Cleveland Browns

Lore & Background

The franchise was founded in 1944 by Brown and businessman Arthur B. McBride as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), and began play in 1946. The Browns dominated the AAFC, compiling a 47–4–3 record in the league's four seasons and winning its championship in each. When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, the Browns joined the NFL along with the San Francisco 49ers and the original Baltimore Colts. The Browns won a championship in their inaugural NFL season, as well as in the 1954, 1955, and 1964 seasons, and in a feat unequaled in any of the North American major professional sports, played in their league championship game in each of their first 10 years of existence, winning seven of those games. From 1965 to 1995, they qualified to play in the NFL playoffs 14 times, but did not win another championship or play in the Super Bowl during that period. In 1995, owner Art Modell announced plans to move the team to Baltimore. After threats of legal action, a compromise was reached in early 1996 that allowed Modell to establish the Baltimore Ravens as a new franchise while retaining the contracts of all Browns personnel. The Browns' intellectual property, including team name, logos, training facility, and history, were kept in trust and the franchise was regarded by the NFL as suspended, guaranteed to return no later than the 1999 season. In 1998 it was confirmed that the NFL would hold an expansion draft and field 31 teams when the Browns resumed play in 1999. Since resuming operations in 1999, the Browns have struggled to find success, especially during the 2010s when they failed to post a winning season throughout the decade. They have had only four winning seasons (2002, 2007, 2020, and 2023), three playoff appearances (2002, 2020, and 2023), and one playoff win (2020). In 2017 they were only the second team in NFL history to have a 0–16 season. They are one of four teams to have never appeared in a Super Bowl.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Paul Brown Stadium was thick with humidity and anticipation as the sun set over Cincinnati. The crowd roared, a sea of orange and black, chanting in unison. On the field, the Browns' defense looked like a wall of steel, their helmets gleaming under the stadium lights. A Bengals quarterback dropped back, scanning for an opening against the Cleveland blitz. It was more than just a game; it was a statement about who ruled Ohio that night. As the ball sailed through the air, time seemed to freeze, capturing the essence of decades of grudge matches and the raw emotion of two cities divided by nothing but a few miles of highway.

Reader's Guide

The Browns have rivalries with all three of their AFC North opponents. The rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers saw the Browns at one point have a 22-game lead in the all-time series, but the Steelers overtook the Browns in 2007 to hold a current 17-game edge over the Browns. The source does not specify when the rivalry with the Bengals officially began, nor does it describe the early years of that rivalry or any period of dominance by either team.

Did You Know?

• The Browns are named after original head coach Paul Brown.
• The Browns played in their league championship game in each of their first 10 years of existence, winning seven of those games.
• The Browns are one of four teams to have never appeared in a Super Bowl.
• In 2017, the Browns were only the second team in NFL history to have a 0–16 season.