Wikipedia

Paul Brown: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
re-wording
No edit summary
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit
(43 intermediate revisions by 27 users not shown)
Line 1:
{{Short description|American football coach and executive (1908–1991)}}
{{About|the American football coach and owner}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
Line 7 ⟶ 8:
|caption=Brown on a 1952 football card
|alt=Brown wearing a brown baseball cap on a 1952 Bowman football card
|position= [[Head coach]]
|birth_date={{birth date|1908|9|7}}
|birth_place=[[Norwalk, Ohio]], U.S.
Line 15:
|college=[[Miami RedHawks football|Miami (OH)]]
|pastcoaching=
* [[Severn School|Severn School (MD)]] (1930–1931)<br/>Head coach
* [[Massillon Washington High School|Massillon Washington HS (OH)]] (1932–1940)<br/>Head coach
* [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]] (1941–1943)<br/>Head coach
* [[Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football|Great Lakes Navy]] (1944–1945)<br/>Head coach
* [[Cleveland Browns]] ({{NFL Year|1946}}–{{NFL Year|1962}})<br/>Head coach
* [[Cincinnati Bengals]] ([[1968 AFL season|1968]]–{{NFL Year|1975}})<br/>Head coach
|pastexecutive=
* [[Cleveland Browns]] ({{NFL Year|1946}}–{{NFL Year|1962}})<br>General manager/ & part-owner
* [[Cleveland Browns]] ({{NFL Year|1963}})<br>Vice president
* [[Cincinnati Bengals]] ([[1968 AFL season|1968]]–{{NFL Year|19901991}}){{efn-ua|name=Death|While Brown died on August 5, 1991, this was during the 1991 preseason. The last regular season he was the owner was 1990 which is 1990 is listed here.}}<br>Owner/ & president
|highlights=
* 3× [[NFL champion]] ([[1950 NFL Championship Game|1950]], [[1954 NFL Championship Game|1954]], [[1955 NFL Championship Game|1955]])
* [[AP NFL Coach of the Year]] (1970)
* 3× [[NFL Coach of the Year Award#UPI NFLNational Football League Coach of the Year|UPI NFL Coach of the Year]] (1957, 1969, 1970)
* [[National Football League Coach of the Year Award#AP AFL Coach of the Year|AP AFL Coach of the Year]] (1969)
* 3× [[NFL Coach of the Year Award#Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year|''Sporting News'' Coach of the Year]] (1949, 1951, 1953)
* [[NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team]]
Line 36 ⟶ 37:
* [[NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship|NCAA national champion]] (1942)
* 4× [[High School Football National Championship|High school national champion]] (1935, 1936, 1939, 1940)
|regular_record = {{Winning percentage|213|104|9|record=y}}
 
|playoff_record = {{Winning percentage|9|8|record=y}}
|statleague=professional
|overall_record = {{Winning percentage|33|13|3|record=y}} (college)<br>{{Winning percentage|222|112|9|record=y}} (pro)
|statlabel1=Win–loss record
|pfrcoach={{#property:P6836}}
|statvalue1=159–80–5 (NFL)
|pfrcoachpfrexec = BrowPa0▼
|statlabel2=Winning percentage
|HOF={{#property:P6930}}
|statvalue2=.665
|statlabel3=Games
|statvalue3=244
▲|pfrcoach=BrowPa0
|HOF=paul-brown
}}
 
'''Paul Eugene Brown''' (September 7, 1908 – August 5, 1991) was an [[American football]] coach and executive in the [[All-America Football Conference]] (AAFC) and [[National Football League]] (NFL). Brown was both the co-founder and first coach of the [[Cleveland Browns]], a team named after him, and later played a role in foundingco-founded the [[Cincinnati Bengals]]. His teams won seven league championships in a professional coaching career spanning 25 seasons.
 
Brown began his coaching career at [[Severn School]] in 1931 before becoming the head football coach at [[Massillon Washington High School]] in [[Massillon, Ohio]], where he grew up. His high school teams lost only 10 games in 11 seasons. He was then hired at [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State University]] and coached the school to its first national football championship in 1942. After World War II, he became head coach of the Browns, who won all four AAFC championships before joining the NFL in 1950. Brown coached the Browns to three NFL championships — in 1950, 1954 and 1955 — but was fired in January 1963 amid a power struggle with team owner [[Art Modell]]. In 1968, Brown co-founded and was the first coach of the Bengals. He retired from coaching in 1975 but remained the Bengals' team president until his death in 1991. The Bengals named their home stadium [[Paul Brown Stadium]] in his honor. He was inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 1967.
 
