This was as clean a pic as I could find. (via www.waitingfornextyear.com)
**WARNING: LONG**
I tried my best to keep my feelings put aside for this. You have no idea how hard this was.
Sports will always be business. Art Modell taught me this lesson. Dollars and cents and bottom lines matter more than a city full of passionate fans.
How did this situation get to this point? It is a long story, that goes way back.
Up until 1973, Cleveland Stadium was owned by the city of Cleveland. The problem was that the stadium was expensive to operate and maintain and the city of Cleveland needed help. Art Modell offered the city of Cleveland a deal. Modell's new company, Stadium Corporation, would lease Cleveland Stadium from the city, for $1 dollar per year. Modell would then sublease the stadium to the two teams that played there, his own Cleveland Browns, and the Cleveland Indians.
The city of Cleveland accepted the deal. Art Modell now not only owned the Browns, but he also owned the home of the Cleveland Indians, for nothing more than a dollar a year and operating costs. This deal gave Modell a lot of power in the city of Cleveland.
Modell did some good things with the stadium. He added a huge electronic scoreboard in the end zone above the Dawg Pound. He also built luxury boxes around the stadium. He added advertisements (look at the above link) all over the stadium. All of these were bringing in money for Modell.
This deal looked great for everyone, except the Cleveland Indians.
Stadium Corp. was the Indians landlord. If the Indians needed something in their locker room, they had to ask Modell. If they needed a new batting cage at the ball park, it was up to Modell. Modell didn't care if the Indians needed something, they weren't his team. Additions to the Indians clubhouse were minimal. It was like a scene from the movie Major League, just without a naked Cerrano. The Indians had one of the worst clubhouses in all the MLB. The Indians believed that this was a major reason that they were unable to attract any big time free agents.
For example, starting in 1974 Stadium Corp booked a mid-summer outdoor rock concert, called the World Series of Rock, to be played on the Indians home field. Modell collects a ton of money for tickets and concessions from the rock concert, and the Indians receive nothing more than a field destroyed by a rock show that was held on the infield. Yes, Stadium Corp. did some repairs, but if you have ever been to a rock concert, you have some idea on how poor of condition the field was in. (Maybe they should have hired these guys. NSFW)
But this wasn't the biggest issue with Indian owners. Art Modell was collecting the money from the Indians luxury boxes. People were paying Modell to watch the Indians! Modell tried to explain that the luxury boxes weren't profitable because Modell financed their construction with loans that carried prevailing high interest rates, even though he never proved that this was true. In other words, Modell didn't want to share the money raised by the luxury boxes because he made a poor business decision! How that makes any sense, only Modell knows.
Modell was sitting on a golden goose. He was paying rent as the owner of the Browns to himself. He was collecting rent on the Indians with the bonus of the luxury boxes on top. He was getting money from the NFL's TV deals (in 1990 the NFL signed a 900 million dollar a year deal with ABC, CBS, ESPN, NBC, and TNT). All Modell was paying was to upkeep the stadium (a dump) and the costs and salaries of the Browns (Just to give you and idea, Joe Montana signed a 3 year 10 million dollar deal in 1993. In other words, Modell should have had money everywhere.)
The Indians had grown tired of Modell's penny pinching ways. Dick Jacobs, the Indians owner since '86, and Gordon Gund, the Cavs owner, went to the city of Cleveland and asked for new stadiums. In May of 1990 the Cuyahoga County voters approved of a 15 year "sin tax" on cigarettes and alcohol (That's right, if you buy a pack of smokes in the 'Hoga before 2005, you helped pay for those two stadiums). Cleveland's sports teams all played in outdated dumps, and the city wanted to fix this.
Enter Gateway Sports and Entertainment Group (GSEG).
The GSEG appointed a nine member board, with Thomas V. Chema named as executive director. This groups job was to allocate money in order to build new sporting venues in the downtown Cleveland area.
It wasn't just for the Cavs and Indians. The GSEG approached Art Modell about building a new Cleveland Browns stadium. In fact, the land on which Progressive Field sits was originally supposed to be for the new Browns Stadium. Here the city was offering to build him a stadium in which he would have to pay NOTHING to get.
Modell wouldn't have it. Modell wanted to own the stadium. He wanted the people of Cleveland to pay for a stadium that he would own. I can't fathom a reason why he expected Cleveland to accept those terms. GSEG told Modell that his terms were not going to make it.
Modell believed that he would be fine without the Indians. This couldn't have been further from the truth. Modell had a stadium that just had 81 nights open up. Stadium Corps luxury box revenues went into the crapper, and with a stadium empty night in and night out during the summer, Modell's money evaporated before his eyes.
Modell needed help and he needed it quickly. He now had an empty and old stadium that was in need of repairs and refurbishing that he could not afford. He reached out to the city of Cleveland and asked for help. In '73 the city of Cleveland needed help, now it was flipped. The city of Cleveland approved a 10 year extension of the sin tax. It had to be voted on, but no one in their right mind thought that the people of Cleveland wouldn't pass the motion. Modell was promised $175 million dollars, which was almost equal to the amount of money that GSEG put aside for Gund Arena and Jacobs Field combined (Jacobs cost $128 million, and Gund cost $75 million).
All the sudden Modell would not discuss the future of his team. He wouldn't discuss the stadium. Nothing. He went into lock down mode. The vote for Modell to get his money was in the near future, yet you couldn't get a peep out of Modell. Modell said that the moratorium on the talks until after the season were because he wanted to focus on football, but that he would continue talks after the season.
There was another reason. Modell was in secret negotiations with the state of Maryland to move the Browns to Baltimore for the '96 season. Baltimore had been without an NFL team since '84 when the Colts went to Indy in the dark of the night. One of the most outspoken owners against the Colts moving to Indy was, you guessed it, Art Modell. Modell also voted against Al Davis being allowed to move Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles. But when it came to saving his own ass, loyalty didn't apply to Modell.
The week before the City of Cleveland was to vote the referendum giving Modell $175 Million, Modell announced that he had struck a deal to move the Browns. Starting with the '96 season, Modell would be the owner of the Baltimore Browns. The deal Modell took was great for him. He was promised a $200 million dollar stadium to be built by the state, state paid improvements to Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, which would be the Ravens home field for the next two seasons, and to top it all off, Art Modell was given $75 Million dollars for "moving expenses". Everyone knew that the moving expenses was pretty much a nice little thank you to Art. The number thrown around is that Art cleared $50 million, but nothing has been proven.
Many people believed that the timing of Art's announcement was to try and sway the people of Cleveland to vote down the proposed tax addition. He could then claim that the Cleveland wasn't willing to help him in getting a new stadium which would help him in convincing the other NFL owners to allow him to move. Never mind that Modell himself was the one who walked from GSEG. The people of Cleveland went out the following week and overwhelming passed the sin tax extension. The people of Cleveland answered Modell's financial S.O.S. Modell didn't care, he had a sweetheart of a deal from Baltimore.
Fans were outraged. They sued everyone they could. They protested. It didn't matter. The city of Cleveland did have one major win. We kept the history of the Cleveland Browns. We kept the colors. We kept what made the Browns, THE Browns. Honestly back then, it seemed like a small win for a city that was losing its football team. It laid the groundwork of similar deals that has kept the "Sonics" name, logo and history in Seattle. The Twins were forced to agree to a similar deal when they agreed to move into Target Field this season. City of Cleveland was promised a franchise in the near future, be it a expansion or another existing franchise.
If your asking why the NFL didn't step in, it's because the only people who benefited from this move more than Art Modell was the NFL. The NFL, and it's owners had the city of Cleveland in their back pocket. Any city that wanted a new stadium, just had to drop the hint of relocating to Cleveland. Cleveland was used in the shakedown of numerous cities. You see a new stadium that was built in the past 10-15 years, you can thank Cleveland for that. The NFL had all of these great new stadiums at a cost of zero to them or their owners. While the owners may have said that they were against the Browns moving, behind it all, owners like Robert Kraft were taking notes on how to get shiny new stadiums for free. The rich were getting richer and the gaping hole in Cleveland was a major influence.
