Skip to content

189 day's till The Browns kick★off ... the regular ♠︎ season.

The Browns Board
397 19 17.4k 1
  • mjp28M mjp28 wrote on last edited by mjp28

    And at #77 there was  ONLY  one with  120 games,  John Greco was second at 28.

    Richard Philip Schafrath (March 21, 1937 – August 15, 2021) was an American offensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns, former Ohio State Senator, and author. During his tenure as an athlete, he won a national football championship with the 1957 Ohio State University Buckeyes and the 1964 NFL Championship with the Cleveland Browns. Because of his strong work ethic and occasional stubborn determination friends and teammates nicknamed him "The Mule".

    download (1).webp

  • mjp28M mjp28 wrote on last edited by

    AND,  The next one is a  "can't miss"  at  # 76. LOU GROZA. ... or honorable #  76  Marion Motley.

    Plus the  #76  is also retired.    And what a lovely picture !

    Louis Roy Groza (January 25, 1924 – November 29, 2000), nicknamed "the Toe", was an American professional football offensive tackle and placekicker while playing his entire career for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL).

    Groza was professional football's career kicking and points leader when he retired after the 1967 season. He played in 21 seasons for the Browns, helping the team to win eight league championships in that span. Groza's accuracy and strength as a kicker influenced the development of place-kicking as a specialty; he could kick field goals from beyond 50 yards (46 m) at a time when attempts from that distance were a rarity. He set numerous records for distance and number of field goals kicked during his career.

    images (44).jpeg

  • mjp28M mjp28 wrote on last edited by mjp28

    One more  easy slam dunk  at #75  Joe Bitinio  with 85  there are  ZERO. with  XX. digits.

    And  OH  what a physique !

    images (50).jpeg

  • And at #77 there was  ONLY  one with  120 games,  John Greco was second at 28.

    Richard Philip Schafrath (March 21, 1937 – August 15, 2021) was an American offensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns, former Ohio State Senator, and author. During his tenure as an athlete, he won a national football championship with the 1957 Ohio State University Buckeyes and the 1964 NFL Championship with the Cleveland Browns. Because of his strong work ethic and occasional stubborn determination friends and teammates nicknamed him "The Mule".

    download (1).webp

    OrionO Orion wrote on last edited by

    @mjp28 said:

     Schafrath

    download (1).webp

    ...look at him runnin' with that thing!  🙂  

  • @mjp28 said:

     Schafrath

    download (1).webp

    ...look at him runnin' with that thing!  🙂  

    mjp28M mjp28 wrote on last edited by

    @orion said:

    ...look at him runnin' with that thing!  🙂  

    Yeah,  an old time  hard-azz  football player. ....  for sure !

  • OrionO Orion wrote on last edited by

    @flugel said:

    My guess?  The QB that threw it to him

    ...could be.  Does he have any career receptions?   I was thinking perhaps a fumble recovery...

  • @flugel said:

    My guess?  The QB that threw it to him

    ...could be.  Does he have any career receptions?   I was thinking perhaps a fumble recovery...

    FlugelF Flugel wrote on last edited by

    @orion said:

    ...could be.  Does he have any career receptions?   I was thinking perhaps a fumble recovery...

    I wish that's what I meant before it disappeared.  Even though the write-up was right in front of me - for some reason I still thought he played LBer. He was a little before my attention span allowed me to start following this team. I was 7 years old when he played his final season in 1971 - the only names I remembered at that point were the guys that touched the ball the most (Bill Nelsen and Leroy Kelly). 

    1 year later (1972), I started collecting football cards - which became an amazing help to learning the names and numbers of the players.  I also started collecting the Street and Smith Football Magazine/Annual Preview so I got a whole lot better at knowing the roster and the starters.  

    All that being case, I was far better at knowing the 70s, 80s, 90s rosters and starting lineups than I was with the 60s teams. 

  • sydS syd wrote on last edited by

    well it seems MJP gotta a little ahead of the countdown. SO The Late Great 

    See more images of Mike McCormack

    days to go

  • sydS syd wrote on last edited by mjp28

    ●  .... edit adds ....  WED. JULY 3 .... Mike McCormack,  (● see the notations)

    Mike McCormack, OT/ D-MG  one of the game’s greatest offensive tackles, began his pro football career with the NFL’s  ● 1951 New York Yanks where as a rookie he earned the starting right tackle spot. That year he earned the first of six trips to the Pro Bowl, before being ●  called into military service.