Brown is credited with a number of American football innovations. He was the first coach to use game film to scout opponents, hire a full-time staff of assistants, and test players on their knowledge of a playbook.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=3}} He invented the modern [[Face mask (gridiron football)|face mask]], the [[practice squad]] and the [[draw play]]. He also played a role in breaking professional football's [[Racial segregation|color barrier]], bringing the first [[African-American]]s to play pro football in the modern era onto his teams.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=4}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rhoden |first=William C. |date=1997-09-25 |title=ON PRO FOOTBALL; When Paul Brown Smashed the Color Barrier |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/25/sports/on-pro-football-when-paul-brown-smashed-the-color-barrier.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maule |first=Tex |title=A MAN FOR THIS SEASON |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1962/09/10/a-man-for-this-season |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=Sports Illustrated Vault {{!}} SI.com |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Marc Bona |first=cleveland com |date=2016-02-09 |title=Paul Brown and racial integration: Museum's latest exhibit |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2016/02/paul_brown_and_racial_integrat.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=cleveland |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shuck |first=Barry |date=2021-07-17 |title=Changing pro football’sfootball's color barrier: Paul Brown hires Bill Willis and Marion Motley |url=https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2021/7/17/22567693/changing-pro-footballs-color-barrier-paul-brown-hires-bill-willis-and-marion-motley |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=Dawgs By Nature |language=en}}</ref> Despite these accomplishments, Brown was not universally liked.{{sfn|Keim|1999|pp=17–18}} He was strict and controlling, which often brought him into conflict with players who wanted a greater say in play-calling. These disputes, combined with Brown's failure to consult Modell on major personnel decisions, led to his firing as the Browns' coach in 1963.{{sfn|Pluto|1997|p=293}}
 
==Early life==
Line 72 ⟶ 69:
Brown returned to Massillon in 1932, when he was 24 years old and barely two years out of college. His assignment was to turn around a Tigers team that had fallen into mediocrity over the six seasons since the departure of Stewart, Brown's old coach. In 1931, the year before Brown arrived, the Tigers finished with a 2–6–2 record. Brown's strategy was to build up a disciplined, hard-working team. He fired an assistant early on for arriving at a practice late because he had to work on his farm.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=20}} No Tigers player was allowed to sit on the bench during a game; Brown made them stand. At Massillon, Brown put in an offense and blocking scheme he learned from [[Duke University|Duke]]'s [[James DeHart|Jimmy DeHart]] and [[Purdue Boilermakers football|Purdue]]'s [[Noble Kizer]]. He emphasized quickness over strength.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=21}}
 
[[File:Legendary Sentry at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.jpg|thumb|left|Brown convinced Massillon Washington officials to build a new, bigger football stadium. Completed in 1939, the facility is named [[Paul Brown Tiger Stadium]].]]
 
In his first season at Massillon, Brown's team posted a 5–4–1 record, better than the previous year but far from Brown's exacting standards.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=22}} The Tigers improved again in 1933, ending with an 8–2 record but losing to their chief rivals, the [[Canton McKinley High School]] Bulldogs. In 1934, Massillon won all of its games until a 21–6 defeat to Canton in the final game of the season.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=25}} As the pressure on Brown grew to turn the tables on Canton, Massillon finally accomplished the feat the following year in an undefeated season, the first of several with Brown at the helm.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=27}}
Line 81 ⟶ 78:
 
During his nine years at Massillon, Brown invented the [[football playbook|playbook]], a detailed listing of formations and set plays, and tested his players on their knowledge of it. He also originated the practice of sending in plays to his quarterback from the sideline using hand signals.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=31}} His overall record at the school was 80–8–2, including a 35-game winning streak.{{sfn|Park|2003|p=183}}{{sfn|Keim|1999|p=19}} Between 1935 and 1940, the team won the state football championship five times and won the [[High School Football National Championship]] four times, outscoring opponents by 2,393 points to 168 over that span. After the early losses to Canton, the Tigers beat the Bulldogs six straight times.{{sfn|Park|2003|p=183}}
 
