see were things of the past.
Now World War II was over as well. The death and destruction, and the horror and tears that had been wrought, had come to a halt.
With both of those calamities out of the way, then, the misery – physical, emotional, mental and financial – of more than a decade and a half in the U.S., dating all the way back to the big stock market crash in October 1929, was finally and mercifully over.
Once more, the world was safe for democracy and the U.S. economy was beginning to hum. Things were much, much better in every way, shape and form.
It was 1946, and all those men who had bravely and selflessly risked their well-being to serve their country for several years were returning home, intent on jump-starting their lives and having some fun again. They were looking for something exciting – something extraordinary — to hitch their wagons to, and those from the Cleveland area and the rest of Northeast Ohio found exactly that – and then some — in a new pro football team named the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns were stacked with iconic players and coaches whose impact on the game is still being felt today. With the discipline, commitment and precision of a fine military unit, they steamrolled through the All-America Football Conference and then the NFL like a tank for a solid decade, flattening everything – and everyone — in their path. Winning games and league championships in bunches over such an extended period, they were a team the likes of which no one had ever seen before on the pro level.
The Browns were oh, so good and, at the same time, oh, so much fun to watch with their fast-paced style on both sides of the ball. They didn’t just play football. Rather, they put on a performance – a show, the show of shows, if you will — every week, never leaving their audiences disappointed.
So it’s not surprising, then, that the top 10 entries in this list of the 41 greatest Browns teams of all-time includes a lot of clubs from those early years.
In fact, all but one of the teams is from those first 10 seasons from 1946-55, when the Browns played in 10 straight league championship games and took home seven titles.
Let’s take a closer look at the best of the best as we count down the top 10:
When 17 was the new 13
No. 10 – 1953 – finished 11-1 and in first place in the NFL’s Eastern Conference, 3½ games ahead of the runner-up Philadelphia Eagles; lost 17-16 to the Detroit Lions in the NFL Championship Game – The universal, age-old unlucky number is supposed to be 13, but for the Browns, it was 17. They scored 17 points in losing their first league championship game ever, by a touchdown to the Los Angeles Rams in 1951. They gave up 17 points in falling to the Detroit Lions by 10 points in the league title game in 1952. And when they returned to the NFL Championship Game in 1953, there was that number – 17 — bedeviling them again as they came up a point short against the Lions. Determined to recapture the league title after those two straight misses, the Browns seemed to be on a mission in 1953. They had a near-flawless regular season, posting two shutouts over the Green Bay Packers and arch rival New York Giants en route to winning their first 11 games. They were seriously challenged only three times, in fact. They added an exclamation point to that run by humiliating the Giants, 62-14, setting a team record in NFL play that has since been tied for most points scored. With the conference title secured, they relaxed the next week in the finale in a meaningless 42-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, they seemed as ready as ever to win the championship, but the pesky Lions thwarted those hopes with an 80-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes after Cleveland went ahead 16-10 with 4:10 remaining. And with that, the great regular season meant nothing to the bottom-line Browns.
His worst Fears realized
No. 9 – 1951 – finished 11-1 and in first place in the NFL’s American Conference, 1½ games ahead of the runner-up New York Giants; lost 24-17 to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL Championship Game – The Browns had known nothing but being the very best. In their first five years of existence, they had won five league championships, four in the All-America Football Conference and then another one in 1950 in their first season in the NFL. They were a machine. It seemed that they couldn’t be beaten when it counted most. And with the way they played in the regular season, it looked for sure as if nothing would change in 1951. After losing the opener to the 49ers, they won their last 11 games, beginning with a 38-23 rout of the Rams. When they found themselves matched up against the Rams in the league title game, most people thought it would be another cakewalk for the Browns, much easier than their thrilling 30-28 victory over Los Angeles to capture the 1950 championship. But Cleveland head coach Paul Brown was not convinced. Things had come too easily to his team for so long. All the winning and titles were great, of course, but he feared his Browns might have been losing their edge. They had nothing other than their own pride to motivate them. As usual, Brown was dead-on right. The teams battled back and forth all day until the Rams scored the game-winning touchdown late on a 73-yard pass from Norm Van Brocklin to wide receiver Tom Fears on a play in which the two Browns in coverage collided, giving the speedster a wide-open field to the end zone. The Browns had finally a title game. They were mortal after all.
