Classic Browns

Jonathan Knight

Description

This revised and updated edition of Classic Browns counts down the fifty greatest Cleveland Browns games, from unexpected upsets to incredible comebacks to titanic championship battles. Knight ranks heartbreakers like The Fumble and The Drive alongside championship duels and epic confrontations with heated rivals. Included in these pages are the heroics of Browns legends like Otto Graham, Lou Groza, Jim Brown, Brian Sipe, and Bernie Kosar, to name just a few. Whether it was because of the score, the weather, or an amazing individual performance, each game included in Classic Browns is worth remembering and revisiting. Sure to spark interest and debate, Classic Browns will appeal to Browns fans everywhere.

Sujets

• USA
• Fútbol americano
• American football
• History of sport
• États-Unis
• Ohio

Informations

• Publié par: The Kent State University Press
• Date de parution: 27 mai 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781631011788
• Langue: English

Extrait

Classic Browns
CLASSIC SPORTS
Jonathan Knight, Series Editor
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Classic Browns: The 50 Greatest Games in Cleveland Browns History Second Edition, Revised and Updated
JONATHAN KNIGHT
Classic Browns
THE 50 GREATEST GAMES IN CLEVELAND BROWNS HISTORY
Second Edition, Revised and Updated
Jonathan Knight
Black Squirrel Books ™ Kent, Ohio
BLACK SQUIRREL BOOKS ™
Frisky, industrious black squirrels are a familiar sight on the Kent State University campus and the inspiration for Black Squirrel Books™, a trade imprint of The Kent State University Press www.KentStateUniversityPress.com
© 2015 by The Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio 44242
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-1-60635-263-2
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cataloging information for this title is available at the Library of Congress.
19  18  17  16  15     5  4  3  2  1
Dedicated to the next generation of Cleveland sports fans—
NEVER STOP BELIEVING.
Contents
Preface
#50 Champs for a Day Browns vs. New York Giants, December 9, 1956
#49 They Found Their Hearts in San Francisco Browns vs. San Francisco 49ers, November 15, 1981
#48 Yanking Back the Yankees Browns vs. New York Yankees, November 23, 1947
#47 A Five-Alarm Blaze Browns vs. New York Giants, October 13, 1963
#46 Football’s Greatest Attraction Browns vs. San Francisco 49ers, October 30, 1949
#45 Run, William, Run! Browns vs. Atlanta Falcons, December 29, 2002
#44 Puncturing the Umbrella Browns vs. New York Giants, October 28, 1951
#43 Something Special Browns vs. Baltimore Colts, September 26, 1971
#42 Son of the Kardiac Kids Browns vs. Tennessee Titans, October 5, 2014
#41 Something Like Awe Browns vs. San Francisco 49ers, November 28, 1948
#40 A Little More on the Line Browns vs. New England Patriots, November 7, 2010
#39 Meet Brian Sipe Browns vs. Denver Broncos, October 27, 1974
#38 From Joke to Smoke Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals, September 16, 2007
#37 Metcalf to the Rescue Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, October 24, 1993
#36 The Start of the Whole Thing Browns vs. Green Bay Packers, October 19, 1980
#35 What Might Have Been Browns vs. New York Giants, October 13, 2008
#34 Strock Around the Clock Browns vs. Houston Oilers, December 18, 1988
#33 Intrastate Warfare Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals, October 11, 1970
#32 The One-Inch Upset Browns vs. Dallas Cowboys, December 10, 1994
#31 Changing Their Stripes Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals, November 23, 1975
#30 A Game That Soothed the Soul Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens, October 21, 2001
#29 Regaining Their Pride Browns vs. Baltimore Colts, October 20, 1968
#28 Pulling Back the Steel Curtain Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, October 26, 1980
#27 Revenge, Batteries, and Two Coats of Paint Browns vs. Denver Broncos, October 1, 1989
#26 Head Over Heels Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, October 10, 1976
#25 Shootout in the Sand Browns vs. Buffalo Bills, January 6, 1990
#24 Burning the Midnight Oil Browns vs. New York Jets, September 21, 1970
#23 The End Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals, December 17, 1995
#22 Central Showdown Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals, December 5, 1971
#21 The Bud Bowl Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, September 10, 1989
#20 Full of Grace Browns vs. New Orleans Saints, October 31, 1999
#19 Frozen Moment Browns vs. Oakland Raiders, January 4, 1981
#18 Who Dey? Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals, December 14, 1986
#17 Salvation in the House of Pain Browns vs. Houston Oilers, December 23, 1989
#16 Another Doomsday for Dallas Browns vs. Dallas Cowboys, December 28, 1969
#15 The King of Football Browns vs. Baltimore Colts, November 1, 1959
#14 What a Night! Browns vs. Dallas Cowboys, September 24, 1979
#13 Death of The Jinx Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, October 5, 1986
#12 Proud to Be a Brown Browns vs. Dallas Cowboys, December 21, 1968
#11 Cockroft’s Redemption Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, November 19, 1972
#10 A Slow Death Browns vs. Denver Broncos, January 11, 1987
#9 Birth of a Rivalry Browns vs. New York Giants, December 17, 1950
#8 Dynasty’s Dusk Browns vs. Los Angeles Rams, December 26, 1955
#7 Straight from the Heart Browns vs. Denver Broncos, January 17, 1988
#6 Taking Back Lake Erie Browns vs. Detroit Lions, December 26, 1954
#5 Heaven or Hollywood Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals, December 21, 1980
#4 The World Series of Football Browns vs. Philadelphia Eagles, September 16, 1950
#3 Back from the Dead Browns vs. New York Jets, January 3, 1987
#2 Out of the Blue Browns vs. Baltimore Colts, December 27, 1964
#1 Everything Old Is New Again Browns vs. Los Angeles Rams, December 24, 1950
“Just because it’s ours why must it be worthless?”
—Esther Franz from The Price by Arthur Miller
Preface
I can’t tell you how many times while writing this book this joke came flying at me like a flaming arrow in the night …

