| 1954 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Paul Brown |
| Home Field | Cleveland Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–3–0 |
| Place | 1st NFL American |
| Playoff Finish | Won NFL Championship |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1953 | 1955 |
The 1954 Cleveland Browns season was the team's fifth season with the National Football League. The Browns' defense became the first defense in the history of the NFL to lead the league in fewest rushing yards allowed, fewest passing yards allowed and fewest total yards allowed.[1] Assistant coach Weeb Ewbank left the club to coach the Baltimore Colts.[2]
Offseason
Edit
Defensive Back Don Paul arrived via a trade with the Washington Redskins. The Redskins acquired Paul from the Chicago Cardinals. Upon his arrival in Washington, he fell in disfavour with George Preston Marshall of the Redskins.[3]
NFL DraftEdit
The 1954 NFL Draft was one of the biggest busts in Browns history. In the first round, the club selected John Bauer. He would never play for the Browns, as he was traded to Green Bay during training camp, and only played in two NFL games in his career before joining the Army.[3] The Browns also drafted quarterback Bobby Garrett out of Stanford. The plan was that he would be the heir to Otto Graham. Garrett suffered from a stuttering problem which hindered his performance in the huddle. Eventually, Garrett would be traded to the Packers in exchange for Babe Parilli, although Parilli would not play for the Browns until 1958.[3]
Exhibition ScheduleEdit
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 21, 1954 | at Green Bay Packers | W 14–13 | |
| 2 | August 27, 1954 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 38–10 | |
| 3 | September 5, 1954 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 38–21 | |
| 4 | September 10, 1954 | vs. Detroit Lions at Dallas | L 56–31 | |
| 5 | September 18, 1954 | Chicago Bears | L 35–7 | |
Regular Season ScheduleEdit
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 26, 1954 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 28–10 | |
| 2 | October 10, 1954 | Chicago Cardinals | W 31–7 | |
| 3 | October 17, 1954 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 55–27 | |
| 4 | October 24, 1954 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 35–3 | |
| 5 | October 31, 1954 | New York Giants | W 24–14 | |
| 6 | November 7, 1954 | Washington Redskins | W 62–3 | |
| 7 | November 14, 1954 | at Chicago Bears | W 39–10 | |
| 8 | November 21, 1954 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 6–0 | |
| 9 | November 28, 1954 | at New York Giants | W 16–7 | |
| 10 | December 5, 1954 | at Washington Redskins | W 34–14 | |
| 11 | December 12, 1954 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 42–7 | |
| 12 | December 19, 1954 | Detroit Lions | L 14–10 | |
PlayoffEdit
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | December 26, 1954 | Detroit Lions | W 56–10 | |
RosterEdit
| 1954 Cleveland Browns roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks 14 Otto Graham Running Backs 54 Tony Adamle (LB) Wide Receivers 26 Ray Renfro Tight Ends 82 Pete Brewster | Offensive Linemen 74 Mike McCormack LT (DL) Defensive Linemen 82 Carlton Massey DE | Linebackers 65 Chuck Noll LB (G,C) Defensive Backs 42 Tommy James Special Teams 76 Lou Groza K (RT) | Reserve Lists
| |||
StandingsEdit
| NFL Eastern | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Cleveland Browns | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 336 | 162 | L-1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 4 | 1 | .636 | 284 | 230 | W-1 |
| New York Giants | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 293 | 184 | L-1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | 219 | 263 | L-2 |
| Washington Redskins | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 207 | 432 | W-1 |
| Chicago Cardinals | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 183 | 347 | L-3 |
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ The Best Show in Football:The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns, p.294, Andy Piascik, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-58979-360-6
- ↑ The Best Show in Football:The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns, p.310, Andy Piascik, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-58979-360-6
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Best Show in Football:The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns, p.308, Andy Piascik, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-58979-360-6
