The Cleveland Browns franchise wasn’t always a laughing stock.
Founded in 1944 by Arthur B. McBride, the team won four successive All-America Football Conference championships between 1946 and 1949.
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Browns fans thew rows of seats onto the fieldCredit: Getty
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The team’s name and colors were left behindCredit: Getty
Success continued in the NFL as the Browns reached the NFL Championship game in each of its first five seasons in the league, winning three times.
Bought by Art Modell in 1961 for a then-unheard-of $4 million, Cleveland added a fourth title in 1964 and lost at the final hurdle a year later.
The future seemed bright for the iconic franchise as the Super Bowl era began in 1967.
But cracks had begun to appear.
Modell was keen to play an active role in football operations, which saw him clash with legendary coach and co-founder Paul Brown, who also acted as general manager.
Brown was given his marching orders in 1963 and decades of mismanagement hampered the team, which has never made it to the Super Bowl.
In 1994 Cleveland lost to bitter rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the playoffs.
That was when Modell dropped the bombshell news that the team was moving to Baltimore.
A day later, the city approved a $175 million package to fund renovations to the Cleveland Municipal Stadium in a desperate bid to keep the franchise on the shores of Lake Erie. It wasn’t enough.
The Browns went 5-11 in 1995 as outraged fans — known as the Dawg Pound for their passionate support — stayed away.
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Modell was not a popular figure in ClevelandCredit: AFP
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The Browns came back from the dead four years laterCredit: Getty
Things came to a head in the final home game of the season — a Week 16 divisional showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals.
There were over 10,000 no-shows, but the infamous Dawg Pound section was full to the brim.
Fans wore costumes and carried messages attacking Modell and the relocation.
Late in the game, long sections of wooden bench seats were ripped up and thrown on the field.
After two firecrackers exploded in the end zone in the fourth quarter, officials twice changed ends to keep the action away from the commotion.
“When it was all over, I was a little angry,” said Bengals president Mike Brown, whose father, Paul, founded the Browns and Bengals. “And then I thought for a minute that maybe this was the best way.
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“They get to go out on a high note, and they and their crowd love each other.”
The Browns snapped a six-game losing streak in a bittersweet moment that marked the end of 50 years of history.
As part of the deal to move to Baltimore, Modell agreed to leave the franchise’s colors, name and archives in Ohio.
The Ravens were born in Maryland. Modell won a Super Bowl with his new franchise in 2000 before handing operations over to his son David.
Poorly kept secret’ – Browns have already given up on Shedeur Sanders with college stars in sights
The Browns ultimately rose from the ashes in 1999 but the glory days have not returned on the field.
Years of quarterback struggles, including the decision to give up on Baker Mayfield and give Deshaun Watson an unprecedented full-guaranteed $230 million contract, have made Cleveland the butt of jokes.
Good times may be ahead with a $2.4bn relocation in the works under current owners the Haslam Family — this time to just outside the city in Brook Park.
It has been described as a ‘first-of-its-kind’ facility in the NFL with new images and concepts confirming the stadium will be built at the center of a major lifestyle and entertainment development.
“Our fans deserve a world-class facility, and we are committed to building a state-of-the-art enclosed stadium that resonates with Cleveland, highlighting our loyal and passionate fans and the Dawg Pound, while also incorporating innovation, bold design, and an immersive experience,” a team statement read.
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The Browns have hit a roadblock in hopes to build a domed stadiumCredit: HKS
The decision to abandon the lakefront is still controversial, and legal challenges may yet derail the proposal.
Former NFL star A.J. Hawk believes the Browns have risked irking ‘real fans’ by moving the team indoors.
“People, I think, are kind of torn about this. They love where they’re at on the lake and everything about it,” Super Bowl XLV champion Hawk told Pat McAfee, discussing the move to Brook Park.
“But isn’t every team, every owner, trying to build their own Patriots place?
“Like, ‘Hey, let’s build it. Let’s own the real estate. Let’s own everything around it, and let’s just rake in all the money.’
“I think it’s a good thing for everybody, honestly.”
The proposed stadium will have a domed roof, meaning that Cleveland can at least host a Super Bowl even if the team cannot reach one.
Quarterback — as always — is the biggest talking point this offseason as Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders battle for the job.
If Shedeur can defy the odds and match his Hall of Fame dad’s career, the good times could just return to Cleveland.
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