    The Baltimore Colts who acquired his rights before the start of the 1953 season, traded him to the Cleveland Browns in a ●  massive  15-player deal - WOW !   Even though the Browns knew Mike would not be available for a full year, he was the key man  in the trade.  Coach Paul Brown always considered it one of his wisest personnel moves.

    ●  In his first  season in Cleveland, McCormack, a former University of Kansas star and Chicago native, was asked to fill the middle guard position that had been vacated by the retiring Bill Willis on the defensive unit. It was a tall order, considering Willis would himself be elected to the Hall of Fame. McCormack, not surprisingly, was up to the challenge.

    He quickly became an important factor on an excellent Cleveland defensive team. Mike enjoyed perhaps  ●  his most memorable individual moment on the defensive team when, in the 1954 NFL Championship Game, he stole the ball from Detroit Lions quarterback Bobby Layne to set up one of the early touchdowns in a 56-10 Cleveland rout.

    But it was as an offensive tackle that McCormack made his lasting mark in pro football. Mike was the Browns' offensive right tackle for eight years from 1955 through 1962. During that period, the Browns’ forward wall played a major role in assuring a balanced offensive approach and McCormack, equally adept as a blocker on rushing plays and as a quarterback protector, was a stabilizing factor throughout the period

  • sydS syd wrote on last edited by

    A True American Hero

    Offensive lineman Doug Dieken of the Cleveland Browns looks on from the sideline during a game against the New York Jets at Cleveland Municipal...

    Days till kick off

  • mjp28M mjp28 wrote on last edited by mjp28

    [  NOTICE TO  BROWNS FANS  ]

    There were NO  real stand out players  to wear the  #72  the most notable Jerry Sherk at  70  AV from  1970 to 1981 in the NFL.   BROWNS    (Jerry Sherk  ▪︎-->Year 1970 to 1981 numbers below.)

    ~  AND  ~   NONE of note from  26, 25  or 20 AV for ....    Dahl,  Schwartz, Peters. 

     
      Games Def Interceptions Fumbles        
    Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Sk Sfty AV Awards
    Career       147 131 3 3 0 3     0 12 41 0 70.5 1 70  
    1970 22 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 2 15 0 4.0   7 <--AV No 
    1971 23 CLE RDT 72 14 14 2 3 0 3     0 2 0 0 4.5   8  
    1972 24 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 2 0 0 10.5   8  
    1973* 25 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0               5.5   9 PB
    1974* 26 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 2 0 0 10.0   8 PB
    1975* 27 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 1 26 0 6.0   6 PB
    1976*+ 28 CLE RDT 72 14 14 1 0 0 0     0 1 0 0 12.0   11 AP1, PB<--AV# Highest Ye
    1977 29 CLE RDT 72 7 6     0       0 1 0 0 3.0 1 3  
    1978 30 CLE RDT 72 16 16     0               3.0   5  
    1979 31 CLE RDT 72 10 10     0       0 1 0 0 12.0   4  
    1980 32 CLE DE 72 1 1     0               0.0   0  
    1981 33 CLE NT 72 15 0     0               0.0   1  

    images (51).jpeg

  • sydS syd

    A True American Hero

    Offensive lineman Doug Dieken of the Cleveland Browns looks on from the sideline during a game against the New York Jets at Cleveland Municipal...

    Days till kick off

    FlugelF Flugel wrote on last edited by

    @syd said:

    A True American Hero

    Offensive lineman Doug Dieken of the Cleveland Browns looks on from the sideline during a game against the New York Jets at Cleveland Municipal...

    Days till kick off

    He was a Tight End in college at Illinois.  Dieken didn't start playing Offensive Tackle until he played for the Browns. Left Tackle that is. Him and Joe Thomas really did that #73 proud.

  • [  NOTICE TO  BROWNS FANS  ]

    There were NO  real stand out players  to wear the  #72  the most notable Jerry Sherk at  70  AV from  1970 to 1981 in the NFL.   BROWNS    (Jerry Sherk  ▪︎-->Year 1970 to 1981 numbers below.)

    ~  AND  ~   NONE of note from  26, 25  or 20 AV for ....    Dahl,  Schwartz, Peters. 

