| 1999 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Chris Palmer |
| Home Field | Cleveland Browns Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–14 |
| Place | 6th AFC Central |
| Playoff Finish | did not qualify |
| Uniform | |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1995 | 2000 |
The 1999 Cleveland Browns season marked the team's return to the National Football League after a three-year absence. The 1999 season also marked the return of football to the city of Cleveland for the first time since the 1995 season.
Season information[]
During the course of the 1995 season, then-Browns owner Art Modell announced his decision to move the Browns to Baltimore. Modell's new team would begin playing in the 1996 season. It would be the first time since 1935 that Cleveland would be left without an existing football team and the first time since 1943 with a Cleveland Football Team playing when the Cleveland Rams suspended operation for one year so the other teams could have enough players during World War II.
However, many Browns fans and Cleveland city officials were determined to keep the team in Cleveland, and orchestrated a grassroots movement to keep the team in Cleveland. The NFL responded by working with city officials, and the two parties came to a unique agreement which would provide the city with a brand-new, state-of-the-art stadium and would promise the return of professional football to Cleveland by the beginning of the 1999 season. Modell also agreed to relinquish the Browns' name, colors and team history to the new owner of the Browns. Modell's new team would begin playing in the 1996 season as the Baltimore Ravens, and was regarded as a new franchise expansion team. The Browns were then considered to have suspended operations from 1996 to 1998.
While the Browns' new stadium was being built on the site of the old Cleveland Stadium, the foundation of the front office was being set in place. Al Lerner won a bidding war for the new team for $750 million. Lerner hired former San Francisco 49ers front office staffers Carmen Policy and Dwight Clark as the Browns' president and vice president.
Football finally returned to Cleveland on September 12 when the Browns opened the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home. However, the fans were sorely disappointed as the Browns were defeated by the Steelers 43–0. The team would go on to lose their first seven games, but finally won their first game against the New Orleans Saints when rookie and overall number one pick in the draft quarterback Tim Couch threw up a Hail Mary pass with three seconds left. The pass was caught by rookie wide receiver Kevin Johnson and the Browns won the game 21–16. Two weeks later, the Browns defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh, 16–15, for their second and final win of the year.
The Browns ended the season badly, finishing 2–14—sixth in the AFC Central. It was the worst record that any Cleveland team ever compiled at the end of a season. They did not win a home game throughout the season.
Personnel[]
Staff[]
| 1999 Cleveland Browns final staff | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
| ||||||||||||||||||
Draft[]
1999 NFL Draft[]
| Draft order | Player name | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Pick | |||
| 1 | 1 | Tim Couch | Quarterback | Kentucky |
| 2 | 32 | Kevin Johnson | Wide receiver | Syracuse |
| 45 | Rahim Abdullah | Linebacker | Clemson | |
| 3 | 62 | Daylon McCutcheon | Cornerback | USC |
| 78 | Marquis Smith | Defensive back | California | |
| 4 | 124 | Wali Rainer | Linebacker | Virginia |
| 5 | 148 | Darrin Chiaverini | Wide receiver | Colorado |
| 6 | 174 | Marcus Spriggs | Defensive tackle | Troy State |
| 187 | Kendall Ogle | Linebacker | Maryland | |
| 191 | James Dearth | Tight end | Tarleton State | |
