Art Modell Fired Coach Marty Schottenheimer Out of His Role

Art Modell was an advertising executive when he was office of an ownership grouping that bought the Cleveland Browns for $4.1 million in 1961 with himself as the principal owner. As a businessman, he was used to being in charge. He instantly took over the financial responsibilities of the social club from and so-head coach Paul Brown. As the namesake, Autobus Brownish had built the franchise which began in 1946. Through two other ownership groups, they were content with Passenger vehicle Brown making all of the decisions regarding every facet of the team.

Modell was unlike and wanted his team to do things differently. He wanted the control, and his wishes were for Coach Brown to simply motorcoach the players and nothing else. Throughout his tenure in Cleveland, Modell made many horrible decisions regarding the Browns. Here'southward x.

10. Was going to play a dying Ernie Davis

In 1961, halfback Ernie Davis of Syracuse was awarded the Heisman Trophy, the first blackness human being to do and then. The Browns had just finished up their flavour with a respectable 8-5-1 tape. All the same, it was not practiced plenty to make the playoffs, their tertiary year in a row missing the mail-season.

Cleveland head autobus Paul Chocolate-brown realized his offense needed more than firepower. The Browns had gone from Pinnacle 5 to 14^thursday in total crime. The lodge still had Jimmy Brownish as their fullback and always a smaller, quicker player to insert at the halfback position. At this time it was Bobby Mitchell. This combination complimented Brown, who annually was the best running dorsum in the pro game. In 1961, Jim Brown had simply browbeaten out Jim Taylor of the Green Bay Packers by 101 yards as the league's leading rusher.

Only Motorcoach Brown wanted another spark plug.

The Washington Redskins had the beginning overall pick in the 1962 college draft and chose Davis. Cleveland had two get-go-round picks and selected wide receiver Gary Collins (Maryland) with the fourth overall selection and running back Leroy Jackson (Western Illinois) at the number 11 slot. Redskins' owner George Preston Marshall was a racist and had his GM, Bill McPeak, draft Davis because he could non voluntarily draft a black histrion. The government was pressuring Marshall to integrate the Redskins, which currently had zero black players, because their new stadium was publicly-owned. One blackness player was not going to satisfy the authorities's demands.

Davis refused to sign with Washington and over some time, demanded a trade. So Coach Dark-brown proposed a swap with Marshall: Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Jackson, both black players, for Ernie Davis. The deal was done without Modell's knowledge or consent every bit had ever been the case with Coach Dark-brown.

While at Syracuse, Davis had broken all of Jim Chocolate-brown's records and fifty-fifty wore his number 44. While Jackson and Mitchell were both fine players (Mitchell eventually became a Hall of Fame inductee), Coach Chocolate-brown envisioned a backfield with Jim Brown and Ernie Davis. Regardless, Modell went ballistic upon not only hearing nearly the trade, but of the contract numbers: a total package of $200,000 in a time when most players were making between $25,000 - $69,000. But the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League (AFL) had fabricated a like offering afterwards drafting Davis, so Coach Brown's figures were competitive.

The signs of Davis' wellness began at the College All-Stars vs. the NFL Champs game in Chicago. He had swelled glands which was initially diagnosed every bit the mumps and was hospitalized. But tests revealed it was leukemia in its nigh serious phase. Modell had several more tests performed to which 1 of his doctors passed him to compete in grooming camp because he wasn't contagious. Davis did practice some, just not in any contact situations.

But Coach Brown got other professional opinions and was told that Davis was not going to beat the affliction and in fact decline. Modell wanted Davis to compete and play in the Browns' kickoff exhibition game, but Coach Brown refused to play him.

This caused yet another firestorm between Double-decker Brownish and Modell. At the August 18 preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Davis was formally introduced to the Cleveland home oversupply, simply in a suit instead of a compatible. Davis would pass away from the illness at the age of 23.

