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EDITOR’S NOTE: The following, which looks at those ranked 1-10, is the last in a four-part series on the top 40 assistant coaches in Browns history.
Well, we’re finally down to the top 10 of our series, the 10 best assistant coaches in Browns history.
It’s as solid of a group as you’d get from any team in the NFL.
That the top five coaches on this list, and eight of the 10, have ties to the great Paul Brown is not an accident. The man’s coaching tree is the biggest, strongest oak on the football landscape.
Here we go, and thanks for reading:
- DICK GALLAGHER (1947-49, 1955-59) – The Ironton, Ohio native and former Ironton High School head coach worked eight years for the Browns and eventually became the second director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- PAUL BIXLER (1954-62) – A man with extensive Ohio ties – he starred at Louisville High School and Mount Union and then coached at Ohio State, Akron and Canton McKinley High School, where he first met Paul Brown, who was then at Massillon High – he was ends coach and also worked in personnel for the Browns.
- LINDY INFANTE (1986-87) – If he had stayed longer, then he would be higher on this list, but as offensive coordinator, he morphed the Browns from a run-first team to a pass-heavy one and turned Bernie Kosar into a star.
- JIM SHOFNER (1978-80, 1990) – After being drafted by Paul Brown and playing cornerback for him, he returned 15 years later and, as quarterbacks coach, transformed Brian Sipe into the NFL MVP.
- NICK SABAN (1991-94) – The former Kent State defensive back, Ohio State assistant coach and Toledo head coach did wonders as defensive coordinator for Bill Belichick.
- DUB JONES (1963-67) – A Cleveland Browns Legend who shares the NFL record with six touchdowns scored in a game in 1951, he was the offensive coordinator of the 1964 NFL champion Browns.
- ED ULINSKI (1954-70) – He started at guard for all of the Browns’ All-America Football Conference championship teams and then was a longtime coach on both sides of the ball, most notably with the linebackers.
- FRITZ HEISLER (1946-70) – After coaching with Paul Brown at Massillon High School and Ohio State, the Massillon native re-joined him in Cleveland when the Browns started and stayed a quarter-century, becoming one of the best offensive line coaches in the history of the game.
- HOWARD BRINKER (1952-73) – A Canal Fulton, Ohio native who coached at Steubenville (Ohio) High School and Ohio, he was the coordinator of all those great Browns defenses and came up with the incredible game plan to shut down John Unitas and the Baltimore Colts in the 1964 NFL Championship Game.
- BLANTON COLLIER (1946-53, 1962, 1975-76) – Paul Brown was a genius, but Collier was every bit as smart during his 11 years as an offensive assistant and as head coach of the Browns from 1964-70.
