14. 1950 LOS ANGELES RAMS at 3. 1955 NFL CHAMPION CLEVELAND BROWNS
3. 1955 NFL CHAMPION CLEVELAND BROWNS
Record: 9-2-1
Pythag: 9-3
Off: 1st
Def: 1st
1st NFL East
d. Rams NFL Title 38-14
HC Paul Brown
Bill McColgan/Jim Graner
Municipal Stadium: 45 degrees
Offense
QB Otto Graham All Pro 34 Nwestern
FB Ed Modzelewski 26 Maryland
RB Curley Morrison 29 Ohio St
WR Ray Renfro 26 N Texas
WR Pete Brewster25 Purdue
WR Dante Lavelli 32 Ohio St
LT Lou Groza All Pro 31 Ohio St
LG Abe Gibron 30 Purdue
C Frank Gatski All Pro 36 Auburn
RG Harold Bradley 26 Iowa
RT Mike McCormack 25 Kansas
Defense
LDE Carlton Massey 25 Texas
LDT John Kissell 32 B College
MG Bob Gain 26 UK
RDT Dan Colo 30 Brown
RDE Len Ford 29 Michigan
LLB Chuck Noll 23 Dayton
RLB Walt Michaels 26 Wash&Lee
LDH Warren Lahr 32 Case Western
RDH Don Paul 29 Wash St
LS Ken Konz 27 LSU
RS Johnny Petitbon 24 N Dame
K Lou Groza All Pro 34 Ohio St
P Horrace Gillom 34 Nevada
KR Bob Smith 22 Nebraska
PR Don Paul 29 Wash St
The '53 Browns have advanced, move forward two years, this is the best seed a Cleveland team has had so far, 3rd in the region. The Browns had both the top offense and defense in '55 and beat the Rams in the NFL Championship. Otto Graham is 34, All Pro, 21 scores and 8 picks. 31 year old Lou Groza and 36 year old Frank Gatski were both All Pros on the line. On defense, 23 year old Chuck Noll had 5 picks.
14. 1950 LOS ANGELES RAMS
Record: 9-3
Pythag: 9-3
Off: 1st
Def: 9th
1st NFL National
d. Bears Div Rnd 24-14
Lost Browns NFL Title 30-28
HC: Joe Stydahar
Offense
QB Norm Van Brocklin 24 Oregon
FB Dick Hoerner 28 Iowa
RB Glenn Davis-R 26 Army
RB Tommy Kalamanir 24 Nevada
WR Tom Fears All Pro 28 UCLA
WR Crazy Legs Hirsch 27 Michigan
LT Dick Huffman 27 Tenn
LG Jack Finlay 29 UCLA
C Fred Naumetz 28 B College
RG Dave Stephenson 25 W Virginia
RT Bob Reinhard 30 Cal
Defense
LDE Larry Brink 27 Illinois
MG Stan West 24 Oklahoma
RDE Jack Zilly 29 N Dame
DE Bill Smyth 28 Penn St
LLB Tank Younger 22 Grambling
MLB Don Paul 25 UCLA
LB Vic Vasicek 24 Texas
RDH George Sims 23 Baylor
DB Tom Keane 24 W Virginia
LS Jerry Williams 27 Wash St
RS Woodley Lewis 25 Oregon
K/P Bob Waterfield 30 UCLA
KR/PR Vitamin Smith 27 Ab Christian
The Rams lost to Cleveland in the NFL Title game in 1950, but they had the best offense in the league. 24 year old Norm Van Brocklin had 19 scores, 14 picks. 11 scores for 28 year old Dick Hoerner. 28 year old Tom Fears had over 1100 yards receiving. The defense is not good, 25 year old rookie Woodley Lewis had a dozen picks.
The bottom half of the region begins in Cleveland, let's go out for the kick.
1st Qtr
Bob Smith nice return - Browns start at the 40.
1/10 - Ed Modzelewski opens with a 6 yard carry - Browns are gonna run the ball today.
2/4 - Otto Graham scrambling - he picks up the first.
1/10 - Curley Morrison gets 1.
2/9 - Morrison picks it up and the Browns are at the 38.
1/10 - Graham is dropped for a big loss, Don Paul gets him
2/17 - Incomplete
3/17 - Graham's first pass attempt - Dante Lavelli - 26 yards to the 19 yard line.
1/10 - Morrison gets 14 and the Browns have a first and goal.
1/goal - Ray Renfro gets 1.
2/goal - Morrison - drives up the middle -- into the end zone - TOUCHDOWN BROWNS - in 10 plays the Browns take the opening kick and take the 7-0 lead.
Rams start at the 27.
1/10 - Glenn Davis gets 2.
2/8 - Dick Hoerner is stopped at the line.
3/8 - Norm Van Brocklin's first pass of the day is an 11 yard completion to Crazy Legs Hirsch.
1/10 - Hoerner gets a dozen and the Rams are across midfield.
That's it - Rams will punt.
Browns will take over at the 16.
They get a first down - Graham 17 yards to Modzelewski - but that's all - the Browns will punt and LA starts at the 35.
1/10 - Davis gets 4.
2/6 - Van Brocklin goes 14 to Tom Fears - Rams cross midfield.
1/10 - Davis is stopped at the line, the qtr ends.
2nd Qtr: Browns 7 Rams 0
Cleveland took the opening drive down and scored, that's it - Rams have 2nd and 10 at the Browns 47.
2/10 - NVB to Crazy Legs Hirsch, he gets a dozen to the 35.
1/10 - NVB to Tom Fears - 15 more to the 20.