     
      Games Def Interceptions Fumbles        
    Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Sk Sfty AV Awards
    Career       147 131 3 3 0 3     0 12 41 0 70.5 1 70  
    1970 22 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 2 15 0 4.0   7 <--AV No 
    1971 23 CLE RDT 72 14 14 2 3 0 3     0 2 0 0 4.5   8  
    1972 24 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 2 0 0 10.5   8  
    1973* 25 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0               5.5   9 PB
    1974* 26 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 2 0 0 10.0   8 PB
    1975* 27 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 1 26 0 6.0   6 PB
    1976*+ 28 CLE RDT 72 14 14 1 0 0 0     0 1 0 0 12.0   11 AP1, PB<--AV# Highest Ye
    1977 29 CLE RDT 72 7 6     0       0 1 0 0 3.0 1 3  
    1978 30 CLE RDT 72 16 16     0               3.0   5  
    1979 31 CLE RDT 72 10 10     0       0 1 0 0 12.0   4  
    1980 32 CLE DE 72 1 1     0               0.0   0  
    1981 33 CLE NT 72 15 0     0               0.0   1  

    images (51).jpeg

    FlugelF Flugel wrote on last edited by

    @mjp28 said:

    [  NOTICE TO  BROWNS FANS  ]

    There were NO  real stand out players  to wear the  #72  the most notable Jerry Sherk at  70  AV from  1970 to 1981 in the NFL.   BROWNS    (Jerry Sherk  ▪︎-->Year 1970 to 1981 numbers below.)

    ~  AND  ~   NONE of note from  26, 25  or 20 AV for ....    Dahl,  Schwartz, Peters. 

     
      Games Def Interceptions Fumbles        
    Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Sk Sfty AV Awards
    Career       147 131 3 3 0 3     0 12 41 0 70.5 1 70  
    1970 22 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 2 15 0 4.0   7 <--AV No 
    1971 23 CLE RDT 72 14 14 2 3 0 3     0 2 0 0 4.5   8  
    1972 24 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 2 0 0 10.5   8  
    1973* 25 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0               5.5   9 PB
    1974* 26 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 2 0 0 10.0   8 PB
    1975* 27 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 1 26 0 6.0   6 PB
    1976*+ 28 CLE RDT 72 14 14 1 0 0 0     0 1 0 0 12.0   11 AP1, PB<--AV# Highest Ye
    1977 29 CLE RDT 72 7 6     0       0 1 0 0 3.0 1 3  
    1978 30 CLE RDT 72 16 16     0               3.0   5  
    1979 31 CLE RDT 72 10 10     0       0 1 0 0 12.0   4  
    1980 32 CLE DE 72 1 1     0               0.0   0  
    1981 33 CLE NT 72 15 0     0               0.0   1  

    images (51).jpeg

    Jerry Sherk and Walter Johnson were an awesome inside duo.  Very fond memories watching those 2 fellers...

  • @mjp28 said:

    [  NOTICE TO  BROWNS FANS  ]

    There were NO  real stand out players  to wear the  #72  the most notable Jerry Sherk at  70  AV from  1970 to 1981 in the NFL.   BROWNS    (Jerry Sherk  ▪︎-->Year 1970 to 1981 numbers below.)

    ~  AND  ~   NONE of note from  26, 25  or 20 AV for ....    Dahl,  Schwartz, Peters. 

     
      Games Def Interceptions Fumbles        
    Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Sk Sfty AV Awards
    Career       147 131 3 3 0 3     0 12 41 0 70.5 1 70  
    1970 22 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 2 15 0 4.0   7 <--AV No 
    1971 23 CLE RDT 72 14 14 2 3 0 3     0 2 0 0 4.5   8  
    1972 24 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 2 0 0 10.5   8  
    1973* 25 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0               5.5   9 PB
    1974* 26 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 2 0 0 10.0   8 PB
    1975* 27 CLE RDT 72 14 14     0       0 1 26 0 6.0   6 PB
    1976*+ 28 CLE RDT 72 14 14 1 0 0 0     0 1 0 0 12.0   11 AP1, PB<--AV# Highest Ye
    1977 29 CLE RDT 72 7 6     0       0 1 0 0 3.0 1 3  
    1978 30 CLE RDT 72 16 16     0               3.0   5  
    1979 31 CLE RDT 72 10 10     0       0 1 0 0 12.0   4  
    1980 32 CLE DE 72 1 1     0               0.0   0  
    1981 33 CLE NT 72 15 0     0               0.0   1  

    images (51).jpeg

    Jerry Sherk and Walter Johnson were an awesome inside duo.  Very fond memories watching those 2 fellers...

    mjp28M mjp28 wrote on last edited by mjp28

    @flugel said:

    Jerry Sherk and Walter Johnson were an awesome inside duo.  Very fond memories watching those 2 fellers...

