Cleveland Browns seasons
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The following is a list of seasons completed by the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). This list documents season-by-season records, including post-season records, and league awards for individual players or coaches.
The Cleveland Browns were charter members of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) when the league was founded in 1946. From 1946 to 1949, the Browns won each of the league's four championships. The NFL does not recognize the Browns' AAFC championships; however, the Pro Football Hall of Fame does recognize the team's championships, which is reflected in this list. When the AAFC folded in 1949, the Browns were absorbed into the NFL in 1950. The Browns went on to win three NFL championships, nearly dominating the NFL in the 1950s, and won one more NFL championship in 1964. The team has yet to appear in a Super Bowl, however. Overall, the team has eight championships: four in the AAFC, and four in the NFL.
In 1996, then-Browns owner Art Modell made the decision to move the team from Cleveland to Baltimore. An agreement between the city of Cleveland and the NFL kept the team's history, name and colors in Cleveland, while Modell's new team would be regarded as an expansion team. The Baltimore Ravens would begin play in 1996, and the Browns would return to the league in 1999. For record-keeping purposes, the Browns are considered to have suspended operations from 1996 to 1998, which is reflected in this list.
- For a complete team history, see History of the Cleveland Browns.
- The Finish, Wins, Losses and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any post-season results. They are combined only at the bottom of this list.
| AAFC champions[1] (1946–1949) | NFL champions (1950–1969) | Super Bowl champions[2] (1970–present) | Conference champions | Division champions | Wild Card berth |
| Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular season results | Post-season results | Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | |||||||
| All-America Football Conference | ||||||||||
| 1946 | 1946 | AAFC | Western | 1st | 12 | 2 | 0 | Won AAFC championship (1) (Yankees 14-9) | ||
| 1947 | 1947 | AAFC | Western | 1st | 12 | 1 | 1 | Won AAFC championship (2) (Yankees 14–3) | ||
| 1948 | 1948 | AAFC | Western | 1st | 14 | 0 | 0 | Won AAFC championship (3) (Bills 49-7) | ||
| 1949 | 1949 | AAFC | 1st | 9 | 1 | 2 | Won AAFC playoff game (Bills 31–21) Won AAFC championship (4) (49ers 21-7) |
Paul Brown (COY) | ||
| National Football League, Early Era (1950–1969) | ||||||||||
| 1950 | 1950 | NFL | American | T-1st[3] | 10 | 2 | 0 | Won Conference Playoffs (Giants 8-3) Won NFL Championship (5) (L.A. Rams 30-28) |
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| 1951 | 1951 | NFL | American | 1st | 11 | 1 | 0 | Lost NFL Championship (L.A. Rams 17–24) | Paul Brown (COY) Otto Graham (MVP) |
|
| 1952 | 1952 | NFL | American | 1st | 8 | 4 | 0 | Lost NFL Championship (Lions 7–17) | ||
| 1953 | 1953 | NFL | Eastern | 1st | 11 | 1 | 0 | Lost NFL Championship (Lions 16–17) | Paul Brown (COY) Otto Graham (MVP) |
|
| 1954 | 1954 | NFL | Eastern | 1st | 9 | 3 | 0 | Won NFL Championship (6) (Lions 56-10) | ||
| 1955 | 1955 | NFL | Eastern | 1st | 9 | 2 | 1 | Won NFL Championship (7) (L.A. Rams 38–14) | Otto Graham (MVP) | |
| 1956 | 1956 | NFL | Eastern | T-4th[4] | 5 | 7 | 0 | |||
| 1957 | 1957 | NFL | Eastern | 1st | 9 | 2 | 1 | Lost NFL Championship (Lions 14–59) | Paul Brown (COY) Jim Brown (MVP, ROY) |
|
| 1958 | 1958 | NFL | Eastern | T-1st[5] | 9 | 3 | 0 | Lost Conference Playoffs (Giants 0–10) | Jim Brown (MVP) | |
| 1959 | 1959 | NFL | Eastern | T-2nd[6] | 7 | 5 | 0 | |||
| 1960 | 1960 | NFL | Eastern | 2nd | 8 | 3 | 1 | |||
| 1961 | 1961 | NFL | Eastern | 3rd | 8 | 5 | 1 | |||
| 1962 | 1962 | NFL | Eastern | 3rd | 7 | 6 | 1 | |||
| 1963 | 1963 | NFL | Eastern | 2nd | 10 | 4 | 0 | Jim Brown (BBA, MVP) | ||
| 1964 | 1964 | NFL | Eastern | 1st | 10 | 3 | 1 | Won NFL Championship (8)[7] (B. Colts 27-0) | ||
| 1965 | 1965 | NFL | Eastern | 1st | 11 | 3 | 0 | Lost NFL Championship (Packers 12–23) | Jim Brown (MVP, MVP) | |
| 1966 | 1966 | NFL | Eastern | T-2nd[8] | 9 | 5 | 0 | |||
| 1967 | 1967 | NFL | Eastern | Century | 1st | 9 | 5 | 0 | Lost Conference Championship (Cowboys 14–52) | |
| 1968 | 1968 | NFL | Eastern | Century | 1st | 10 | 4 | 0 | Won Conference Championship (Cowboys 20–31) Lost NFL Championship (B. Colts 34–0) |
Leroy Kelly (MVP) |
| 1969 | 1969 | NFL | Eastern | Century | 1st | 10 | 3 | 1 | Won Conference Championship (Cowboys 38–14) Lost NFL Championship (Vikings 7–27) |
|
| National Football League, Modern Era (1970–present) | ||||||||||
