The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They currently belong to the Northern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Browns began play in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and joined the NFL in 1950 after the AAFC merged into the older league. The team has won 4 AAFC titles and 4 NFL Championships.

In some accounts, there may be confusion regarding the team's history due to unusual and unprecedented actions taken by the city of Cleveland and the NFL in 1996. On November 6, 1995, then-Browns owner Art Modell announced his intention to move the team to Baltimore, citing the inadequacy of Cleveland Stadium and the lack of a sufficient replacement along with his heavy debt. The decision triggered a flurry of legal activity that ended when representatives of Cleveland and the NFL reached a settlement on February 8, 1996. It stipulated that the Browns' name, colors, and history of the franchise were to remain in Cleveland. A reactivated Cleveland Browns team would then begin play in 1999 in the AFC Central Division, while the relocated club would technically and legally be a new expansion team, the Baltimore Ravens.[1]

For that reason, past records and Pro Football Hall of Fame players are attributed to the Browns and not to the Ravens. However, some incorrectly consider the Ravens and the pre-1995 Browns organization as one continuous entity since Art Modell retained the player and personnel contracts for his franchise, using terms like "The Modell organization" or "Art Modell's franchise" to denote it. [2] (See the Franchise History section below for full details of the move.)

The Cleveland Browns were founded in 1946 under owner Arthur 'Mickey' McBride. The team was to be named the Cleveland Panthers, but a semi-pro team was using that name and threatened to sue if the AAFC club used it as well. McBride then named the team after its first head coach, Paul Brown. Brown was uncomfortable with the idea of having the team named after him, stating publicly that the team was named after boxing champion Joe Louis who was known as the "Brown Bomber."

In either event, the Browns were extremely successful in the early part of their existence, dominating the new All-America Football Conference, winning all four of its championships including with a landmark 1948 season in which they went unbeaten and untied - 24 years before the NFL's 'first' perfect team, the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Cleveland's undefeated streak (including ties) reached 29 games including 18 straight wins.

1950-56: NFL dominance

After the 1949 season the AAFC merged with the rival National Football League, with the Browns joining the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts as members of the older circuit.

Despite the change in leagues and what many football fans saw as a graduation to "the big league," the Browns continued their dominant position among pro football teams, appearing in the next six NFL championship games, and capturing three championships during the 1950s.

The Browns won the championship in their first season in the NFL, 1950, behind the quarterbacking of Otto Graham, the rushing of Marion Motley, the receiving of Mac Speedie, a defensive line anchored by Bill Willis and a secondary featuring Tommy James. Cleveland tore up the NFL in the regular season, going 10-2 with both losses being to the New York Giants. The Browns first regular season game was on the road against the defending NFL Champion Philadelphia Eagles as the schedule makers intended to give the Browns an immediate comeuppance. Cleveland won the game in dominant fashion, 35-10. The Browns defeated the Giants 8-3 in a tiebreaking playoff game and then came from behind in the fourth quarter beat the Los Angeles Rams 30-28 in the league championship in Cleveland.

Cleveland again tore through the NFL in the 1951 season, going 11-1 with four shutouts along the way. The NFL championship was a rematch with the Rams, in Los Angeles this time, and went back-and-forth until the fourth quarter when Norm van Brocklin threw a 73-yard touchdown to Tom Fears to put Los Angeles in the lead for good. The 24-17 loss was the first in a championship game in Browns history.

The 1952 regular season was not as successful, with only an 8-4 finish and Graham throwing 24 interceptions. Second-year player Ray Renfro became a star with 722 yards receiving and 322 yards rushing. But it was still good enough to win the division, and thus put the Browns in the NFL championship game against the Detroit Lions. A muffed punt, several defensive stands and a 67-yard touchdown run by Doak Walker all combined to help the Lions win 17-7, frustrating the Browns for the second consecutive year.

The 1953 team started the season by winning 11 straight games. They would not win any more. A loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the final week led into a rematch with the Lions in the NFL championship. The game was much closer than the year before, with the game tied at 10 going into the final quarter. Lou Groza kicked two field goals to put Cleveland up 16-10, but Detroit's Bobby Layne threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jim Doran with under two minutes left to win 17-16, and break Cleveland hearts for a third straight year.

In 1954, the Browns finished 9-3 and met up with Detroit in the finals for the third year in a row. This time, however, the Browns went on a relentless attack on both sides of the ball, intercepting Bobby Layne six times and forcing three fumbles, while Otto Graham threw three touchdowns and ran for three more, en route to a 56-10 thrashing.

The 1955 campaign was also a successful one for the Browns. Chuck Noll (who ironically would later gain fame as head coach of the rival Pittsburgh Steelers) had a productive season at linebacker, with five interceptions. Graham passed for 15 touchdowns and ran for six more in his final season before retiring due to injuries. The Browns, who finished 9-2-1, once again made the championship, this time against the Los Angeles Rams. They were no less dominant than they were the previous season, again forcing six interceptions out of quarterback Norm van Brocklin, one of which was returned for a touchdown by Don Paul. Graham also passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Browns won 38-14.

Without Graham behind center, the Browns floundered in 1956. Three quarterbacks (George Ratterman, Babe Parilli and Tommy O'Connell) were used through the season, none of whom threw more touchdowns than interceptions. The 5-7 record meant the Browns were shut out of the championship game for the first time in team history.