    Yes during that  1970 to 1981  time period  Jerry Sherk  kind of slid under the radar a bit   -but-   we true  Cleveland BROWNS  die-hard fans remember a  die-hard player like   #72   Jerry S.

    The  1970s  ~thru~  early 1980s period  when I saw the   MOST  of my    great  ol'  Muni  games   bar none !

    That's why I wanted to mention   the  #72  Jerry Sherk  <--▪︎   righf here.    Maybe not the most famous   -but-   a great     🙂    11 years.     Thanks Jerry !

  • sydS syd

    A True American Hero

    Offensive lineman Doug Dieken of the Cleveland Browns looks on from the sideline during a game against the New York Jets at Cleveland Municipal...

    Days till kick off

    Dutch OvenD Dutch Oven wrote on last edited by Dutch Oven

    @syd said:

    A True American Hero

    Offensive lineman Doug Dieken of the Cleveland Browns looks on from the sideline during a game against the New York Jets at Cleveland Municipal...

    Days till kick off

    That would be Dieken's last season with the Browns, wearing the one-off jersey worn only in 1984... the season I went to my first Browns game. 

  • @flugel said:

    Jerry Sherk and Walter Johnson were an awesome inside duo.  Very fond memories watching those 2 fellers...

    Yes during that  1970 to 1981  time period  Jerry Sherk  kind of slid under the radar a bit   -but-   we true  Cleveland BROWNS  die-hard fans remember a  die-hard player like   #72   Jerry S.

    The  1970s  ~thru~  early 1980s period  when I saw the   MOST  of my    great  ol'  Muni  games   bar none !

    That's why I wanted to mention   the  #72  Jerry Sherk  <--▪︎   righf here.    Maybe not the most famous   -but-   a great     🙂    11 years.     Thanks Jerry !

    FlugelF Flugel wrote on last edited by

    @mjp28 said:

    Yes during that  1970 to 1981  time period  Jerry Sherk  kind of slid under the radar a bit   -but-   we true  Cleveland BROWNS  die-hard fans remember a  die-hard player like   #72   Jerry S.

    The  1970s  ~thru~  early 1980s period  when I saw the   MOST  of my    great  ol'  Muni  games   bar none !

    That's why I wanted to mention   the  #72  Jerry Sherk  <--▪︎   righf here.    Maybe not the most famous   -but-   a great     🙂    11 years.     Thanks Jerry !

    ? Here's a cut and paste from Google showing a very productive chunk of football with honors Sherk earned midway through his career with the Browns. He was also very good before and after this period:

    Jerry was a four-time Pro Bowl Selection and named MVP by the Browns three straight seasons 1974-1976. In 1976, he was named the NFL's Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Year.

  • @mjp28 said:

    Yes during that  1970 to 1981  time period  Jerry Sherk  kind of slid under the radar a bit   -but-   we true  Cleveland BROWNS  die-hard fans remember a  die-hard player like   #72   Jerry S.

    The  1970s  ~thru~  early 1980s period  when I saw the   MOST  of my    great  ol'  Muni  games   bar none !

    That's why I wanted to mention   the  #72  Jerry Sherk  <--▪︎   righf here.    Maybe not the most famous   -but-   a great     🙂    11 years.     Thanks Jerry !

    ? Here's a cut and paste from Google showing a very productive chunk of football with honors Sherk earned midway through his career with the Browns. He was also very good before and after this period:

    Jerry was a four-time Pro Bowl Selection and named MVP by the Browns three straight seasons 1974-1976. In 1976, he was named the NFL's Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Year.

    mjp28M mjp28 wrote on last edited by mjp28

    @flugel said:

    ? Here's a cut and paste from Google showing a very productive chunk of football with honors Sherk earned midway through his career with the Browns. He was also very good before and after this period:

    Jerry was a four-time Pro Bowl Selection and named MVP by the Browns three straight seasons 1974-1976. In 1976, he was named the NFL's Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Year.

    Do you Browns fans  think you know all about  #72  Jerry Sherk ....  please read this article.   I may add more and put it into  another seperate thread on the   - 1970 to 1981  Mr Jerry Sherk,  Cleveland  BROWN.

    Coming up  -  The end of    #72 Jerry Sherk's fine career.