| 1970 | 1970 | NFL | AFC | Central | 2nd | 7 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1971 | 1971 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 9 | 5 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (B. Colts 3-20) | |
| 1972 | 1972 | NFL | AFC | Central | 2nd | 10 | 4 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Dolphins 14–20) | |
| 1973 | 1973 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 7 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1974 | 1974 | NFL | AFC | Central | 4th | 4 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 1975 | 1975 | NFL | AFC | Central | 4th | 3 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 1976 | 1976 | NFL | AFC | Central | 2nd | 9 | 5 | 0 | Forrest Gregg (COY) | |
| 1977 | 1977 | NFL | AFC | Central | 4th | 6 | 8 | |||
| 1978[9] | 1978 | NFL | AFC | Central | 4th | 8 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 1979 | 1979 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 9 | 7 | 0 | Sam Rutigliano (COY) | |
| 1980 | 1980 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 11 | 5 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Raiders 12–14)[10] | Sam Rutigliano (COY) Brian Sipe (MVP, MVP, POY) |
| 1981 | 1981 | NFL | AFC | Central | 4th | 5 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 1982[11] | 1982 | NFL | AFC | 8th | 4 | 5 | 0 | Lost First Round Playoffs (L.A. Raiders 10–27) | Chip Banks (Def. ROY) | |
| 1983 | 1983 | NFL | AFC | Central | 2nd | 9 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1984 | 1984 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 5 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 1985 | 1985 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 8 | 8 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Dolphins 21–24) | Kevin Mack (ROY) |
| 1986 | 1986 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 12 | 4 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Jets 23-20) Lost Conference Championship[12] (Broncos 20-23) |
Marty Schottenheimer (COY) |
| 1987[13] | 1987 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 10 | 5 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Colts 38-21) Lost Conference Championship[14] (Broncos 33–38) |
|
| 1988 | 1988 | NFL | AFC | Central | 2nd[15] | 10 | 6 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Oilers 23-24) | |
| 1989 | 1989 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 9 | 6 | 1 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Bills 34-30) Lost Conference Championship[16] (Broncos 21–37) |
Michael Dean Perry (Def. POY) |
| 1990 | 1990 | NFL | AFC | Central | 4th | 3 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 1991 | 1991 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 6 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 1992 | 1992 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 1993 | 1993 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 1994 | 1994 | NFL | AFC | Central | 2nd | 11 | 5 | 0 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Patriots 20–13) Lost Divisional Playoffs (Steelers 9–29) |
|
| 1995 | 1995 | NFL | AFC | Central | 4th | 5 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 1996 | Suspended operations from 1996–1998 | |||||||||
| 1997 | ||||||||||
| 1998 | ||||||||||
| 1999 | 1999 | NFL | AFC | Central | 6th | 2 | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2000 | 2000 | NFL | AFC | Central | 6th | 3 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2001 | 2001 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd[17] | 7 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2002 | 2002 | NFL | AFC | North | 2nd | 9 | 7 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Steelers 33–36) | |
| 2003 | 2003 | NFL | AFC | North | 4th | 5 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2004 | 2004 | NFL | AFC | North | 4th | 4 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2005 | 2005 | NFL | AFC | North | 4th[18] | 6 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2006 | 2006 | NFL | AFC | North | 4th | 4 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2007 | 2007 | NFL | AFC | North | 2nd[19] | 10 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Totals | ||||||||||
| 47 | 4 | 3 | All-America Football Conference regular season results | |||||||
| 5 | 0 | 0 | AAFC post-season results | |||||||
| 414 | 355 | 10 | National Football League regular season results | |||||||
| 11 | 20 | 0 | NFL post-season results | |||||||
| 484 | 379 | 13 | AAFC and NFL regular and post-season results | |||||||
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ The NFL does not recognize the Browns' AAFC championships. For the purposes of this list, however, they are included in final totals.