Get out the brooms
No. 8 – 1949 – finished 9-1-2 and in first place in the All-America Football Conference, one game ahead of the runner-up San Francisco 49ers; defeated the Buffalo Bills 31-21 in the playoff semifinals and then defeated the 49ers 21-7 in the AAFC Championship Game – It’s one thing to win a league championship. It’s even more special to capture two or three in a relatively short span of time. But it’s another thing entirely to win four titles, all in a row – to win every championship in the history of the league and in essence put the league out of business by making it non-competitive. But that’s exactly what the Browns did in 1949, capturing their fourth AAFC crown in as many years. The league existed from 1946-49, and the Browns won the title every season, going 52-4-3 overall. The Browns got ambushed 56-28 by the San Francisco 49ers midway through 1949, ending a 29-game unbeaten streak that began in the middle of the 1947 season. The Bills were able to tie the Browns twice, 28-28 and 7-7, before Cleveland defeated them in the first pound of the playoffs. Then the Browns got revenge over the 49ers by whipping them by two touchdowns in the title game. What the Browns had done over their first four years, punctuated by another big success in 1949, was uncanny. In pro football, no team is supposed to dominate like that. But the Browns did. Now they would await a new challenge by moving to the NFL the following year.
Rolling 7s
No. 7 – 1955 – finished 9-2-1 and in first place in the NFL’s Eastern Conference, 1½ games ahead of the runner-up Washington Redskins; defeated the Los Angeles Rams 38-14 in the NFL Championship Game – It seems appropriate that the No. 7-ranked team on this list won the franchise’s seventh league championship overall, and its second in a row. For the second straight season, the Browns were beaten in their opener, this time losing 27-17 to the Redskins, and then got on a roll, winning seven in a row. Maybe part of the reason for the struggles against Washington was the fact quarterback Otto Graham was a little rusty. He had retired after the 1954 season and then returned in training camp. He took him a game to get his bearings, and once he did, he was his old outstanding self, leading the NFL with 1,721 yards passing. The Browns cooled off – a little, anyway – down the stretch, going 3-1-1, including losing 33-17 to the Philadelphia Eagles. Not to worry, though, for, as the final score indicates, they were more than ready for the title game, winning the rubber match against the Rams in their three-game league championship series through the first six years of the decade. Maybe the most outstanding statistic came on defense. The 1955 Browns had three players intercept five passes each – cornerback Warren Lahr, who is second on the club’s all-time interceptions list with 40, safety Kenny Konz (fourth with 30) and Chuck Noll. Known mostly for later becoming one of Paul Brown’s messenger guards, Noll, a Cleveland Benedictine High School product, began his career as the team’s left linebacker.
The Lions’ share of the credit
No. 6 – 1954 – finished 9-3 and in first place in the NFL’s Eastern Conference, 1½ games ahead of the runner-up Philadelphia Eagles; defeated the Detroit Lions 56-10 in the NFL Championship Game – Paul Brown was a great head coach. In fact, you could make the case that he was the best coach in the history of pro football. But he wasn’t perfect. He made mistakes. And one of them, according to his players in 1954, was becoming too conservative offensively in big games, a criticism that would also later be levied by running back Jim Brown. The players thought that the Browns’ struggles against the Lions – they had lost all four meetings with them, including in the NFL title game the two previous years – was because Brown didn’t attack offensively and use all his weapons fully. They were convinced they had been the better team each time, and were the better team again this time. So the players met secretly the night before the game in the team hotel in downtown Cleveland and decided to ignore Brown’s game plan and use their own, which was much more aggressive since it was based on the downfield passing. This was risky for Brown valued his right to call offensive plays like a heirloom. As such, if the players’ plan worked, then they might not come under Brown’s wrath after the game. But if it backfired, then they could all be looking for work in the offseason. They kept their jobs because their plan worked like a charm. With quarterback Otto Graham leading the way by accounting for six touchdowns – throwing for three and running for three – the Browns recorded what is still their most lopsided postseason victory in NFL play in their history. Afterward, Brown just smiled. What could he say? It’s all about winning, and the club had won its first league crown in four seasons.
No chance … they would lose
No. 5 – 1964 – finished 10-3-1 and in first place in the NFL’s Eastern Conference, one-half game ahead of the runner-up St. Louis Cardinals; defeated the Baltimore Colts 27-0 in the NFL Championship Game – Browns wide receiver Gary Collins was – and still is, in fact — a little bit of a maverick. He’s never been afraid to speak his mind. Several days before the 1964 title game, he was asked if he thought the Browns, who were decided underdogs, would defeat the Colts. Collins was emphatic in his declaration that yes, his team would triumph, which, of course, made big headlines, much to the chagrin of Cleveland head coach Blanton Collier. “Why did you say that?” Collier asked. “You’re going to give the Colts bulletin board material.” Collins was incredulous. “What did you want me to say, that I think we’re going to lose?” he said. “I believe we’re going to win, so that’s what I said.” As it turned out, Collins was right – and then some – and he made certain of it by catching three touchdown passes from quarterback Frank Ryan in the stunning rout. In just his second season on the job, Collier had taken players who were mostly acquired during the Paul Brown years, made some big changes and guided the Browns to their first league championship in nine seasons. Collier abolished Brown’s messenger guard system to send in plays and instead let Ryan call them. He instituted a more wide-open offense. And he took Paul Warfield, a two-way halfback from Warren (Ohio) Harding High School and Ohio State who had been the team’s first choice in the 1964 NFL Draft, and had the foresight to move him to wide receiver. Ryan topped the NFL with 25 touchdown passes, including nine to Warfield, who also led the team with 50 receptions, as the Browns scored 415 points, which is still a team record for NFL play. They scored 94 points in their two games against the three-time defending Eastern Conference champion New York Giants and beat them both times by a combined total of 94 points.