    In 1979, Browns’ defensive tackle Jerry Sherk, had developed a boil on his arm which then became infected. Cleveland, under head coach Sam Rutigliano, was 6-3-0 and set to play on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. During the 24-19 win,

    ●  Sherk inadvertently scraped off the boil on the hard Veterans Stadium turf which had installed Astro TuSherk has been called “the greatest defensive lineman of the Cleveland Browns.” He was drafted in the second-round of the 1970 NFL draft and became an instant starter. Sherk was named to four consecutive Pro Bowls from 1973-1976. In 1976, he was named the NFL Defensive Player-of-the-Year and twice voted All-AFC.

    Is he the greatest Browns defensive lineman? Was he?

    Broadcaster Howard Cosell said hell no.  <--▪︎. ( What ? )

    “Monday Night Football” (MNF) is a television institution. The Browns hosted the New York Jets on the ABC Network on September 21, 1970 to a packed house. It was the  very first airing of  MNF.   This was the era of Jets’ quarterback Joe Namath who had just won Super Bowl IV. This was also the first season that the NFL and American Football League had merged and was now one huge league. |-->  continued  ▪︎-->   I remember that game well,  I was 19 going to YSU  -and- working at  USSteel. ...    turning 20 later that month.   🙂   Life was good.

    ▪︎-->  It was also Jerry Sherk’s rookie season and his very first NFL contest.

    The  BROWNS  won 31-21. .... in a very entertaining game. During the broadcast, ABC commentator Cosell, known for his abrasive personality, repeatedly dogged Sherk’s game performance especially the second half. During the game, ● Sherk had his chin split wide open. The newspaper headline the next morning sported, “Nightmare ends for Jerry Sherk.” Cosell’s style of broadcasting was to come up with a “theme” during the game and then pound that idea to death.

    ●  After football, Sherk became a sports photographer. He sold his talent to publications such as Sports Illustrated, newspapers and Pro! Magazine. In 2010, the Cleveland Touchdown Club Charities held a photo show of Sherk’s work entitled, “Thought the Eyes of a Defensive Lineman: The Cleveland Browns as Photographed by Jerry Sherk.”

    ▪︎  The Browns were the only team Sherk played for. He had signed a rookie contract for three years that paid him $18,000, $20,000 and then $22,000 a year with a $17,500 signing bonus. During his career, he had 864 total tackles, 69.5 sacks, three interceptions, 12 fumble recoveries, blocked six kicks and started 131 of 147 games.  // ▪︎-->  continued. 

    ●  Sherk also received the very first “Bulldog Award” given to a defensive player by the NFLPA and sponsored by Mack Trucks which was voted on by the league’s offensive linemen.

    Today, Sherk lives in California with his wife Ann, a marriage that is not quite 36 years. Sherk has two grown children: son Michael and daughter Hannah.

    He has a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and is the founder of the consulting firm Mentor Management Systems based in Encinitas, California. With the expertise in both one-on-one mentoring as well as group sessions, Sherk has assisted hundreds of mentoring organizations in the past two decades to develop their program structures as well as staff training. 

    //  ▪︎-->   to be continued in a seperate  //    Jerry Sherk thread !    Catch you later.    mjp.

  • @syd said:

    A True American Hero

    Offensive lineman Doug Dieken of the Cleveland Browns looks on from the sideline during a game against the New York Jets at Cleveland Municipal...

    Days till kick off

    That would be Dieken's last season with the Browns, wearing the one-off jersey worn only in 1984... the season I went to my first Browns game. 

    OrionO Orion wrote on last edited by

    @dutch-oven said:

    That would be Dieken's last season with the Browns, wearing the one-off jersey worn only in 1984... the season I went to my first Browns game. 

    I Liked that jersey!  Do I remember it right that announcers were confused by the orange piping around the numbers?

  • @dutch-oven said:

    That would be Dieken's last season with the Browns, wearing the one-off jersey worn only in 1984... the season I went to my first Browns game. 

    I Liked that jersey!  Do I remember it right that announcers were confused by the orange piping around the numbers?

    Dutch OvenD Dutch Oven wrote on last edited by

    @orion said:

    I Liked that jersey!  Do I remember it right that announcers were confused by the orange piping around the numbers?

    The original brown jerseys had orange numbers with white outline. Very hard to read. By the time the regular season started they had white numbers with orange outline.

  • sydS syd wrote on last edited by mjp28

    bad ass Walter Johnson days away

    Cleveland Browns