American Football Database
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The Cleveland Browns were a charter member club of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) when the league was founded in 1946. From 1946 to 1949, the Browns won each of the league’s four championships. The National Football League (NFL) does not recognize the Browns’ AAFC championships, the Pro Football Hall of Fame does recognize the team’s championships, which is reflected in this list. When the AAFC folded in 1949, the Browns were absorbed into the NFL in 1950. The Browns went on to win three NFL championships, nearly dominating the NFL in the 1950s, and won one more NFL championship in 1964. The team has yet to appear in a Super Bowl, however. Overall, the team has won eight championships: four in the AAFC, and four in the NFL.

In 1995, then-Browns owner Art Modell made the decision to move the team from Cleveland, Ohio to Baltimore, Maryland. An agreement between the city of Cleveland and the NFL kept the team’s history, name and colors in Cleveland, while Modell’s new team would be regarded as an expansion team. The Baltimore Ravens would begin play in 1996, and the Browns would return to the league in 1999. For record-keeping purposes, the Browns are considered to have suspended operations from 1996 to 1998, which is reflected in this list. In 2017, the Cleveland Browns became the second team in NFL history to suffer an 0–16 record.

Seasons[]

AAFC champions[1] (1946–1949) NFL champions (1950–1969) Super Bowl champions[2] (1970–present) Conference champions Division champions Wild Card berth
Season Team League Conference Division Regular season results Postseason results Awards Head coaches
Finish Wins Losses Ties
All-America Football Conference
1946 1946 AAFC Western 1st 12 2 0 Won AAFC championship (1) (Yankees) 14–9 Paul Brown
1947 1947 AAFC Western 1st 12 1 1 Won AAFC championship (2) (at Yankees) 14–3
1948 1948 AAFC Western 1st 14 0 0 Won AAFC championship (3) (Bills) 49–7
1949 1949 AAFC 1st 9 1 2 Won AAFC playoff game (Bills) 31–21
Won AAFC championship (4) (49ers) 21–7
Paul Brown (COY)
National Football League (1950–1995; 1999–present)
1950 1950 NFL American T-1st[3] 10 2 0 Won Conference Playoffs (Giants) 8–3
Won NFL Championship (5) (Rams) 30–28
Paul Brown
1951 1951 NFL American 1st 11 1 0 Lost NFL Championship (at Rams) 17–24 Paul Brown (COY)
Otto Graham (MVP)
1952 1952 NFL American 1st 8 4 0 Lost NFL Championship (Lions) 7–17
1953 1953 NFL Eastern 1st 11 1 0 Lost NFL Championship (at Lions) 16–17 Paul Brown (COY)
Otto Graham (MVP)
1954 1954 NFL Eastern 1st 9 3 0 Won NFL Championship (6) (Lions) 56–10
1955 1955 NFL Eastern 1st 9 2 1 Won NFL Championship (7) (at Rams) 38–14 Otto Graham (MVP)
1956 1956 NFL Eastern T-4th[4] 5 7 0
1957 1957 NFL Eastern 1st 9 2 1 Lost NFL Championship (at Lions) 14–59 Paul Brown (COY)
Jim Brown (MVP, ROY)
1958 1958 NFL Eastern T-1st[5] 9 3 0 Lost Conference Playoffs (at Giants) 0–10 Jim Brown (MVP)
1959 1959 NFL Eastern T-2nd[6] 7 5 0
1960 1960 NFL Eastern 2nd 8 3 1
1961 1961 NFL Eastern 3rd 8 5 1
1962 1962 NFL Eastern 3rd 7 6 1
1963 1963 NFL Eastern 2nd 10 4 0 Jim Brown (BBA, MVP) Blanton Collier
1964 1964 NFL Eastern 1st 10 3 1 Won NFL Championship (8)[7] (Colts) 27–0
1965 1965 NFL Eastern 1st 11 3 0 Lost NFL Championship (at Packers) 12–23 Jim Brown (MVP, MVP)
1966 1966 NFL Eastern T-2nd[8] 9 5 0
