August 21, 1999

If memory serves me, and believe me, that night my memory was REALLY bad. August 21, 1999, the first game played in the new stadium was with the Vikings. A group of Newark Browns Backers had tickets to the game. We had a motel some distance from the stadium. We started early, had breakfast and started partying shortly thereafter. Our motel sold Bud Lite. We partied a bit. We had some tickets to an upcoming game and traded them for another room. Walked to the stadium and found our seats. I left at halftime, for a reason that I cannot remember and started walking toward our motel. That weekend, in Cleveland, downtown, the NAACP was having a convention. The KKK was having a convention or meeting of some kind. All had demonstrations going on downtown. I somehow got to the motel, carrying a few cups of liquids, some souvenirs and other items, walked through both demonstrations and a parade of those cars doing those jump, jump things. How, I will never know. Oh, the game, what game?

Tradition is such an important part of the Browns, so it's important to note that ever since they were born in 1946, they have played on the same site on the shores of Lake Erie. From 1946-95, their home was Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The Browns won all eight of their league championships there and hosted 17 postseason games. It is also where 16 men -- 15 players and one coach - built careers that eventually landed them in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

On that same footprint is FirstEnergy Stadium, Home of the Cleveland Browns, which was opened in 1999. To keep that tradition going, the playing field at FirstEnergy Stadium runs east to west, just like it did before, and the Dawg Pound can still be found on the east side of the stadium.
But that tradition has been tweaked and enhanced with a myriad of modern amenities and conveniences that give FirstEnergy Stadium the look and feel of a 21st century facility. It fits right in with its modern neighbors, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center.

Who's who with the Brownies

Cleveland Browns staff v   t   e
	Front Office Owner – Jimmy Haslam CEO – Joe Banner President – Alec Scheiner Executive Vice President of Business Operations – Bryan Wiedmeier General Manager – Michael Lombardi Assistant General Manager – Ray Farmer Special Advisor - Jim Brown Director of Player Personnel – Jon Sandusky Director of College Scouting – Vacant Head Coaches Head Coach – Rob Chudzinski Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Norv Turner Running Backs – John Settle Wide Receivers – Scott Turner Tight Ends – Jon Embree Offensive Line – George Warhop Offensive Line – Mike Sullivan Offensive Quality Control – Shane Steichen Offensive Assistant/Special Assistant to the Head Coach – Steve Gera			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Ray Horton Defensive Line – Joe Cullen Outside Linebackers – Brian Baker Inside Linebackers – Ken Flajole Defensive Backs – Louie Cioffi Assistant Defensive Backs – Bobby Babich Defensive Quality Control – Daron Roberts Special Teams Coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Chris Tabor Special Teams Assistant – Shawn Mennenga Strength and Conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Brad Roll Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Chris DiSanto Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Derik Keyes

The Old Stadium

CLEVELAND MUNICIPAL STADIUM, constructed on reclaimed land on the city's lakefront, was completed in 1931; at that time it boasted the largest individual seating capacity (78,189) of any outdoor arena in the world.

The demolition of Cleveland Municipal Stadium officially began in November 1996 and was complete by the following spring. In the fall of 1995, Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell decided to move the city's football team to Baltimore. Angry fans began the demolition process themselves during the Browns' final home game in 1995, tearing out seats and taking other pieces of Municipal Stadium with them as souvenirs, knowing it might be their last time in the stadium. 

Part of Mayor Michael White's deal with the National Football League to bring an expansion team to the city included the building of a new stadium. The old stadium would be torn down to make way for a new lakefront facility. Coincidentally, Cleveland's Osborn Engineering Company, which, along with architectural firm Walker and Weeks, had been the main designer of Municipal Stadium, oversaw the demolition of the stadium that it had so proudly helped build more than 65 years earlier.

I saw a few Browns games here in the 40's, not sure who or when. Also saw a few of their last games. The memories that stand out the most ......... C  O  L  D   so cold. My last game was with my son Brad and a friend of his whose Mom had gotten us tickets, so cold. I remember listening on the radio to the Browns since they started. Forget the announcers.

More History

Paul Brown

On November 6, 1995, Art Modell, who had purchased the Browns in 1961, announced he was relocating the franchise to Baltimore, Maryland after the season. Baltimore had been without an NFL franchise since the Colts' controversial relocation to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1984.

Modell had signed an agreement to lease Cleveland Municipal Stadium from the city for 25 years and assumed its operating expenses. Stadium Corporation was founded for this purpose.

