BROWNS’ SNOW GAMES WERE MEMORABLE, AND WINS

By STEVE KING

The big snowstorms that have blown through Ohio recently, especially in the northeast part of the state, raise the obvious question when you think of the Browns.

That is, what are the biggest snows at home games in team history?

There are two that come to mind, both shutout victories, 7-0 over the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 1, 1974, and 8-0 over the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 16, 2008.

The first one may be a bit more difficult to recall in that it was just over 47 years ago and in a season that, with but a 4-10 finish, was forgettable, with the Browns posting their worst record in history to that point.

A huge snowfall started late Saturday night as Thanksgiving weekend was wrapping up, and it continued through Sunday night. By the time it was over late Sunday night, it ended up being one of the biggest 24-hour snowfalls on record in the region, dropping upwards of 20 inches in many places. In fact, in Akron, 24 inches fell, setting a record for the city.

The Browns were just 3-8 and had dropped two in a row, and three of the last four. The 49ers were 4-7 and had won two in a row. The game against the Browns represented the 49ers’ only loss in their last five of the season en route to a 6-8 finish.

So, these teams were well out of contention, meaning the game was simply for pride.

That, plus the weather, produced one of the Browns’ smallest home crowds ever, 24,559. More than 60,000 tickets had been sold.

The only points of the game came on Ken Brown’s one-yard touchdown run, followed by Don Cockroft’s extra point.

Brown had 50 yards in 10 carries in a balanced 159-yard rushing attack, with Greg Pruitt adding 55 yards in 10 tries and Hugh McKinnis gaining 50 yards in 12 attempts. The 49ers rushed for 157 yards.

Not surprisingly with the weather, the passing attacks sputtered. Mike Phipps of the Browns completed 5-of-13 passes for 42 yards and was sacked five times for 41 yards in losses, meaning the team netted, in essence, just one yard passing.

The 49ers’ Tom Owens — a no-name who played for the team after the John Brodie era and before the Joe Montana years — hit on just six passes in 23 attempts for 74 yards and also was sacked five times for 41 yards in losses, leaving a net of 33 yards passing.

I’ll discuss the 2007 game against the Bills in my next post.