Hall of fame football writer Chuck Heaton looks back at his 47 years covering the Cleveland Browns.
Heaton spent an incredible five decades covering the Browns—the “old Browns” teams that fans still miss. He reported on the Browns for the Plain Dealer from 1946 to 1993—nearly the entire history of the original Cleveland franchise.
In this series of memoirs, written shortly before his retirement, Heaton reminisces about the great players he got to know, like Jim Brown, Otto Graham, and Leroy Kelly; masterful head coach Paul Brown; colorful characters like equipment manager Morrie Kono; even notorious Browns rivals like Oilers’ coach Jerry Glanville and Steelers’ owner Art Rooney. He recalls the relaxed atmosphere of training camp at Hiram College, and shares tales of life on the road with the team (including some memorably bad hotels).
If you’re a Browns fans who remembers the old teams, you’ll fondly recall the glory days in these old-fashioned, personal stories. If you’re a younger Browns fan, you’ll find out why everyone still longs for them.