It ends there - Bob Waterfield FG makes it 7-3.
Browns start at the 18.
1/10 - Modzelewski gets 3.
2/7 - Morrison gets 7.
1/10 - The Browns just staying on the ground - Morrison busts one -- Morrison all the way to the 31 yard line.
1/10- Modzelewski gets 4.
2/6 - Graham hits Pete Brewster, 19 yards all the way to the Ram 8 yard line.
1/goal - Johnny Petitbon gets 1.
2/goal - Graham floats one into the endzone -- Brewster -- TOUCHDOWN BROWNS - 82 yard Cleveland drive, the Browns offense really rolling today, it's 14-3.
Vitamin Smith with the strong return - he gets to his own 47.
Rams get one first down - Van Brocklin 13 yards to Hoerner.
But that's all. Browns to open at their own 6 yard line after the punt.
3 and out.
Rams all the way to the Brown 36 to start after the Smith return - Rams in good shape --- but on the first play of the drive -- the Van Brocklin pass is Picked Off by Chuck Noll - the Browns are at their own 30 yard line.
3 and out.
After the punt - the Rams start at their own 40.
3 and out. Browns to start at their own 25, a little more than a minute left in the half - 14-3 lead.
The Browns get yardage on 3 big plays - two 20+ runs by Morrison and a 21 yard Brewster reception - the half ends with Groza missing a FG.
Third Qtr: Browns 14 Rams 3
The Browns beat the Rams in title games in both '55 and '50 - this is a 3/14 game - it's no surprise that Cleveland's been in command today.
LA starts at the 30.
3 and out.
Browns at the 26. 2 first downs on 10+ yard rund by Modzelewski and Morrison, but the drive ends around midfield.
Rams start at their 15 - Bob Waterfield comes on, Rams looking for a spark.
They don't get it. 3 and out.
Browns at the 43. 3 and out.
Rams at the 12 - NVB back in the game - they get two first downs on a 10+ Davis run and a 13 yard reception for Fears - but they punt.
Browns start at the 25, two runs get nothing and we change sides for the last time
4th Qtr: Browns 14 Rams 3
The game bogs down in the third, neither side able to establish much offense, Browns still with an 11 point lead, which looks nearly insurmoutable, it's 3rd and 10 for Cleveland at their own 25.
They don't pick it up. Rams start at the 39. They go 3 and out.
Browns at their own 18. They go 3 and out.
Rams at the Brown 46 - down by 11, less than 13 minutes to go - they really need to capitalize.
3 and out.
Browns at the 30.
On the first play - Otto Graham is Picked Off - by Crazy Legs Hirsch -- Hirsch is down at the LA 42, there's 11 minutes left, Rams with the turnover.
1/10 - Hoerner gets 28, Rams are now at the Brown 30.
1/10 - Davis gets 11 -- LA reaches the Cleveland 19.
1/10 - Kalamnir for 4.
2/6 - Van Brocklin finds Fears over the middle -- he is all the way to the 3 yard line -- and with a little more than 8 minutes to go in the game, still down 14-3 - the Rams have a first and goal. They've got to find their way into the End Zone.
They don't - 3 plays go absolutely nowhere -- the Browns defense just refusing to relent.
Short FG. It's 14-6, little more than 6 to go.
Browns start at the 24.
3 and out. Rams get it back at their own 35, 4:39 left. Down 8 - gotta be a TD/2 point conversion now.
1/10 - David gets 10.
1/10 - Hoerner loses 2 yards.
2/12 - Incomplete
3/12 - Vitamin Smith gets 9 yards - and now it's 4th and 3 for LA at the Cleveland 48, they use their first time out with just under 3 minutes to go.
4/3 - Give to Smith...and he.....just does pick it up. Rams at the 45, clock running.
1/10 - Incomplete
2/10 - NVB looking downfield -- NVB throwing to a streaking Tom Fears -- Caught -- Fears is going to go...all the way to the 8 yard line! Tom Fears out of bounds atthe Cleveland 8 yard line -- it is the 2 minute warning -- the Rams, down 8 - have a first and goal. Big strike from NVB to Fears. 1st and goal. 1st and goal -- Rams 1st and goal at the 8.
1/goal- NVB short to Fears -- Fears will get 4 yards -- 2nd and goal - Rams use their second timeout.
2/goal -- NVB -- EndZone -- Fears ---- knocked down by Lahr.
3rd and goal. --- NVB --- Endzone --- Hirsch --- TOUCHDOWN RAMS -- TOUCHDOWN RAMS -- TOUCHDOWN RAMS -- Van Brocklin hits Crazy Legs Hirsch with the 4 yard TD pass with 90 seconds left -- it's 14-12, Rams lining up for the 2 pt conversion -- can they tie this game?
It's a give to Hoerner - Hoerner getting to the goal -- He Is Stopped Cold By Chuck Noll -- Noll - Noll meets Hoerner head on at the goal line - driving him back - and that will end the game - Cleveland's able to kill the rest of the clock and the Browns advance.
Final: Browns 14 Rams 12
1950s ground game here, both offenses really bogged down in much of the second half - the Rams score late, had a chance to tie with the 2 pt conversion, but a Chuck Noll goal line stop saves the game.
Graham: 7 for 17, 113 yds, 1 TD/1 INT
NVB: 11 for 27, 148 yds, 1 TD/1 INT
Morrison: 15 carries, 133 yds, 1 TD
Davis: 12 carries, 42 yds
Brewster: 3 catches, 47 yds, 1 TD
Fears: 5 catches, 91 yds
Player of the Game: Chuck Noll
