1961: Giants Take Control in Second Half to Defeat Browns

Two fierce rivals in the NFL Eastern Conference, the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, faced off on November 26, 1961 in Cleveland. Having dropped to third in ’60 after winning the conference in three of the preceding four seasons, the Giants had a first-year head coach in Allie Sherman who, at age 39, was the NFL’s youngest. Two preseason acquisitions were paying off in rejuvenating the offense, with 35-year-old QB Y.A. Tittle (pictured at right), formerly of the 49ers, and split end Del Shofner, an ex-Ram, proving to be a particularly potent passing combination. The defense, dominated by savvy veterans, continued to be one of the league’s toughest units. New York had won its last three games and was 8-2.

The Browns were under the guidance of Head Coach Paul Brown for the 16^th year, going back to the years of domination in the All-America Football Conference. Cleveland had won four AAFC titles and three NFL Championships under Brown, but none since 1955. FB Jim Brown was the key to the offense that was directed by efficient, if unspectacular, QB Milt Plum. The line was excellent and the receivers capable while the defense was particularly strong up front. The Browns were coming off a big win over the Eagles in which Jim Brown gained a record 237 rushing yards and, at 7-3, could catch up to their New York rivals with a win at home.

There were 80,455 fans in attendance at Municipal Stadium. The Browns took the opening kickoff and accumulated three first downs. Milt Plum completed three straight passes at one point to reach the New York 45, but the drive stalled when Plum missed on a throw intended for wide-open end Rich Kreitling and Cleveland was forced to punt.

The Giants punted in turn and the home team put together a 73-yard series in six plays. Facing third-and-15, Plum threw to Jim Brown for the necessary yardage and Brown then swept around left end for a 16-yard gain. Two plays later, Plum connected with flanker Ray Renfro (pictured below) for a 43-yard touchdown and, with Lou Groza adding the extra point, the Browns were ahead by 7-0.

The visitors again punted following their next possession and, as the game entered the second quarter, Cleveland was driving. Plum threw to Renfro for 11 yards and a first down and Brown gained 28 yards on a carry around end to the New York 43. However, DE Jim Katcavage sacked Plum on the next play and the Browns were unable to advance further, forcing them to punt.

The Giants proceeded to advance 80 yards in seven plays. Y.A. Tittle completed all four of his passes, two to TE Joe Walton for 11 and 12 yards and the last two to Del Shofner for 17 and 30 yards. Tittle carried the ball himself around end for a five-yard TD and Pat Summerall converted to tie the score at 7-7.

On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Plum went to the air and his pass was intercepted by safety Jim Patton, who returned it 21 yards to the Cleveland 38. Tittle completed passes to split end Kyle Rote for 19 yards and FB Alex Webster for 17 before a pass interference penalty on the Browns gave the Giants a first down at the one. From there, HB Bob Gaiters ran for a touchdown, Summerall added the point after, and the visitors were ahead by 14-7.

The Browns responded with an 85-yard drive in eight plays. Plum threw to Renfro for a 57-yard gain to the New York 29 and Brown ran for another 11. Another running play lost nine yards, but on second-and-19, Plum tossed a flare pass to HB Bobby Mitchell that gained 25 yards and, three plays later, Brown scored a TD from a yard out. Groza added the extra point and the halftime score was tied at 14-14. Thus far, Cleveland had outgained the Giants both on the ground (68 to 18) and through the air (181 to 133) but was not in the lead.

The Giants had the first possession in the third quarter and drove to a score. The big play was a Tittle screen pass to Webster that gained 22 yards, but the series stalled after reaching the Cleveland 25. Summerall kicked a 34-yard field goal that put the Giants in front by 17-14.

The Browns went three-and-out on their next series and the Giants, regaining possession at their 25, advanced to another score. Gaiters had runs of 8 and 11 yards and Tittle completed passes to Rote for 25 yards and Shofner for 15. Summerall booted another field goal, this time from 17 yards despite being partially deflected by DE Jim Houston, and New York’s lead was extended to 20-14.

The Browns punted once again but got the ball back on the next play when Gaiters fumbled and LB Galen Fiss recovered at the New York 22. But a pass intended for Renfro, who was wide open after CB Erich Barnes slipped and fell, was far off target. A sack of Plum by Katcavage and DE Andy Robustelli cost Cleveland 10 yards on a third down play and, attempting to convert on fourth down, Plum’s pass fell incomplete.

The failure to take advantage of the break proved costly to the Browns. As the game headed into the fourth quarter, the Giants were driving thanks to a Tittle pass to Shofner for 15 yards and an option throw by Gaiters to Webster that picked up 27 yards to the Cleveland 23. Gaiters ran for an 11-yard touchdown, Summerall converted, and New York was ahead by 27-14.

On the next Cleveland series, Coach Brown sent backup QB Len Dawson into the game. The move went awry when Barnes intercepted Dawson’s second pass and returned it 34 yards for a TD. Summerall again converted and, for all intents, with 12 minutes remaining the game was over. The Browns managed to score once more on a 15-yard TD pass from Plum to Renfro while Summerall capped the scoring for the Giants with an 11-yard field goal. New York came away with a convincing 37-21 win.

Thanks to their second half domination, the Giants led in total yards (369 to 334) and first downs (24 to 20). Cleveland managed just 66 rushing yards, to 116 for New York. Both teams turned the ball over twice.

Y.A. Tittle completed 17 of 26 passes for 233 yards with one interception, and while he threw for no touchdowns, he ran for one and his passing set up the other scores. Del Shofner caught 6 passes for 97 yards and Kyle Rote contributed five receptions for 58 yards. Bob Gaiters (pictured at right) topped the Giants with 63 yards on 15 carries that included two touchdowns and also completed a 27-yard pass. Alex Webster rushed for 49 yards on 15 attempts and caught four passes for another 65 yards.

For the Browns, Milt Plum was successful on 19 of 33 throws for 284 yards and two TDs while giving up an interception, but was just one-of-seven during the crucial third quarter. Likewise, Jim Brown gained just 68 rushing yards on 20 attempts with a TD and was effectively shut down in the last two quarters. He also had five pass receptions for 46 yards and his backfield mater, HB Bobby Mitchell, also had five catches, for 54 yards, but was virtually invisible as a ball carrier with two yards on two attempts. Ray Renfro led the club with 7 catches for 166 yards and two scores.

“This was our greatest game of the season,” said Coach Sherman for the Giants. “It was our greatest game because this was our greatest challenge. This is a team with a soul. They come back when they’re behind. They never let up.”

“My guys tried hard enough, we’re not good enough,” summed up Paul Brown from the Cleveland perspective.

It was the seventh win in the last eight meetings with the Browns for New York. The Giants lost to Green Bay the following week but defeated the Eagles and tied Cleveland in the rematch in New York to top the Eastern Conference with a 10-3-1 record. They lost badly to the Packers in the NFL Championship game. The Browns ended up in third at a disappointing 8-5-1.

Y.A. Tittle was one of the NFL’s top-ranked passers as he threw for 2272 yards and 17 touchdowns. He received MVP honors from the Newspaper Enterprise Association as well as being a first-team All-NFL selection of UPI and The Sporting News and a Pro Bowl participant. Del Shofner placed second in the league with 1125 yards on a career-high 68 pass receptions and scored 11 TDs. He also was a consensus first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl choice. While rookie Bob Gaiters had a strong outing against the Browns, he struggled with consistency and had a tendency to fumble. He rushed for 460 yards on 116 carries and scored six touchdowns in what proved to be his most successful NFL season.  

1959: Late Score Propels Steelers Past Browns

Following a slow start, the Pittsburgh Steelers were at 3-4-1 as they faced the Cleveland Browns on November 22, 1959. Head Coach Buddy Parker’s club had lost some close contests but upset the Giants in New York the previous week. QB Bobby Layne (pictured at right), in his twelfth year, was still a formidable competitor and leader and had a good group of receivers led by second-year end Jimmy Orr. HB Tom “The Bomb” Tracy was reliable carrying the ball and the defense tough and typically stingy. The Steelers had beaten the Browns in the season’s opening game.

Cleveland was, as usual, a strong contender in the Eastern Conference in its 14^th season under Head Coach Paul Brown. The Browns were coming off of five straight wins and at 6-2 were tied for first place with the Giants. The ground game was the NFL’s best, led by FB Jim Brown and including fleet HB Bobby Mitchell, who had gained 232 yards against Washington a week earlier. QB Milt Plum was competent and had a good veteran receiving corps led by flanker Ray Renfro.

