You’ve heard many times that today’s big money in pro sports, including the NFL, is many times greater than it was back in the day.

You can’t really fathom how much greater of a difference it is until you see, or hear, some of the numbers from decades ago. And the time is right for such a look back, for this week is the anniversary of two key days for that type of thing in Browns history.

It will be 69 years ago Saturday, on March 11, 1954, that Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham signed what he thought would be his last contract with the Browns. Graham, the best player in the game at the time, was set to receive the princely sum of $20,000 for the 1954 season.

He was planning to retire after that year – and did temporarily – but was wooed back for the 1955 season by Paul Brown when the HOF head coach could not find a suitable replacement for him in training camp.

Graham signed a new contract for the 1955 season for a little bit more money than he received the year before and promptly led the Browns to their second consecutive NFL title, and seventh league championship overall (including four in the All-America Football Conference) in his 10 seasons in pro football, all with Cleveland. He retired for good after the 1955 season.

As a side note to this, it was 64 years ago Monday, on March 6, 1959, that wide receiver Darrel “Pete” Brewster, one of the Browns’ top pass-catchers in the 1950s, announced his retirement to devote more time to a sporting goods venture in Florida. The money was so bad in the NFL back then that players had to work hard on developing other professional endeavors to sustain themselves and their families. Many times, those other professions paid more money than football. He had led the Browns in receptions three times during his seven-year career and had 186 catches overall.

Steve King