- ^ The Browns are one of only six teams to have never appeared in a Super Bowl. The other six teams are the Arizona Cardinals, the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New Orleans Saints.
- ^ At the end of the 1950 NFL season, the Browns and Giants had identical 10–2–0 records. To determine the team that would play in the |NFL Championship Game, the NFL held a one-game conference playoff. The Browns won, 8-3.
- ^ At the end of the 1956 season, the Browns and the Steelers ended the season with identical 5–7 records. There were no tie-breaking procedures, so the teams ended the season tied.
- ^ At the end of the 1958 NFL season, the Browns and Giants had identical 9–3–0 records. To determine the team that would play in the NFL Championship Game, the NFL held a one-game conference playoff. The Giants shut the Browns out 10–0.
- ^ At the end of the 1959 season, the Browns and the Eagles ended the season with identical 5–7 records. There were no tie-breaking procedures, so the teams ended the season tied.
- ^ The Browns' championship win in 1964 is the most recent championship won by any sports team from the Cleveland area.
- ^ At the end of the 1966 season, the Browns and the Eagles ended the season with identical 9–5 records. There were no tie-breaking procedures, so the teams ended the season tied.
- ^ For the 1978 season, the NFL expanded from a 14-game season to a 16-game season.
- ^ This game involved the play Red_Right_88 in its final minutes.
- ^ The 1982 NFL season was shortened from 16 games per team to 9 games because of a players' strike. The NFL adopted a special 16-team playoff tournament; eight teams from each conference were seeded 1–8, and division standings were ignored.
- ^ The 1987 Conference Championship game between the Browns and the Broncos is best remembered for The Drive, in which quarterback John Elway, over the span of 5 minutes and 2 seconds, lead the Broncos on a 98-yard drive to tie the game with 37 seconds remaining in regulation. The Broncos won the game in overtime with a field goal, 23–20.
- ^ The 1987 NFL season was shortened from 16 games per team to 15 games because of a players' strike. Games to be played during the third week of the season were canceled, and replacement players were used to play games from weeks 4 through 6.
- ^ The 1988 Conference Championship game between the Browns and the Broncos is best remembered for The Fumble, in which, while on a potentially game-winning drive, the Browns' running back Ernest Byner fumbled the ball at the Broncos 3–yard line with 65 seconds remaining on the clock. The Broncos recovered the ball, allowed the Browns to get an intentional safety, and won the game, 38-33.
- ^ At the end of the 1988 season, the Browns and the Oilers ended the season with identical 10–6 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Cleveland finished ahead of Houston based on a better division record.
- ^ The 1990 Conference Championship game between the Browns and the Broncos marked the third time in four years that John Elway defeated Bernie Kosar and the Browns in the AFC championship game.
- ^ At the end of the 2001 season, the Browns and the Titans ended the season with identical 7–9 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Cleveland finished ahead of Tennessee based on a better division record.
- ^ At the end of the 2005 season, the Browns and the Ravens ended the season with identical 6–10 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Baltimore finished ahead of Cleveland based on a better division record.
- ^ At the end of the 2007 season, the Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers ended the season with identical 10-6 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, the Steelers finished ahead of the Browns based on winning both games against the Browns during the season.
[edit] References
- Year By Year Season Results. Cleveland Browns official Web site. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- Cleveland Browns (1950 – ). databaseFootball.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- Cleveland Browns History. JT-SW.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-13.
- NFL History – Past Standings. National Football League official Web site. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- Franchise History – Cleveland Browns. Pro Football Hall of Fame official Web site. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- Cleveland Browns (1946–1995; 1999–Present). Sports E-Cyclopedia. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
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