There were 68,563 fans in attendance at Municipal Stadium. The Browns had the first possession and put together a drive that included two first downs, but came up empty when Lou Groza was wide to the right on a 48-yard field goal attempt.

On Pittsburgh’s second possession, the Steelers drove 94 yards in 16 plays that extended into the early stages of the second quarter. It nearly came to an end twice, but a defensive holding penalty on a punt from the Pittsburgh 11 gave the visitors a first down and, forced to go into punt formation again, they got another break when Bobby Luna dropped the snap but managed to recover and ran 11 yards for a first down. Jimmy Orr made an outstanding catch on an option throw by flanker Ray Mathews while double-covered by safety Junior Wren and DHB Jim Shofner for a 38-yard gain to the Cleveland six. Tom Tracy ran for a four-yard touchdown and Bobby Layne added the extra point for a 7-0 advantage.

The Steelers put together another long scoring drive on their next possession, taking 17 plays to advance 72 yards. Tracy and HB Tom Barnett ran effectively and Layne had a 19-yard pass completion with a roughing-the-passer penalty tacked onto the end of it. The series again ended with Tracy (pictured below) running for a TD, this time from one yard on a fourth down play.

Down by 14-0 with less than three minutes remaining in the first half, the Browns advanced 80 yards in response. It took just five plays, the biggest a run by Jim Brown that covered 40 yards and the last a pass from Milt Plum to Ray Renfro for a 32-yard touchdown. Groza’s attempt for the point after missed to the left and the halftime score was 14-6.

The Steelers attempted to add to their lead in the third quarter, but Layne’s 31-yard field goal try was blocked by DE Paul Wiggin. Cleveland had a shot at a field goal late in the period but Groza was again unsuccessful, this time from 48 yards.

The Browns appeared to take control in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns. Plum passed to Renfro for a 27-yard TD and Groza added the point after. Shortly thereafter Plum, not known for his deep passing, went long for Renfro once more and it resulted in a 70-yard touchdown, with Groza again successfully converting. Cleveland was ahead by 20-14.

Meanwhile, Cleveland’s defense kept Pittsburgh in check on offense but, behind by six points and with time running down, the Steelers put together a scoring drive after regaining possession at their own 17 following a Cleveland punt. Layne threw to Orr for 17 yards and a roughing-the-passer penalty on the Browns added another 15. Another pass was incomplete, but Layne then connected with Orr again for 19 yards, and while the receiver fumbled at the end of the play, Mathews recovered to maintain possession at the Cleveland 33. Tracy ran up the middle for 16 yards and, two plays later and with 40 seconds left to play, Layne threw to end Gern Nagler under the goal post for a 17-yard touchdown that completed the 82-yard, six-play series. Layne added the all-important extra point.

There was still a chance for the Browns in the remaining time, and Plum passed them into Pittsburgh territory, but Groza missed a 49-yard field goal attempt on the final play and the Steelers came away winners by a final score of 21-20.

The Browns had the edge in total yards (387 to 338) while Pittsburgh had more first downs (21 to 16). Running the ball more than twice as often as Cleveland (47 carries to 22), the Steelers led in rushing yards (182 to 126) while the Browns, playing catch-up for most of the game, had 261 net passing yards to Pittsburgh’s 156. There were no turnovers and, while there were just seven penalties (four on Cleveland, three on the Steelers), the Browns and their supporters complained about the timing and effect of some of the penalties assessed on them, in particular the roughing-the-passer calls that sustained critical Pittsburgh drives.  

Bobby Layne completed 12 of 20 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown with none intercepted. Tom Tracy rushed for 99 yards on 24 carries that included two TDs. Three receivers had four catches apiece for the Steelers, with Jimmy Orr gaining 86 yards on his and Gern Nagler compiling 63 yards plus the game-winning TD.

Milt Plum was successful on 17 of 29 throws for 269 yards and three touchdowns and also had none picked off. Jim Brown gained 111 yards on 15 rushing attempts, although Bobby Mitchell was held to just 15 yards on 7 carries. Ray Renfro (pictured at left) accumulated 161 yards on 5 pass receptions, three of which went for TDs. End Billy Howton also caught a team-leading five passes, for 77 yards. It was a rough day for Lou Groza, who missed three field goals plus an extra point.

The second straight upset win on the road evened Pittsburgh’s record at 4-4-1 and the Steelers won again the next week, and twice in their last three games, to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 6-5-1 tally. As for the Browns, the loss dropped them out of a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference and was the first of three straight that saw them fall out of contention and end up tied for second in the conference with Philadelphia at 7-5.

Bobby Layne ranked second in the NFL with 20 touchdown passes, although first with 21 interceptions, and his 142 completions and 1986 yards gained placed fifth. He was named to the Pro Bowl, as was Jimmy Orr with his 35 catches for 604 yards (17.3 avg.) and five TDs. Tom Tracy was the NFL’s fourth-ranked rusher as he gained 794 yards on 199 carries (4.0 avg.) that included three touchdowns.

1968: Lions Obtain Munson from Rams in Six-Player Deal

On May 1, 1968 the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams swung a major trade. The Rams dealt QB Bill Munson and a third-round draft choice for 1969 to Detroit for QB Milt Plum, flanker Pat Studstill, HB Tom Watkins, and a ’69 first-round draft pick.

The 26-year-old Munson (pictured above) had played collegiately at Utah State, where he was only converted to quarterback as a senior. He was chosen by Los Angeles in the first round of the 1964 NFL draft and, while having an unorthodox passing style and not a lot of experience at the position, Munson started 18 games in his first two seasons and pushed Roman Gabriel, the top pick in 1962, for playing time. A knee injury knocked him out of action in 1965 and Head Coach George Allen committed to Gabriel in 1966 and ’67. Munson played out his option and was on the verge of becoming a free agent. As part of the trade, he received a long-term deal from the Lions plus an assurance that he would start.

“We had to give up a lot to get him,” said Detroit Head Coach Joe Schmidt. “But I definitely felt that we needed a new quarterback and in my book Munson was the best one available.”

The Lions were in rebuilding mode, having gone 4-7-2 in Schmidt’s first season as head coach. All told, the team gained just 1826 passing yards. Milt Plum, who split time with Karl Sweetan, was on the downside in his eleventh NFL season and sixth with the Lions and had thrown just 172 passes in 1967, for 925 yards and four touchdowns while giving up eight interceptions. No longer a viable starting quarterback in Detroit, for the Rams he fit into Coach Allen’s plan for an experienced backup who would fit well in a conservative offense.

Similarly, the other veteran players the Lions gave up were not suited to a rebuilding project. 29-year-old Pat Studstill was valued for his punting as well as pass receiving, and had been a Pro Bowl selection in 1966 after catching 67 passes for 1266 yards. But injuries had reduced his production to 10 catches in ’67. Tom Watkins, 30, was used primarily to return kicks, although he gained 361 rushing yards in 1967. He had led the NFL in kick returning with a 34.4-yard average in ’65, but was on the downside of his career and the Lions had promising new blood at running back.

Munson performed well in an offense that had many new starters for 1968, including rookie WR Earl McCullouch and TE Charlie Sanders, although the arrival of another rookie, QB Greg Landry out of Massachusetts, provided a competitor. Munson ranked seventh in the NFL passing statistics while throwing for 2311 yards and 15 touchdowns and giving up just eight interceptions. After getting off to a 3-2-1 start, the Lions lost four straight games before tying the Saints and ended up at 4-8-2.

Detroit improved to 9-4-1 in 1969, but Munson broke his throwing hand and missed half of the season. Landry showed off his potential and the two quarterbacks split the starting job in ’70. While both were good at throwing the ball, the 6’2”, 210-pound Munson was a classic pocket passer who was low key and injury prone while Landry was far more mobile and a more effective leader. Collectively, the two performed well, even if they didn’t go to the air often, hitting on 56.8 percent of their passes and tossing 19 touchdowns as the Lions went 10-4 and reached the playoffs. But Landry emerged as the full-time starter in 1971 and Munson tossed just 73 passes over the next two seasons. He returned to the lineup in 1973 when Landry was injured for half the year and led the club to four wins in a 6-7-1 season. Gaining the favor of new Head Coach Rick Forzano, Munson started for most of ’74 and did well enough, completing 56.8 percent of his passes for 1874 yards and eight TDs while giving up seven interceptions. He lasted just five games in 1975, with both he and Landry going down with season-ending knee injuries in the same game, and in ’76 Munson moved on to the expansion Seattle Seahawks, finishing out the remainder of his long career as a journeyman backup.  Overall with the Lions, Munson completed 716 of 1314 passes (54.5 percent) for 8461 yards and 56 touchdowns while giving up 42 interceptions. The team went 24-21-3 in his starts.