All that was left was the vote of the owners. Many owners spoke out against the move. Some people thought that the move would be voted down due to the outrage of fans and media. Modell needed 23 out of the 30 owners to give him a yes. Three owners abstained from the vote, and two owners voted against the move. Ralph Wilson, who was considered one of Art Modell's closest friends in football, voted against him because Modell never gave the Browns a chance to match the offer he got from Baltimore. I am a Steeler hater, but I have the utmost respect for the Rooney family. They voted against the move of the Browns and handed out black armbands to their fans at the last Browns game in Pittsburgh. The fans gave a standing ovation to the Browns players when they were introduced. That is why the Browns-Steelers is the greatest NFL rivalry in the NFL. When the dust cleared, Modell had enough votes to move the Browns.
With the league approval, nothing else stood in Modell's way. He offered excuses on why the move was made but they were all flimsy (his family wouldn't be able to pay the estate tax when he died, etc.) and proved to be false. Money mattered, and Modell was getting it in spades from Baltimore. That's all that mattered. He was broke because he couldn't manage his money. The NFL forced (FORCED!) Modell to sell part of his team because he was in poor financial condition. He was so poor at managing his money, that the NFL was taking away his toy. On March 27th, 2000, Art Modell sold 49% of the Ravens to Steve Bisciotti. Bisciotti had the option to buy the other 51% for $325 million in 2004, which he did. On April 9th, 2004, Art Modell was no longer a part of the NFL. He didn't even last 10 years in Baltimore.
I could have gone into more, what was Al Lerner's role in this whole thing? Was he promised a franchise if he played along, why fly Modell to Baltimore, etc. But this is so much longer than I thought originally. If I left anything out, and I am sure I did, please feel free to add to this in the comments, and correct me if I got anything incorrect (I did so much of this from memory and facts about the move are far, few and in between.)
I wrote this from a neutral point of view as much as I could. But this part is from me the Browns fan. Modell screwed me. He robbed me of my favorite thing as a kid, watching the Cleveland Browns with my father. Sundays weren't the same from '96-'98. We tried, but it just hurt. Modell was a bad business man and the people who paid most were people like my father and I. Modell could have just sold the Browns to someone who would have kept the team in Cleveland, but Art was always too proud for that. The only way he would no longer be an owner of an NFL team was either death or the NFL would have to step in. When it is all said and done, I hope that Art enjoys his money, because the move should cost Modell a shot at Canton. Art Modell isn't a Hall of Famer, and he sure as hell isn't a Cleveland Brown.
4 recs | 216 comments
cheers
Good history, I really heard very little about the wheeling & dealing at the time
LondonBrown - January 22, 2010
Nice part of are history! I still recall sitting in Japan on my first Ship when I got the news 5 days latter about the Browns move.Though my friend was telling me a lie and I did not buy it till he showed me the news paper.I wanted to kick,punch or just tear something up.But I sat down and cried like a little boy who dog was just took out back and shot.
Brownsfan4ever - January 22, 2010
I think it´s extraordinary that there is only one person to blame.
Anyhow, it´s good we got a new team to contend with all the history, that stuff seems to weigh hard on Clevelanders.
Nice summary.
mooncamping - January 22, 2010
Well, I suppose it’s good they are competing with something, I guess
johnnyphoenix - January 22, 2010
Don’t know what’s sadder. The picture or the story.
Thanks for this.
skipkirk - January 22, 2010
On top of putting the stadium where Jacob’s Field is, they also wanted it domed so we could host Super Bowls and bring in extra money. Also, the fact that it was in mid city kept lake effects a non factor even if it was un – domed.
R.I.P. Art Modell. As far as I’m concerned, he’s already dead.
SpecialBrownie - January 22, 2010
I hope you meant “rest in pieces”, he deserves to be torn asunder by a pack of “wild dawgs”.
North Coast Flea - January 22, 2010
Expletive
danvail - January 22, 2010
Deleted
bross09 - January 22, 2010
For the post-Modell fans
I’d just like to add the disclaimer that some of the fans who became fans after Modell moved the team, like myself, have done a fair bit of research into the whole thing prior to this piece.
The only logical conclusion I think anyone can draw is that Modell is a chump. Anyone depriving Cleveland of a football team is a chump, period, but Modell in particular sticks out.
On that note, anyone who can recommend a good book on the subject, I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts.
Many thanks for this post.
Terrible Terry Tate - January 22, 2010
Never Read A Book About The Move...
That would be too painful and annoying.
But if you want a Browns-related book that will make you feel good (until the end), I recommend “Kardiac Kids”
http://www.amazon.com/Kardiac-Kids-Story-Cleveland-Browns/dp/0873387619/ref=cm_lmf_tit_12
Pruitt - January 22, 2010
No book on the move either...
I do highly suggest “When All The World Was Browns’ Town.” The story about when we won the championship. It’s a pretty incredible book.
jharbdo - January 22, 2010
Great book is Terry Pluto’s “False Start”. I liked it and its a quick read. IKts partly about the move and partly about how the NFL screwed the New Browns from jump street.
More in depth is "glory for Sale’. Its an excellent book, but it WILL piss you off.
http://www.amazon.com/Glory-Sale-Inside-Browns-Baltimore/dp/096312465X/ref=pd_sim_b_2
BringBackKosar - January 22, 2010
Yep
good book. How the Browns had 11 months to put a team on the field, but the biggest blow was the lack of drafting by Policy and Clark.
Grockcubs - January 23, 2010
I think the most amazing thing I witnessed through this was seeing the Old stadium stripped of billboards and advertisements…. All the sponsors pull there ads … all you saw was black.. Truely amazing..
It was a dark day in Cleveland sports.. But turned to be a bright spot for the city of Cleveland. We fought the NFL and got our team back.. in 5 years no less!! And we didn’t have to steal a team to come back (jab at Baltimore)… For that I’m proud.
I also cringe every time the national media talk about how poor Baltimore had there team taken from them without mentioning how they did the exact same thing to us.
But 10 years later.. were here.. and were getting better…
Locnar - January 22, 2010
Yes ....it was a dark day
I lived in Colorado at the time and used to go a local sports bar with NFL Sunday ticket to watch the games….us Browns fans would get jeered with insults about the Batimore Browns,etc. It sucked beyond words
I visited my brother in Jacksonville and went to last game Browns game that season. Hundreds of Browns fans ringed the stadium asking the Jacksonville fans to sign a petiton to force the NFL to get our team back. I was so proud of those guys. They were’nt going to go down without a fight! I beleive that pressure worked.
Juannieboy - January 22, 2010
Gosh....Art really was a piss poor businessman...
in additon, I seem to remember he bought some property in or near Strongsville to build a new stadium at one time. He purchased it himself and “sold” it to his Stadium Corp. at a much higher price to …you guessed it ….enrich himself. I may be wrong on some of the details but he than used this to “prove” how much money he was losing.
Art was and will always remain an asshole of epic proportions. This is why it is important to keep him out of the NFL Hall of Fame. He deserves scorn, if anything, and certainly not acclaim
Juannieboy - January 22, 2010
I don’t even know why he would be up for the hall of fame in the first place. Enlighten me, anybody? I honestly don’t know.
All I heard before this was that Modell moved the team because he wasn’t making any money. To which I remember one commentator saying, “If you arn’t making money with an NFL team, then you’re pretty bad at this business” or something along those lines.
