Cleveland Browns History

The Cleveland Browns' history is full of accomplishments and winning. Over the years the Cleveland Browns have earned the reputation as one of the more successful American sports franchises. The Cleveland Browns' history is filled with many hall of fame players, as well as legendary coaches.

Cleveland Browns history begins in 1946, when the Browns played their first season. Arthur B. McBride and Robert H. Gries founded the Cleveland Browns  The Cleveland Browns originally started out as an American Football Conference team,but by the end of the 1949 season the Cleveland Browns officially joined the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns received its name from the teams first coach, Paul Brown. Brown remained the head coach for the team until 1962.

The 1950's was a very special period in the Cleveland Browns' history. The team experienced a remarkable  run of success, winning the NFL championship in only its first NFL season. The Browns also won three consecutive NFL championships in the 1950's, during the 1954, 1955 and 1956 seasons respectively. The 1950's was also a special period in Cleveland Browns history because the team drafted Jim Brown, who would go on to become one of the greatest players in NFL history.

The next period in Cleveland Browns history marks a time a transition. In 1961, Arthur  Modell purchased a majority interest in the Browns. One of Modell's first moves was to fire the Brown's beloved coach, Paul Brown. The firing of Brown along with other decisions created a turbulent relationship between Modell and the Browns faithful. Modell hired new coach Blanton Collier and  the team won the NFL championship in 1964.

Over the following years, the Browns had many great coaches such as Marty Schottenheimer and Bill Belichick, but the team was unable to duplicate its past success. The Cleveland Browns remained a playoff staple in the 1970's and 1980's, but by the 1990's the team had become a perennial under achiever, suffering consecutive losing seasons from 1991-1995.

1995 marks the end of the original Cleveland Browns history. Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore and the team became the Baltimore Ravens. The city of Cleveland, holding onto the original Brown name, created a new Cleveland Browns franchise in 1999. This new Browns franchise had been struggling to make its mark in the NFL, never having a winning season since its inception, although the team did reach the playoffs in 2004.