The Cleveland Browns joined the All-America Football Conference in 1946 as a charter member. When the league merged with the National Football League in 1950, the Browns were one of three teams to join the NFL.
As the AAFC’s most successful franchise, the Browns were determined to prove they belonged in the NFL despite doubts from fans all over the country. They won the championship their first year in the NFL, a feat they have repeated three more times since.
In 1995, the owner of the Cleveland Browns, Art Modell, announced he was moving the then failing team to Baltimore. This news was met with anger and hostility. Fans, the city of Cleveland, and others filed lawsuits immediately trying to keep the team in the area. Protests were staged, one even being held in Pittsburgh during a game there, although the media did not report on it.
Pittsburgh was also upset about the proposed move as they felt they were being robbed of a fierce rival. The last protest was held during the Brown’s final game in their home stadium when fans began to tear the stadium apart. Play in the end zones had to be moved for players’ safety. Fires were set, sinks and toilets were ripped from the walls, and seats were torn up and thrown onto the field.
Eventually, the protests, lawsuits, and other legal actions forced Modell to give up on taking the Browns to Baltimore. He took the players and their contracts but all records, legacies, and logos remained in Cleveland for an all new team to claim. In 1999, the new Cleveland Browns began play after a three year absence from the league.
Home of the Cleveland Browns is the Cleveland Browns Stadium, which replaced the Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The old stadium was home to the Browns for 49 years, ending with the game in which the fans went wild in protest of the proposed move. Ironically, Modell’s excuses for moving were cited as being that the taxpayers would not agree to pay for renovations to the old stadium. Ground broke on the new stadium in 1997, completing construction in time for the 1999 season. Cleveland Browns Stadium seats 73,200 fans, and cost about 283 million dollars to build.
Although not the most accomplished team in football, the Cleveland Browns are a fascinating team. They have some of the most interesting and loyal fans in the league, and have the history to prove it. Between controversies, rivalries, and championships, there is nothing average about the Browns.
