1946 Cleveland Browns season

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1946 Cleveland Browns season
Head Coach Paul Brown
Home Field Cleveland Stadium
Results
Record 12–2–0
Place 1st AAFC Western
Playoff Finish W AAFC Championship (1)
Timeline
Previous Season Next Season
1945 1947

The 1946 Cleveland Browns season marked the team's inaugural season in the All-America Football Conference. The Browns, coached by Paul Brown, ended their first season in the league with a record of 12–2, winning the Western Division. Lead by quarterback Otto Graham and fullback Marion Motley, the team advanced to the AAFC Championship Game, and defeated the New York Yankees, 9–14.

The Browns started off the season strong, winning their first seven games, four of them at home. The team outscored their opponents 180 to 34. The Browns opened the season, and kicked-off the AAFC's first game, against the Miami Seahawks. The Browns dominated the Seahawks, winning 0–44. Following the team's seven-game winning streak, the Browns faced the San Francisco 49ers at home, losing their first game, 34–20. The Browns traveled to Los Angeles where they were defeated by the Los Angeles Dons, 16–17. The short-lived losing streak would be broken when the Browns avenged their loss to the 49ers in San Francisco by defeating the 49ers, 14–7. The Browns would go on to win their final five games of the season, including a 66–14 blow-out of the Seahawks, outscoring their opponents 207 to 52.

Dante Lavelli lead the league in receiving with 843 yards and 8 touchdowns, while Lou Groza lead the league in points-scored with 84 on 13 field goals and 45 point-after attempts.

The team played all of their home games in Cleveland Stadium. The Browns drew their largest home crowd on October 20 against the Los Angeles Dons, bringing in over 71,000 fans.[1]

[edit] 1946 AAFC Championship Game

The Cleveland Browns advanced to the AAFC's first ever league championship on December 22, 1946. The team competed against the New York Yankees, the strongest team in the AAFC's Eastern Division, with a record of 10–3–1. Scoring was minimal in the championship game, with the Browns edging out the Yankees, 9–14. Fullback Marion Motley scored first for the Browns in the second quarter on a two-yard touchdown run, following by quarterback Otto Graham's 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dante Lavelli in the fourth quarter.

[edit] Regular season results

Week Date Opponent Results Stadium Attendance
Score Record
1 September 6, 1946 Miami Seahawks W 44-0 1–0 Cleveland Stadium 60,135[1]
2 September 13, 1946 @ Chicago Rockets W 20–6 2–0 Soldier Field 51,962[1]
3 September 22, 1946 @ Buffalo Bisons W 28–0 3–0 War Memorial Stadium 30,302[1]
4 September 29, 1946 New York Yankees W 24-7 4–0 Cleveland Stadium 57,084[1]
5 October 6, 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers W 26-7 5–0 Cleveland Stadium 43,713[1]
6 October 12, 1946 @ New York Yankees W 7–0 6–0 Yankee Stadium 34,252[1]
7 October 20, 1946 Los Angeles Dons W 31-14 7–0 Cleveland Stadium 71,134[1]
8 October 27, 1946 San Francisco 49ers L 34–20 7–1 Cleveland Stadium 70,385[1]
9 November 3, 1946 @ Los Angeles Dons L 17–16 7–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 24,800[1]
10 November 10, 1946 @ San Francisco 49ers W 14–7 8–2 Kezar Stadium 41,061[1]
11 November 17, 1946 Chicago Rockets W 51-14 9–2 Cleveland Stadium 60,457[1]
12 November 24, 1946 Buffalo Bisons W 42-17 10–2 Cleveland Stadium 37,054[1]
13 December 3, 1946 @ Miami Seahawks W 34–0 11–2 Miami Orange Bowl 9,038[1]
14 December 8, 1946 @ Brooklyn Dodgers W 66–14 12–2 Ebbets Field 14,600[1]

[edit] Final standings

Western Division
W L T PCT[2]
Cleveland Browns 12 2 0 .857
San Francisco 49ers 9 5 0 .643
Los Angeles Dons 7 5 2 .500
Chicago Rockets 5 6 3 .357

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o History: 1946. Cleveland Browns official Web site. Retrieved on 2007-04-14.
  2. ^ Winning percentage does not factor in ties.