As for the players the Rams received for Munson, Milt Plum saw scant action for the Rams, throwing just 12 passes all season behind the Pro Bowler Gabriel. Tom Watkins saw no action at all, being waived before the season and finishing his career with one game for Pittsburgh. Pat Studstill had just seven catches but handled the punting and averaged 39.6 yards on 81 kicks. His punting kept him with the club for four years.

More useful was RB Larry Smith (pictured at right), who the Rams chose with the eighth overall choice in the first round of the 1969 NFL draft out of Florida. The 6’3”, 220-pound halfback led the team in rushing as a rookie with 599 yards and also caught 46 passes for another 300 yards. His performance dropped off thereafter due to chronic injuries, but he lasted for five seasons in LA before moving on to Washington.

The Lions sent the third round draft pick they received from the Rams on to the Cardinals four months later in a deal for WR Billy Gambrell. Gambrell, a five-year pro who was a backup for the Cards, caught 28 passes for 492 yards (17.6 avg.) and seven touchdowns in his only year with Detroit.

1961: Mitchell & Plum Spur Browns Over Steelers

The Cleveland Browns were 3-2, having lost the previous week against Green Bay, as they took on the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 22, 1961. Head Coach Paul Brown’s team had an outstanding rushing tandem with FB Jim Brown and HB Bobby Mitchell operating behind a solid line, but the pass receivers were less impressive and now QB Milt Plum was out with a dislocated right thumb suffered against the Packers. Len Dawson, still yet to emerge in his fifth year after having been drafted by the Steelers in the first round out of Purdue in 1957, was starting in his place.

Pittsburgh, under Head Coach Buddy Parker, was 1-4 and had showed a tendency for losing close contests. QB Bobby Layne was out with a shoulder injury and Rudy Bukich, a 29-year-old career backup, was filling in. Split end Buddy Dial was a fine deep threat FB John Henry Johnson led the ground game, but age, combined with a big turnover in personnel, was a problem for the Steelers on both sides of the ball.

There were 29,266 fans in attendance at Forbes Field. The Steelers had first possession and punted, but got the ball back when CB Johnny Sample intercepted Len Dawson’s third pass. Rudy Bukich threw to Buddy Dial for 19 yards but, after advancing to the Cleveland 36, the home team came up empty when Lou Michaels was short and low on a 44-yard field goal attempt.

On Cleveland’s next series, Bobby Mitchell ran to his right and down the sideline for a 48-yard gain to the Pittsburgh 16. Two carries by HB Tom Watkins picked up six yards, but Dawson was then sacked by DT Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb and Lou Groza kicked a 24-yard field goal to make it 3-0.

The Steelers punted following a short series and, in a drive that extended into the second quarter, the Browns advanced deep into Pittsburgh territory. Jim Brown ran four consecutive times for 22 yards to start things off and Mitchell converted a fourth-and-one play with a two-yard carry. However, after Brown took a pitchout and ran 20 yards to the Pittsburgh one yard line, the great fullback fumbled while attempting to hurdle the line and safety Jackie Simpson caught the ball in the air in the end zone and returned it to the nine.

The Steelers again had to punt and the Browns, taking possession at their 49, went 51 yards in seven plays, this time not coming up empty. Brown and Mitchell ran effectively and Dawson completed a pass to Mitchell for nine yards. Mitchell gained the last six yards for a touchdown and, with Groza’s extra point, the visitors were in front by 10-0. That remained the score at halftime as the teams traded punts for the remainder of the half.

The frustrated home fans booed the Steelers as they returned to the field for the second half. The Browns edged into Pittsburgh territory on the first series of the third quarter, but a Dawson pass was picked off by CB Bill Butler and he returned it to the Cleveland 42. Now the Steelers moved effectively with John Henry Johnson and HB Tom Tracy running well. Bukich threw to Dial for a 12-yard touchdown and, adding Michaels’ PAT, which hit the crossbar but made it over, the Cleveland lead was cut to 10-7.

A short possession by the Browns was followed by a punt and, after no gain on a first down running play, Bukich connected with Dial on three straight passes for 17, 33, and 10 yards to reach the Cleveland 13. HB Dick Hoak ran twice for eight yards and, on third-and-two, Dial came through with a leaping catch that picked up three yards. On the next play, Tracy ran for a two-yard TD between the goal posts and, with Michaels successfully converting, the Steelers were ahead by 14-10.

Milt Plum was at quarterback for the next Cleveland series, and he threw to ends Leon Clarke for 23 yards and Rich Kreitling for 10 to get to the Pittsburgh 35. The drive stalled at the 29 and Groza kicked a 36-yard field goal to make it a one-point contest.

On the last play of the period, safety Bobby Franklin intercepted a Bukich pass and the Browns, taking over at the Pittsburgh 25, drove to a score in five plays. Plum had a pass to Mitchell for 11 yards along the way and it was Mitchell running the last nine yards for a touchdown. Groza added the extra point and Cleveland was back in the lead by 20-14.

The Steelers had to punt on their next series, but got the ball back at the Cleveland 24 when Mitchell fumbled a pitchout and DT Joe Krupa recovered. Tracy was stopped for a four-yard loss on the next play, but Bukich connected with Dial for 24 yards and Tracy gained the last yard for a TD. Michaels converted to put the home team back on top by 21-20.

The Browns came back with a six-play, 72-yard drive. Plum completed a pass to TE Gern Nagler for 18 yards and another to Mitchell, also for 18, and after Mitchell ran for 14 yards, he sped around end for an 18-yard touchdown. Groza kicked the point after and the see-saw battle had Cleveland back in front by 27-21.

On Pittsburgh’s first play from scrimmage following the kickoff, Bukich tossed a screen pass to Johnson who fumbled after running into his own man and DE Paul Wiggin recovered for the Browns at the 10. The Steelers were able to keep the visitors out of the end zone, but Groza kicked a 12-yard field goal to make the score 30-21 with less than three minutes remaining to play.

Pittsburgh, starting at its own six after the kickoff, responded with a big play two snaps later as Bukich connected with Dial for an 88-yard touchdown. Michaels kicked the PAT to make it a two-point game, but by the time the Steelers got the ball back again, the clock was down to 45 seconds and the game ended for them on their 32 yard line. Cleveland came away with a 30-28 win.

The Browns had the edge in total yards (378 to 309) and first downs (21 to 17), with 229 of their total coming on the ground. They also turned the ball over four times, to three suffered by Pittsburgh, but recorded six sacks, to one by the Steelers.

Both Bobby Mitchell and Jim Brown went over a hundred yards rushing, with Mitchell compiling 119 yards on 14 carries that included three touchdowns and Brown gaining 114 yards on 29 attempts. Mitchell also caught four passes for 47 more yards to lead the Browns. Len Dawson completed 6 of 12 passes for 68 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions before being relieved by Milt Plum, who was 6-of-8 for 88 yards and, while also throwing for no TDs, gave up no interceptions. Lou Groza was successful on all three of his field goal attempts.

For the Steelers, Buddy Dial (pictured at right) had a huge performance in defeat with 9 catches for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Rudy Bukich was successful on 15 of 24 throws for 275 yards and two TDs with one interception. John Henry Johnson rushed for 35 yards on 8 carries and Tom Tracy was right behind with 34 yards on 12 attempts that included two for touchdowns.

The Browns won again the next week as they sought to keep up with the Giants and Eagles in the Eastern Conference, but they ultimately finished at 8-5-1 to settle for third place. Pittsburgh came back with a three-game winning streak, including one over the Browns in the rematch in Cleveland, and finished strong for a 6-8 record that ranked fifth in the conference.

Bobby Mitchell was called up to active military duty but was still able to get passes to play on the weekends and rushed for 548 yards on 101 carries (5.4 avg.) and had 32 pass receptions for another 368 yards (11.5 avg.), scoring a total of 10 touchdowns. Jim Brown, as he had in each of the previous four seasons since entering the NFL, led the league in rushing with 1408 yards on a then-record 305 carries (4.6 avg.) and received his annual first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl honors. Milt Plum topped the NFL in passing efficiency for the second straight year, completing 58.6 percent of his throws for 18 TDs against 10 interceptions.

As had been the case throughout his career to date, Len Dawson saw scant action over the course of the season, throwing 15 passes -  his highest total thus far. He moved over to the Dallas Texans of the AFL in 1962 and his fortunes changed dramatically for the better.