Brown's legacy in Massillon is still honored to this day: the Tiger teams wear his initials on the front shoulder of their uniforms, and a portrait of Brown is permanently displayed on the scoreboard of Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
 
==College and military career==
Line 90 ⟶ 89:
Ohio State offered Brown a $6,500 salary (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|6500|1941|r=-4}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars), about $1,500 above his Massillon pay.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=43}} He accepted in January 1941 and immediately began to institute his rigorous system.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|pp=43–44}} Players were drilled and quizzed, and Brown focused on preparing the freshmen to take starting roles as graduating seniors left.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=45}} He conditioned his players to emphasize quickness, adopting the 40-yard dash as a measure of speed because that was the distance players needed to run to cover a punt.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=45}}
 
Brown's first year at Ohio State was a success. The Buckeyes won six of eight games in 1941; the only loss was to [[Northwestern University]] and its star tailbackquarterback, [[Otto Graham]].{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=47}} The final game of the season was a 20–20 tie with Michigan, which the school's supporters saw as a good outcome given that Ohio State was a heavy underdog.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=50}} The Buckeyes tied for second place in the [[Big Ten Conference|Western Conference]], a grouping of college teams from the [[Midwestern United States]] (now known as the [[Big Ten Conference|Big Ten]]), and finished 13th in the [[AP Poll]]. Brown was fourth in balloting for national Coach of the Year.{{sfn|Park|2003|p=192}}
 
Japan's [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] on December 7, 1941, threatened to derail the 1942 season, but most college teams played on, adjusting schedules to include military teams composed of players serving in the military.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=51}} The Buckeyes opened the season by beating a [[Fort Knox]] team 59–0, followed by two more wins against [[University of Southern California|Southern California]] and [[Indiana University]].{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=52}} In the first AP Poll of the season, Ohio State was ranked best in the nation, the first time the school had achieved that mark.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=52}} The 1942 team was the first composed mainly of players hand-picked by Brown, including [[Bill Willis]], [[Dante Lavelli]] and star halfback [[Les Horvath]].{{sfn|Cantor|2008|pp=51–52}} In the middle of the season, the Buckeyes lost to the [[University of Wisconsin]] after numerous players drank bad water and got sick.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=53}} That was the team's only loss of the season, which culminated with a 21–7 victory over Michigan. The Buckeyes won the Western Conference and claimed their first-ever [[NCAA Division I-A national football championship|national title]] after finishing the season at the top of the AP Poll.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|pp=55–58}}
Line 98 ⟶ 97:
===Great Lakes Bluejackets===
 
Brown was classified [[Class 1-A|1-A]] in 1944 and commissioned as a [[lieutenant (junior grade)|lieutenant]] in the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]].{{sfn|Park|2003|p=217}}<ref name="Brown reclassified 1-A">{{cite news|title=Deferment Asked For Paul Brown|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JFkbAAAAIBAJ&pg=2931,4183474&dq=paul+brown+1-a&hl=en|access-date=August 26, 2012|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=February 12, 1944|agency=United Press International|location=Columbus|page=8}}</ref><ref name="Brown commissioned in Navy">{{cite news|title=Paul Brown Looms As Great Lakes Coach|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YLhWAAAAIBAJ&pg=5653,2305009&dq=paul+brown+navy+commissioned&hl=en|access-date=August 26, 2012|newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard|date=April 14, 1944|agency=United Press International|location=Columbus|page=6}}</ref> He served at the [[Great Lakes Naval Training Station]] outside [[Chicago]] as head coach of its [[Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football|Bluejacket football team]], which competed against other [[List of World War II military service football teams|service teams]] and college programs.{{sfn|Park|2003|p=222}} The station was a waypoint for Navy recruits between training and active service in World War II, but its commanders took athletics seriously and saw winning as a morale-booster and a point of personal pride.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=63}} Brown could have been called up for active duty – [[Tony Hinkle]], his predecessor, was already serving in the Pacific – but the war began to wind down as Brown arrived.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=63}} Brown had little time to institute his system, and instead adopted Hinkle's offensive scheme, borrowed from the [[Chicago Bears]].{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=64}} He had a smattering of talented players, including defensive end [[George Young (American football player)|George Young]] and halfback [[Ara Parseghian]].{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=64}} In 1944, the team lost to Ohio State and [[University of Notre Dame|Notre Dame]], but finished with a 9–2–1 record and was among the top 20 teams in the AP Poll.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|pp=64–65}}
 
