Cleveland Browns · Franchise era 3 of 6
From contention to the Kardiac Kids: the Cleveland Browns story
Franchise era
1966—1984
From contention to the Kardiac Kids
Cleveland Browns
The story in one sentence
The Browns remained competitive after Brown and later found a new identity in Sipe's dramatic 1980 MVP season.
Sipe's late-game offense revives Cleveland
Brian Sipe, Ozzie Newsome and Greg Pruitt gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for kosar and the denver heartbreaks.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1966
What came before
Brown led the league in rushing eight times in nine seasons and powered Cleveland's most recent championship in 1964.
1968-12-21
Divisional Round: Dallas Cowboys vs Cleveland Browns
1969-12-28
Divisional Round: Cleveland Browns vs Dallas Cowboys
1970-01-04
Conference Championship: Cleveland Browns vs Minnesota Vikings
After 1984
What came next
A homegrown contender reached three conference championship games in four seasons before The Drive and The Fumble became permanent Cleveland memories.
The core