Browns Hall of Fame Members
Pro Football Hall of Fame Members

 

Here are the members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame that have worn the brown and orange. Click on any image for a larger view:

Otto Graham
QB
Played: Cleveland - 1946-1955
Inducted in: 1965
Born: Dec 6, 1921 College: Northwestern University
Career Highlights:
Played in 10 championship games in 10 pro seasons, winning 7.... 1st player signed by Paul Brown when team first started up....Threw for 23,584 yards and 174 TD's in a non-freindly passing era ....5 time league MVP...Number 14 retired by Browns...Retired after '54 season, but came out of retirement at the request of Brown and led Cleveland to the NFL crown...Considered by many to be the best QB ever...Also coached the Washington Redskins from 1966-1968, amassing a 17-22-3 record.

 

Paul Brown
Co
Coached: Cleveland - 1946-1961, Cincinatti 1968-1975
Inducted in: 1967
Born: Sep 7, 1908 College: Ohio State, Miami (OH)
Career Highlights:
First coach of the Browns, leading them to 7 league championships...Had a keen eye for talent by virtue of drafting 8 future Hall of Famers and signing 2 others...Led Browns to 10 championship appearances in first 10 years of team...All time best 166 victories as a Cleveland Coach...Also coached at Severn Prep (MD), Massillon Washington HS (OH), Great Lakes Naval Base, and Ohio State (1 National Championship)...Also first coach of the Bengals, leading them to 3 playoff appearances. Majority owner of the Bengals until his death in 1990...Bengals home field named in his honor...

 

Marion Motley
FB
Played: Cleveland - 1946-1953, Pittsburgh - 1955
Inducted in: 1968
Born: May 5, 1920 College: South Carolina State
Career Highlights:
One of the first African-American players in the history of professional football, becoming pro just months after Jackie Robinson of the baseball Dodgers...Was the most dominating runner in pro football when not injured...Accumulated 4,712 rushing yards (5.7 avg) and 39 TD's in his pro career... Also played for the Steelers in 1955

 

Jim Brown
FB
Played: Cleveland - 1957-1965
Inducted in: 1971
Born: Feb 17, 1936 College: Syracuse
Career Highlights:
Widely considered the best running back in history...Retired with NFL rushing records12,312 yards, 5.2 average, and 96 TD's...Led league in rushing 8 times....Named league MVP in 57, 58, 63, and 65...Rookie of the year in '58...Left football in the prime of his career to act, retired on the set of "The Dirty Dozen", his first movie...Uniform #32 retired by the Browns....Recorded 58 100+ yard games rushing...

 

Lou Groza
T/K
Played: Cleveland - 1946-1959, 1961 - 1967
Inducted in: 1974
Born: Jan 25, 1924 College: Ohio State
Career Highlights:
Nicknamed "The Toe" for his legendary kicking abilities...Played for Paul Brown at Ohio State and was recruited as a charter member of the Browns...Cleveland record 21 years of service....All pro tackle much of his career...Famous "Toe" help Cleveland achieve the regular season record for most consecutive games scored in (274)...Retired in 1959, but new owner and future best friend Art Modell convinced him to lace 'em up again in 1961...Top 10 all time in total points scored... Selected to 9 Pro Bowls (team record)... Number 76 retired by the Browns...Honored by the address of Cleveland Browns headquarters address (76 Lou Groza Drive)...Died in 2000 at the age of 76.

 

Dante Lavelli
OE
Played: Cleveland - 1946-1956
Inducted in: 1975
Born: Feb 23, 1923 College: Ohio State
Career Highlights:
Another Paul Brown / Ohio State connection as Brown also recruited Lavelli to be a founding member of the Browns...Otto Graham's favorite target...Caught 386 balls for 6,488 yards and 62 TD's in pro career...Nicknamed "Gluefingers"...Was recruited by the Detroit Tigers to play shortstop before attending Ohio State...Was drafted by the Cleveland Pipers of the NBA after WWII...

 

Len Ford
DE
Played: LA Dons (AAFC) 48-49, Cleveland - 50-57, Green Bay - 58
Inducted in: 1976
Born: Feb 18, 1926 College: Michigan
Career Highlights:
Caught 67 passes for 1175 yards for the Dons before coming to Cleveland....Paul Brown recognized that he was a good end, but a great defensiveman, and converted him in 1950...Considered to be the NFL's premier pass rusher in the 1950's...Played perhaps his best game in the 1950 NFL Championship. After missing 2 months of action due to facial fractures suffered in a game and being on a liquid diet for that time, led Browns in defense to vicory...Died of a heart attack in 1972.... Daugher Deborah made his Hall of Fame acceptance speech.

