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EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is the second in a series about how basketball — yes, basketball — saved the Browns’ 1980 Kardiac Kids season.

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I get it.

I really do.

All of us adults, especially the older ones, have to be aware of how we come off to the young ones. Every story we tell about how things used to be back in the day sounds like “walking uphill both ways in a foot of snow to get to school each day.”

And so it was one beautiful spring day about 15 years ago when the Canton Chapter of the Browns Backers held its yearly dinner at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Linebacker D’Qwell Jackson was the Backers’ guest at the event. Among the best players the Browns have had in the expansion era, as evidenced by his induction into the Cleveland Browns Legends, he is also an extraordinarily kind and friendly man. That, and his ever-present smile, made him the perfect person for such an evening.

A representative from the Backers was assigned to accompany him
and assist him throughout the event. The two of them were sitting in a room off the dining area when I met them. There were several big-screen TVs in there showing a highlight video of a long-ago Browns team.

“What season is that from?”
Jackson asked the rep.

“Oh, that’s from the 1980 season,” she said. “Those are the Kardiac Kids.”

“The who?

“The Kardiac Kids.”

“Who were the Kardiac Kids?”

This is where the gist of our story begins.

Jackson was born in 1983, in Largo, Fla. That, and the fact that a good number of young players don’t know much about the history of the NFL, explains why he likely had never heard about Brian Sipe and the guys. But because of his respectfulness, Jackson wasn’t going to just roll his eyes and dismiss the whole thing, as if it was one of those tales about school, hills and snow. Instead, he seemed genuinely interested in what the rep told him, and how she did it. She appeared to be in her late 40s and, as she spoke, it was apparent the 1980 season, and her memories of it, were special.

“You never saw a season like that one,” she said. “Almost all of the games went down to the very end. You didn’t know who was going to win, it was that close. The Browns won most of them, fortunately. They were able to pull them out. Each week, it seemed like it was someone else coming through.”

Then she stopped. It was probably only a few seconds, but it felt a lot longer. She was getting emotional and trying to gather herself. Jackson said nothing. He knew he was being treated to the true essence of being a Browns fan back then was all about.

“You know, those games were just so much fun to watch,” she continued. “You never missed a game. It was must-see TV. As soon as the game was over, you got your breath back and began looking forward to the next week’s game.”

She encapsulated the season perfectly.

And to be sure, there are a lot of people like her still around, still remembering and still
appreciating. They all tell the same story, so you know it’s true.”

That’s the best part. It really happened, and in that very way.

Steve King

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