“The 1963 Cleveland Browns: The Greatest Season That Never Made the Playoffs”

Lots of good things by the 1963 Browns

The Browns had a great season in 1963.

In fact, it might be their best performance ever in a season in which they did not qualify for the playoffs.

They finished 10-4, getting double-digit regular-season wins for the first time in 11 years.

It was the closest they had come to winning the Eastern Conference title and playing in the NFL Championship Game since 1958. They finished in second place, just a game behind the arch-rival New York Giants (11-3). That was far better than what they had done in 1962, when they went 7-6-1 for the second-worst record in franchise history.

The Browns had one of their best starts ever, bolting to a 6-0 record on the strength of a rejuvenated offense that averaged 34.2 points per game in that stretch. In 1962, when they never won more than two games in a row, the Browns averaged 20.8 points per game for the season.

Jim Brown led the NFL with a league-record 1,863 yards rushing and 12 rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Frank Ryan set a team record with 25 touchdown passes, 13 of which went to wide receiver Gary Collins as he broke the Cleveland record.

And to make it all even more impressive, none of this should have happened. It almost defied logic. It was, then, the greatest coaching job in Browns history.