1967 1967 NFL Eastern Century 1st 9 5 0 Lost Conference Championship (at Cowboys) 14–52
1968 1968 NFL Eastern Century 1st 10 4 0 Won Conference Championship (Cowboys) 31–20
Lost NFL Championship (Colts) 0–34
Leroy Kelly (BBA)
1969 1969 NFL Eastern Century 1st 10 3 1 Won Conference Championship (at Cowboys) 38–14
Lost NFL Championship (at Vikings) 7–27
1970 1970 NFL AFC Central 2nd 7 7 0
1971 1971 NFL AFC Central 1st 9 5 0 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Colts) 3–20 Nick Skorich
1972 1972 NFL AFC Central 2nd 10 4 0 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Dolphins) 14–20
1973 1973 NFL AFC Central 3rd 7 5 2
1974 1974 NFL AFC Central 4th 4 10 0
1975 1975 NFL AFC Central 4th 3 11 0 Forrest Gregg
1976 1976 NFL AFC Central 2nd 9 5 0 Forrest Gregg (COY)
1977 1977 NFL AFC Central 4th 6 8 0 Forrest Gregg (6–7)
Dick Modzelewski (0–1)
1978[9] 1978 NFL AFC Central 3rd 8 8 0 Sam Rutigliano
1979 1979 NFL AFC Central 3rd 9 7 0 Sam Rutigliano (COY)
1980 1980 NFL AFC Central 1st 11 5 0 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Raiders) 12–14[10] Sam Rutigliano (COY)
Brian Sipe (MVP, MVP, POY)
1981 1981 NFL AFC Central 4th 5 11 0
1982[11] 1982 NFL AFC 8th 4 5 0 Lost First Round Playoffs (at Raiders) 10–27 Chip Banks (Def. ROY)
1983 1983 NFL AFC Central 2nd 9 7 0
1984 1984 NFL AFC Central 3rd 5 11 0 Sam Rutigliano (1–7)
Marty Schottenheimer (4–4)
1985 1985 NFL AFC Central 1st 8 8 0 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Dolphins) 21–24 Kevin Mack (ROY) Marty Schottenheimer
1986 1986 NFL AFC Central 1st 12 4 0 Won Divisional Playoffs (Jets 23–20) (2 OT)
Lost AFC Championship[12] (Broncos) 20–23 (OT)
Marty Schottenheimer (COY)
1987[13] 1987 NFL AFC Central 1st 10 5 0 Won Divisional Playoffs (Colts) 38–21
Lost AFC Championship[14] (at Broncos) 33–38
1988 1988 NFL AFC Central 2nd[15] 10 6 0 Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Oilers) 23–24
1989 1989 NFL AFC Central 1st 9 6 1 Won Divisional Playoffs (Bills) 34–30
Lost AFC Championship[16] (at Broncos) 21–37
Michael Dean Perry (Def. POY) Bud Carson
1990 1990 NFL AFC Central 4th 3 13 0 Bud Carson (2–7)
Jim Shofner (1–6)
1991 1991 NFL AFC Central 3rd 6 10 0 Bill Belichick
1992 1992 NFL AFC Central 3rd 7 9 0
1993 1993 NFL AFC Central 3rd 7 9 0
1994 1994 NFL AFC Central 2nd 11 5 0 Won Wild Card Playoffs (Patriots) 20–13
Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Steelers) 9–29
1995 1995 NFL AFC Central 4th 5 11 0
1996 Inactive from 1996 to 1998
1997
1998
1999 1999 NFL AFC Central 6th 2 14 0 Chris Palmer
2000 2000 NFL AFC Central 6th 3 13 0
2001 2001 NFL AFC Central 3rd[17] 7 9 0 Butch Davis
2002 2002 NFL AFC North 2nd 9 7 0 Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Steelers) 33–36
2003 2003 NFL AFC North 4th 5 11 0
2004 2004 NFL AFC North 4th 4 12 0 Butch Davis (3–8)
Terry Robiskie (1–4)
2005 2005 NFL AFC North 4th[18] 6 10 0 Romeo Crennel
2006 2006 NFL AFC North 4th 4 12 0
2007 2007 NFL AFC North 2nd[19] 10 6 0
2008 2008 NFL AFC North 4th 4 12 0
2009 2009 NFL AFC North 4th 5 11 0 Eric Mangini
2010 2010 NFL AFC North 3rd 5 11 0
2011 2011 NFL AFC North 4th 4 12 0 Pat Shurmur
2012 2012 NFL AFC North 4th 5 11 0
2013 2013 NFL AFC North 4th 4 12 0 Rob Chudzinski
2014 2014 NFL AFC North 4th 7 9 0 Mike Pettine
2015 2015 NFL AFC North 4th 3 13 0
2016 2016 NFL AFC North 4th 1 15 0 Hue Jackson
2017 2017 NFL AFC North 4th 0 16 0
20182019 2018