In September 1944, [[Arch Ward]], the influential sports editor of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', proposed a new eight-team professional football league called the [[All-America Football Conference]] (AAFC) to compete against the more established [[National Football League]] (NFL) once the war was over.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=65}} Ward lined up wealthy owners for the new league, which included teams in Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and [[Cleveland]].{{sfn|Cantor|2008|pp=66–67}} [[Arthur B. McBride|Arthur B. "Mickey" McBride]], a taxi-cab magnate who made a fortune in the newspaper business, was the owner of the Cleveland franchise.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=67}} As Brown was preparing for the 1945 Bluejackets season, Ward came on McBride's behalf to ask Brown if he wanted to coach the new team.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=68}} McBride offered $17,500 a year (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|17500|1945|r=-4}}}} in today's dollars) – more than any coach at any level - and full authority over football matters. He also received a stake in the team and a stipend while he was still in the military.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=68}}<ref name="latimesblogs.latimes.com"/>
Line 126 ⟶ 125:
The Browns' first game in the NFL in 1950 was against the two-time defending champion [[Philadelphia Eagles]] in Philadelphia.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=103}} They won the game 35–10, the first of 10 victories that year.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|pp=105, 110}} After beating the [[New York Giants]] in a playoff game, the Browns went on to win the championship game against the [[Los Angeles Rams]] on a last-minute field goal by Groza.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|pp=115, 121}} "The flag of the late lamented AAFC flies high, and Paul Brown has the last laugh", the ''Plain Dealer'''s editorial page proclaimed.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=121}} Brown said his was "the greatest football team a coach ever had, and there was never a game like this one."{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=121}} In 16 seasons, Brown had led his teams to 12 championships. He was the first head coach to win both a college and NFL championship, a feat not repeated until [[Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)|Jimmy Johnson]] and later [[Barry Switzer]] did it with the [[Dallas Cowboys]] in the 1990s,{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=122}} and [[Pete Carroll]] who accomplished the feat with [[USC Trojans football|USC]] in 2004 and the [[Seattle Seahawks]] in [[2013 NFL season|2013]].
 
As the Browns climbed to the top of the NFL, speculation began to mount that Brown might return to the Buckeyes. [[Wes FelserFesler]] had resigned as the team's coach, and Brown was seen as a possible replacement.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=113}} But Brown had also alienated many Ohio State alumni by failing to return to the school after World War II and for signing away players including Groza before their college eligibility expired.{{sfn|Levy|1965|p=106}} He interviewed with the university's athletic board on January 27, 1951, but the board unanimously rejected Brown in favor of [[Woody Hayes]], who was unanimously endorsed by the [[board of trustees]].{{sfn|Vare|1973|pp=73–76}}
 
[[File:Browns coach Paul Brown with players, 1952.jpg|thumb|right|Brown on the sideline in 1952 in the driving rain.]]
Line 170 ⟶ 169:
[[File:Paul Brown Stadium.JPG|thumb|right|The Bengals' stadium was named after Paul Brown from 2000 to 2022.]]
 
Bill Walsh was passed over in favor of Bill "Tiger" Johnson for the head coaching job when Brown retired. In a 2006 interview, Walsh said Brown worked against his candidacy to be a head coach anywhere in the league. "All the way through I had opportunities, and I never knew about them", Walsh said. "And then when I left him, he called whoever he thought was necessary to keep me out of the NFL."<ref name="Farmer on Brown">{{cite news|last=Farmer |first=Sam |title=Living Legend |access-date=June 24, 2012 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=December 22, 2006 |page=D1 |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2006/dec/22/sports/sp-walsh22/3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619054859/http://articles.latimes.com/2006/dec/22/sports/sp-walsh22/3 |archive-date=June 19, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Brown stayed on as team president after stepping down as head coach, and the Bengals later made two trips to the [[Super Bowl]], losing both games to Walsh and the 49ers.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|pp=200–202}} He rarely appeared in public, however. He died on August 5, 1991, at home offrom complications from of
pneumonia.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|pp=202–203}}
 