BrownDawg1409 - January 22, 2010
Modell’s “claim” for the HOF falls on two things. First, he and Rooney were the leaders in the AFL/NFL merger by “switching” leagues to even out the conferences. Second, he was either the Committee Chair, or on the Committee for all of the early TV deals/revenue sharing that created the health of the league.
talonk - January 22, 2010
thanks for a great write-up of an awful story. i never really understood all of the fine details, which you have explained brilliantly. all i know is that it hit me like a ton of bricks and hurt like hell. i’m not sure how any of us that were old enough to remember what modell did could ever forgive him, even if we tried,
Dawg Nuts - January 22, 2010
Never will, won’t ever try!
RelapsingDawgCatcher - January 24, 2010
2nded
North Coast Flea - January 25, 2010
Great write up. Many thanks.
That part about Ralph Wilson and the Rooney family voting against the move is really something.
One thing I noticed: I don’t think Patriots owner Robert Kraft got what is now Gillette Stadium for free; in fact, he helped finance its construction. I think the point about owners twisting cities’ arms, however, still stands.
Western Reserve - January 22, 2010
So that announcement of the move to Connecticut was in my imagination
Ghost of Bill Wirtz - January 24, 2010
I also remember the Bills supporting us Browns fans by having a game once a year while we were without a team devoted to the DAWG POUND and Browns fans… that was class!
I also remember Art’s son swearing a few weeks before the move that he would never move the team… FLAT OUT LIE!@
Locnar - January 22, 2010
This is why I do root for the bills a bit now. Plus I live in buffalo. Ralph wilson is one of the classiest owners in the league
bross09 - January 22, 2010
Is Art Modell dead yet? Would it be wrong to throw a party when he finally does keel over?
In all seriousness, thanks for the writeup. I always knew I’m supposed to hate Art Modell’s very existence since I am a Browns fan, but it’s good to know why.
Can we expect a Pt. 2 about the things that you didn’t put in here? Stuff about Lerner’s part and everything? I really like these articles about Browns history… Let’s keep them coming!
shep615 - January 22, 2010
It’s not wrong to throw a party
bross09 - January 22, 2010
definitely not wrong to throw a party. if he doesn’t deserve respect in life he doesn’t deserve respect dead either.
notthatnoise - January 22, 2010
death of art modell will be 2nd happiest day in browns history
after when we win the superbowl, of course
Manoovi - January 22, 2010
i only want him to live so he can see a browns superbowl
Manoovi - January 22, 2010
Good article.
I would make a roadtrip to piss on Art’s grave if he took away Browns time from me and my son.
I also want to hear the definitive story behind Lerner’s culpability regarding the move.
Something still smells fishy to me. The ‘AL’ on the jersey sleeve reminds me of this, which is why I want it removed.
Has the Cuyahoga County sin tax expired, or is it the gift that keeps on giving?
tribe71 - January 22, 2010
I’ve found myself not wanting the Steelers to lose in some postseason situations since Rooney voted against the move.
tribe71 - January 22, 2010
screw modell… i hear we are signing browns.. why not an article on our realistic chances of winning a super bowl? or at least going to the playoffs next year?
Tom Bloom - January 22, 2010
not browns I MEANT CRIBBS!.. freudian slip i guess.. when i think the browns, i think cribbs.. and vice versa
Tom Bloom - January 22, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Qa9hlVB-Q
Tom Bloom - January 22, 2010
Awesome. Some of this stuff was new to me but only strengthened my hatred for the Ravens.
Villeslgr - January 22, 2010
here is browns history
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6cCXNBeVfc
Tom Bloom - January 22, 2010
LOVE it! Is it just me, or does Jim Brown not look all that fast? I loved watching this… I think I saw him breaking ever single fundamental rule I was taught in high school football. Follow the blockers, always run north and south, don’t leave your feet, all that. But this guy was still a MONSTER. I love how half of the plays on this video show 5 or 6 people trying to take him down and he wasn’t having it.
Forget AP and LT, Jim Brown is still the best.
shep615 - January 22, 2010
i totally agree, he is almost like cribbs in the fact that you can’t just arm tackle him.. either way, brown completely blows past four people up the middle at the 2:00-2:10 in the video.. he will forever be the greatest running back in history
Tom Bloom - January 22, 2010
Most of the highlights we slowed down do you can see all the action. You have to watch his speed relative to the other players.
danvail - January 22, 2010
Barry sanders didn’t follow the blockers either and didn’t run north or south…granted he would get tackled behind the line all the time.
He doesn’t look that fast, but supposedly, in his prime, brown ran a 4.4 40 flat.
bross09 - January 22, 2010
I wouldn’t put too much faith in Brown’s 40 time. The sundials they used in his day weren’t all that accurate.
golanbatrac - January 22, 2010
Did they even have electricity back then?
Roger Dorn - January 22, 2010
…Duh.
SpecialBrownie - January 22, 2010
I know that isn’t everything but he still was extremely fast.
bross09 - January 22, 2010
- Jim Brown looked very fast to me.
- He followed blockers very well, but he had the vision and the foresight to know when to make a cutback or a move outside.
- When did he leave his feet.
- AP and LT aren’t in the top 15, in my opinion.
Ryan Kelsey - January 23, 2010
I’d put Barry Sanders number 2 after Jimbo.
Roger Dorn - January 23, 2010
I’d put Sanders ahead of Brown.
golanbatrac - January 24, 2010
FLAG.
Bernie19Kosar - January 24, 2010
Rec for flag.
rufio - January 24, 2010
that better be sarcastic
notthatnoise - January 24, 2010
Is there a different Sanders or a different Brown you are talking about? Cause Barry isn’t close to Jim.
Ryan Kelsey - January 24, 2010
Sanders did what he did without the benefit of a quality offensive line. Brown ran behind the best line in the league (a line that included Hall of Famer Gene Hickerson). That line blocked for three HOF backs (Brown, Leroy Kelly and Bobby Mitchell).
golanbatrac - January 24, 2010
there isn’t a word vulgar or hateful enough to describe what you’re saying right now.
Dawg Nuts - January 24, 2010
That the Browns had a ridiculously good offensive line?
golanbatrac - January 24, 2010
Barry Sanders did things no other human has been able to do to this point, and things that it looks like no human will ever do again.
That said, Jim Brown was a better back.
rufio - January 24, 2010
The difference between Barry Sanders and Jim Brown is that you could give it to Jim Browns on 3rd or 4th and 1 and know he was going to get the first down. Sanders was great but just had too many runs for negative yards. And he was often taken off the field on goal line situations because he wasn’t a good short yardage back. You can’t be the best running back in NFL history if you’re on the bench for 4th and goal from the 1. You just can’t.
Jim Brown played 9 seasons and led the league in rushing 8 times. Enough said.
Buckeye Brad - January 24, 2010
Brown played in a power offense his entire career. It was an offense built for short yardage. Sanders played in a run-and-shoot offense, and then a series of spread-like offenses for the remainder of his career. Not only did he not have an offensive line, he often didn’t have a fullback or a tight end, and never had a decent QB under center.
It’s not Sanders fault that Fontes often went 4 and 5 wide on third and two. That was the scheme. I’d like to see what Brown would do in similar circumstances — take away his o-line, tight ends and blocking backs and leave him as the sole focusof the entire defense. Despite Brown’s obvious skills, I don’t think he sniffs a thousand yards on any of those Lions teams.
golanbatrac - January 24, 2010
hickerson is one player…one player cannot block the whole D. sanders had 2 multiple pro bowlers.
bross09 - January 24, 2010
Brown was so physically talented that he would run for a thousand yards no matter who the blockers were. He simply dominated over other players of his time.
Buckeye Brad - January 24, 2010
I don’t see it. In the three years following Brown’s retirement, Leroy Kelly led the league in rushing twice and in TDs 3 times. Brown’s numbers were better on average than Kelly, but not by much (outside of 1963). Add to that the fact that Bobby Mitchell only had a single season under 5.4 yards/carry as Brown’s number two from ‘58 – ’61, and I’d assume that the Browns had a pretty good line, and whatever stats Brown put up running behind that line would be better than had he run behind a less talented line.
golanbatrac - January 24, 2010
or maybe leroy kelly and bobby mitchell were also good.