In the cease, the relationship between Modell and Autobus Brown was forever broken.

9. Took the Browns out of the NFC

At the time of the merger between the AFL and National Football League (NFL) in 1970, there were xvi NFL franchises whereas the AFL was comprised of x clubs. Information technology was decided that the league would be divided into two split up "conferences." At first, information technology was going to be all 16 NFL teams in the "National Conference" and all ten AFL teams in the "American Conference." But then-Commissioner Pete Rozelle stepped in and made a mandate that the two conferences must take an equal amount of clubs. This meant iii NFL clubs would have to step over.

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At the time, nearly of the best teams in this new league, at present 26 franchises, were NFL clubs: Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams and the Cleveland Browns. The AFL had a few potent franchises, mainly the New York Jets and the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. Inside the merger agreement, the AFL clubs had to pay $i meg to each NFL team to join ($16 million), only unlike other mergers that only took in a few teams, none of the existing AFL squads would be excluded. Rozelle so offered a portion of the new $16 million coffers as incentive payment to whatever NFL team that would cantankerous over.

Immediately, the Colts took the bait with the stipulation that they would be placed into the same division as the Jets; who at the time had quarterback Joe Namath at the captain and always drew very large crowds. Plus, the Colts would receive a one-fourth dimension payment of $3 million.

It was decided that information technology would emasculate the NFL if whatsoever of their powerhouse clubs were to move over to the American Conference. After all, for almost 10 years the two leagues were at each other's throats and their owners literally despised one some other. The final matter NFL owners wanted was to help the former AFL owners become more competitive.

The possessor'southward meeting drudged on for several days. Suddenly, Modell was rushed to the hospital with a haemorrhage ulcer. Three of his love friends, Giants' owner Wellington Mara, plus Art and his son Dan Rooney, owners of the Steelers, came to visit him. While bedside, Modell told the men that he had decided to interruption the logjam and have Cleveland over to the newly-formed American Conference on the condition that he would accept the approving of Mara, and that his skilful friend Art Rooney would slide his franchise over also.

Immediately Dan Rooney spoke upwards that the Steelers had been a National League guild since 1933 and there wasn't any way that Pittsburgh would be any part of the move. Just, Art disagreed and the conversation went on through dinner. The three men arrived back at the owner's meeting around midnight and soon thereafter Dan approached Commissioner Rozelle who handed him a piece of paper that read: Clev, Pitt, Hou, Cincy. Dan Rooney handed the annotation to his father Fine art who asked what the scribbling meant. Dan explained that information technology was their team'due south new segmentation.

8. Took away the Giants rivalry, and instead implemented a new contention with the Steelers

From their maiden season in 1933 until the early 1970s, the Steelers were annually one of the league's worst teams. Packers' head motorbus Vince Lombardi would never deal with a player agent, and if a player showed up in contract negotiations with one, he would be traded to Pittsburgh. It was the Siberia of its day.

The Browns biggest rivalry was the New York Football game Giants. Ever since Cleveland merged into the NFL in 1950, it was either the Browns or the Giants in the league title game virtually every year. Plus, early on they were in the same division. In 1950, both the Browns and Giants finished tied for the division lead with identical 10-2-0 records. Every twelvemonth it was either one of these two franchises who would win the sectionalization while their regular flavour games were epic considering of division implications. At that place weren't any playoffs back and then, and so the divisional winners would instantly play in the NFL Championship Game.

This winning tradition lasted throughout the 1960s for both clubs that enabled a rivalry among the league's best. And both teams boasted the ii largest stadiums in the NFL which each seated over seventy,000; so every fourth dimension they played each other it was a financial bonanza.

When Modell decided to take office of the AFL stipend fund dangled in front of him, he looked at a new division which included the Cincinnati Bengals – an AFL expansion society, the mediocre Houston Oilers, and the Steelers – perennial losers. No more win some - lose some sectionalisation fights with the Giants. Iii easy AFL teams and the powerhouse Browns.

