Your First Browns Game

[Orion]

2 hours ago, calfoxwc said:

That reminds me of a story long, long ago. I read Jim Brown's account - he said they were playing the Giants, and Sam Huff ? Tackled him when he was knew to the NFL - and laid on him and said "Jimmy, you stink". The next play, it happened again, and Huff said the same thing again. Jim Brown got pretty mad, and said the next chance, he ran right over Sam Huff and refused to be tackled. I read that so long ago...

The way I heard it, Huff tackled Jim Brown and told him he stuck.   So then Jim broke through the line and took it to the end zone.  He then yelled to Huff, "How do I smell from over here?!" 

[ballpeen]

It had to have been 1955 since it was Otto Graham's last season..   A friend of my Dads had to cancel at the last moment, so dad took me.  We played the Eagles.  We won, but don't remember the score.  I have slept a few times since then.  I remember the weather being decent, so it had to be early fall.  Maybe October.

 

I was young enough that the game was more secondary to being there with my Dad and inside a huge, full stadium of people.  I do remember not liking the mustard....a bit spicy for a 6-7 year old.

[Axe]

Cleve vs Shittsburgh in 1963 at Municipal stadium. The first time I saw Jim Brown in person.. I was very young.

[calfoxwc]

I was young back then  - somebody refused the idea that the Browns ever played at the Rubber Bowl, so.... I'm fairly sure I was about 7 yrs old back then:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_Bowl

"The stadium also hosted professional football on a number of occasions: the Cleveland Rams of the National Football League (NFL) played two regular-season games at the Rubber Bowl, one in 1941 and one in 1942, and the NFL's Cleveland Browns used the stadium for 19 preseason games between 1950 and 1973."

(I humbly apologize, I made a really stupid mistake somehow. Can't blame it on anybody else, so.....)

[Brownsfan92]

I don't remember which game was my first but ill share my most memorable.

09/12/2004..the last season home opening win for the Browns.

 

QB: Jeff Garcia

Opponent: Ravens

Time started drinking: 6:01 AM

Time I fell asleep in the stands: End of the First quarter

Time I awoke and went crazy: Phil Dawson field goal in the Second quarter.

Time I fell asleep in the stands again: Start of the Third Quarter

Time I awoke and was mobbed and rallied for the rest of the day/game: Jeff Garcia to Quincy Morgan touchdown pass in the Third Quarter.

 

Hell of a game...and pre-game.

 

[FATE]

On 6/21/2023 at 8:36 AM, Flugel said:

Perfect topic for this time of year! It only makes sense I didn't even see it when I logged on Tuesday morning. Anyway, the very first time my dad took me and my brother to a game in Cleveland was October 10th, 1976.  Friends of our family had moved to Cleveland from Fairport, NY (a suburb of Rochester about 65 miles east of Buffalo). They got the tickets but warned us the only tickets available for the Browns-Steelers rivalry was in Standing Room Only, I kid you not.  Nothing like the fresh smell of urine trickling out of the bathroom in the old stadium with occasional marijuana aromas. I can still hear my dad telling my older brother "that better not be coming from you" to the reply "CALM DOWN - you're too nervous!"  

The trip took about 4.5 hours with about 1 or 2 stops to take a power squirt.  Not bad at all when you consider a drive to NYC was at least 6 hours away.  Anyway, as we were driving up near the lake Gordon Lightfoot's Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald was on the radio giving us a goose-bumps serenade. As a 12 year old kid, that's a first impression I've never forgotten.  

The good stuff just kept on coming from there. As you all probably know - this was the day Turkey Jones sacked Terry Bradshaw with a body slam that would end Bradshaw's season as well as Pittsburgh's chance of winning that game.  The Browns had to start a little known backup QB David Mays; because 3 weeks earlier Jack Lambert had a dirty hit out of bounds on the 175lb Brian Sipe.  The Browns played extremely well up front on both sides of the ball that day.  As good as Pittsburgh's offensive line was at the time - they couldn't block Jerry Sherk and Walter Johnson all day.  On 1 rare occasion when Pittsburgh gave them the attention they commanded - Turkey Jones easily won his matchup on the edge to give Bradshaw the body slam that still appears in highlights promoting the rivalry today.  JMO, that could be wrong, the defense wanted to remind Pittsburgh what dirty pool can look like when it's your turn to see how it feels.  The Browns won that game 18-16 and it punctuated a great weekend in Cleveland.  The Browns finished that 1976 season 9-5 under Forrest Gregg.

After that year, my dad started to take us to 1 game a year in Cleveland.  Before all this, he installed an antenna that got us feeds for games from all over the place long before satellite TV.  We saw the Browns play the Saints from a feed out of Ottawa commentated in French.  Syracuse showed Cleveland a lot so they often televised them for any easy feed to my dad's setup while Rochester was showing Buffalo.  We've also seen them play at Buffalo before and after 1976.