| 7 | 207 | Madre Hill | Running back | Arkansas |
Expansion Draft[]
- Main article: 1999 NFL Expansion Draft
Players selected from other teams in the Cleveland Expansion Draft, in order of selection.[2]
| 1. C Jim Pyne, Detroit |
| 2. DE Hurvin McCormack, Dallas |
| 3. T Scott Rehberg, New England |
| 4. WR Damon Gibson, Cincinnati |
| 5. C Steve Gordon, San Francisco |
| 6. LB Tarek Saleh, Carolina |
| 7. G Jeff Buckey, Miami |
| 8. LB Jason Kyle, Seattle |
| 9. DE Rod Manuel, Pittsburgh |
| 10. LB Lenoy Jones, Tennessee |
| 11. CB Tim McTyer, Philadelphia |
| 12. LB Elijah Alexander, Indianapolis |
| 13. T Pete Swanson, Kansas City |
| 14. S Gerome Williams, San Diego |
| 15. S Marlon Forbes, Chicago |
| 16. WR Justin Armour, Denver |
| 17. T Paul Wiggins, Washington |
| 18. S Duane Butler, Minnesota |
| 19. WR Fred Brock, Arizona |
| 20. CB Kory Blackwell, N.Y. Giants |
| 21. CB Kevin Devine, Jacksonville |
| 22. CB Ray Jackson, Buffalo |
| 23. G Jim Bundren, N.Y. Jets |
| 24. G Ben Cavil, Baltimore |
| 25. RB Michael Blair, Green Bay |
| 26. DT Antonio Anderson, Dallas |
| 27. G Orlando Bobo, Minnesota |
| 28. LB James Williams, San Francisco |
| 29. QB Scott Milanovich, Tampa Bay |
| 30. S Eric Stokes, Seattle |
| 31. RB Ronald Moore, Miami |
| 32. RB Clarence Williams, Buffalo |
| 33. WR Freddie Solomon, Philadelphia |
| 34. S Brandon Sanders, N.Y. Giants |
| 35. DT Mike Thompson, Cincinnati |
| 36. RB Jerris McPhail, Detroit |
| 37. CB Antonio Langham, San Francisco |
Preseason[]
Hall of Fame Game[]
- Cleveland Browns 20, Dallas Cowboys 17 (Overtime) [3]
Regular season[]
Schedule[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | Pittsburgh | L 43–0 | |
| 2 | September 19 | at Tennessee | L 26–9 | |
| 3 | September 26 | at Baltimore | L 17–10 | |
| 4 | October 3 | New England | L 19–7 | |
| 5 | October 10 | Cincinnati | L 18–17 | |
| 6 | October 17 | at Jacksonville | L 24–7 | |
| 7 | October 24 | at St. Louis | L 34–3 | |
| 8 | October 31 | at New Orleans | W 21–16 | |
| 9 | November 7 | Baltimore | L 41–9 | |
| 10 | November 14 | at Pittsburgh | W 16–15 | |
| 11 | November 21 | Carolina | L 31–17 | |
| 12 | November 28 | Tennessee | L 33–21 | |
| 13 | December 5 | at San Diego | L 23–10 | |
| 14 | December 12 | at Cincinnati | L 44–28 | |
| 15 | December 19 | Jacksonville | L 24–14 | |
| 16 | December 26 | Indianapolis | L 29–28 |
Final roster[]
| 1999 Cleveland Browns final roster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
| ||||||
Standings[]
Template:1999 AFC Central standings [4]
References[]
- ↑ All-Time Assistant Coaches. ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved on February 6, 2009.
- ↑ 1999 Cleveland Expansion Draft
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 978-0-7611-2480-1, p. 369
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 978-0-7611-2480-1
- History: Cleveland Browns Draft History: 1990s. Cleveland Browns official Web site. Archived from the original on 2006-10-21. Retrieved on 2007-04-13.
- Team Histories – Baltimore Ravens. Pro Football Hall of Fame official Web site. Archived from the original on 16 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-13.
- Team Histories – Cleveland Browns. Pro Football Hall of Fame official Web site. Archived from the original on 13 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-13.
- Cleveland Browns (1946–1995; 1999–Present). Sports E-Cyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2 May 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-13.
External links[]
- 1999 Cleveland Browns season article at Wikipedia
- 1999 Cleveland Browns at Pro Football Reference (Profootballreference.com)
- 1999 Cleveland Browns Statistics at jt-sw.com
- 1999 Cleveland Browns Schedule at jt-sw.com
- 1999 Cleveland Browns at DatabaseFootball.com