But by the 1990's, Modell insisted he was deep in debt, and that the rent he lost when Major League Baseball (MLB's) Cleveland Indians moved into the new Jacobs Field after the 1993 season only exacerbated his financial difficulties. He also claimed that he'd been denied a new stadium from the city and county. However, shortly after Modell's death at age 87 on September 6, 2012, it was revealed that he actually was offered a new stadium long before he made the decision to relocate.

The reaction was immediate and profound. Numerous lawsuits, notably a breach of contract suit concerning Modell violating the terms of his stadium lease, were filed in an attempt to halt the relocation. Ultimately, an unprecedented compromise was reached whereby Modell was allowed to relocate the Cleveland Browns, but he relinquished rights to the Browns' name, colors, logos, and history; they were kept in trust for a new future Browns team — either an expansion team or an existing team which would relocate to Cleveland — and the Browns' operations were suspended for three seasons.

During this period, Cleveland Municipal Stadium was demolished and Cleveland Browns Stadium (now FirstEnergy Stadium) was built on the site. The late Al Lerner, a former friend and former business partner of Art Modell's, was approved as owner. Modell's franchise was named the Baltimore Ravens.

Some History

The Chicago Bears were the champions the year I was born, 1932.

The Cleveland Browns were founded in 1945 by businessman Arthur B. “Mickey” McBride as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), which began play the following year. They were named for their first head coach, Paul Brown. The Browns dominated the AAFC, compiling a 47-4-3 record over its four active seasons and winning the championship in each of them. Following the AAFC's demise after the 1949 season, the Cleveland Browns were one of three franchises invited to join the NFL (the others were the San Francisco 49ers and the original Baltimore Colts). The Browns won a championship in their inaugural NFL season, as well as in the 1954, 1955, and 1964 seasons. From 1965 to 1995, they made the playoffs 14 times, but to date, have never won another championship and have never appeared in a Super Bowl.

