1983 Cleveland Browns season

Last updated

1983 Cleveland Browns season
Owner Art Modell
Head coach Sam Rutigliano
Home field Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Local radio WHK
Results
Record9–7
Division place2nd AFC Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers LB Chip Banks

The 1983 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 34th season with the National Football League.

Contents

Season summary

In a season which was eerily similar to the 1979 campaign, which was arguably the beginning of "The Kardiac Kids" period, seven contests were decided by seven points or less, with the Browns going 4–3. Like the '79 and '80 seasons, the Browns scored often and gave up almost as many points, with the Browns scoring 356 to their opponents' 342. Quarterback Brian Sipe, in his last season with the Browns before jumping to the USFL, had 26 touchdown passes and 23 interceptions, nearly the same ratio (28-to-26) he had had in 1979. It was a good way to go out for Sipe, who had lost his starting job to Paul McDonald late in the 1982 season and then re-gained it in the '83 training camp. Fullback Mike Pruitt, in his last great season with the Browns, rushed for 1,184 yards. And finally, in his last season in Cleveland before being traded to the Denver Broncos, wide receiver Dave Logan was second on the team in receptions with 37, but that was far behind the team-record 89 hauled in by Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome in a season that could be dubbed "The Kardiac Kids' Last Hurrah". [1]

Offseason

NFL draft

The following were selected in the 1983 NFL Draft.

1983 Cleveland Browns Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
241 Ron Brown Wide receiver Arizona State
368 Reggie Camp Defensive end California
5122Bill ContzOffensive tackle Penn State
6145 Tim Stracka Tight end Wisconsin
6149 Dave Puzzuoli Nose tackle Pittsburgh
7176Rocky BelkWide receiver Miami
8209Mike McClearnGuard Temple
10262Thomas HopkinsOffensive tackle Alabama A&M
11288Boyce GreenRunning back Carson Newman College
11305Howard McAdooLinebacker Michigan State
12316 Paul Farren Offensive tackle Boston University

[2]

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecap
1September 4 Minnesota Vikings L 21–270–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 70,087 Recap
2September 11at Detroit Lions W 31–261–1 Pontiac Silverdome 60,095 Recap
3September 15 Cincinnati Bengals W 17–72–1Cleveland Municipal Stadium79,700 Recap
4September 25at San Diego Chargers W 30–243–1 Jack Murphy Stadium 49,482 Recap
5October 2 Seattle Seahawks L 9–243–2Cleveland Municipal Stadium75,446 Recap
6October 9 New York Jets W 10–74–2Cleveland Municipal Stadium78,235 Recap
7October 16at Pittsburgh Steelers L 17–444–3 Three Rivers Stadium 59,263 Recap
8October 23at Cincinnati Bengals L 21–284–4 Riverfront Stadium 50,047 Recap
9October 30 Houston Oilers W 25–195–4Cleveland Municipal Stadium68,851 Recap
10November 6at Green Bay Packers L 21–355–5 Milwaukee County Stadium 54,089 Recap
11November 13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 20–06–5Cleveland Municipal Stadium56,091 Recap
12November 20at New England Patriots W 30–07–5 Sullivan Stadium 40,987 Recap
13November 27 Baltimore Colts W 41–238–5Cleveland Municipal Stadium65,812 Recap
14December 4at Denver Broncos L 6–278–6 Mile High Stadium 70,912 Recap
15December 11at Houston Oilers L 27–348–7 Houston Astrodome 29,746 Recap
16December 18 Pittsburgh Steelers W 30–179–7Cleveland Municipal Stadium72,313 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 2

Brian Sipe throws four touchdowns to lead the Browns to a 31-26 win at Detroit. Sipe becomes Cleveland's career leader, raising his TD total to 135 (surpassing Frank Ryan) with throws to Ricky Feacher, Mike Pruitt, Ozzie Newsome and Dave Logan. Pruitt also rushes for 137 yards.

Week 4

Harry Holt, a 25-year-old NFL rookie, catches a 48-yard touchdown pass from Sipe on Cleveland's fourth play of overtime as The Browns beat The Chargers, 30-24, at San Diego. Holt catches his first NFL touchdown after Matt Bahr forces overtime with a 32-yard field goal with 18 seconds left in regulation.

Week 6

Linebacker Tom Cousineau records 15 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery while leading Cleveland to a 10-7 win over the New York Jets. His interception stops a Jets drive at the Browns' 5-yard line and his fumble recovery stops New York at the Cleveland 9. The Browns' only touchdown is scored by wide receiver Bobby Jones on a 32-yard pass from Sipe.

Week 8

The Browns lose a tough one at Cincinnati, 28-21, when Bengals' cornerback Ken Riley intercepts a Sipe pass and returns it 42 yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Riley's 60th career interception spoils a three-TD pass performance by Sipe.

Week 12

After going eight seasons without a shutout, the Browns made it two straight with a 30-0 rout of the Patriots at Foxboro. One week after posting a 20-0 win over Tampa Bay, Pruitt runs for 136 yards and Matt Bahr kicks three field goals. The defensive star is linebacker Chip Banks, who returns an interception 65 yards for a touchdown and records two sacks. Cousineau and Hanford Dixon each intercept two passes.