In his third year, Buddy Dial gained selection to the Pro Bowl after catching 53 passes for 1047 yards (19.8 avg.) and 12 touchdowns. His 235-yard pass receiving performance against the Browns remained the franchise record until 2002. Rudy Bukich ultimately moved back to the bench with the return of Bobby Layne, but won four of his seven starts and had a solid completion percentage of 57.1 on his 156 passes. 11 were good for TDs, but he also gave up 16 interceptions.

1964: Walker Kicks 4 Field Goals as Lions Defeat 49ers

Two NFL teams coming off of disappointing seasons met in San Francisco on September 13, 1964 to open another year amid expectations for improvement. The Detroit Lions, a perennially tough defensive team, suffered through an injury-plagued ’63 campaign in which they went 5-8-1, their first losing record after three consecutive second place finishes in the NFL Western Conference. Coached by George Wilson, they were anticipating the return of DE Darris McCord and DB Gary Lowe, who all underwent offseason surgery, plus DT Alex Karras, who was reinstated by the league following a gambling suspension. QB Milt Plum had regained the starting job in the preseason that he lost to Earl Morrall the previous year and there were outstanding receivers in flanker Terry Barr and split end Gail Cogdill.  

The 49ers were a dismal 2-12 in 1963, putting them in last place for the first time in franchise history. Red Hickey was replaced by Jack Christiansen as head coach during the season, and Christiansen was starting off his first full year at the helm. He had QB John Brodie back and recovered from a broken arm that had sidelined him for most of ‘63. The offense had suffered to the point that CB Abe Woodson, the NFL’s top kickoff returner, was looked upon as the most effective ground-gaining weapon. Injuries had also hampered the defense, and improvement was anticipated on that side of the ball as well.  

It was a cool, overcast day at Kezar Stadium with 33,204 in attendance. The 49ers went three-and-out on the game’s opening series and punted. Detroit put together a 10-play, 58-yard possession, with the biggest gain on a pass from Milt Plum to Gail Cogdill for 34 yards to the San Francisco 34 in a third-and-14 situation. Plum connected with Cogdill twice more for 16 yards and the series finally ended with Wayne Walker (pictured above) kicking a 23-yard field goal.

The home team responded by going 80 yards in six plays. On second-and-19 from their own 37, the 49ers made a big play when John Brodie threw to flanker Bernie Casey, who made an outstanding catch at the Detroit 30 and went the distance for a 63-yard touchdown. Tommy Davis added his NFL-record 157^th consecutive extra point and the Niners were ahead by 7-3.

The teams traded punts to finish out the first quarter. Starting off the second quarter, Plum threw to Terry Barr for a gain of 47 yards to the San Francisco 11, but after a short run by HB Tom Watkins, two passes fell incomplete and Walker came in to kick another field goal, this time from 16 yards.

A short series by the 49ers was followed by another scoring drive by the Lions, this time covering 47 yards in eight plays. Plum had a nine-yard pass to Cogdill and FB Nick Pietrosante and HB Dan Lewis ran effectively, with Pietrosante diving into the end zone from three yards out for a TD. Walker added the PAT and the visitors were ahead by 13-7.

Detroit had good starting field position at the San Francisco 43 following a punt but Plum threw an interception. However, after another punt by the Niners that had the Lions starting at their 15, the visitors drove to another score. Plum had another big completion to Cogdill (pictured below) on a third down play, this time for 43 yards to the San Francisco 38, and three carries by Lewis gave the Lions another first down. The drive stalled at the 23 and Walker booted his third field goal of the game, this time from 31 yards with less than a minute remaining in the half. The 49ers made a bid for points in the final seconds as Brodie threw to TE Monte Stickles for 19 yards and then to Casey for 24, but Davis missed a 39-yard field goal attempt. The Lions carried a 16-7 lead into halftime.

Detroit started off the third quarter with a 74-yard, 11-play series. Watkins ran for 15 yards on a reverse, Plum connected with Barr for 39 yards, and Pietrosante capped the drive by plunging for the last yard and a TD. Walker again added the extra point to make the score 23-7.

Now behind by 16 points, the 49ers got a boost when DB Kermit Alexander returned the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to give them good starting field position at the Detroit 40. The Niners picked up just six yards, but Davis kicked a 41-yard field goal to narrow the margin to 23-10.

The Lions had to punt on their next series and Yale Lary’s short kick had the 49ers taking over at the Detroit 38. FB J.D. Smith ran for 16 yards and, three plays later, Brodie threw to Stickles for 10 yards in a third-and-eight situation. Casey caught a Brodie pass for a seven-yard touchdown and, with Davis converting, it was suddenly just a six-point game.

The Lions again had to kick the ball away following a short possession and the 49ers were driving as the game moved into the fourth quarter. However, they came up empty when Davis missed a 38-yard field goal try.

Plum threw to Barr for 23 yards but, following a run by Lewis that lost yardage and a 15-yard penalty that moved the visitors back, Detroit again had to punt, although a clip nullified a good return by Alexander. Mired deep in their own territory, the 49ers turned the ball over when Brodie fumbled and DE Darris McCord recovered at the five yard line. A penalty moved the Lions back and they again had to settle for a field goal, but Walker was successful once more, hitting from 26 yards out. Detroit was up by nine points.

That was it for the scoring. Alexander had a 38-yard kickoff return, but the 49ers went three-and-out and had to punt and the Lions managed to control the ball until the closing seconds. They came away the winners by a score of 26-17.

Detroit led in total yards (372 to 219) and first downs (17 to 13). The Lions also recorded two sacks, to none by San Francisco, although they also were penalized 10 times, at a cost of 80 yards, to four flags thrown on the 49ers. Each team turned the ball over once.

Milt Plum completed 15 of 34 passes for 234 yards and no touchdowns while giving up one interception. Two Lions had over a hundred receiving yards, with Gail Cogdill catching 6 passes for 116 yards and Terry Barr adding 108 yards on his three receptions. Dan Lewis ran for 83 yards on 17 carries and while Nick Pietrosante picked up just 36 yards on 12 attempts, two were good for short TDs. Wayne Walker was the scoring star with 14 points on his four field goals in as many attempts (which set a club record) and two extra points.

For the 49ers, John Brodie was successful on 15 of his 33 throws for 177 yards and two TDs with no interceptions. Bernie Casey (pictured at right) had 6 catches for 119 yards and two scores. J.D. Smith ran for 42 yards on 11 carries. Kermit Alexander had 107 yards on kick returns (82 on two kickoffs and 25 on two punts), overshadowing Abe Woodson, at least for one week.

Detroit got off to a 4-1-1 start before injuries set in and the team finished up at 7-5-2 and in at fourth place in the Western Conference. It was improvement, but not enough to save Coach Wilson’s job. The 49ers won the next week at Philadelphia but went on to another losing year and a final record of 4-10, which resulted in a second straight last place finish in the conference. While the passing game was better, injuries decimated the ground attack.

Wayne Walker, an outstanding linebacker as well as placekicker, ended up booting a career-high 14 field goals out of 25 attempts and, adding 32 extra points, achieved another career best with 74 points. Terry Barr and Gail Cogdill remained productive, with Barr catching 57 passes for 1070 yards (18.1 avg.) and nine touchdowns and gaining selection to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year, and Cogdill accumulating 45 receptions for 665 yards (14.8 avg.) and two TDs before a shoulder injury sidelined him late in the year.

Bernie Casey continued to be a key performer for the 49ers, catching 58 passes for 808 yards (13.9 avg.) and four touchdowns. Kermit Alexander had a fine year returning kicks, averaging 24.2 yards on 20 kickoff returns (Abe Woodson had a 27.5 average on 32 returns) and 9.0 yards on 21 punt returns that included a TD. 

1962: Browns Send Plum to Lions in Three-for-Three Trade

On March 29, 1962 the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions completed a major trade that centered on their starting quarterbacks. Cleveland dealt QB Milt Plum, HB Tom Watkins, and LB Dave Lloyd to Detroit for QB Jim Ninowski, DE Bill Glass, and HB Howard “Hopalong” Cassady.

From Cleveland’s perspective, it was part of the retooling of a team that had last topped the Eastern Conference in 1957 (they tied with the Giants in ’58 but lost the resulting playoff). Head Coach Paul Brown, the architect of Cleveland’s success since 1946 when it was in the All-America Football Conference, had been criticized for inflexibility and was now making moves that would give the offense a different style.

Plum (pictured above) was a five-year veteran and statistically-outstanding passer who led the NFL in that category in both 1960 and ’61. However, he had become openly critical of Brown’s play-calling (and his insistence on calling all the plays from the sideline, not a standard practice at that time) and, together with some dissatisfaction on the head coach’s part with his quarterback’s performance in some big games, a trade seemed in order.