Same time, same team, next year
No. 4 – 1947 – finished 12-1-1 and in first place in the AAFC’s Western Division, 3½ games ahead of the runner-up San Francisco 49ers; defeated the New York Yankees 14-3 in the AAFC Championship Game – The Browns liked what they did in that inaugural season of 1946 so much that they repeated it in ’47. Their 12-1-1 mark in 1947 was almost identical to the 12-2 record they had posted the year before en route to earning the league title. Using basically the same cast of characters from the previous season, they scored 410 points, or just 13 less than 1946. For the second consecutive time, they ended their regular season with a resounding victory on the road, this time 42-0 over the Baltimore Colts after having crushed the Brooklyn Dodgers 66-14 the season before. Also for the second year in a row, they totaled 14 points to defeat the Yankees in the title game. And as in 1946, when one of their defeats was a one-pointer, their only loss in 1947 was by three points, 13-10, to the Los Angeles Dons. Why mess with success?
First impressions last
No. 3 – 1946 – finished 12-2 and in first place in the AAFC’s Western Division, three games ahead of the runner-up San Francisco 49ers; defeated the New York Yankees 14-9 in the AAFC Championship Game – The Browns were a brand-new team in a brand-new league, so no one knew what to expect from any of the clubs. But Cleveland showed right away that it would be a force to be reckoned with in the AAFC when it routed the Miami Seahawks in the opener before what was then a pro football record crowd of 60,135. The Browns kept their next five opponents in single digits as well, posting two more shutouts. They didn’t allow a team to score in double digits until the seventh game in a 31-14 win over the Los Angeles Dons. In fact, only one foe totaled more than 17 points on the year. All told, the Browns allowed just 123 points in the regular season, or an average of 8.8 per game, while scoring a team-record 423 (30.2). Is it any wonder, really, why they won the league championship?
Loud and proud Lavelli
No. 2 – 1948 – finished 14-0 and in first place in the AAFC’s Western Division, two games ahead of the runner-up San Francisco 49ers; defeated the Buffalo Bills 49-7 in the AAFC Championship Game – Toward the end of his life, Dante Lavelli’s mind started to betray him. The Browns Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver had some good days, and not some not-so-good days. But if you wanted to get Lavelli thinking clearly, with a memory as sharp as a tack, all you had to do was mention his 1948 team and the lack of respect he always felt it got. The club, which was 15-0 overall, is one of just two in modern football history (the other one being the 17-0 Miami Dolphins of 1972) to finish a season with no losses or ties and to win a league championship. Late in the 2007 season, as the New England Patriots were closing in on what they hoped would be a perfect season, one of the TV networks did an interview with Lavelli in his Cleveland area home at halftime of a game. Speaking as if he were reading off a script, and with tremendous passion and fluidity, Lavelli made a great case for the excellence of the 1948 Browns and lamented that few people gave them credit for just how good they were. As he explained it, the highlight of the season came when the Browns won three games in eight days on opposite coasts against their biggest rivals. The longer Lavelli talked, the more convincing he was. Indeed, if that team played today, then they would be making documentaries about it.
The full cast is assembled
No. 1 – 1950 – finished 10-2 and tied with the New York Giants for first place in the NFL’s American Conference, four games ahead of the third place Philadelphia Eagles; defeated the Giants 8-3 in a special conference playoff game and then defeated the Los Angeles Rams 30-28 in the NFL Championship Game – Why is this Browns team the best one ever? Because all the great early players had finally arrived, with most in their primes. The club was so stocked with talent that playing against most of the other teams wasn’t much of a challenge. Indeed, the most competitive work the Browns got all week was often in practices, with those stars working against each other. This was also the most mentally tough club in Browns history. The 1950 Browns weren’t perfect, but they weren’t far from it. With every team in the NFL gunning for these new kids on the block from the AAFC, determined to put them in their place, the Browns took on all comers and were successful. The Giants handed them both of their losses by a combined total of just 10 points, but then the Browns turned the tables on them to advance to the title game.