Kelly was still great after starters on that O-Line retired. Mitchell was still good when he went to the redskins…
bross09 - January 26, 2010
this is completely false that he had no quality offensive line. he had 2 pro bowlers. take away hickerson and take away the 2 pro bowlers (who went quite a few times) and you have very similar O-Lines. also, O-Lines were much smaller than they were today. yes D-Lines were too but the size of defensive lineman was quite a bit bigger back then, whereas D-Lineman were more even size.
D-Lineman back then were mostly all around 270 pounds. the biggest O-Lineman then were about 250. yes you have nose tackles, but besides them, the O-Lineman nowadays are actually a bit bigger than the D-Lineman. also, the Linebackers were the same size then. the average weight was about 230 pounds and about 6-2 feet tall. linebackers today might average out a little under 240 but not much higher than that.
bross09 - January 24, 2010
Damn, he made those defenders look like fools!
emily522 - January 22, 2010
Simply the best ever. He could play in any era. Nine years of excellence. The young back today have no idea what this guy was all about. LT made a nice tribute, but for the most part the backs today could not hold his jock.
Grockcubs - January 23, 2010
No back will ever be able to do the things he did ever again. The disparity between Jim Brown and the average NFL defender was just enormous. Today, everyone in the NFL is a freak athlete, so no one has a chance at that kind of disparity.
There might be some guys who are as big and as fast as Brown was, but no one will be as much bigger or as much faster.
rufio - January 24, 2010
at the same time, the Defense, compared to some of the players size on the offense, was much bigger.
Paul hornung was considered a bruising fullback and he was 6-2 215. that is average size now for a back. the average size of a D lineman at the time was about 260-270 pounds. the O-Line was probably on average about 245 pounds and the best were a little over 250. that disparity does not exist anymore. the linebackers pretty much averaged about weighting 225-230 pounds. I would say that your average LB now would not be more than 240.
yes he was big but he would still be amazing now. he might not be as amazing but he would still be pretty damn good. to get an Idea of how it really has changed though, if someone had that superior of a skill set as a RB they would have brandon jacob’s body with LTs agility and speed.
bross09 - January 24, 2010
Couple of my favorites from that video:
- at 1:51, wide toss able to fight for the TD
- at 2:24, beautiful catch and run for a huge gain and TD. Also, I’m pretty sure he waves at the defender trying to catch him near the goal line. Awesome.
Ryan Kelsey - January 23, 2010
Ha I just read some of the comments about the Bills and thought it funny in lieu of Savages’s statements.
Villeslgr - January 22, 2010
The Move!
Ugh, it brings back some pain. A buddy and I had season tickets for years, working our way finally to the seats we wanted, 2nd row Dawg Pound, right behind Big Dog. The guy moved to Vegas, left the tickets to me and another buddy to have and the 95 season was our 1st in the pound. WHen this went down….my gosh. The last game, Hammerin Hank was right there, talking with me, that little guy that used to be on ESPN interviewed a bunch of us. I litterally was speachless the entire game. All signage was down. Some bogus message came over the score board, I forget the words, but it was to thank the fans for their support, blah blah. The place was almost dangerous. People didn’t want to leave the place. Model…..couldn’t run the business and he failed, we lost our team. The politico’s did kind of screw him(read <emFumble by Mike Poplar) but he was just a poor business man and judge of talent. I do beleive he always did what He thought was best to win but he just screwed the whole thing up. The only Championship he won was with Paul Browns players, system, asst coaches, etc. Marty did more with less, same as Sam. The only coach after Brown to have all control was Billy boy and Andre Rison was the final straw that broke the bank. Modell’s gread and management team cost us dearly. That talent judge fool Lombardi, and the more of an idiot Jim Baily, helped screw us. I did a study a couple years ago to find out about a local radio personalities comment that the attendance was bad. And if I remember correctly, the Browns averaged at or over 72 thous for a span of like 15 years, the years after he took control of the stadium. The reporter was wrong. Model forgets all this. We got screwed by all of them in the know. And NO! No way…..how does someone like that even get into the Hall of Fame? He did nothing. And if it wasn’t his, another owners name would have been on the first big TV contract that we always hear about when they talk about Art. What a joke. Then of all people, he ends up winning a Super Bowl in Balt. UGH. And Ozzie riding on his coat tails. Ole Ozzie must not be too confident in his abilities. He could have came to the Browns 1st chance he had but he stays there so he’s done for me. People say " Oh….its a job for him, he wouldn’t have gotten another chance elsewhere, blah blah blah. To me…he’s a traitor. And all the suck ups who tried to get jobs there, like Top Dawg and Byner, and any of the others. Done with them too as former players. The move had such a trickle down effect. We need to win soon. I love the Browns.
ravenhater - January 22, 2010
Remember: Art was never a Clevelander. He is from Brooklyn (makes me a touch ashamed as I live there now) and could never understand what it means to be from Cleveland. Dante should have a circle of Hell reserved just for Irsay, Donald Sterling and Modell . . .
Les Fleurs Du Mal - January 22, 2010
Nice throwing D. Sterling in there!!! +1!!!!
cboldt12 - January 22, 2010
Thanks for putting this together. Nice Job
Red-Right-88 - January 22, 2010
Great Read
I loved all of it. Unlike some of the people I did know a fair amount about it. It still makes me sad every time I read it. I think I read somewhere about all these kind of transactions (only paying a dollar in rent, the field being torn up). I didn’t realize however it was that bad of a deal for the indians.
Art modell Reminds me of George Bluth Sr. from Arrested Development. While George was more crooked they were still corrupt businessmen who ended up having no money.
Modell did all these things to pocket cash and he was still losing money.
bross09 - January 22, 2010
Anyone care to pass this on to Bruce Raffel? Because this is what I was trying to explain to him when he was over here goading us earlier this season.
This is the history that he chose not to hear and why we despise the Ravens franchise like we do.
talonk - January 22, 2010
Let’s just let that be. Maybe if he comes back, but I like it better when he stays at his own site.
rufio - January 22, 2010
yeah, I know you are correct. Thi spost was exactly what I was trying to convey to Bruce last time.
Maybe when he comes back next season, we can just link it for him.
talonk - January 22, 2010
Bruce Raffel.
Knnejerk reaction. Threw up in my mouth a little.
Kind of like:
‘Rexx!’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5IWHt4OoNk&feature=PlayList&p=309137F800080A2A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=43
johnnyphoenix - January 22, 2010
I’m actually really glad that you posted this! Being born in ’92 I was four, I think, when the move happened. I hate the Ravens (and Modell) but not as much as some of the older fans.
I haven’t read the article yet since I’m just quickly checking for updates here, but I will read it soon. Looking forward to it.
emily522 - January 22, 2010
Just finished reading it. Wow, Modell sounds like a real scumbag.
emily522 - January 22, 2010
I still can’t believe people born in the 90s are already adults.
rufio - January 24, 2010
only people from the very early 90’s are adults, but I understand your disbelief.
notthatnoise - January 24, 2010
Like me. Haha
SpecialBrownie - January 24, 2010
me too…
btw, good game in Basketball (kent…)
bross09 - January 24, 2010
It boggles the mind.
golanbatrac - January 24, 2010
Yeah, I’m teaching high school students who were born in 1995. I still remember the ‘95 Indians like it was last week, and it’s crazy to think that some of them weren’t even born then.
Buckeye Brad - January 24, 2010
Less than 4 months to go for me! Haha.
emily522 - January 24, 2010
Sweet write up B19K.
No worries, it wasn’t that long.
Brownie's Year - January 22, 2010
Really well done.
Avindian - January 22, 2010
I’ll repeat the thought: these historical perspectives make for fantastic reads. It’s really great to learn about this stuff.