 

Bill Willis
G
Played: Cleveland - 1946-1953
Inducted in: 1977
Born: Oct 5, 1921 College: Ohio State
Career Highlights:
One of 3 HoF'ers to play for coach Paul Brown at Ohio State and in Cleveland...Converted from tackle to guard apon arriving in Cleveland...Coached Kentucky State in 1945 before coming to the Browns...Wore numbers 60, 45, and 30...Rumored that he "shot out of his stance at 70 MPH" in one Browns media guide...First African-American player signed by the Browns...

 

Bobby Mitchell
HB
Played: Cleveland - 1958-1961, Washington 1962-1968
Inducted in: 1983
Born: Jun 6, 1935 College: Illinois
Career Highlights:
All around perfomer was utilized as a runner, reciever, kick returner and punt returner...Played along side HOF'er Jim Brown for 4 seasons...Amassed over 14,000 yards in pro career...played for coach Otto Graham with Washingon, '66-'68...Scored 38 TD's for Cleveland (91 total)...Wore number 49...Traded to Washington for rookie Ernie Davis, who died of leukemia before he had a chance to play one down...Was the first African-American in the history of the Redskins.

 

Paul Warfield
WR
Played: Cleveland - 1964-1969 and 1976-1977, Miami - 1970-1974
Inducted in: 1983
Born: Nov 28, 1942 College: Ohio State
Career Highlights:
Hometown boy from Warren OH drafted by Cleveland in 1964...Caught 271 passes for over 5,000 yards with Browns...Also played for Memphis of WFL in 1975...Traded for draft rights to Mike Phipps before start of 1970 season (Phipps played 4 dismall years for the Browns)...Career totals include 427 catches and 85 TD's...Wore number 42 for Cleveland.

 

Mike McCormack
T
Played: NY Yanks - 1951, Cleveland - 1954-1962
Inducted in: 1984
Born: Jun 21, 1930 College: Kansas
Career Highlights:
6 time Pro Bowler...Paul Brown called McCormack "the greatest offensive tackle who ever played professional football"...Was aquired by the Browns from Baltimore in a massive 15 player blockbuster trade (10 players for 5)...Was leader of the offensive line...Intercepted one pass in his career...Wore number 74.

 

Frank Gatski
C
Played: Cleveland - 1946-1956, Detroit - 1957
Inducted in: 1985
Born: Mar 13, 1922 College: Marshall University
Career Highlights:
Chartar member of the Browns...4 time All Pro...Played 11 years for Cleveland without missing one game...Wore number 52.

 

LeRoy Kelly
HB
Played: Cleveland - 1964 - 1973
Inducted in: 1994
Born: May 20, 1942 College: Morgan State
Career Highlights:
8th round draft selection in 1964...Started off as a kick returner as a rookie until Jim Brown's retirement...Replaced the retiring Brown in 1966 and continued the legacy of great Browns runners (Motley, Brown)...Retired in 1973 with fouth highest rushing total in history (7,274 yards)...Played in 6 Pro Bowls....5 time All Pro selection...Finished career with 90 TD's.

 

Ozzy Newsome
TE
Played: Cleveland - 1978-1990
Inducted in: 1999
Born: Mar 15, 1956 College: Alabama
Career Highlights:
Converted from WR to TE before start of his rookie season...Was 4th all time in receptions with 662 when he retired...Holds all major Browns pass-catching records...All time receptions leader among TE's going into 2001...Caught 47 TD's...Had 150 consecutive games with a reception, which was an NFL record at the time of his retirement...Bypassed by the HoF three times before being enshrined in 1999...General Manager of the Baltimore Ravens.

 

Other Hall of Famer's that have played with the Browns
This is a list of Hall of Famers that spent most of their careers playing for other teams:
Player Team Enshrined
Len Dawson - QB Kansas City Chiefs 1987
Doug Atkins - DE Chicago Bears 1982
Henry Jordan - DT Green Bay Packers 1995
Tommy MacDonald - WR Philladelphia Eagles 1998
Chuck Noll - LB/OL Pittsburgh Steelers (Coach) 1993
Don Shula - DB Baltimore Colts/Miami Dolphins (Coach) 1997

 

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