Browns History

The Life And Career Of Ben Davis (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   Most NFL general managers will tell you that one of the keys to a successful draft comes in the later rounds. If you can find one or more “diamonds in the rough” at the end of a draft, your draft is likely to be considered a success. One such “diamond in the rough” for the Cleveland Browns wa...

The Life And Career Of Paul Warfield (Complete Story)

Ben Donahue • 5 years ago   When the Cleveland Browns franchise began play in 1946, they were loaded with talent. Quarterback Otto Graham paced the team along with running back Marion Motley and receivers Mac Speedie and Dante Lavelli. This unit rolled through the 1940’s and early 50’s, winning numerous championships an...

The Life And Career Of Otto Graham (Complete Story)

Ben Donahue • 5 years ago   As exciting as expansion can be in pro sports, it is usually a period of growing pains for the team itself. “Gifted” with cast-offs from other organizations and forced to try and build through the draft, many expansion teams take years to develop a core group. Case in point, the 1999 Clevelan...

The Life And Career Of Monte Clark (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   Pro Football Hall of Fame running backs Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly rushed for more yards than any other players in Cleveland Browns history. While Brown and Kelly had immense talent, their success was in part attributable to an excellent Browns offensive line. One outstanding member of Clevela...

The Life And Career Of John Morrow (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   The nickname, “Mr. Irrelevant”, is given each year to the NFL player who is selected with the last pick in the NFL draft. In the 2020 NFL draft, “Mr. Irrelevant” was selected in the seventh round, with the 255th overall pick. What would you call someone who was drafted in the 28th round of th...

The Life And Career Of Abe Gibron (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   When Browns fans recall the successful Cleveland teams that won three NFL championships in the 1950’s, their attention often first turns to Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham. As great a player as Graham was, the excellence of the Browns offense in those years was attributable...

The Life And Career Of Reggie Rucker (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   It is certainly a significant accomplishment to receive NFL Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors. However, as the number of outstanding players in the NFL exceeds the number of available Pro Bowl and All-Pro slots at each position each year, many outstanding players never receive Pro Bowl or All-Pro re...

The Life And Career Of Ryan Pontbriand (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   It is unlikely that most people would consider long snapper to be a critical position on an NFL team. Yet, for its role in kicking extra points and field goals, and punting, long snapper is a key position on special teams. An NFL team cannot be successful without a skilled long snapper. For 1...

The Life And Career Of Eddie Johnson (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   In reviewing the career of any defensive player in the NFL, there is a tendency to only examine the player’s sacks, interceptions, and fumble recoveries. Such a focus ignores a basic goal of every defensive player – to tackle the offensive player who has the ball. Cleveland Browns linebacker...

The Life And Career And Bernie Parrish (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   The Cleveland Browns have played many significant games in their history. One of the Browns most memorable games was their 27-0 victory over the Baltimore Colts in the 1964 NFL championship game – Cleveland’s last championship. A key contributor in Cleveland’s win over Baltimore was defensive...

What Happened To Justin Gilbert? (Complete Story)

Tim Durr • 5 years ago   In the 2014 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns decided to select Justin Gilbert No. 8 overall. The move aimed to pair Gilbert with Joe Haden who was establishing himself as a lockdown cornerback for the Browns. Gilbert impressed with a ball-hawking season at Oklahoma State and headlined a deep d...

What Happened To Brady Quinn? (Complete Story)

Tim Durr • 5 years ago   Brady Quinn had the looks of a QB and went to the most nationally followed college in America. After starting for four years at Notre Dame, Quinn was deemed a first-round QB prospect. The narrative of falling short in the big moments that started at Notre Dame dropped his draft stock heading...

The Life And Career Of Erich Barnes (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   There have been many excellent defensive backs in Cleveland Browns history. Such players as Tommy James, Warren Lahr, Bernie Parrish, Clarence Scott, Hanford Dixon, and Frank Minnifield all were outstanding defensive players who spent all or nearly all of their NFL careers with Cleveland. Ano...

The Life And Career Of Tony Adamle (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   For many football players, playing in the NFL is the high point of their lives. After they retire from football, they have difficulty in finding another activity that matches their success on the gridiron. Such was not the case with Tony Adamle. After a six-year career with the Cleveland Brow...

The Life And Career Of Don Colo (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   For some NFL players, it takes being on the right team to fully develop their football potential. One such player is Don Colo. For his first three seasons in the NFL, Colo was largely unrecognized, playing on losing teams. In 1953, Colo was traded to the Cleveland Browns, and he started to be...

The Life And Career Of Galen Fiss (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   Defensive players in the NFL often go unrecognized, blending in with their 10 defensive teammates to try to stop opposing offenses. However, occasionally in a game, a defensive player may recover a turnover, or make a significant play in an important game, and individually stand out on the de...

The Life And Career Of QB Mike Phipps (Complete Story)

Ben Donahue • 5 years ago   The search for a franchise quarterback seems to be an endless quest for most NFL teams. Every year we read about a newly drafted quarterback envisioned to be the savior of some moribund franchise. That quarterback is touted as the hope for the future that will pull the team out of the depths...

The Life And Career Of Ernie Green (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   Every NFL running back needs to be able to run with the football. Those running backs who are especially valuable to their teams contribute in multiple ways besides just gaining rushing yards; they also block, catch passes, and play on special teams. Ernie Green was one such versatile running...

The Life And Career Of John Wooten (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   While the Cleveland Browns have had many great players, one position at which the Browns have had multiple players who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is running back. Three of these Pro Football Hall of Fame running backs for Cleveland are Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell, and Leroy Kelly. Bro...

The Life And Career Of Clarence Scott (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   The goal of every defensive player is to minimize offensive production, whether it be in terms of yards, first downs, or points. Some defensive players, those that make the most impact, take it a step further. They not only stop the opposing offense, but they also recover turnovers, helping t...

The Life And Career Of Vince Costello (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   If you heard someone did not play regular football in high school, went to Ohio (not Ohio State) University, and had four years elapse between his college graduation and his first professional football regular season game, you might think such person would not have a productive NFL career. Ho...

The Life And Career Of Milt Morin (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   Tight ends occupy a unique role on an NFL offense in that they are critical contributors to both the passing game and the running game. While they act as wide receivers catching passes, they also act as offensive linemen blocking for runners. During a 10-year career with the Cleveland Browns,...

The Life And Career Of Horace Gillom (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   To be a great NFL team, you need outstanding players in all three phases of the game – offense, defense, and special teams. The Cleveland Browns, who won six professional football championships from 1947 to 1956, had excellent players on offense, defense, and special teams over these 10 years...

The Life And Career Of Jim Ray Smith (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   Jim Brown was arguably the greatest running back in NFL history. As great as Brown was, his performance was enhanced by playing with various quality offensive linemen on the Cleveland Browns. One such excellent offensive lineman for Cleveland was Jim Ray Smith. Smith received numerous All-Pro...

The Life And Career Of Tommy James (Complete Story)

Jimmy Swartz • 5 years ago   When reviewing the career of any football player, one first can look at the individual statistics of the player. Yet, in assessing the legacy of any football player, to the extent that the primary goal should be to win the game, there is an even more important measure of success than individu...

The Life And Career Of Carmen Policy (Complete Story)

Ben Donahue • 5 years ago   In professional sports, the players get all of the glory. Rarely do fans know the names of the front office people. The general manager may find his name in the news because of a stroke of genius free agent move. Or, they may be in the news due to all the wrong reasons. The Browns have had th...