But what Modell did not anticipate, was that the Steelers were most to embark on a decades-long title trek shortly after hiring head autobus Chuck Noll. Nor the fact that the Bengals were at present coached by Paul Chocolate-brown, who every game had an ax to grind confronting Modell. Plus, in a few short years the Oilers would sport running dorsum Earl Campbell and get playoff contenders for years.

7. Endemic the Browns for 35 years with nothing Super Bowl appearances

35 years without coming in beginning place is a very long fourth dimension at doing anything, much less owning a professional sports franchise. All the same, that is Modell's distinction with buying of the Browns. Cleveland did capture the 1964 NFL Championship under Blanton Collier with a roster full of Autobus Paul Brown's players. But since the merger in 1970 and the invention of the Super Basin, the Browns accept just sniffed effectually the big game but never became participants.

6. Fired Brownie the Elf

Patently, Modell, who became the team's owner in 1961, was completely embarrassed past the elf and hated it then much that in 1962 he completely shelved the iconic keepsake. Modell called Credibility "childlike" and was not going to have his professional football club represented by a cartoon. Within a week of Modell taking command of the Browns, the lovable Brownie was spotted in the unemployment line.

5. Ousted Marty Schottenheimer

When Schottenheimer was named as the Browns interim head charabanc in 1984, the 41-yr one-time defensive-minded banana took over a 1-seven-0 ballclub and went 4-4-0. The post-obit flavour, he was named head coach and Cleveland won the AFC Central Partitioning and a playoff berth. That was the magic of Schottenheimer who instilled a no-nonsense approach. The Browns had developed into an opportunistic, tough ballclub which blossomed with new quarterback Bernie Kosar and a stiff, complex defense. Information technology simply lasted four full seasons, simply Schott never coached the Browns to a losing season and fabricated the playoffs each year.

The trouble then? Modell believed Schott could never win the big game. Always.

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In the playoffs, lost by 3 to the Miami Dolphins, win by iii in double overtime over the Jets, lost by i to the Oilers. And then, there were the AFC Title Games – two in fact. In 1986, the 12-four-0 Browns got the brawl beginning in overtime, punted, and then watched Denver Broncos' quarterback John Elway orchestrate a 98-1000 drive in overtime in order to make it range for the winning field goal. The adjacent year, it was the Broncos victorious again after Cleveland was down 28-x merely to tie the game 31-31. Then, with 1:05 remaining, the Browns drove to the two-thou line and fumbled.

Despite Schottenheimer compiling a 44-27-0 tape in four-and-a-one-half seasons, 3 AFC Key Division crowns, two AFC Championship Game appearances, a three-4 playoff record, making the playoffs all iv years, and an elite condition in the NFL, Modell wanted a more offensive-minded man at the captain and felt the playoff losses were the outcome of non being able to score points when the game was on the line. Bug between the two men became axiomatic and the offensive differences were non going to mend itself. Four days after losing to the Oilers past a single point, a news briefing was chosen and Schott was out.

Since Schottenheimer has left, the Browns have had only had four winning seasons among 28 years.

4. Fired Neb Belichick

Is Belichick the greatest pro football head coach ever? Perhaps. This much nosotros know, those 6 Super Basin wins the New England Patriots have compiled were all meant for Cleveland instead. Belichick had bug early with the Browns, only in 1994 they went xi-v-0, crush the Patriots in the Wild Card Playoffs before losing in the Divisional Playoffs. Leading upwardly to the 1995 season, Sports Illustrated predicted a Super Bowl berth for the Browns. His 2000 Patriots went v-xi-0 (his only losing season with New England), only since that maiden season the Patriots have captured 18 AFC Due east titles, 13 AFC Title Game participants (winning ix), went to the Super Basin nine times and took dwelling house the Lombardi Trophy six different seasons. All of that, was meant for Cleveland.