Do one on the Sipe era, I don’t know crap about that.
danvail - January 22, 2010
Neither do I. I didn’t know of Sipe until about a year ago. I only thought Graham and Kosar were the franchise QBs of the Browns.
SpecialBrownie - January 22, 2010
Kosar came in when Danielson went down. the rest is history
wbaron - January 22, 2010
While Danielson started the first 5 games of 1985, am pretty sure Kosar was supposed to become the starter that season at some point.
Here is the actual starting QBs:
1946-1955 Otto Graham; Cliff Lewis 6, George Ratterman 1
1956-1957 Tommy O’Connell; George Ratterman 4, Babe Parilli 3, Milt Plum 3
1958-1961 Milt Plum; Len Dawson 1
1962-1967 Frank Ryan; Jim Ninowski 5, Gary Lane 1
1968-1971 Bill Nelson; Frank Ryan 3, Mike Phipps 2, Don Gault 1
1972-1975 Mike Phipps; Bill Nelson 1, Brian Sipe 6, Will Cureton 1
1976-1983 Brian Sipe; Mike Phipps 2, Dave Mays 4, Terry Luck 1, Paul McDonald 5
1984 Paul McDonald
1985-1991 Bernie Kosar; Gary Danielson 8, Jeff Christensen 2, Mike Pagel 7, Don Strock 2
1992 Mike Tomczak; Bernie Kosar 7, Todd Philcox 1
1993-1995 Vinnie Testeverde; bernie Kosar 6, Todd Philcox 4, Mark Rypien 3, Eric Zeier 4
1999, 2001-2002 Tim Couch; Ty Detmer 2, Kelly Holcomb 2
2000 Doug Pederson; Tim Couch 7, Spergon Wynn 1
2003 Kelly Holcomb; Tim Couch 8
2004 Jeff Garcia; Luke McCown 4, Kelly Holcomb 2
2005 Trent Dilfer; Charlie Frye 5
2006 Charlie Frye; Derek Anderson 3
2007-2008 Derek Anderson; Charlie Frye 1, Brady Quinn 3, Ken Dorsey 3, Bruce Gradowski 1
2009 Brady Quinn; Derek Anderson
talonk - January 22, 2010
good grief.
Dawg Nuts - January 22, 2010
Haha.
emily522 - January 22, 2010
That’s a kind way of saying that.
danvail - January 23, 2010
lol…I love looking back and seeing how much wer played myke phipps…
now he was a bustr…..
bross09 - January 23, 2010
Just a follow up to the history lesson. I noticed I didn’t include total starts for the starters, just the backups who played a few games.
Here is the full list of starts, including playoffs:
Graham 126
Sipe 112
Kosar 112
Ryan 79
Couch 59
Nelson 55
Plum 54
Phipps 53
Anderson 34
Testeverde 33
McDonald 22, Frye 19, O’Connell 14. Holcomb 13, Quinn 12, Dilfer 11, Ninowski 10, Garcia 10, Lewis 8, Danielson 8, Tomczak 8, Pagel 7, Ratterman 5, Philcox 5, Mays 4, Zeier 4, McCown 4, Parilli 3, Strock 3, Rypien 3, Dorsey 3, Christensen 2, Detmer 2, Dawson 1, Lane 1, Gault 1, Cureton 1, Luck 1, Wynn 1, Gradowski 1.
That is a total of 41 starting QBs.
Thanks to Football Reference.com for the info. One last note, for the inaugural season of 1946, FRef only provides starting QBs for 11 of the 14 games.
talonk - January 23, 2010
I totally forgot about Mark Rypien starting games for us.
Bernie19Kosar - January 23, 2010
I didn’t even know that happened.
danvail - January 23, 2010
Interesting that Sipe and Kosar started the exact same number of games for the Browns in their career. Also, HUGE dropoff after those top four.
Buckeye Brad - January 23, 2010
absolutely. 4 stars, a couple of “decents”, and a whole bunch of “mediocre at bests.”
Dawg Nuts - January 23, 2010
sadly phipps almost had as many starts as milt plum. people talk about how horrible DA was and couch being a bust but the first and worst browns QB bust was phipps…he was completely dreadful
bross09 - January 23, 2010
Most of my discussions with my dad were how much he hated Phipps as our QB.
talonk - January 25, 2010
yeah..
He was on a great team and was still horrible. for all the flack couch has gotten, at least he was mediocre. phipps was just horrible. 55 TDs and 108 INTs, 53 QB rating, a 48 completion %…those numbers are just dreadful. if DA performed slightly better than he did this year, and had a fairly long career (6 or so years starting) he would still be better than phipps. statistically, phipps is one of the worst QB.
He had much better players around him too…leroy kelly, greg pruitt, doug Deiken at tackle. he never got a chance to throw to Warfield (warfield left after ’69, phipps was drafted in ’70), but that would not have mattered.
Mike phipps singlehandedly brought down the franchise and set them back years. I was looking, and in ’72, the browns were 10-3 (with 1 tie). that year mike phipps had his best as a brown. he still completed less than 50% of his passes, had under a 62 QB rating, and threw for more INTs than TDs…imagine if we had sipe at that point at QB…we might have been able to win 3-4 more games…imagine that epic matchup in the SB with us and the ’72 dolphins.
bross09 - January 26, 2010
I can guarentee that the Browns wouldn’t have played the Dolphins in the Super Bowl in ’72 no matter who was playing quarterback.
Buckeye Brad - January 26, 2010
I wouldn’t bet against you on that one, Brad.
golanbatrac - January 26, 2010
Paul McDonald! Man, now there’s a name I’d forgotten….
RelapsingDawgCatcher - January 25, 2010
+1
emily522 - January 22, 2010
Sipe was a little like Brees. 13th round draft pick, smallish, great touch. Red 88 that was the play that will live for ever. The Kardiac Kids, fun team, threw the ball all over. Cold, really cold game and the lost to the Raiders, it sucked.
Grockcubs - January 23, 2010
Great write up sir. While it was a very painful read, you captured it perfectly.
Browns town - January 22, 2010
I find the idea of many fans becoming fans after the move interesting. I, for one, have had a hard time linking the two teams. Being a huge fan of the previous team…it’s been difficult to regain that same love for these guys. This isn’t just because of wins-losses…but also the type of players the teams have had…as well as the difference in atmosphere at the games. As much as I still love the Browns…the atmosphere down at the stadium just does NOT compare. In fact, I would say the old ‘muni’ had atmosphere….while this one is sterile. Antiseptic. Kind of, well, blah. This isn’t the fault of the fans who have bee amazing through everything. Could just be the changing of the times, rising prices, a generally crappy team…but I don’t know, as much as I still care about the Browns there’s an emotional attachment missing. SOmething i can’t uite put my finger on.
johnnyphoenix - January 22, 2010
The new stadium blows.
golanbatrac - January 22, 2010
Well, only because it’s state – of – the – “art” and family friendly right?
I agree that it should have been made in – city with a retractable dome.
SpecialBrownie - January 22, 2010
…is a term that should have never, ever been linked to ‘Cleveland Browns home game.’
The old stadium was under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian…
The new one is Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
It’s kind of like making a sequel to ‘Animal House’ and making it PG to attract a wider family audience.
Sacrilege.
johnnyphoenix - January 22, 2010
…but again…it’s not just that. It’s the players too. Not to say there haven’t been some decent guys on this team since ‘99 but the personality just doesn’t compare. We had a true ‘identity’ back then…now not so much. Hopefully it’ll come. Back in the day I really felt the team represented the city very, very well…these days it’s just kind of pieces-parts. They wear the same colors and are called the same, but that’s kinda it.
