The Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are an American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They play in the AFC North division of the National Football League. Their home games are played in Cleveland Browns Stadium. They joined the NFL in 1950 after the All American Football Conference folded. They were charter members of the AAFC and had played in that conference since 1946 where they won all four AAFC titles. They won four additional championships after joining the NFL, prior to the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. The Browns were one of three teams which joined ten former AFL teams to form the American Football Conference. They have not played in a league championship game since the merger, despite the success they had before. Cleveland is one of five NFL teams that have not qualified for the Super Bowl.

Art Modell purchased the Cleveland Browns in 1961. After more than three rocky decades, in 1995, Modell announced that he was relocating the Browns to Baltimore for the 1996 season. Baltimore had been home to the Colts until they relocated to Indianapolis after the 1983 season. Modell had shrewdly placed an issue on the ballot which had Cleveland voters approving the issue that would provide $175 million tax dollars to update the Cleveland Municipal Stadium. His plan was later discarded and taxpayers ended up paying close to $300 million to demolish the old stadium and build a new one on that site. Modell was still planning to move the team. Lawsuits were filed by the city of Cleveland, angry fans and a host of others. Congress held hearings on the matter. The Browns sponsors pulled their support during the team’s final weeks leaving Municipal Stadium with no advertising.

The 1995 season was a disaster for the team as well. During the final home game some of the fans at the east end of the stadium became so out of control that their end zone action had to be moved to the other end of the field. Several fires were set in the stands and security officials and police who were trying to put out the fires were assaulted. In spite of everything, the Browns won that game.

After a series of talks between the NFL, the Browns, and officials from Cleveland and Baltimore, a settlement was reached. The players and personnel that comprised the Browns team would be moving with Modell to Baltimore as the Ravens. The Browns legacy would remain in Cleveland. The NFL announced that the Browns would be deactivated for three years while a new stadium would be built for the new Browns team, which would be either an expansion team or a team moved from another city. In 1999, before the season began, the Browns franchise was reactivated with a new team, but the team name, colors, history, records, awards and archives would remain in Cleveland.

The road of wins and losses has remained rocky. In 1999 it was 2–14; 2000 was 3–13; 2001 was 7-9; 2002 was 9-7; 2003 was 5-11; 2004 was 4-12; 2005 was 6-10; 2006 was 4-12; 2007 was 10-6; 2008 was 4-12. The 2009 season will begin under head coach Eric Mangini who comes with 14 years of NFL coaching experience. Among the players who could make this a winning year for the Browns include Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, Jamal Lewis, James Davis, Mike Furrey, Kamerion Wimbley, D’Qwell Jackson and Eric Wright.