Cleveland Browns · Franchise era 2 of 6
Jim Brown and the 1964 title: the Cleveland Browns story
Franchise era
1956—1965
Jim Brown and the 1964 title
Cleveland Browns
The story in one sentence
Brown led the league in rushing eight times in nine seasons and powered Cleveland's most recent championship in 1964.
01
The greatest runner becomes the entire geometry
02
Jim Brown, Frank Ryan and Paul Warfield gave the era its recognizable core.
03
Its ending created the conditions for from contention to the kardiac kids.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1956
What came before
Paul Brown's integrated, innovative team won every AAFC title and then immediately captured the 1950 NFL championship.
1957-12-29
Conference Championship: Cleveland Browns vs Detroit Lions
1964-12-27
Conference Championship: Baltimore Colts vs Cleveland Browns
1966-01-02
Conference Championship: Cleveland Browns vs Green Bay Packers
After 1965
What came next
The Browns remained competitive after Brown and later found a new identity in Sipe's dramatic 1980 MVP season.
The core