The icing on the cake was when they tried to ‘corporatize’ and trademark ‘Dawgs,’ and ‘Dawg Pound…’ I always felt like that (dawgs) was a moniker to be earned by attitude and performance…not a label to be applied simply because you happen to play for the Browns. It’s kind of like the black shirts and Nebraska’s defense. You have to earn that title, and if you don’t perform to the standard it’s taken away. That’s really how I wish it was…but oh well, there was money to be made…
johnnyphoenix - January 22, 2010
Frank Minnifield Started it by barking at us in the bleachers, we barked back and that’s how the dawg pound got its start.
A note, his son is i believe a sophomore at the University of Virginia (cavaliers) his name is chad, playes cornerback like the ole man
wbaron - January 22, 2010
I went looking for Chad Dixon tape and didn’t find any. I did find this bit about Dixon and Minnifield, though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUZwoG5zPeY&feature=youtube_gdata
golanbatrac - January 22, 2010
nice….
Imagine if we draft haden. with him and wright, we could have something similar in a few years.
bross09 - January 23, 2010
I boo you’re Dawg remarks. We are and forever will be known as the Dawgs.
Brownie's Year - January 22, 2010
Maybe the fans, but right about now the only thing that reminds me of the word ‘dawg’ is the shit on the field.
johnnyphoenix - January 22, 2010
The old stadium was both ‘family freindly’ and fan freindly. It was also in the perfect place and had the perfect configuration.
A dome in Cleveland? No thank you. The weather is part of the charm. If it’s a dome you want, go root for the Cowboys.
golanbatrac - January 22, 2010
Indoor football is the bane of my existence.
Roger Dorn - January 22, 2010
Agreed. Indoor football here would be akin to putting a dome on Lambeau. I always could not believe the Minnesota did it. There was no team in the 70s with a greater home field advantage due to whether than those 70s viking teams.
johnnyphoenix - January 22, 2010
…weather.
johnnyphoenix - January 22, 2010
Domes are like Viagra.
Les Fleurs Du Mal - January 22, 2010
PEDs?
Chief WaDrew - January 23, 2010
I thought he was being sarcastic about the dome thing.
johnnyphoenix - January 22, 2010
Well. That’s why I used the term retractable and a dome brings the benefit of hosting a SB. Which benefits the city’s wallet.
SpecialBrownie - January 22, 2010
PD did a pretty good series about the SB’s chances of coming to Cleveland. They did it back when Detroit had the game. Their conclusion is that Cleveland’s infrastructure probably would prevent it from coming here anyway (distance to the airport, hotel rooms, interstate setup, etc.).
Ryan Kelsey - January 22, 2010
Yeah, I think lack of hotel rooms would hurt Cleveland’s chances. I know that the Final Four has never been in Cleveland (never been in Ohio, actually) but have any of the four regional finals ever been in Cleveland? I don’t remember any in my lifetime. I know they’ve hosted some first and second round games but many cities do those. If they don’t have the infrastructure to host a regional site for the men’s b-ball tourney then they sure as heck won’t be able to host a Super Bowl.
Buckeye Brad - January 23, 2010
Exactly. The SB will never come to Cleveland, and not just because of the stadium.
danvail - January 23, 2010
Fan Friendly? Not if you were sitting in one of thousands of seats that had their view of the field blocked by a pole.
JB-Cleve - January 23, 2010
Yes, but like any good victims of Stockholm Syndrome, we loved that old s**thole anyway.
RelapsingDawgCatcher - January 25, 2010
domes suck.
Ryan Kelsey - January 22, 2010
It might help the atmosphere and mood if we won more often.
Western Reserve - January 22, 2010
I disagree. I think the new stadium is absolutely awesome.
It doesn’t have the character of the old place, and the atmosphere lately has been sterile, as johnny said.
But the stadium itself is pretty freaking cool.
Ryan Kelsey - January 22, 2010
I also think the concepts of comparing to the old stadium and the quality of the stadium should be kept separate.
Having only been to muni stadium as a young child, and for Indians games only, I don’t have any real baseline of comparison for the new stadium.
I for one, though, don’t really like the new stadium. It’s not just that it’s antiseptic (all new NFL stadiums are) or that drunken revelry is overly-policed (also true at any stadium), it’s just very generic to me. As much as I hate the Bengals, Paul Brown stadium is pretty sweet. Also, the location is just terrible. The wind in some sections makes it so you NEED to be hammered to stand it, and yet you aren’t allowed to be even if you can afford it.
danvail - January 23, 2010
Whoa. Paul Brown stadium sucks compared to Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Ryan Kelsey - January 23, 2010
Even being the person that said a dome is practical, I deem what Danvail has said as damning.
SpecialBrownie - January 23, 2010
I’ve been to both plenty of times, I really like PB stadium. Damn me if you will.
danvail - January 23, 2010
eh, I guess if a concrete jungle with green seats is your idea of a nice football stadium.
Oh well, time to watch UD. Go Flyers!
Ryan Kelsey - January 23, 2010
+1
The men’s rooms need troughs to facilitate throughput.
Both new stadiums need cigar smoke saturated wooden seats.
The youngsters don’t know what a game is supposed to smell like!
The ramps to the upper deck seem MUCH longer than the old stadium.
The security check is idiotic.
tribe71 - January 22, 2010
I do recall the stench of the trough style urinals at muni…. and I’m going to go ahead and side with individual urinals and Purell on this one.
danvail - January 23, 2010
winning will fix that for you
wbaron - January 22, 2010
Something is missing, I agree. The new stadium has no flair, no personality, (as stated below, “blows”!) however, although I’ve been a fan since the 70’s, there is something different about the relationship between the fans, and the team. I do believe it has to do with free agency, and the fact that there is a 3 year void in our recent history. As stated above, the players from the teams proir to 96, loved playing in Cleveland, and for the Browns, where now, it seems that most players just enjoy cashing their paychecks, getting their props, and crying about how the fans don’t support them because they didn’t play for Ohio State, (Hi Braylon!) or some B.S. like that. The players don’t care, and we the fans can sense this, so there isn’t to much attachment to the recent teams. Up until 96, I think every fan loved the players, and the players loved the fans. I just don’t see that connection anymore. Most of the players just love being in the spotlight, and don’t care where there playing, so long as they get paid, and shown their Props, Luv, and Respect. (Again, Hi Braylon!!) I think that if we had players who cared about playing for the fans, and the city of Cleveland, the fans would embrace these “New” Browns a little more.
cboldt12 - January 22, 2010
i think josh cribbs feels that way and plays that way. we need to keep him around here for his entire career.
Dawg Nuts - January 22, 2010
recced x10
North Coast Flea - January 23, 2010
Amen.
RelapsingDawgCatcher - January 25, 2010
This must have been 10x worse writing this without explitives than eating a pound of mayonnaise.
SpecialBrownie - January 22, 2010
but eating a pound of mayonnaise would still suck pretty bad.
notthatnoise - January 22, 2010
If this video ever gets made, I want it posted on cryingwhileeating.com. It’d be great.
Chief WaDrew - January 23, 2010
B19K, this is as good a sumary as one can ask for, remember it painfully.
wbaron - January 22, 2010
I was going to push my memory to the limit and write somethings from the old Browns but if you guys want to learn about the old Browns check this link out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Browns
also a little titbit, the Browns are not the first Cleveland Football team to leave the city; The Cleveland Rams went to LA and are now the St Louis Rams
wbaron - January 22, 2010
Ah yes…the good ole’ Cleveland Rams…
johnnyphoenix - January 22, 2010
This is indeed correct.
Hell. Football was started in Ohio. I just don’t see why the Browns have been desecrated like this for so long.
SpecialBrownie - January 22, 2010
Football totally did not start in Ohio bro.
Brownie's Year - January 23, 2010
Possibly you can say the sport truly became ‘American’ football from Rugby in Connecticut, hell even Pittsburgh …but the first Professional American Football league was The Ohio League…IN Canton.
johnnyphoenix - January 23, 2010
Harvard, Yale and Princeton dont count…that was far more rugby than American football.
johnnyphoenix - January 23, 2010
Professional football…and the type of game they play, specifically, WAS started in Ohio.
johnnyphoenix - January 23, 2010
wow, I did not know that.