The key to the offense since 1957 had been star FB Jim Brown, and an earlier deal with Washington for their first-round draft choice, the Heisman Trophy-winning HB Ernie Davis from Syracuse, signaled a move by the Browns to becoming even more of a ground-oriented team. Cleveland had given up swift HB Bobby Mitchell to obtain Davis, but Davis was a bigger back (6’2”, 215 pounds to Mitchell’s 6’0”, 192) and, paired with Brown, would create a formidable tandem comparable to Green Bay’s HB Paul Hornung and FB Jim Taylor.

Meanwhile Detroit, also most recently in the postseason in ’57 and coming off back-to-back second place finishes, was looking to upgrade its offense. The defense was already outstanding, but the attack had not been of the same caliber. Ninowski was part of the problem – competing with backup QB Earl Morrall for playing time, he was successful on only 47.4 % of his passes for 1921 yards and tossed 18 interceptions with just 7 for touchdowns. While Plum was leading the league, Ninowski ranked 16th overall in passing.

Ninowski, who turned 26 just before the trade, was originally drafted by the Browns in 1958 and had seen little action as a backup in two years before moving on to Detroit. While his numbers were far inferior to Plum’s, he was also more mobile and, with Brown and Davis in the backfield, it was anticipated that Cleveland would mount an option attack.

“Hopalong” Cassady, winner of the 1955 Heisman Trophy, had never achieved the level of success that he had as an All-American at Ohio State. He appeared to be on the downside and had not done much in 1961, running the ball just 31 times for 131 yards and catching five passes. But he had been more productive in previous years and it was anticipated that he would be a versatile backup to Davis at halfback or veteran flanker Ray Renfro, as he was an able pass receiver as well as outside running threat and could also return punts. Bill Glass, a highly-regarded defensive end, had been with the Lions for four years and was slated to move into Cleveland’s starting lineup.

For Detroit, in addition to Plum, Tom Watkins was another key to the deal. A speedy runner at halfback, he had been stuck behind Mitchell in Cleveland and saw scant action for the Browns as a rookie in 1961 following an outstanding college career at Iowa State. In combination with veteran HB Dan Lewis, it was hoped that he would bolster the outside running game, which had been lacking for the Lions, and thus increase the effectiveness of star FB Nick Pietrosante. Dave Lloyd, 25 years old and having put in three seasons with the Browns, was obtained to add depth to Detroit’s veteran corps of linebackers.

Ninowski initially insisted he would not play for the Browns, nearly voiding the deal, but assurances that he would be the starting quarterback resolved the problem.

“I’ve always regretted trading Ninowski,” said Paul Brown (pictured with Ninowski below). “But at the time he wanted assurance that he’d be the No. 1 quarterback. We couldn’t give it to him then, but we’ve been so impressed with his progress we can give it to him now.”


“We’re getting what we’ve most needed – offensive help,” said a satisfied Head Coach George Wilson of the Lions in summing up the trade.

Cleveland’s plans first began to go awry due to a tragic circumstance. During the summer, Ernie Davis was diagnosed with leukemia and, as a result, never took the field for the Browns. He died the following year. Jim Ninowski had a solid preseason at quarterback, but the consistency problems he had in Detroit resurfaced during the regular season. The team got off to a 3-3 start and Ninowski went down for the year with a broken collar bone in the seventh game. Frank Ryan, a fifth-year quarterback who had been acquired after a lackluster stint with the Rams, took over and played well the rest of the way. While Cassady contributed little and was traded midseason to the injury-depleted Philadelphia Eagles, Bill Glass met expectations and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

The Browns, with even the durable Jim Brown struggling with an injury and having a relatively subpar year, finished up with a disappointing 7-6-1 record, and in a stunning development, owner Art Modell fired Paul Brown after the season.

While Detroit finished with an improved 11-3 tally, it was ultimately a frustrating year for the Lions as well. Plum set franchise records with 179 pass completions and 2378 yards, but also tossed 20 interceptions (as opposed to 15 touchdowns) and dropped to 11th in the league’s passing standings (still three ahead of Ninowski). His leadership qualities came into question and he became caught up in dissension between the offensive and defensive platoons, particularly after a loss to the Packers in a key Week 4 matchup – nursing a one-point lead late in the game, Plum went to the air rather than keeping the ball on the ground, it was intercepted, and Green Bay was able to kick a game-winning field goal. In several instances as the season progressed, Morrall relieved Plum in game-saving situations.

Tom Watkins ran the ball effectively, gaining 485 yards while averaging 4.3 yards-per-carry, and also averaged 26.6 yards on 17 kickoff returns. Dave Lloyd was a capable reserve. But in the end, the Lions still finished second to the Packers in the Western Conference.


Under Paul Brown’s successor, Blanton Collier, the Browns bounced back to a strong 10-4 finish in 1963 and were NFL Champions in ’64. It was Frank Ryan at quarterback, however, not Jim Ninowski, who remained with the team through 1966 but was strictly a backup. Of the players obtained in the Milt Plum deal, Bill Glass (pictured at left) proved to be the best acquisition. His Pro Bowl selection in 1962 was the first of three straight and four overall. He was a mainstay of the 1964 title-winning defense and remained with Cleveland until the end of his career in 1968.

Meanwhile, the Lions failed to contend during the remainder of Plum’s tenure with the club. They dropped off to 5-8-1 in an injury-filled 1963 season and Plum played poorly, losing his starting job to Morrall. While he eventually regained it and remained with the Lions until 1967, Plum proved to be an inconsistent performer and Detroit had only one winning season (7-5-2 in ’64) during that time. As much as he had bridled under Paul Brown’s offensive system in Cleveland, it appeared that his success there had been a product of it, and the weaknesses that he displayed with the Browns became more glaring with the Lions.


Tom Watkins (pictured at right) also remained with Detroit through ’67 (he missed the 1966 season due to injury). He never ran for more than 485 yards and was also never the unchallenged starting halfback, but was more prominent as a kick returner, leading the NFL in punt return average (14.9) in 1964 and kickoff returning (34.4) in ’65. Overall, he averaged 10.3 yards on 94 punt returns with three touchdowns for the Lions and 24.9 yards on 91 kickoff returns.

Dave Lloyd played only a year with the Lions before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he moved into the starting lineup at middle linebacker and played well until 1970, garnering a Pro Bowl selection along the way.

1961: Jim Brown Ties Rushing Record as Browns Crush Eagles

By the 1961 NFL season, Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns was well-established as the top runner in pro football. He had led the league in ground-gaining in each of his first four years and set both a single-game record of 237 yards in 1957 and season record of 1527 yards in ’58. On November 19 against the Philadelphia Eagles the 25-year-old fullback added to his list of accomplishments.

The Browns were 6-3 and trying to keep pace with the Eagles and New York Giants in the Eastern Conference. While players were becoming increasingly restive under autocratic Head Coach Paul Brown, the team was still a regular contender. QB Milt Plum was the most accurate passer in the NFL and Brown was complemented in the backfield by HB Bobby Mitchell, an outstanding outside runner. Plum had been suffering from a hand injury but appeared to now be completely healthy. Mitchell had been called up to active military duty a few weeks before, but was on a weekend pass and available against the Eagles.

The Eagles were the defending NFL Champions and defeated Cleveland in the season-opening game in Philadelphia. They were a team in transition as both Head Coach Buck Shaw and star QB Norm Van Brocklin retired after the title-winning campaign. Nick Skorich was now the coach and 27-year-old Sonny Jurgensen the quarterback. The largely-untested Jurgensen had been nothing short of spectacular as he stepped out of Van Brocklin’s shadow. Philadelphia got off to a 7-1 start, but the loss of CB Tom Brookshier to a season-ending broken leg hindered the pass defense and the Eagles were coming off of a loss to the Giants the previous week.

There was a crowd of 68,399 in attendance at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium and they saw the Eagles start off the scoring in the first quarter with a 34-yard field goal by Bobby Walston. Jim Brown put Cleveland ahead on the fourth play of the second quarter with a three-yard touchdown run that made it 7-3. The Eagles rebounded with a 68-yard drive, 46 of them on passes by Jurgensen, and HB Ted Dean scored from two yards out.

The Browns came right back with another three-yard TD by Brown that put them back in front at 14-10, which remained the score at halftime. They never trailed again.

Cleveland took the second half kickoff and went 73 yards in eight plays, with Plum throwing to Mitchell for a 28-yard touchdown. Lou Groza added a 17-yard field goal late in the third quarter that made it a 14-point game at 24-10.