3. Forced Jim Chocolate-brown to quit

Jim Brown played only 9 seasons. He was in the prime number of his professional person football game career when he quit. Out of those ix seasons, he was the NFL rushing leader eight different seasons. As each game would progress, defenders became less compelled to try to tackle him.

Brown rushed for ane,863 yards in 1963 alone – in a fourteen game season. In 1965, he had 1,544 yards on 289 carries, was the NFL rushing leader and rushing touchdown leader, averaged five.3 yards per comport, named to the Pro Bowl (his ninth), and was the NFL MVP. He was then on the flick set of the World War II flick "The Dirty Dozen" with a supporting yet prominent role.

The filming in England had been delayed for two weeks due to choppy weather conditions when training camp was to brainstorm in Hiram. Brown was notwithstanding filming his movie. He called Modell to explain his state of affairs every bit he expected to play again in 1966. The Browns' owner told his superstar that he would fine him $100 a day that he wasn't in camp. Y'all encounter, despite all the accolades his 30-year old star running back had achieved, Modell didn't want to prepare a precedent among his other players.

1966 was to be the last year of a 3-year $60,000 a twelvemonth contract anyway, then Brown thought nigh it overnight, and then telephoned his friend baby-sit John Wooten and told him that he was retiring effective immediately. Wooten informed Cleveland Plain Dealer sports editor Hal Lebowitz and informed him well-nigh Chocolate-brown's decision. Next, a press briefing was held in London by the movie's production visitor Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Brown sent so-Browns head motorbus Blanton Collier a letter regarding his retirement.

In the book When All the Earth was Browns Town, Modell admitted he forced Brown's manus. "I may have acted hastily (with Brown) in 1966. If I had told him to only forget grooming camp and show upward when he could, I recall he would accept returned. But it wasn't fair to the coaches and players (for Dark-brown to miss camp)."

Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images

Nine Pro Bowls in nine seasons, viii-fourth dimension All-Pro, iii-time NFL MVP, NFL Rookie-of-the-Year, viii-time NFL rushing titles, five-time rushing touchdowns leader, NFL Champion, NFL 1960s All-Decade Team, NFL 75^th Anniversary All-Fourth dimension Team, NFL 100^th Anniversary Best Squad, Browns jersey number 32 retired.

No Fine art, what "wasn't fair" was diminishing your franchise only because you wanted to impose your volition on a role player that really didn't need training army camp anyway.

2. Fired Paul Brown

How is this for head coaching numbers? 214 games, 158-48-8 tape , .767 win percentage, 9-5 playoff record, 12 division titles, 11 Title Game appearances, six-time Coach-of-the-Year awards, only one losing season among 17 seasons, 4 AAFC Championships, 3 NFL Championships, 4 one-loss seasons, and one undefeated flavour (1948: 14-0-0).

And ane firing.

Prior to Modell becoming the master investor when his group bought the franchise in 1961, both prior ownership groups allowed caput jitney Paul Brown to make all of the decisions regarding the squad from roster moves to equipment to coaching hires to preparation camp facilities to what kind of ash trays were needed. But Modell saw himself as more than the GM and Brownish but the jitney. And Modell was much more accessible and would attend every practice and would offering input, which both irritated Coach Brown.

Paul Brown'south primary office, the largest in the complex, was taken for Modell's apply. Jitney Brown fifty-fifty mentioned to Modell to cease coming into the locker room before games. He mentioned to the owner that those times were between the coaches and the players but.

Situations such every bit these instances created many riffs betwixt owner and head coach for years to come. The main thorn began when Autobus Brownish traded away halfback Bobby Mitchell without Modell's knowledge for Ernie Davis. The GM, Modell asserted, made those moves – not the coach. And non for the coin Davis was being given either.