Roster

#	NAME	POS.	HT.	WT.	AGE	EXP.	COLLEGE
63	Adams, Aaron	OL	6-5	305	24	R	Eastern Kentucky
65	Adams, Kendrick	DL	6-5	250	24	1	Louisiana State
78	Alford, Dominic	OL	6-3	320	25	1	Minnesota
37	Aubrey, Josh	DB	5-10	200	22	R	Stephen F. Austin
34	Auguste, Akeem	DB	5-10	185	23	R	South Carolina
24	Bademosi, Johnson	DB	6-0	200	23	2	Stanford
82	Barnidge, Gary	TE	6-5	250	27	6	Louisville
80	Benjamin, Travis	WR	5-10	175	23	2	Miami (Fla.)
15	Bess, Davone	WR	5-10	190	27	6	Hawaii
8	Bogotay, Brandon	K	6-3	207	24	R	Georgia
38	Bolen, Brock	FB	6-0	232	28	4	Louisville
95	Bryant, Armonty	DL	6-4	265	23	R	East Central (OK) University
92	Bryant, Desmond	DT	6-6	310	27	5	Harvard
79	Butler, Rashad	OL	6-4	310	30	8	Miami (Fla.)
84	Cameron, Jordan	TE	6-5	245	25	3	USC
17	Campbell, Jason	QB	6-5	230	31	9	Auburn
59	Carder, Tank	LB	6-2	235	24	2	Texas Christian
68	Cave, Braxston	OL	6-3	305	24	R	Notre Dame
41	Cole, Justin	LB	6-3	242	25	4	San Jose State
2	Conley, T.J.	P	6-3	215	27	2	Idaho
88	Cooper, Josh	WR	5-10	190	24	2	Oklahoma State
75	Cousins, Oniel	OL	6-4	315	29	6	Texas-El Paso
89	Croom, Dominique	WR	6-2	190	22	R	Central Arkansas
91	Davis, Hall	DL	6-4	270	26	1	Louisiana-Lafayette
81	Davis, Kellen	TE	6-7	265	27	6	Michigan State
86	Edwards, Mike	WR	5-11	200	23	R	UTEP
70	Faulk, Chris	OL	6-6	330	23	R	Louisiana State
58	Fort, L.J.	LB	6-0	230	23	2	Northern Iowa
65	Gilkey, Garrett	OL	6-6	320	23	R	Chadron State
39	Gipson, Tashaun	DB	5-11	205	23	2	Wyoming
12	Gordon, Josh	WR	6-3	225	22	2	Baylor
7	Graham, Shayne	K	6-0	210	35	12	Virginia Tech
77	Greco, John	OL	6-4	315	28	6	Toledo
87	Gronkowski, Dan	TE	6-5	255	28	3	Maryland
54	Groves, Quentin	LB	6-3	265	29	6	Auburn
9	Gurley, Tori	WR	6-4	230	25	1	South Carolina
23	Haden, Joe	DB	5-11	190	24	4	Florida
20	Hardesty, Montario	RB	6-0	225	26	4	Tennessee
61	Hauptmann, Caylin	OL	6-3	300	22	R	Florida International
6	Hoyer, Brian	QB	6-2	215	27	5	Michigan State
93	Hughes, John	DT	6-2	320	25	2	Cincinnati
27	Jackson, Brandon	RB	5-10	216	27	6	Nebraska
52	Jackson, D'Qwell	LB	6-0	240	29	8	Maryland
94	Jean-Baptiste, Nicolas	DL	6-1	330	24	1	Baylor
50	Johnson, James-Michael	LB	6-1	240	23	2	Nevada
40	Kanneh, Abdul	DB	5-10	185	22	R	New Mexico-Highlands
31	Kearney, Vernon	DB	6-2	185	24	R	Lane College
67	Kitchen, Ishmaa'ily	DL	6-1	330	24	2	Kent State
69	Kruger, Dave	DL	6-5	285	23	R	Utah
99	Kruger, Paul	LB	6-4	270	27	5	Utah
5	Lanning, Spencer	P	5-11	200	25	1	South Carolina
66	Lauvao, Shawn	OL	6-3	315	25	4	Arizona State
28	Lewis, Dion	RB	5-8	195	22	3	Pittsburgh
18	Little, Greg	WR	6-2	220	24	3	North Carolina
55	Mack, Alex	OL	6-4	311	27	5	California
48	Marecic, Owen	FB	6-0	245	24	3	Stanford
35	Maysonet, Miguel	RB	5-10	210	23	R	Stony Brook
29	McFadden, Leon	DB	5-9	195	22	R	San Diego State
60	Miller, Ryan	OL	6-7	320	24	2	Colorado
51	Mingo, Barkevious	LB	6-4	240	22	R	LSU
11	Nelson, David	WR	6-5	214	26	4	Florida
10	Norwood, Jordan	WR	5-11	180	26	3	Penn State
25	Ogbonnaya, Chris	RB	6-0	225	27	4	Texas
21	Owens, Chris	DB	5-9	180	26	5	San Jose State
62	Pinkston, Jason	OL	6-4	305	25	3	Pittsburgh
38	Richardson, Kent	DB	5-11	200	26	R	West Virginia
33	Richardson, Trent	RB	5-9	230	23	2	Alabama
83	Roberson, Cordell	WR	6-4	205	22	R	Stephen F. Austin
53	Robertson, Craig	LB	6-1	234	25	2	North Texas
85	Roosevelt, Naaman	WR	6-0	200	25	3	Buffalo
71	Rubin, Ahtyba	DL	6-2	330	27	6	Iowa State
70	Sanford, Brian	DL	6-2	280	25	3	Temple
72	Schwartz, Mitchell	OL	6-5	320	24	2	California
74	Shaw, Jarrod	OL	6-3	316	25	2	Tennessee
97	Sheard, Jabaal	LB	6-2	255	24	3	Pittsburgh
22	Skrine, Buster	DB	5-9	185	24	3	Tennessee-Chattanooga
30	Slaughter, Jamoris	DB	6-0	190	23	R	Notre Dame
47	Smelley, Brad	TE	6-2	235	24	1	Alabama
42	Smith, Tommy	LB	6-1	240	22	R	Boise State
44	Staples, Justin	DL	6-4	245	23	R	Illinois
49	Tannahill, Travis	TE	6-4	255	23	R	Kansas State
98	Taylor, Phil	DL	6-3	335	25	3	Baylor
73	Thomas, Joe	OL	6-6	312	28	7	Wisconsin
26	Wade, Trevin	DB	5-10	190	24	2	Arizona
36	Walker, Kenronte	DB	6-0	210	23	R	Missouri
64	Wallace, Martin	OL	6-6	305	23	R	Temple
43	Ward, T. J.	DB	5-10	200	26	4	Oregon
3	Weeden, Brandon	QB	6-3	220	29	2	Oklahoma State
90	Winn, Billy	DL	6-4	295	24	2	Boise State
57	Yount, Christian	LS	6-1	256	25	3	UCLA