The fourth quarter was eventful. Brown started things off with a one-yard TD on the period’s second play. The Eagles were forced to punt on their next possession and the Browns went 68 yards in eight plays for another TD, Brown’s fourth of the contest on an eight-yard sweep around left end.

Philadelphia responded with a five-play, 74-yard drive to finally get on the board again. Flanker Tommy McDonald caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Jurgensen, but at 38-17, the game was out of reach.

On the ensuing kickoff, Mitchell extinguished any remaining hopes for the Eagles by returning it 91 yards for a TD. The Eagles scored one last touchdown, on a Jurgensen pass to Timmy Brown that covered 39 yards, but it only made the score marginally closer. Cleveland came away with a convincing 45-24 win.

The only remaining drama pertained to Jim Brown’s pursuit of his own single-game rushing record. The Browns got the ball with less than two minutes remaining and Brown carried three times to tie the record (Brown was originally credited with a record-breaking 242 yards, but the official scorer admitted a mistake in addition the following day).

For the day, Brown’s total was 237 yards on 34 carries with four touchdowns. He also gained another 52 yards on three pass receptions and returned a kickoff 24 yards, giving him 313 total yards. He also threw a pass, but it fell incomplete.

“I've played some better all-around games this year,” Brown said afterward. “I missed a few blocks today, and a couple of times I went the wrong way when I got a good block. The blocking was tremendous. I don't think I ran any better than usual. You always go all out and sometimes you gain and sometimes you don’t.”

The Browns dominated statistically across the board, outgaining the Eagles by 505 yards to 327 and rolling up 30 first downs to Philadelphia’s 19. In addition, Cleveland didn’t turn the ball over at all, as opposed to two turnovers by the Eagles, and the Browns only punted once.

In addition to missing Tom Brookshier, Philadelphia’s defensive backfield suffered a further blow when FS Don Burroughs was lost with a slight concussion in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Browns CB Bernie Parrish had an exceptional game, holding star flanker Tommy McDonald to two catches for 25 yards (one of which was a short TD) and intercepting a pass in the third quarter.


Milt Plum completed 16 of 21 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown. Adding to Jim Brown’s output, Bobby Mitchell (pictured at left) ran for 43 yards on 8 carries, caught 4 passes for 54 more yards and a touchdown, and of course scored on a kickoff return. Flanker Ray Renfro gained 73 yards on his 4 pass receptions.

Sonny Jurgensen went to the air 32 times for the Eagles and completed 18 for 230 yards and two TDs with one intercepted. Timmy Brown led the club in rushing with 49 yards on just two attempts and also had the most pass receiving yards with 58 on his two catches that included a score. Ted Dean caught 6 passes for 51 yards to go along with his 31 yards on 9 rushing attempts with one TD. Only seven of Jurgensen’s completions went to an end or flanker.

“We had to win or else,” said Paul Brown afterward. “There was nothing left for us if we didn't win it.”

The Browns moved into a second place tie with Eagles at 7-3 as result of the win. But any hopes of finishing atop the Eastern Conference were dashed as they lost two of the next three games, including a showdown with the Giants the week after hosting Philadelphia. Cleveland’s final record was 8-5-1, which resulted in a third-place finish.

The Eagles ended up in second at 10-4, recovering from the loss to the Browns to win three of their last four. However, the loss was to the Giants, who came in a half-game ahead of Philadelphia at 10-3-1.

Jim Brown won his fifth consecutive rushing title with 1408 yards on 305 carries (a record at the time) for a 4.6-yard average and eight touchdowns. He also caught 46 passes for another 459 yards and two TDs, giving him a league-leading 1867 yards from scrimmage and, with a pair of kickoff returns added in, 1917 all-purpose yards.

The record-tying rushing performance was the second of an eventual four 200-yard games during his brilliant career (he came closest to topping his own mark again with 232 yards against Dallas in a 1963 contest). Buffalo’s Cookie Gilchrist ran for 243 yards in an AFL game in ’63 and Willie Ellison of the Rams topped Brown’s mark with 247 in a 1971 NFL contest.

1963: Lions Beat Steelers in Playoff Bowl as Layne Plays for Last Time

The Detroit Lions were appearing in the Playoff Bowl for the third straight year on January 6, 1963. While it was a meaningless postseason exhibition game, it still attested to the fact that they had placed second in the NFL’s Western Conference from 1960-62. Detroit did so again in ’62 with an 11-3 record, third best in the NFL.

Representing the Eastern Conference were the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had gone 9-5 in their sixth season under Head Coach Buddy Parker – the same coach who had led the Lions to back-to-back NFL titles in 1952 and ’53. The Steelers had won six of their last seven games and were largely a veteran club. QB Bobby Layne was nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career, and it was 34-year-old Ed Brown, formerly of the Bears, who would be starting against the Lions. Ninth-year FB John Henry Johnson had the finest season of his distinguished career, rushing for 1141 yards. Split end Buddy Dial was a potent deep threat, while TE Preston Carpenter was chosen for the Pro Bowl. Savvy veterans, center Buzz Nutter and DT Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb, were also picked for the Pro Bowl, and other key contributors over 30 were DT/DE Ernie Stautner and LB George Tarasovic. Lou Michaels, a placekicker as well as defensive end, set a new NFL record with 26 field goals.

Detroit had demolished the Steelers during the regular season by a 45-7 margin, but that was at the beginning of the year and before they began to reel off wins. Coached by Parker’s successor, George Wilson, the Lions were renowned for their defense that included tackles Roger Brown and Alex Karras, MLB Joe Schmidt, and the league’s best secondary with cornerbacks Dick “Night Train” Lane and Dick LeBeau and safeties Yale Lary and Gary Lowe. The offense continued to be a problem, and the acquisition of QB Milt Plum (pictured above) from Cleveland during the previous offseason, although an improvement, did not fully resolve the issue.

There were 36,284 fans for the nationally-telecast game at Miami’s Orange Bowl, the game’s best attendance to date (and exceeding the 35,000 threshold that NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle stated was necessary for Miami to continue hosting the event). The Steelers were also debuting a new (and now familiar) black helmet design, having worn gold helmets previously.

The Detroit offense looked good in the first quarter, twice driving into field goal range. The first possession included passes by Plum of 20 yards to split end Gail Cogdill and 14 to flanker Pat Studstill. However, Wayne Walker missed a 29-yard field goal attempt. The second drive began just before the end of the scoreless opening period as FB Ken Webb ran for 32 yards (the longest carry of the day) to just past midfield. Plum passed the team down to the 18, and this time Walker was successful on a field goal attempt from 27 yards.

The Steelers couldn’t get beyond their 40 yard line until midway through the second quarter when they put together an 11-play drive for a touchdown. A pass interference call on a third-and-16 play got the drive moving, and a 19-yard pass from Ed Brown to Carpenter gained 19 yards, followed by a 26-yard throw to Dial for another 26 down to the Detroit 19. HB Dick Hoak scored on a six-yard run and the Steelers led by 7-3.

The Lions again drove into Pittsburgh territory, but LB Tom Bettis intercepted a pass by Plum at the goal line. However, Detroit LB Carl Brettschneider returned the favor by intercepting a Brown pass and returning it 32 yards to the Pittsburgh 34; the Lions capitalized with a 20-yard TD pass from Plum to Webb in the last minute of the half. It was 10-7 in favor of Detroit at the intermission.

In the third quarter, Pittsburgh’s Michaels tied the score at 10-10 with a 40-yard field goal. Following an interception of Plum by safety Clendon Thomas, Michaels tried another field goal but missed from 38 yards.

The Lions came back as Plum connected with HB Dan Lewis on a 74-yard pass play to the Pittsburgh five. Webb scored his second TD shortly thereafter on a two-yard run, and Detroit was ahead to stay.

In the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh DB Glenn Glass intercepted a pass and returned it 28 yards to the Detroit 35. However, blitzes by the Lions defense resulted in sacks that pushed the ball back to the 47 and the Steelers came up empty.

Brown was replaced at quarterback for Pittsburgh midway through the fourth quarter by Layne, appearing in the last game of his illustrious career, and ironically against the team that he had quarterbacked so successfully from 1950 through the second game of the ’58 season. Having just turned 36, the old pro might have been broken down physically, but still had competitive fire and provided some excitement as he sought to bring the Steelers from behind. He completed three passes to get Pittsburgh to the Detroit 21 yard line. However, two long throws by Layne fell incomplete as the Lions defense held. A field goal attempt by Michaels was blocked.

Detroit tried to extend its lead on the following possession, but a 32-yard field goal attempt by Walker was partially blocked and fell short, setting the stage for one last try by Layne and the Steelers. A final drive to midfield ended when Layne was intercepted by Yale Lary, essentially finishing the contest. Detroit won by a score of 17-10.