2019

NFL

NFL

AFC

AFC

North

North

3rd

3rd

7

6

8

10

1

0

Hue Jackson (2–5–1)
Gregg Williams (5–3)

Gregg Williams

Totals
4 AAFC championships
4 NFL championships
12 conference titles
9 NFL division titles
47 4 3 All-America Football Conference regular season results[20]
5 0 0 AAFC postseason results
469 490 11 National Football League regular season results[20]
11 20 0 NFL postseason results[20]
532 514 14 AAFC and NFL regular and postseason results

Footnotes[]

  1. The NFL does not recognize the Browns' AAFC championships. For the purposes of this list, however, they are included in final totals.
  2. The Browns are one of only four teams to have never appeared in a Super Bowl. The other three teams are the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
  3. At the end of the 1950 NFL season, the Browns and Giants had identical 10–2–0 records. To determine the team that would play in the NFL Championship Game, the NFL held a one-game conference playoff. The Browns won, 8–3.
  4. At the end of the 1956 season, the Browns and the Steelers ended the season with identical 5–7 records. There were no tie-breaking procedures, so the teams ended the season tied.
  5. At the end of the 1958 NFL season, the Browns and Giants had identical 9–3–0 records. To determine the team that would play in the NFL Championship Game, the NFL held a one-game conference playoff. The Giants shut the Browns out 10–0.
  6. At the end of the 1959 season, the Browns and the Eagles ended the season with identical 5–7 records. There were no tie-breaking procedures, so the teams ended the season tied.
  7. The Browns' championship win in 1964 is the second most recent championship won by any sports team from the Cleveland area. The most recent being the Cleveland Cavaliers Championship win over the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
  8. At the end of the 1966 season, the Browns and the Eagles ended the season with identical 9–5 records. There were no tie-breaking procedures, so the teams ended the season tied.
  9. For the 1978 season, the NFL expanded from a 14-game season to a 16-game season.
  10. This game involved the play Red Right 88 in its final minutes.
  11. The 1982 NFL season was shortened from 16 games per team to 9 games because of a players' strike. The NFL adopted a special 16-team playoff tournament; eight teams from each conference were seeded 1–8, and division standings were ignored.
  12. The 1987 Conference Championship game between the Browns and the Broncos is best remembered for The Drive, in which quarterback John Elway, over the span of 5 minutes and 2 seconds, lead the Broncos on a 98-yard drive to tie the game with 37 seconds remaining in regulation. The Broncos won the game in overtime with a field goal, 23–20.
  13. The 1987 NFL season was shortened from 16 games per team to 15 games because of a players' strike. Games to be played during the third week of the season were canceled, and replacement players were used to play games from weeks 4 through 6.
  14. The 1988 Conference Championship game between the Browns and the Broncos is best remembered for The Fumble, in which, while on a potentially game-winning drive, the Browns' running back Ernest Byner fumbled the ball at the Broncos 3-yard line with 65 seconds remaining on the clock. The Broncos recovered the ball, allowed the Browns to get an intentional safety, and won the game, 38–33.
  15. At the end of the 1988 season, the Browns and the Oilers ended the season with identical 10–6 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Cleveland finished ahead of Houston based on a better division record.
  16. The 1990 Conference Championship game between the Browns and the Broncos marked the third time in four years that John Elway defeated Bernie Kosar and the Browns in the AFC championship game.
  17. At the end of the 2001 season, the Browns and the Titans ended the season with identical 7–9 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Cleveland finished ahead of Tennessee based on a better division record.
  18. At the end of the 2005 season, the Browns and the Ravens ended the season with identical 6–10 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Baltimore finished ahead of Cleveland based on a better division record.
  19. At the end of the 2007 season, the Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers ended the season with identical 10–6 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, the Steelers finished ahead of the Browns based on winning both games against the Browns during the season.
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 "Cleveland Browns Team Encyclopedia - Pro-Football-Reference.com". pro-football-reference.com. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/. Retrieved 14 January 2017.

References[]

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