SOMEONE: Hey, what’s your next book gonna be about?
ME: It’s going to rank the fifty greatest games in Browns history.
SOMEONE: Have there been that many? (Cue laugh track.)
But seriously, folks, that’s what you hold in your hands: a countdown, constructed through perspective and research, of the greatest games in Cleveland Browns history. And yes, there have indeed been fifty. In fact, the deeper I delved into the project, the more I realized this collection could have easily swelled to 100 or more.
In my mind, any team that has played at least fifty games technically can have a list of its fifty greatest games. You don’t have to earn the right. Granted, not all such countdowns would be all that interesting to read. The Browns’ list, conversely, is quite impressive and, hopefully, will be interesting to read—sort of a patchwork narrative of the team’s enchanting history. That’s one of the most wonderful things about sports: no matter how good or bad your team is, it has a history. And each game—good, bad, or ugly—is another chapter to that story. And, if we’re lucky, it also becomes another memorable chapter in our own lives.
Accordingly, historical significance was the guidepost for this endeavor. Much like Deep Throat’s cryptic guidance to Bob Woodward in All the President’s Men , I tried to “follow the history.” There was no formula for determining this list, no scoring system designed to deem one game greater than another. To be sure, the majority of the games at the top of the list were generally playoffs or championships, hence giving them more weight. Nor does this list represent the fifty most exciting games the Browns have ever played. While I hope there’s a natural parallel there, this list is based more on relevance than last-second field goals or fourth-quarter comebacks. Hopefully, each story will testify to its respective game’s placement on the list, and even if you don’t agree with where it’s been placed, you’ll be able to appreciate why.
I certainly don’t expect you to agree with each selection. There are games it simply broke my heart not to include. Conversely, there undoubtedly are contests on this list you’ll feel don’t belong. My mission is not to get you to concur, but rather to discuss. My hope is that this book—and the Indians and Cavaliers versions to follow—will launch debates across dinner tables and through commercial breaks for years to come. Maybe it can serve as a bridge between generations, further strengthening the bond of Cleveland’s teams between parents and children who may not have too many other bonds to fall back upon. And in so doing, each time family or friends gather together to watch these beloved teams becomes its own wonderfully memorable moment.
For many longtime sports fans, significant moments in their lives and significant moments on the playing field become intertwined—with one making the other a bit more meaningful. For example, let me relate my own experience from one of the more recent games in this collection.
We flew to New England in September 2007 for a family wedding on a gorgeous bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean that made us all feel like the Kennedys gathering for a clambake at Hyannis Port. Naturally, with most of the guests from Cleveland, the flow of conversation eventually turned to the sorry state of the Browns, who were six days removed from an embarrassing opening-day loss to Pittsburgh and the twenty-two-minute Charlie Frye era at quarterback. With the Browns set to play Cincinnati—a team they always struggled with—the next day, the topic of discussion certainly wasn’t whether the Browns could win. Everyone was guessing at what point in the game rookie quarterback Brady Quinn would take over for Charlie Frye–doppelganger Derek Anderson—and on a broader scale, whether head coach Romeo Crennel would last until Halloween.
Our flight back didn’t take off until the next evening, so we had a few hours to kick around Boston on Sunday afternoon. My brother-in-law, wife, four-year-old son, and I decided to take a tour of Fenway Park, which, though it meant nothing at the time, began at 1 p.m.—the same time the Browns and Bengals were kicking off. As we followed our guide around the ballpark, listening to stories about the Red Sox and the haunted grounds they called home, something strange was going on in Cleveland. I first caught wind of it when I glanced at a television screen hanging in one of the empty Fenway concourses and saw the score. The Browns were winning, 20–14, in the second quarter. I was instantly puzzled. After what had happened the previous week, I didn’t think the Browns would score twenty points all year. How could this be happening?
Just as we left Fenway, my son—who had been a trouper all weekend—fell asleep in my arms, and we began the long trek back across Beantown. As we le