1955 Cleveland Browns season

Last updated

1955 Cleveland Browns season
Head coach Paul Brown
Home field Cleveland Stadium
Local radio WTAM
Results
Record9–2–1
Division place1st Eastern
Playoff finishWon NFL Championship (at Rams) 38–14

The 1955 Cleveland Browns season was the team's sixth season with the National Football League. The Browns' defense became the first defense in the history of the NFL to lead the league in fewest points allowed and fewest total yards allowed for two consecutive seasons. [1]

Contents

The defending NFL champion Browns were 9–2–1 in the regular season and won the Eastern Conference. They played in the NFL Championship Game for the sixth consecutive year, and repeated as champion with a 38–14 win over the Rams in Los Angeles. [2] [3]

Season summary

The 1955 season began in rough fashion for the Browns, with the defending world champions losing 27–17 at home in the opener to the Washington Redskins, [4] who had their best season in a decade by finishing second in the Eastern Conference at 8–4. But once hall of fame quarterback Otto Graham got back on track, so did the Browns. With Graham, who had been lured out of retirement when the team experienced problems at that position in training camp, leading the way, the Browns then went on to win six in a row and nine of their last 11 to finish 9–2–1 and capture their sixth consecutive conference title. The Browns then blasted the host Los Angeles Rams 38–14 in the league title game, [2] [3] after which Graham retired again – this time for good, ending the club's remarkable first decade of existence in which it played in the league championship contest all 10 times and won seven crowns.

The Browns really caught fire offensively in the last five games. Including the title contest, they averaged 37.8 points per outing during that span, in which they won four times and played to a 35–35 tie with the New York Giants. Also, earlier in the year, they won the important road rematch with the Redskins, 24–14.

On the season, Graham threw for 15 touchdowns with just eight interceptions for a 94.0 quarterback rating, the second-best mark of his six-year NFL career. The Browns had three receivers with 29 or more catches, combining for 18 TDs. Pete Brewster was tops in receptions with 34, with Ray Renfro leading the way in scores with eight. Also, the Browns had something they hadn't had since their first year in the NFL—that is, a big-yardage running back. Fred "Curly" Morrison rushed for 824 yards, the most by a Brown since the team joined the league in 1950, when hall of famer Marion Motley had 810 yards. [5]

Roster

1955 Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • Vacant

rookies in italics

Source:

Exhibition schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultAttendance
1August 12vs. College All-Stars at Chicago L 27–3075,000
2August 20vs. Green Bay Packers at Akron W 13–722,000
3August 28at San Francisco 49ers L 14–1741,604
4September 2at Los Angeles Rams L 21–3835,948
5September 10 Detroit Lions L 3–1929,581
6September 15at Chicago Bears L 21–2443,067

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecap
1September 25 Washington Redskins L 17–270–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 30,041 Recap
2October 2at San Francisco 49ers W 38–31–1 Kezar Stadium 46,150 Recap
3October 9 Philadelphia Eagles W 21–172–1Cleveland Municipal Stadium43,974 Recap
4October 16at Washington Redskins W 24–143–1 Griffith Stadium 29,168 Recap
5October 23 Green Bay Packers W 41–104–1Cleveland Municipal Stadium51,482 Recap
6October 30at Chicago Cardinals W 26–205–1 Comiskey Park 29,471 Recap
7November 6 New York Giants W 24–146–1Cleveland Municipal Stadium46,524 Recap
8November 13at Philadelphia Eagles L 17–336–2 Connie Mack Stadium 39,303 Recap
9November 20 Pittsburgh Steelers W 41–147–2Cleveland Municipal Stadium53,509 Recap
10November 27at New York Giants T 35–357–2–1 Polo Grounds 45,699 Recap
11December 4at Pittsburgh Steelers W 30–78–2–1 Forbes Field 31,101 Recap
12December 11 Chicago Cardinals W 35–249–2–1Cleveland Municipal Stadium25,914 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFL Eastern Conference
WLTPCTCONFPFPASTK
Cleveland Browns 921.8187–2–1349218W2
Washington Redskins 840.6676–4246222W1
New York Giants 651.5454–5–1267223W2
Philadelphia Eagles 471.3644–5–1248231L1
Chicago Cardinals 471.3643–6–1224252L2
Pittsburgh Steelers 480.3334–6195285L7

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

NFL Championship Game

RoundDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecap
Championship December 26at Los Angeles Rams W 38–141–0 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 87,695 Recap
Source: [2] [3]

Awards and records

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References

  1. ↑ The Best Show in Football:The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns, p.294, Andy Piascik, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007, ISBN   978-1-58979-360-6
  2. 1 2 3 Kuechle, Oliver E. (December 27, 1955). "Browns crush Rams, 38-14, for pro title before 87,695". Milwaukee Journal. p. 17, part 2.
  3. 1 2 3 "87,695 fans see Browns defeat Rams, 38 to 14". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. December 27, 1955. p. 1.
  4. ↑ "Redskins roll over Browns, 27-17". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. September 26, 1955. p. 23.
  5. ↑ "Season summary and statictics at Cleveland Browns.com". Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
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