For an exhibition game, there was plenty of hard hitting and several players went down with injuries. John Henry Johnson suffered an apparent concussion, and Pittsburgh DB Willie Daniel broke his jaw while OT Dan James injured his leg. Detroit’s Ken Webb was knocked out when hit by Lipscomb.

The Lions won, despite giving up three interceptions and missing two of three field goal attempts. However, they registered six sacks in all and intercepted two passes while also blocking a field goal attempt.


Milt Plum was selected as the game’s MVP as he completed 16 of 29 throws for 274 yards and a TD (the yardage total ended up being the highest in the 10-game history of the Playoff Bowl). Dan Lewis (pictured at left) had 115 receiving yards while Ken Webb gained 47 yards on the ground to lead the club.

For Pittsburgh, Ed Brown completed 5 of 12 passes for 82 yards while Bobby Layne (pictured below) was good on 4 of 8 throws for 69 yards. Dick Hoak was the leading rusher with 64 yards.

Bobby Layne’s next stop was the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years later. Tragically, “Big Daddy” Lipscomb, who appeared in the Pro Bowl the following week, died from a drug overdose in May.

With the win over the Steelers, the Lions were victors in all three of their Playoff Bowl games. They would not appear in the contest again (the last was played following the 1969 season), but the three wins were the most by any team.

1959: Jim Brown’s 5 TDs Overcome 4 Unitas TD Passes as Browns Beat Colts

The November 1, 1959 game at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium featured a showdown between the defending NFL champion Colts and their great quarterback, Johnny Unitas, and the Cleveland Browns with dominating FB Jim Brown. If anything, both players exceeded expectations.

The Browns, under the guidance of the highly innovative and successful Head Coach Paul Brown, were 3-2 coming into the contest. They had just missed winning the Eastern Conference in ’58, and a big part of their success was the 6’2”, 230-pound fullback from Syracuse. Jim Brown (pictured above) had exploded on the NFL in 1957, leading the league with 942 yards rushing and setting a new single-game record of 237 yards along the way. In 1958, he ran up 1527 yards, breaking Steve Van Buren’s single-season rushing record by 381 yards (he also broke the AAFC record of 1432 yards set by Spec Sanders in 1947).

The Colts, led by Head Coach Weeb Ewbank, had won the NFL championship in an epic contest over the Giants in ‘58 and were off to a 4-1 start as they sought to defend their title. Unitas was the centerpiece of a talented offense and had thrown touchdown passes in a record 30 consecutive games entering the contest against the Browns. Baltimore also had a solid defense that would be keying on Cleveland’s fullback – mammoth (6’6”, 284-pound) DT Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb commented that he had been “waiting a long time to get my hands on that Cleveland cat.”

There were 57,557 fans on hand as the teams matched field goals in the first quarter, Lou Groza connecting first for Cleveland from 16 yards and Steve Myhra booting a 23-yarder for the Colts. However, Jim Brown got things rolling for the Browns in the second quarter as he took a pitchout, ran off tackle, shook Colts safety Ray Brown off without breaking stride 30 yards downfield, and continued for a 70-yard touchdown.

The Colts came back to tie the score on a three-yard TD pass from Unitas to HB Lenny Moore, but Brown ran up the middle for a 17-yard touchdown to give Cleveland a 17-10 lead at the half.

Brown extended the Cleveland lead to 24-10 in the third quarter with a three-yard run, and also reached the end zone on a one-yard plunge after Unitas had responded with an eight-yard TD pass to flanker Jerry Richardson.

The Colts again closed the gap to seven points in the fourth quarter when end Raymond Berry scored on a 10-yard pass from Unitas to make it 31-24. But Brown plowed in from a yard out for his fifth touchdown of the game, and while Unitas threw a fourth TD pass of five yards to end Jim Mutscheller, it was the Browns winning the game by a 38-31 final score.

Baltimore gained the most yards (426 to 397) and had more first downs (28 to 22), but while the Colts defense was unable to contain Brown and Cleveland QB Milt Plum made clutch passes on third down to extend drives, the Browns defense shut down the Baltimore running game (45 yards on 19 carries) and stopped the Colts inside the ten yard line on four occasions.

Jim Brown ran for 178 yards on 32 carries, with all five touchdowns coming on the ground. Milt Plum completed 14 of 23 passes for 200 yards with no TDs, and while two were intercepted, 11 of the completions for 147 yards came on third down plays.


For the Colts, Johnny Unitas (pictured at left) went to the air 41 times and had 23 completions for 397 yards with four touchdowns against three interceptions. The loss negated outstanding performances by Raymond Berry, who caught 11 passes for 156 yards with a TD, and Lenny Moore, with 5 receptions for 115 yards and a score.

Weeb Ewbank sought out Brown after the game to shake his hand and say “Jimmy, you’re even greater than we heard you were. You played a wonderful game out there today.” A frustrated “Big Daddy” Lipscomb told reporters, “I’m still waiting to get my hands on that cat.”

In discussing his performance, Brown said, “Actually, the way I played today didn’t have anything to do with my ability. We had good play selection and most of the time I was going through gaping holes opened by our line.” Few, if any, in attendance would have agreed that Brown’s ability had nothing to do with it.

“Jim Brown was tremendous and Milt Plum did a really fine job,” summed up Paul Brown.

The loss dropped the Colts behind the San Francisco 49ers in the Western Conference, but, after losing the following week at Washington, they recovered to win five straight and closed out the regular season back atop the conference with a 9-3 record. They defeated the Giants once again for the NFL Championship. Cleveland won two more games before losing three straight (two of them by a single point) and finishing in a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference with Philadelphia at 7-5.

Jim Brown had 737 yards rushing following the big performance against Baltimore and led all NFL rushers once again in 1959 (as he would for eight of his nine seasons) with 1329 yards on 290 carries (4.6 avg.), including 14 touchdowns.

Johnny Unitas, with the four TD passes, had 17 for the year thus far and his consecutive game streak stood at 31, on the way to an eventual all-time record 47. For the ’59 season, he led the NFL in pass attempts (367), completions (193), yards (2899), touchdowns (32 – a record at the time), and percent of TD passes (8.7). He was named league MVP by The Sporting News and UPI, and received the Bert Bell Award from the Maxwell Club.

1960: Late Walston Field Goal Gives Eagles Key Win Over Browns

The Philadelphia Eagles were off to a good start in 1960, but faced their toughest test in traveling to Cleveland to face the Browns at Municipal Stadium on October 23. The Browns had beaten the Eagles decisively in the season-opening game at Franklin Field and were undefeated at 3-0. Philadelphia had recovered to win three straight games and arrived in Cleveland with a 3-1 tally (the Browns had already had a bye week).

The Eagles had a veteran head coach in 61-year-old Buck Shaw and were led on offense by the tough 34-year-old QB Norm Van Brocklin, in his 12th season overall and third in Philadelphia after being obtained from the Rams. The running game was average, at best, and it was the passing game that made the difference thanks to The Dutchman having outstanding receivers in flanker Tommy McDonald and ends Pete Retzlaff and Bobby Walston (pictured above; he was also the team’s placekicker).

The Eagles came into the game as 13-point underdogs and had not won in Cleveland since 1952. Head Coach Paul Brown’s club had the best one-two running back punch in pro football with FB Jim Brown and HB Bobby Mitchell, and also featured the precision passing of QB Milt Plum.

Eagles LB John Nocera was out with an injury, and his replacement Bob Pellegrini went down early in the contest. As a result, 35-year-old Chuck Bednarik, once one of the top linebackers in the game but now the starting center, had to return to linebacking duty in addition to his role on the offensive line.

Less than four minutes into the first quarter, after stopping the Browns on their opening series, Philadelphia scored on its first play from scrimmage as Van Brocklin threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Walston that gave the Eagles the early 7-0 advantage.

Cleveland drove down the field but came up short of a touchdown thanks to a goal line stand by the Eagles defense. They settled for a 12-yard field goal by Sam Baker. Baker, who had been obtained from Washington to replace the retired Lou Groza (who would return the following year), booted another field goal, of 23 yards, early in the second quarter to narrow Philadelphia’s lead to 7-6.

Plum put the Browns ahead later in the period with an 86-yard scoring pass to flanker Leon Clarke, who was substituting for the injured Ray Renfro. Baker’s extra point attempt failed, but he added a 44-yard field goal to extend Cleveland’s lead to 15-7 at halftime.