/sarc
Brownie's Year - January 23, 2010
My apologies for totally missing the /sarc
johnnyphoenix - January 23, 2010
Ohio was certainly the epicenter of the start of professional football. Heck, the NFL started when the Ohio League got together with some teams from up-state New York and Chicago. The first champions were the Arkon Pros. 1920.
Ryan Kelsey - January 23, 2010
Fans faxing
Remember the faxing campaign? The Cleveland media published the fax numbers of all the NFL teams. I wrote my letter and faxed it to every number on the list. A couple of months later I saw my fax reprinted in Sport Illustrated. Bills owner Ralph Wilson was interviewed and referenced it. I thought that was cool but I was still too pissed off to get any satisfaction out of it.
Jngz - January 22, 2010
Modell elected to the Hall of Fame
I have told my friends that if Modell is ever elected to the Hall, I am going to coordinate an effort to keep a continuous chorus of boos raining down on his induction. From the time the presenter is introduced until the acceptance speech is over, I want several units of booers placed strategically around Fawcett Stadium continuously jeering. Just as one unit is finishing another starts up. It will be a precision offensive coming from all directions. They will never know what hit them. I am guessing he would likely have Ozzie Newsome as his presenter to help diffuse such a situation. Don’t get in our way Ozzie. We love you but we are going to boo your ass off too!
Jngz - January 22, 2010
NO MERCY FOR OZZIE
Brownie's Year - January 22, 2010
i’m in. that’s win-win; we ruin modell’s induction and get a trip to the hall of fame. great weekend.
Dawg Nuts - January 22, 2010
The city of Canton better put some plain clothes on any nearby Grassy Knolls, that’s for sure…
johnnyphoenix - January 22, 2010
I’ve literally already scoped Fawcett for Grassy Knolls as I only live 15 minutes away from Canton. It’s quite do – able.
SpecialBrownie - January 23, 2010
I’m with you. I this idea has potential. I’d be happy to sink whatever $ it takes to be a part of it.
shep615 - January 23, 2010
Ozzie is dead to me for following Art and leading that Baltimore team.
AND he should have gotten the job done on Red Right 88.
It wasn’t ALL Sipe’s fault!!!
tribe71 - January 22, 2010
One thing. . .
Excellent story, there was a lot of information in there that I didn’t know before. But one important thing that you did leave out is the fact that Modell grew up in Brooklyn, and was a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Those people were utterly heartbroken when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. This could be one of the reasons why Modell was so against the Colts and Raiders moving. But it still didn’t stop him. He was still happy to tear our team away from up like the Dodgers were torn from him.
duke4711 - January 22, 2010
those who are abused as children often become abusers as adults. maybe it was psychological for art. “i got screwed out of my childhood baseball team, i’ll screw cleveland out of its football team to make myself feel better.”
except i think art was an adult when the dodgers moved, plus my theory is completely baseless and senseless. otherwise, i might be on to something…
Dawg Nuts - January 23, 2010
From everything that I have read, Modell always spoke about the Dodgers moving and how it effected him.
Like Duke said, it was a major reason why Modell voted against teams moving.
But when it came down to Modell saving his own bacon, loyalty meant nothing.
Bernie19Kosar - January 23, 2010
Thanks for the article. I moved away from Cleveland in ‘81 and before the internet it was hard to get any information on the Browns in Florida. I got bits and pieces but never the whole story. Where I had no use for Modell, I really blamed the NFL for allowing the move to happen. Unfortunately in Cleveland we have seen way to many times when someone says it’s not about the money, It’s about the money. Jngz, you coordinate the booing sections and I’m in.
Crazy Ray - January 22, 2010
Two Important Words
You are forgetting two very important words: SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE
Normally one party can break a contract and pay monetary damages for the harm caused to the other party. This is what Modell planned to do. However, in the Browns’ lease with the city there was a “specific performance” clause that said that the Browns HAD to play in the stadium, that the damage caused by leaving would be irrepairable and therefore a lease buyout was not an option
There are two other important words you are forgetting: FRED NANCE
Based on the language in the lease, Nance was able to get an injunction that required the team to play in Cleveland for the remaining three years of their lease. This would have been disastrous for the Browns and for the NFL. They realized they were over a barrel, so the NFL caved and agreed to give Cleveland an expansion team and keep the Browns name and colors in Cleveland if the city agreed to let the Browns leave for Baltimore. The city agreed to build a new stadium. The NFL gave the city three years to build the stadium, and then the new Cleveland Browns were born.
It was during this three year period that, as you described, one team after another used the threat of moving to Cleveland to get a new stadium in their home city.
The city of Seattle had the same language in their contract with the Supersonics and were confident they would get the same result. News articles about their situation often mentioned what had happened with the Browns in Cleveland. Yet somehow Seattle lost their team with no promise of ever getting a new one.
JB-Cleve - January 23, 2010
Good info on the Nance angle.
Bernie19Kosar - January 23, 2010
I hate watching the zombie Sonics. It really sucks for Seattle that Durant is looking like one of the best young players in the league.
rufio - January 24, 2010
and he has to play for a team with the dumbest name in the nba.
notthatnoise - January 24, 2010
You gotta love the irony of the Utah Jazz. I don’t know if that’s the dumbest name in the NBA or the most genius.
rufio - January 24, 2010
The Jazz moved from New Orleans to Utah.
golanbatrac - January 24, 2010
Right. But that doesn’t change the idiocy of the name Utah Jazz. Although, you could say the same thing about LA Lakers (who were originally in Minnesota, “the Land of a Thousand Lakes”). I don’t think there are any lakes near LA, just a big ocean.
Buckeye Brad - January 24, 2010
or the brooklyn dodgers, memphis grizzlies, or boston braves (owner was involved with tammany hall which had an indian as a mascot, redskins (who, when in boston had a native american as a coach) the tennesee oilers (for a couple seasons) the atlanta hawks (named for a blackhawk war in illinois).
there are a lot of team names that don’t make sense.
bross09 - January 24, 2010
Well, names like hawks, redskins and braves could make sense anywhere.
Also, Tammany Hall’s mascot was a tiger, not a indian. I know that from Calvin and Hobbes.
Buckeye Brad - January 24, 2010
Rec for the best comic strip of all-time.
Bernie19Kosar - January 24, 2010
I have every single on of their collection books. I used to read them at night before I went to bed and my parents said they could hear me down in my room laughing and knew that I was reading Calvin & Hobbes.
I was on the Academic Challenge team in high school (yes, I was quite the nerd) and it was amazing how many answers I knew because of something I read in C&H.
Buckeye Brad - January 24, 2010
This was me bout only for Garfield and the Farside.
SpecialBrownie - January 24, 2010
I had many Garfield books as well. But it was definitely no C&H. What other comic could produce a book with a title as great as Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons?
Buckeye Brad - January 24, 2010
C&H, FarSide, Peanuts and Pogo for me. Pogo the best of the lot.
golanbatrac - January 24, 2010
agreed…best comic strip by far
bross09 - January 26, 2010
I guess the source I was reading the thing about tammany hall was wrong. my point was that relocation is part of sports and sometimes the names don’t always make sense.
bross09 - January 26, 2010
I think you meant LA Dodgers, the Brooklyn Dodgers were named for dodging trolley cars [Note they also had the following names as well in Brooklyn, in chronological order: Atlantics, Grays, Bridegrooms, Grooms, Bridegrooms again, Superbas, Dodgers, Superbas, Robins, and finally Dodgers]
You got this one right, they started off in Vancouver, Canada
I think you meant Atlanta Braves [and again, this franchise while in Boston was named chronologically: Red Caps, Beaneaters, Doves, Rustlers, Braves, Bees, Braves] and then off to Milwaukee before heading to Atlanta
talonk - January 25, 2010
Yes, twice I named the original cities…
a fact of sports is teams relocate and sometimes the names don’t make sense…
btw, when searching for some of these, I found an article about funny team names.
my favorite would have to be the Rhode Is. School of Design nads whose mascot is 2 balls and a shaft.
bross09 - January 26, 2010
there are lakes near LA, un facta few dams built in hte are are lake/reservoirs. Obviously nowhere near the amount that Minnesota has … but be assured, there are lakes in and around LA.
talonk - January 25, 2010
Still not as awesomely inappropriate as Utah Jazz.
rufio - January 25, 2010
Seeing as Jazz is probably illegal in Utah it is pretty amusing.
mgtbfb - January 25, 2010
Rename them the Utah Polygamists!