Football and the Browns were a family tradition I wouldn't trade for anything.  I lost my dad to his 3rd different bout with cancer and my brother to an accident within 2 years of each other.  Today I'm flying solo but feeling very fortunate I have a lot of you guys in here to share what happens with our favorite team from here on out.  Keep on positing from the heart and that's all we need in here. Thanks!!!

Great story all-around, but I had no idea of the history surrounding the Turkey Jones annihilation! Good stuff. It means even more to me as a Steeler-hating Browns fan to know there was 'pay-back' involved. 😁

[southern]

1967 Browns vs NO Saints . Browns win 42-7 ! 

My single mum took me. During the game I asked her " what are those yellow things they keep dropping? My mum ( bless her soul.)

.replied..The Saints players!

 

[LondonBrown]

Texans in Cleveland when we were playing pretty well with Hoyer at QB I think we were 7-4 going into the game 

We stunk the place out, the fans wanted Hoyer benched and JJ Watt scored a TD…..on offense 😂

I think we then lost every game from that one until the end of the season 

[AP1]

December 1989 vs the Colts in Indianapolis. The Brownies lost in OT, I kept my composure at the Hoosier Dome, but when we got back home and my Mom asked about the game, I just bawled. The Browns were everything.

My most memorable game was the only game I've seen in Cleveland. We went to handful of Indians games, but only one Browns game. The Sunday after Thanksgiving in 1994 against the Oilers. It snowed during the second half. The Browns won 34-10. We sat in the third or fourth row behind the Browns bench. A family in front of us refused to stand for the National Anthem. The guys behind us were in orange hard hats and reached over and around us to pound the man on the back and on the head with their rolled up programs. That family got heckled so hard they got up and left before kickoff.

Going to Browns games was always special because I was never around other Browns fans. Every time they came to Indianapolis we would go. We'd only get to see a couple of broadcasts a year so I immersed myself in the Browns' News/Illustrated subscription.

Ever a man of adventure, my Dad found a way into the family area of the Hoosier Dome. After games we'd head down these serpentine hallways and find ourselves out by the locker rooms and loading docks where the visitors loaded onto buses. We were in heaven. We met Bernie many times, Eric Metcalf, Clay Matthews, Eric Turner, Tony Jones, Tommy Vardell, Michael Dean Perry, Kevin Mack, Leroy Hoard, Vinny, and Bill Belichick. While it was a dream to meet all of them, the most gracious player was always Steve Everett in his backwards ball cap, Guns N' Roses t-shirt and cut off shorts with flip flops. He'd give us a big high five and happily sign whatever we had on.

[Comeonman]

December 1990 @ Houston Oilers. Got our asses handed to us, but will never forget Eric Metcalf taking one to the house over 100 yards. Still have only seen the Browns play in Houston, unfortunately. Although the last one I did get to meet Hoorta and Gipper (Rest in peace, Gip). Eventually I’ll be watching one from the Dawg Pound. 

[Orion]

On 6/28/2023 at 1:02 AM, AP1 said:

We'd only get to see a couple of broadcasts a year so I immersed myself in the Browns' News/Illustrated subscription.

Yup.  I was subscribed.  They even printed a letter I wrote.   

[ballpeen]

On 6/28/2023 at 1:02 AM, AP1 said:

We'd only get to see a couple of broadcasts a year so I immersed myself in the Browns' News/Illustrated subscription.

 

No doubt.  If I was lucky I might have gotten 1 game a year.  No internet, so BNI was the fix.

 

I had  good idea when I should be getting my next issue, so I would eagerly come home to find out if my copy arrived.  Once it was maybe 2 days later than expected, I would start cussing to my wife that some SOB down at the post office was a Browns fan and swiped my issue.  LOL  You had that dead period where you didn't get an issue for about 3 months.  I would gather all my old issues and reread them 4-5 times each.  It was like Christmas in July when I would finally get a training camp issue.  I'd huddle away in my office for 2 hours with that thing.  It was like a study session.

[Zombo]

I was raped in the bathroom by Ghoulardi and.forced to drink Budweiser and a hot dog with brown mustard schmeared on it.  I was 8. Browns won 42 -14  over Oilers.

Z

[mjp28]

On 6/19/2023 at 6:07 PM, Dutch Oven said:

Since there's really nothing going on Browns-related, lets stroll down memory lane, shall we?

What was the first Browns game you went to? Tell us your story. 

I've told mine a few times before, I was 8 when my parents and I went up to Cleveland Stadium from Ravenna in 1984. Sam Rutigliano had just been fired during the week leading up to the game after a 1-7 start. This was Marty Shottenheimer's first game as head coach. From what I remember, it was a dreary day, and I remember walking across the catwalks in the upper deck (and being scared as shit). Ozzie scored both of the Browns touchdowns, but they would lose 16-14 on a 53 yard field goal by Morton Andersen at the end of the game.  A 53 yard field goal at Cleveland Stadium, with that torn-up turf and the tricky winds that swirled around the horseshoe layout, was nothing to sneeze at. 

 

Good topic !