| 1961 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Head coach | Paul Brown |
| Home field | Cleveland Stadium |
| Local radio | WGAR |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–5–1 |
| Division place | 3rd NFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | Milt Plum, QB John Morrow, C Bob Gain, DT Mike McCormack, RT Jim Ray Smith, G Jim Brown, FB |
The 1961 Cleveland Browns season marked the team's 12th season in the National Football League (NFL) and was the 16th in franchise history.
On March 22, Dave R. Jones sold the Browns to a group headed by Arthur B. Modell. [1]
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 11 | at Detroit Lions | L 7–35 | 0–1 | Tiger Stadium | 25,602 | |
| 2 | August 20 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 27–24 | 1–1 | Kezar Stadium | 38,759 | |
| 3 | August 25 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 34–17 | 2–1 | Los Angeles Coliseum | 40,086 | |
| 4 | September 2 | vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | W 38–6 | 3–1 | Rubber Bowl | 27,758 | |
| 5 | September 9 | Detroit Lions | L 17–35 | 3–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 41,374 |
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 20–27 | 0–1 | Franklin Field | 60,671 | Recap | ||
| 2 | September 24 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 20–17 | 1–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 50,443 | Recap | ||
| 3 | October 1 | Dallas Cowboys | W 25–7 | 2–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 43,638 | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 8 | Washington Redskins | W 31–7 | 3–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 46,186 | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 15 | Green Bay Packers | L 17–49 | 3–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 75,042 | Recap | ||
| 6 | October 22 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 30–28 | 4–2 | Forbes Field | 29,266 | Recap | ||
| 7 | October 29 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 21–10 | 5–2 | Busch Stadium (I) | 26,696 | Recap | ||
| 8 | November 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 13–17 | 5–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 62,723 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 12 | at Washington Redskins | W 17–6 | 6–3 | D.C. Stadium | 28,975 | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 19 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 45–24 | 7–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 68,399 | Recap | ||
| 11 | November 26 | New York Giants | L 21–37 | 7–4 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 80,455 | Recap | ||
| 12 | December 3 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 38–17 | 8–4 | Cotton Bowl | 23,500 | Recap | ||
| 13 | December 10 | at Chicago Bears | L 14–17 | 8–5 | Wrigley Field | 38,717 | Recap | ||
| 14 | December 17 | at New York Giants | T 7–7 | 8–5–1 | Yankee Stadium | 61,084 | Recap | ||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||||
| NFL Eastern Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Giants | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 9–2–1 | 368 | 220 | T1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 8–4 | 361 | 297 | W1 | |
| Cleveland Browns | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 8–3–1 | 319 | 270 | T1 | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 7–5 | 279 | 267 | W3 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 5–7 | 295 | 287 | L1 | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 2–9–1 | 236 | 380 | L4 | |
| Washington Redskins | 1 | 12 | 1 | .077 | 1–10–1 | 174 | 392 | W1 | |
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 9–3 | 391 | 223 | W1 | |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 7–4–1 | 270 | 258 | L1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 7–5 | 326 | 302 | W2 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 6–6 | 302 | 307 | W1 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 6–5–1 | 346 | 272 | L1 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 3–9 | 263 | 333 | L1 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 3–9 | 285 | 407 | L2 | |
| 1961 Cleveland Browns roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
rookies in italics | ||||
| 1961 Cleveland Browns staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Strength & Coditioning
| |||||
The 1951 Cleveland Browns season was the team's second season with the National Football League. Dub Jones set an NFL record with six touchdowns in one game versus the Chicago Bears.
The 1952 Cleveland Browns season was the team's third season with the National Football League and seventh season overall. They were 8–4 in the regular season and won the American Conference. Cleveland hosted the NFL Championship Game, but lost 17–7 to the Detroit Lions.
The 1953 Cleveland Browns season was the team's fourth season with the National Football League. Their start of eleven wins before losing their last game was the closest to a true perfect season in the NFL until the 1972 Miami Dolphins. After that fifteen-point loss at Philadelphia, the Browns met the Detroit Lions in the NFL Championship Game for the second straight year; the Lions won again, this time by a point at home.
The 1954 Cleveland Browns season was the team's fifth 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 rushing yards allowed, fewest passing yards allowed, and fewest total yards allowed.
The 1971 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 22nd season with the National Football League.
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.
The 1956 Cleveland Browns season was the team's eleventh season, and seventh season with the National Football League.
The 1957 Cleveland Browns season was the team's eighth season with the National Football League. They were 9–2–1 in the regular season and won the Eastern Conference title, but lost the championship game to the Detroit Lions, 59–14.
The 1958 Cleveland Browns season was the team's ninth season with the National Football League. They were 9–3 in the regular season, tied for first in the Eastern Conference with the New York Giants, in the tiebreaker playoff the Giants won 10–0.
The 1959 Cleveland Browns season was the team's tenth season with the National Football League.
The 1960 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 11th season with the National Football League. The 1960 Browns compiled an 8–3–1 record, and finished second in the NFL's Eastern Conference, behind the NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles. As runner-up, the Browns qualified for the inaugural third place Playoff Bowl in Miami, but lost 17–16 to the Detroit Lions on January 7.
The 1962 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 13th season with the National Football League. It was the last with Paul Brown as head coach, as Art Modell fired him on January 9, 1963. One week later, Blanton Collier was named the second head coach of the Browns.
The 1963 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 14th season with the National Football League.
The 1964 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 19th season, and 15th season with the National Football League. The Browns won the NFL Championship, despite having not made the playoffs in six seasons.
The 1965 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 16th season with the National Football League. With an NFL-best 11–3 mark, the 1965 team finished just a shade better than the year before (10–3–1) and, just as they had in 1964, the Browns returned to the NFL Championship Game; however, this time, they lost 23–12 to the Green Bay Packers in the last title contest held before the advent of the Super Bowl. It would be the first of three straight NFL crowns for the Packers, who went on to win the first two Super Bowls as well.
The 1967 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 18th season with the National Football League. The Browns were back in the playoffs after a one-year absence. They finished 9–5, the same as in 1966, but this time, it was good enough for them to get in as they won the Century Division championship in the first year of play after the NFL split the Eastern and Western conferences into two divisions each. The division race was not close, as the Browns finished two games ahead of the runner-up New York Giants (7–7), their old arch rival in the 1950s and early 1960s.
The 1969 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 20th season with the National Football League and their 24th overall in professional football and the last before the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger.
The 1957 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 28th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 24th as the Detroit Lions. Under first-year head coach George Wilson, the Lions won their fourth and most recent NFL title.
The 1959 New York Giants season was the franchise's 35th season in the National Football League. The Giants' defense became the second defense in the history of the NFL to lead the league in fewest rushing yards, fewest passing yards and fewest total yards. The 1959 Giants scored 284 points, more than in any of the previous four seasons in which Vince Lombardi was their offensive coordinator.
The 1963 New York Giants season was the franchise's 39th season in the National Football League. The Giants won their third consecutive NFL Eastern Conference title with an 11–3 record, their sixth in eight years, but again lost the NFL championship game. This loss was to the Chicago Bears, 14–10 at Wrigley Field, in the Giants' final post-season appearance until 1981.