SpecialBrownie - January 25, 2010
Good little video
Of the last game from Cleveland Municipal Stadium, with Mike Ditka and Brian Sipe venting a little:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J7Sc2Uaa0E&feature=related
Sad video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylNnmmZI-v4&feature=related
Fan footage from inside the stadium:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH9gC0APaFU&feature=related
On the field for the last game at the two minute warning, plus crowd shots:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Em_XtsQTE
Terrible Terry Tate - January 23, 2010
Part 2..
Of the NBC coverage with Mike Ditka again, Mike Brown and Brian Sipe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENqnJkV0r5k&feature=related
Terrible Terry Tate - January 23, 2010
I have that whole game on tape, its sad/fun to watch it sometimes.
notthatnoise - January 23, 2010
That second clip brought tears when they showed the players going to the Dawg Pound.
Ryan Kelsey - January 23, 2010
It made me tear up a little, too.
emily522 - January 23, 2010
Ditka is mad!
I never heard about those contingency plans that McDonough talked about in the first video – if the move was held up in court through the next season the Browns planned to move their personnel to Baltimore anyway and were planning to train in Baltimore and then fly to Cleveland to play their home games.
Jim Gray said they had 4 SWAT teams on hand and 5 riot response teams on hand for that last game.
And did you notice that the Browns wore their white jerseys at home? That was a tradition which was not carried on by the new owners.
JB-Cleve - January 23, 2010
That was beautifully written, someone could make a great documentary, using this post as it’s basis.
I thought Art Modell was the devils butthole before reading this. It was even worse than I thought.
HenryDawg - January 23, 2010 via mobile
You know…watching those vids is still kind of like a bad dream…I just can’t fathom how that happened…still leaves me shaking my head after all these years. Even up until the very end I still didn’t actually believe it was going to happen. Remember these vids, and the mayor of Baltimore brandishing a ‘Baltimore Browns’ mug and gloating at the press conference. Don’t ever forget that next time a R_vens fan tries to ‘sympathize’ with you. THAT’S why I will always hate them much more than the Steelers.
For me, the worst thing…the very worst thing…is that the city of Baltimore KNEW exactly what that was like and yet they still….STILL…were willing to fuck over someone else. That makes it so much worse in my book. This wasn’t some fair weather team with an apathetic fan base who would rather be water skiing or on the beach during game days, either. These were loyal, rabid, diehard fans who sold the place out whether in was 100 degrees…or 20 below zero… if the team was 12-4…or 4-12.
Well, they’ll claim we would have done the same thing…but I disagree. I remember there was talk of other franchises relocating as a possible option (the Tampa Bay Bucs as I recall), and I remember…very clearly, myself and others saying that we don’t want someone else’s team…We want our OWN. I never would have supported that.
So anyways, to sum it all up…F*CK YOU BALTIMORE AND F*CK YOU ART MODELL. We will never, ever, ever forgive or forget.
johnnyphoenix - January 23, 2010
Excellent.
emily522 - January 23, 2010
Yes, what a bad time in sports and especially for Cleveland and Browns fans.
Model will always go down as nothing but a carnival owner. I don’t want to hear the violins playing when people will say he spent money on his players, he had to take a loan out to sign Rison. Art, if you ran your business well you would not have been in the shitter like you were.
I am a forgiving guy, have my faith, but he ruined a lively hood for millions all for the sake of the dollar. This is something I will never forgive him for. I do not wish him ill will on him or his family. I just hope he never gets into the Hall of fame.
He fired Paul Brown, he would not accept Jim Browns lateness in 1966 when the film he was working on (DIrty Dozen) ran over and Brown was going to be a week late for camp, and Brown walked away. He cut Kosar, and sat there in agreement with Belicheck at the podium.
I only hope, after all of these years, that Holmgren and company can get this turned around. I want this team to have some edge, some grit, and win games in the fourth quarter with heart.
Go Browns.
Grockcubs - January 23, 2010
It really is amazing the list of things you can blame him for:
- Paul Brown leaving
- The existence of the Bengals
- Jim Brown retiring
- Bernie Kosar leaving
- 3 years of no Browns football
- The existence of the Ravens
Ryan Kelsey - January 24, 2010
I know a lot of people get on Modell for firing Paul Brown, but if you read Terry Pluot’s book about the ‘64 Browns, When All the World Was Browns Town, he gives some justification for the firing. Brown wasn’t using Jim Brown properly and many of his players thought he was behind the times and too set in his old ways. Pluto insists that if Paul Brown wasn’t fired and replaced by Blanton Collier then the Browns would have never won the title in ’64. He said it could have been handled better, and of course each side has its version of how the firing happened, but from the details Pluto gave in the book the firing might have been justified. I think Paul Brown got too confident and never imagined that he could be fired, and afterwards he realized that he had made some mistakes and changed his ways a little when he took over the Bengals.
Buckeye Brad - January 24, 2010
Eh, firing a legend is usually not a good idea. Firing someone that had won 3 NFL championships in the 50’s is probably not a good thing to do in the early 60’s.
Ryan Kelsey - January 25, 2010
I only hope, after all of these years, that Holmgren and company can get this turned around.
He will. Mark my words.
johnnyphoenix - January 23, 2010
I had stopped watching the NFL for 10 yrs after the move. What aggravated me was that the owners approved a team to leave one of their top 5 football markets. They excused themselves saying they could have lost a very expensive lawsuit if they hadn’t approved. It was and still is really about greed. In 1964, I enjoyed season tickets on the 20 yd line lower level for $5/game. Flash forward to 2010. (Ok, Ok, attending other sports and entertainment has skyrocketed also.) And this is the beginning. It’s going to get a lot more expensive in the future. The league is going to find a way to extract more $ from cable subscribers.
elsandito - January 23, 2010
Nice writeup. I wasn’t expecting Modell’s dealings with the Indians to be placed front and center like that. I always hated Modell because he tried to screw the Tribe at every turn (monster trucks between homestands, anyone?).
My opinion is Al Lerner helped Modell out of town to save the Browns, as Modell would never sell the team and it would have become like the Stepien-era Cavs. Everybody knew Cleveland wouldn’t be without a team for long and Lerner positioned himself nicely to be the new owner. Too bad the end result was the Ravens winning the SB and 10 years of expansion misery here.
BTW no mention of David Modell? He’s a big reason why the team fell apart too.
BiteMe - January 24, 2010
More detail is available...
great article, if anyone is wanting and even more exhaustive background on Modell and Cleveland stadium history, check out The League: Inside the NFL by David Harris.
Al's Wingman - January 29, 2010
Nice writeup... but...
This is a very nice writeup, but (unless I am mistaken… always a posibility with me!) I believe there was one more reason the NFL:wanted to force Modell out.
My understanding was that Modell was on the committee to decide which two cities were awarded the expansion franchises that became Jacksonville and Carolina. Baltimore was one of the cities in the running, and he voted against awarding them a franchise. Then promptly moved the Browns there. While it was not strictly illegal, it definitely smelled very bad. The NFL was put into a very bad position, and its hands were really tied.
I would welcome a correction, if I my recollection is mistaken! Thanks.
Jerry K - February 3, 2010
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