The Browns led by 22-7 early in the third quarter after Jim Brown took off on a 71-yard touchdown run. The Eagles came back, though, as FB Clarence Peaks ran up the middle on a draw play for 57 yards to put the Eagles in scoring position. Van Brocklin followed up with a six-yard pass to Walston and HB Billy Barnes plunged into the end zone for a touchdown from a yard out.

Shortly thereafter, Philadelphia struck again as Van Brocklin connected with McDonald for a 57-yard TD that cut Cleveland’s margin to 22-21 after three quarters.

Van Brocklin put the Eagles in the lead at 28-22 early in the fourth quarter with a swing pass to Barnes that covered eight yards for a touchdown. But the Browns responded with an 88-yard drive the ended on a three-yard TD pass from Plum to Mitchell. Cleveland was back in front at 29-28 with just over six minutes remaining to play.

The Eagles again drove into Browns territory, but safety Don Fleming intercepted a Van Brocklin pass. The Eagles defense held the Browns and forced them to punt, giving the Eagles one more shot.

With time running down, the Eagles took over at their 10 yard line. Van Brocklin passed to Retzlaff for 27 yards and then McDonald for 12 to just short of midfield. However, it appeared that Cleveland would win when safety Bobby Franklin came up with an interception, but LB Vince Costello was flagged for pass interference and the Eagles, instead of losing the ball, now had a first down at the Browns 30.

With 15 seconds remaining, Walston kicked a 38-yard field goal and the Eagles came away with a big 31-29 win.

Both teams put up plenty of yards, with the Browns outgaining Philadelphia by 451 yards to 428; they also had more first downs (21 to 18).


Norm Van Brocklin (pictured at left) completed 17 of 26 passes for 292 yards with three touchdowns and the one interception. Thanks to the long run in the third quarter, Clarence Peaks had a season-high 102 yards on 13 carries. Billy Barnes, who ran for 25 yards on 9 attempts and a TD, caught 7 passes for 48 yards and another score. Bobby Walston, in addition to kicking the winning field goal, also led all receivers with 94 yards on four catches. Pete Retzlaff and Tommy McDonald contributed significantly, with the former gaining 80 yards on three receptions and the latter 66 yards and a TD on two catches.

Jim Brown, as usual, put up big numbers for the Browns with 167 rushing yards on 22 carries, including the long touchdown run, and added another 57 yards on four pass receptions. Bobby Mitchell, who had devastated the Eagles in the opening game with 156 yards on 14 carries, was held to 35 yards on 14 rushes this time, although he still caught 7 passes for 70 yards and a TD. Milt Plum had 16 completions in 22 pass attempts for 289 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Costello, who was flagged for the interference call, was angry afterward. “I didn’t think there was any interference.” Coach Paul Brown avoided controversy, saying “You couldn’t tell anything from the bench. Vince was pretty hot about it.”

But Van Brocklin insisted the call was correct, saying “(Halfback) Ted Dean had been knocked down and I had to throw to the other side. The call was made right away. Two of the Browns linebackers seemed to sandwich Dean and he went down.”

Regarding the performance by the Eagles’ quarterback, Coach Brown summed up after the game, “As for Van Brocklin, he is one of the finest football players of all time.”

The Eagles were able to rest up with a bye the following week and then kept on winning to end up atop the Eastern Conference with a 10-2 record. They defeated the Green Bay Packers for the NFL Championship. Cleveland went 2-2-1 over the next five games and finished second with an 8-3-1 tally.

Norm Van Brocklin received unanimous MVP recognition (AP, UPI, NEA, and the Bert Bell Award) in his greatest – and last – season. He ranked second in the league in pass attempts (284), completions (153), yards (2471), and touchdowns (24).

Bobby Walston finished second in the league in scoring with 105 points. He had the best field goal percentage (70 %) as a result of connecting on 14 of 20 attempts. Walston also caught 30 passes for 563 yards (18.8 avg.) and four TDs.


Chuck Bednarik (pictured at right) played 59 minutes against Cleveland and led the club with 15 tackles, 11 of them unassisted. With the injuries plaguing the linebacking corps, Concrete Charley showed the critics who said he was too old to play linebacker that they were wrong, and did so while playing both ways (the last NFL player to do so regularly) all the way to the title game (he averaged over 50 minutes per game).

Jim Brown led the NFL in rushing for the fourth consecutive season with 1257 yards on 215 attempts (5.8 avg.) and nine touchdowns. Milt Plum was the league’s top passer - by the current system, his 110.4 rating was the best until Joe Montana’s 112.4 in 1989.

1961: Lions Defeat Browns in 1st Playoff Bowl

The Playoff Bowl is a nearly forgotten remnant of the 1960s. Officially named the Bert Bell Benefit Bowl, it was also occasionally referred to as the Runner-up Bowl or Pro Playoff Classic. Created in honor of Bert Bell, NFL Commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959, the game matched the second place teams in the NFL’s Eastern and Western Conferences (when the conferences were broken up into two divisions apiece in 1967, the losers of each conference championship game became the participants).

The game had no real meaning – while it was initially promoted as the playoff game to determine third place in the league, it wasn’t possible for the winner to advance and was, in fact, played after the champion had been determined. In effect, it was a postseason exhibition game designed to give football fans across the country one more chance to watch the NFL on television (along with the Pro Bowl) before heading into the offseason. The “Benefit” part pertained to the league contributing its share of the proceeds to pay into group medical, life insurance, and retirement funds for the players.

There were ten games in the series, following the 1960 through ’69 seasons. Once the merger with the AFL went fully into effect in 1970, the game ceased to exist (although there had been some thought to finding a way to continue it). The NFL doesn’t count the games among team’s playoff appearances or the league’s postseason statistics, adding to the sense of irrelevance. All of the games were played at the Orange Bowl in Miami.


The first Playoff Bowl, following the 1960 season, occurred on January 7, 1961. Participating were the Cleveland Browns, second in the Eastern Conference with an 8-3-1 record, and the Western Conference’s Detroit Lions, who ended the season at 7-5. The Browns, under Head Coach Paul Brown, had the NFL’s rushing leader, FB Jim Brown, who gained 1257 yards during the season, and the league’s top-rated passer as well in QB Milt Plum (pictured above left). Detroit, coached by George Wilson, was best known for an outstanding defense that included LB Joe Schmidt, CB Dick “Night Train” Lane, safety Yale Lary, and defensive tackles Alex Karras and rookie Roger Brown.

A lower-than-anticipated crowd of 34,981 was at the Orange Bowl for the game, which was televised nationally. The defenses dominated the scoreless first quarter, with the Lions blitzing Plum effectively. Cleveland finally broke through in the second quarter with an 81-yard scoring drive fueled by Jim Brown’s 56 rushing yards. TE Rich Kreitling caught a 9-yard TD pass from Plum, although he paid a price when he was knocked unconscious by Detroit CB Bruce Maher.

The Browns drove down to the Lions nine yard line just before the half, but DE Bill Glass deflected a pass by Plum that Karras intercepted to end the threat. Detroit took the second half kickoff and drove 76 yards, with FB Nick Pietrosante (pictured at top) making several key runs including a five-yard touchdown that tied the score at 7-7.

Shortly thereafter, safety Gary Lowe intercepted his second pass of the game and ran it back 44 yards to the Cleveland 12 yard line. Jim Martin ended up kicking a 12-yard field goal that put the Lions ahead, 10-7. Cleveland came back to tie the game once more on the first play of the fourth quarter as Sam Baker booted a 27-yard field goal.

Detroit put together a 57-yard drive that led to what was ultimately the winning touchdown, a one-yard run by HB Ken Webb. With time running out, the Browns provided the most sensational play of the game as Plum threw a short pass to HB Bobby Mitchell that the speedy halfback turned into an 89-yard touchdown. However, a bobbled snap on the extra point attempt allowed “Night Train” Lane to block Baker’s kick and preserve the 17-16 win.


Notable performances included two long punt returns by Detroit CB Jim Steffen, with one of 48 yards in which he attempted to lateral to Jim Martin at the end and missed; Martin managed to recover the ball. Milt Plum threw five interceptions (matching his total for the entire regular season), with Lowe (pictured at right) picking off three of them. Pietrosante, who had been voted team MVP by his teammates following a year in which he ran for 872 yards, was the game’s leading rusher with 89 yards on 17 carries.

The Lions went on to finish second in the next two seasons as well and won the first three Playoff Bowls; by the third one, following the 1962 campaign, Plum was their quarterback (Earl Morrall started this game at QB). The Browns also appeared in the game on three occasions (in addition to 1960, also following the 1963 and ’67 seasons) but had less success than Detroit, losing each time.