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1955 Cleveland Browns

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1955 Cleveland Browns season
Head Coach Paul Brown
Home Field Cleveland Stadium
Results
Record 9–2–1
Place 1st NFL American
Playoff Finish Won NFL Championship (3)
Timeline
Previous Season Next Season
1954 1956

The 1955 Cleveland Browns season was the team's sixth 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 points allowed and fewest total yards allowed for two consecutive seasons.[1]

Season summary[]

The 1955 season began in rough fashion for the Browns, with the defending world champions losing 27-17 at home in the opener to the Washington Redskins, who would have their best season in a decade by finishing second in the Eastern Conference at 8-4. But once Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham got back on track, so did the Browns. With Graham, who had been lured out of retirement when the team experienced problems at that position in training camp, leading the way, the Browns then went on to win six in a row and nine of their last 11 to finish 9-2-1 and capture the conference title for the sixth straight year. The Browns then blasted the host Los Angeles Rams 38-14 in the league title game, after which Graham retired again - this time for good, ending the club's remarkable first decade of existence in which it played in the league championship contest all 10 times and won seven crowns.

The Browns really caught fire offensively in the last five games. Including the title contest, they averaged 37.8 points per outing during that span, in which they won four times and played to a 35-35 tie with the New York Giants. Also, earlier in the year, they won the important rematch with the Redskins, 24-14.

On the season, Graham threw for 15 touchdowns with just eight interceptions for a 94.0 quarterback rating, the second-best mark of his six-year NFL career. The Browns had three receivers with 29 or more catches, combining for 18 TDs. Darrel Brewster was tops in receptions with 34, with Ray Renfro leading the way in scores with eight. Also, the Browns had something they hadn't had since their first year in the NFL -- that is, a big-yardage running back. Fred "Curly" Morrison rushed for 824 yards, the most by a Brown since the team joined the league in 1950. Hall of Famer Marion Motley had 810 yards that year.[2]

Roster[]

1955 Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

  • 30 Maurice Bassett FB
  • 32 Fred Morrison
  • 36 Ed Modzelewski FB/LB
  • 43 Bob Smith HB
  • 46 Bob White HB

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

  • 82 Pete Brewster
 Offensive Linemen
  • 60 Harold Bradley Jr. LG
  • 62 Herschel Forester G
  • 64 Abe Gibron G
  • 52 Frank Gatski C
  • 74 Mike McCormack LT/DL
  • 78 John Sandusky T
  • 83 Chuck Weber G/LB/DE

Defensive Linemen

  • 70 Don Colo DE
  • 72 John Kissell DT
  • 77 Tom Jones T
  • 79 Bob Gain DL/T
  • 82 Carlton Massey DE
  • 80 Len Ford DE
 Linebackers

Defensive Backs

  • 22 Ken Konz DB
  • 24 Warren Lahr DB
  • 20 Don Paul DB
  • 44 Johnny Petitbon S
  • 46 Henry Ford

Special Teams

Reserve Lists
  • Vacant

Rookies in italics

Source:

Exhibition Schedule[]

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 August 12, 1955 vs. College All-Stars at Chicago L 30–27
75,000
2 August 20, 1955 vs. Green Bay Packers at Akron W 13–7
22,000
3 August 28, 1955 at San Francisco 49ers L 17–14
41,604
4 September 2, 1955 at Los Angeles Rams L 38–21
35,948
5 September 10, 1955 Detroit Lions L 19–3
29,581
6 September 15, 1955 at Chicago Bears L 24–21
43,067

Regular Season[]

Schedule[]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance
1 September 25 Washington L 27–17 0-1
30,041
2 October 2 at San Francisco W 38–3 1-1
46,150
3 October 9 Philadelphia W 21–17 2-1
43,974
4 October 16 at Washington W 24–14 3-1
29,168
5 October 23 Green Bay W 41–10 4-1
51,482
6 October 30 at Chi. Cardinals W 26–20 5-1
29,471
7 November 6 NY Giants W 24–14 6-1
46,524
8 November 13 at Philadelphia L 33–17 6-2
39,303
9 November 20 Pittsburgh W 41–14 7-2
53,509
10 November 27 at NY Giants T 35–35 7-2-1
45,699
11 December 4 at Pittsburgh W 30–7 8-2-1
31,101
12 December 11 Chi. Cardinals W 35–24 9-2-1
25,914

Game Summaries[]

Week 2 @ San Francisco[]

Week 2: Cleveland Browns 38 (1-1)    at    San Francisco 49ers 3 (0-2)    – Game summary
1 2 3 4 Total
Browns 7 17 7 7 38
49ers 0 3 0 0 3

at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California

  • Date: Sunday, October 2, 1955
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT/1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game attendance: 46,150
  • Recap and Stats
Game information
1st
2nd
  • 49ers – Gordy Soltau 17 yard field goal     Browns 7 – 3
  • Browns – Ed Modzelewski 1 yard rush (Lou Groza kick)     Browns 14 – 3
  • Browns – Lou Groza 32 yard field goal     Browns 17 – 3
  • Browns – Fred Morrison 1 yard rush (Lou Groza kick)     Browns 24 – 3
3rd
  • Browns – Ed Modzelewski 1 yard rush (Lou Groza kick)     Browns 31 – 3
4th
  • Browns – Maurice Bassett 1 yard rush (Lou Groza kick)     Browns 38 – 3


Standings[]

NFL Eastern
W L T PCT PF PA STK
Cleveland Browns 9 2 1 .818 349 218 W-2
Washington Redskins 8 4 0 .667 246 222 W-1
New York Giants 6 5 1 .545 267 223 W-2
Philadelphia Eagles 4 7 1 .364 248 231 L-1
Chicago Cardinals 4 7 1 .364 224 252 L-2
Pittsburgh Steelers 4 8 0 .333 195 285 L-7

Playoffs[]

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
Championship December 26 at Los Angeles W 38–14
87,695

Postseason[]

NFL Championship Game[]

Awards and records[]

  • Led NFL, Points Scored (349)

References[]

  1. ↑ The Best Show in Football:The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns, p.294, Andy Piascik, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-58979-360-6
  2. ↑ Season summary and statictics at Cleveland Browns.com

References[]

External links[]

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