Standings

AFC Central
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
Pittsburgh Steelers (3)1060.6254–28–4355303L1
Cleveland Browns 970.5633–37–5356342W1
Cincinnati Bengals 790.4384–24–8346302L1
Houston Oilers 2140.1251–51–11288460L1

Personnel

Staff / Coaches

1983 Cleveland Browns staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Roster

1983 Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

rookies in italics

Awards and records

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985–86 NFL playoffs</span> NFL seasonal playoff games

The National Football League playoffs for the 1985 season began on December 28, 1985. The postseason tournament concluded with the Chicago Bears defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, 46–10, on January 26, 1986, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1982–83 NFL playoffs</span> Seasonal NFL playoffs

The National Football League playoffs for the 1982 season began on January 8, 1983. The postseason tournament concluded with the Washington Redskins defeating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII, 27–17, on January 30, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980–81 NFL playoffs</span> NFL seasonal playoff games

The National Football League playoffs for the 1980 season began on December 28, 1980. The postseason tournament concluded with the Oakland Raiders defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV, 27–10, on January 25, 1981, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Sipe</span> American football player (born 1949)

Brian Winfield Sipe is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1983. He then played in the United States Football League (USFL) for two seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Right 88</span> 1981 American football play and game

In American football, Red Right 88 is the name given to a passing play called by the Cleveland Browns during a National Football League (NFL) playoff game against the Oakland Raiders on January 4, 1981. In the years since, the term has been used to refer to both the play itself and the game.

The 1981 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 32nd season with the National Football League. In a highly disappointing season filled with a number of key injuries at different stretches during the campaign, the Browns finished the year with five straight defeats, their longest losing streak since 1975, and dropped seven of their final eight games. By contrast, in 1980, the Browns enjoyed a five-game winning streak.

The 1982 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 33rd season with the National Football League.

The 1988 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 39th season with the National Football League.

The 1989 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 40th season with the National Football League.

The 1976 Cleveland Browns season was the franchise's 31st as a professional sports franchise and their 27th season as a member of the National Football League. The Browns were coached by second-year coach Forrest Gregg, and ended their season with a record of 9–5, being third in their division. The team's top draft choice was running back Mike Pruitt. Brian Sipe firmly took control at quarterback. Sipe had been inserted into the lineup after a Mike Phipps injury in the season-opening win against the New York Jets on September 12. After a 1–3 start brought visions of another disastrous year, the Browns jolted the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers with an 18–16 victory on October 10. Third-string quarterback Dave Mays helped lead the team to that victory, while defensive end Joe "Turkey" Jones' pile-driving sack of quarterback Terry Bradshaw fueled the heated rivalry between the two teams. That win was the first of eight in the next nine weeks, helping put the Browns in contention for the AFC playoffs. A loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the regular-season finale cost them a share of the division title, but running back Greg Pruitt continued his outstanding play by rushing for exactly 1,000 yards, his second-straight four-digit season.

The 1977 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 28th season with the National Football League. After a 6–4 start, the Browns lost their final four games of the season, to finish with a disappointing 6–8 record. With one game left in the season, head coach Forrest Gregg was fired and replaced by Dick Modzelewski.

The 1978 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 29th season with the National Football League (NFL). After nearly three years of struggling offensively – and not making the playoffs—while posting just one winning record under ultra-strict, disciplinarian head coach Forrest Gregg, the Browns in 1978 decided to take a softer approach to liven up their attack – and their team. They did so by hiring a virtually unknown assistant at the time, New Orleans Saints receivers coach Sam Rutigliano, to replace Gregg, who was fired with one game left in the 1977 season. Rutigliano was the fourth head coach hired by Art Modell in his 18 years as club owner to that point, and it marked the first time Modell had not promoted from within the organization to fill the spot.

The 1979 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 30th season with the National Football League.

The 1980 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 35th overall, and 31st season in the National Football League. The Browns finished the regular season with eleven wins and five losses, and their first division title since 1971, winning a tiebreaker with the Houston Oilers. The 1980 Browns were known as the Kardiac Kids for having several games decided in the final moments. The 1980 season was the first time that Cleveland had qualified for the postseason since 1972. Also, for the second straight year, Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano was named NFL Coach of the Year, and quarterback Brian Sipe was named the league's Most Valuable Player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 New England Patriots season</span> Season of National Football League team the New England Patriots

The 1994 New England Patriots season was the team's 35th season, and 25th in the National Football League (NFL). It was the first under owner Robert Kraft, who purchased the team after preventing previous owner James Orthwein from moving the Patriots to St. Louis. The Patriots finished the season with a record of ten wins and six losses, and finished tied for first in the AFC's East division.

Cleophus Miller is a President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and a former professional American football running back who played nine seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns. He is the uncle of NFL defensive lineman Frank Okam of the Houston Texans.

The 1983 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 14th season in the National Football League (NFL) and its 24th overall. The Chargers fell from their 1982 6–3 record to 6–10. It was their first losing season since 1976, to date the most points the Chargers have surrendered in a sixteen-game season, and began an era in the wilderness for the Chargers, who would not place higher than third in the AFC West, nor win more than eight games in a season, until 1992.

The 1979 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 10th season in the National Football League, and 20th overall.

The 1995 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 26th season in the National Football League and the 36th overall. This was the last time the Bills won the division or won a playoff game until 2020.

The Miracle at the Met refers to the Minnesota Vikings' comeback win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 15 of the 1980 NFL season. The Vikings trailed 23–9 in the fourth quarter, but won after Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer passed for two touchdowns to wide receiver Ahmad Rashad in the last two minutes, including a 46-yard Hail Mary pass caught with one hand on the last play of the game. The final play is also known as the "Miracle Catch." The Vikings won, 28–23.

References

  1. ↑ "Season summary and statistics at Cleveland Browns.com". Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  2. ↑ "1983 NFL Draft Listing – Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.