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Team owner Art Modell complained that he
wanted a new stadium in the late 80's. The city council of
Cleveland offered Modell an indoor stadium that would seat
68,000. Modell was upset that the new stadium would be too
small, so he decided to put his own money into renovation
of the old Cleveland Stadium. After seeing new stadiums built
for other major teams, after years of complaining that a new
stadium would be necessary to sustain the viability of the
franchise, and despite years of sellouts and profitability,
in November 1995, Modell announced he would relocate the Browns
to Baltimore, Maryland for 1996. The announcement was met with unprecedented
resistance from Browns fans, with over 100 lawsuits filed
by fans, the city of Cleveland, and a host of others. Virtually
all of the team's sponsors immediately pulled their support,
leaving Cleveland Stadium devoid of advertising during the
team's final weeks. Modell was forced to resign from the membership
(and in many cases, leadership positions) of local civic and
charitable organizations, and would literally be forced to
leave the city - never to return.
In
early 1996, the National Football League announced that the
team would be 'deactivated' for three years, and that a new
stadium would be built for a new Cleveland Browns team that
would begin play in 1999. Modell would in turn be granted
a new franchise for Baltimore, the Baltimore Ravens, and the
Browns history, records, awards and archives would remain
in Cleveland, to be given to the new franchise when awarded.
In early
1998 the National Football League began its search for an
owner for the reborn Browns, finding one later in the year
in Al Lerner, a former limited partner of the original Browns
and a friend of Art Modell. Lerner would usher in the team's
rebirth in 1999, but would die in October, 2002 - four years
to the day he was awarded the new Browns franchise. In death
he would turn over the team to his son, Randy.
The
team returned with high hopes and expectations, featuring
solid ownership, solid general management in the form of former
San Francisco 49ers president Carmen Policy, and head coach
Chris Palmer. To date though, the franchise has not lived
up to its lofty early expectations, with Palmer being dismissed
after the 2000 season and Policy leaving the team in 2003.
Founded: 1946, in the All-America Football
Conference; joined NFL in 1950.
Home stadium: Cleveland Browns Stadium
Uniform colors: Brown (officially "Seal
Brown") and Orange
Helmet design: Orange helmet with brown and
white center stripe. No logo (for one game in 1965 the initials
"CB" in brown appeared on each side).
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Arizona
Cardinals 