The way the trade came down made Modell particularly angry. Days after the trade was finalized, Redskins' owner Marshall had called Modell on unrelated business organization. When asked how he liked the trade, Modell inquired what Marshall was talking nearly. After hearing the details, Marshall and then asked Modell exactly who was running the franchise. And so the fact that Davis never played whereas Mitchell connected on and had a Hall of Fame career was notwithstanding another rub between Passenger vehicle Chocolate-brown and Modell.

Fifty-fifty though Modell was the owner, Coach Brown bucked the system to relinquish his powers within the franchise. Modell also felt that the game had become more contemporary and that Motorbus Brown had lost touch with how the modern game of pro football was now beingness played. In his final four seasons although Autobus Brown produced winning records, Cleveland had tasted second place in the partitioning twice and came in third 2 times. This meant iv direct seasons without any playoff appearances.

After finishing 7-six-i in 1962, Modell informed Omnibus Brown that the team was going in a different direction "for the all-time interests of the social club." Charabanc Brown was fired in Jan, but the news did not penetrate the fans until early on April considering of a lengthy newspaper strike.

For several years, Double-decker Brown was paid past Cleveland because of an existing viii-twelvemonth contract. He set up the standard in professional football game and created many innovations that are yet beingness used today such as the depict play, helmet communications, practice team and the invention of the facemask.

Coach Brown was ahead of his fourth dimension and deserved to be able to get out the franchise that he founded, molded, built, captured numerous championships and was the namesake of, in his own time frame.

1. Moved the franchise to Baltimore

The day that information technology was no longer rumor that the squad were indeed going to relocate to the City of Baltimore volition remain etched into every die-hard Browns fan. You recollect where you were, what you were doing, how you felt, and your gut reaction.

Cleveland had just reeled off a remarkable eleven-5-0 flavor nether 4th-yr head coach Bill Belichick. The outlook was rosy and upbeat for the 1995 Browns. Sports Illustrated had predicted a Cowboys – Browns Super Bowl appearance during the preseason. 1995 was also the 50^th Anniversary of the franchise, founded in 1946. The Browns began the year 3-1-0 and on top of the AFC Primal Division just weeks into the season.

Then the rumors began to swirl. The Browns lost iii direct including a 23-15 loss to the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars in front of just over 64,000 fans whereas just three weeks earlier 74,280 crammed the stadium to witness a 35-17 victory over the Chiefs. Later on a win over the Bengals, the Browns were bludgeoned 37-ten by the Oilers at home with a 57,881 gate. The very adjacent day, information technology became official: Modell announced that the Browns were indeed moving to Baltimore the following season.

Part of the perks Modell got from the Metropolis of Baltimore was a spanking new $200 one thousand thousand stadium rent-free for xxx years plus a $l million cash signing bonus just for moving. At the press conference, Maryland governor Parris Glendening gleefully held upwards a document and stated, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a signed contract in hand. The Browns are indeed coming to Baltimore."

The Baltimore Browns?

The team collapsed and lost six of seven games to finish 5-eleven-0. At get-go it was speculated that the team would be christened the "Baltimore Browns", simply the NFL stepped in and allowed the history, colors, uniform designs and namesake, among other things, to remain in Cleveland. In March of 1996 at an outdoor press conference, Modell held upwardly a small-scale sign which displayed the moniker "Ravens."

Erstwhile NFL great and head coach Iron Mike Ditka was quoted equally saying, "These are some of the best fans in the NFL. I said that when I came here with my Bears. They (the Cleveland sports fans) don't deserve this. If Modell had any sort of sense of dignity, he would accept sold the team."

In 2001, the Ravens defeated the Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa. The post-obit flavour, Bill Belichick'southward Patriots captured Super Bowl XXXVI. The significance of these ii championships was the Browns' onetime squad and the Browns' old motorbus had establish Super Basin success.

Just not with Cleveland.

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Several NFL owners have been voted into the Pro Football game Hall of Fame. Art Modell was a finalist for the 2020 class. Should he be inducted?

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