A team doctor is just as important to a football team as a star quarterback. Anyone who played for the Browns from 1976 through 2000 can attest to that. Dr. John Bergfeld signed on with the Browns as an orthopedic consultant in 1976. A better description of the job would be assistant to then team docotor, Vic Ippolito. When Ippolito retired in 1978, Bergfeld took over for him.

Browns center Tom DeLeone had this to say about Dr. John: "A lot of doctors can shorten your career, but whatever he says is gospel with me." This was a thought echoed by the entire team.

Bergfeld witnessed the worst injury of his career during training camp of 1977. Robert L. Jackson blew out his knee in practice, and after reconstructive surgery, missed a whole year. The number one draft pick returned in 1978, but the knee just wasn't the same, and ended his career in 1982.

Bergfeld commented that the toughest players he saw on the Browns had to be Brian Sipe (mentally tough, Dr. John said that he always played hurt), and Doug Dieken (who played 203 consecutive games). He also called former center Mike Baab a 'warrior,' recalling a time that he did arthroscopic knee surgury on the lineman, only to see him practicing 2 days after surgury.

Al Lerner hired Bergfeld in 1999, after he purchased the Browns to bring them back into the NFL. Bergfeld, director of sports medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, happily returned as he is an avid football and Cleveland Browns fan himself.