Brown and Katie had three sons: Robin, [[Mike Brown (American football executive)|Mike]] and Pete. Following Katie's death of a heart attack in 1969, he married his former secretary Mary Rightsell in 1973.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=186}} His son Robin died of cancer in 1978.<ref name="Robin Brown dies">{{cite news|title=Robin Brown dies, son of Bengals GM|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19780725&id=WwsiAAAAIBAJ&pg=4159,4445458|access-date=August 26, 2012|newspaper=The Day|date=July 25, 1978|agency=Associated Press|location=Wilmington, Ohio|page=28}}</ref> Brown is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Massillon.
 
[[File:The grave of legendary football coach Paul Brown.jpg|thumb|The grave marker of Paul Brown, Rose Hill Memorial Park, Massillon, Ohio]]
Brown was succeeded by his son Mike as Bengals' team president. Subsequently, in 2000, Cincinnati opened a new football facility on the [[Ohio River]], naming it [[Paul Brown Stadium]], a name it would keep until 2022.{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=203}} Brown was electedinducted in 1967 to the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in [[Canton, Ohio]]. "I feel he's as fine a coach as the game ever has had", Otto Graham said at the induction ceremony. "I used to cuss him out and complain but now I'm happy that I played under him."<ref name="Paul Brown induction">{{cite news|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|title=Paul Brown Has 'Red Letter' Day|newspaper=Cleveland Plain Dealer|date=August 6, 1967|page=7–C}}</ref> In 2009, ''Sporting News'' named Brown as the 12th greatest coach of all time; only two other NFL coaches were listed above him.<ref>{{cite web|last=D'Alessio |first=Jeff |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2009-07-29/sporting-news-50-greatest-coaches-all-time |title=Sporting News' 50 greatest coaches of all time |date=August 29, 2009 |publisher=SportingNews.com |access-date=May 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609023051/http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2009-07-29/sporting-news-50-greatest-coaches-all-time |archive-date=June 9, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
==Legacy==
Line 185:
Brown's acrimonious departure from Cleveland was another source of criticism. His teams' winning ways had helped obscure his harsh methods and need for control, but Modell's active involvement in the team exposed them.{{sfn|Pluto|1997|p=293}}{{sfn|Keim|1999|p=17}} Despite that Modell owned the team, Brown refused to cede any authority or be diplomatic in his relationship with Modell.{{sfn|Pluto|1997|pp=44–47}} Modell felt Brown was unwilling to adapt to the way football was played in the early 1960s.{{sfn|Pluto|1997|pp=43–44}} Many players from that time agreed. "Paul didn't adjust to the changes in the game", former Browns [[cornerback]] [[Bernie Parrish]] said in 1997. "By 1962, he was more worried about protecting his reputation as the Greatest Coach Who Ever Lived than he was about winning a title. ... By the end of the 1962 season, a lot of us wanted to be traded because we were convinced that we'd never win a title with Paul Brown – and we never believed Paul Brown was going anywhere."{{sfn|Pluto|1997|p=57}} After his firing, Brown held a grudge against Modell for the rest of his life. He never forgave Collier for taking over as coach when he left, even though Collier had asked for and received his blessing.{{sfn|Pluto|1997|p=294}}
 
Although he was criticized for his autocratic coaching style and strained relationships, Brown played a significant role in the evolution and modernization of football. The draw play he invented – a formation in which the quarterback drops back to pass but then hands off the ball to a running back – is still in wide use.{{sfn|Peterson|1997|p=157}} In his autobiography, Brown said the play came about by accident in 1946 when Graham botched a play and improvised by making a late handoff to Marion Motley, who ran past the onrushing defenders for a large gain.{{sfn|Peterson|1997|p=157}} He developed detailed passpassing patterns that were designed to exploit vulnerabilities in the defense. Brown is also credited with the creation of the passer's pocket, an offensive line protection scheme that is designed to buy a quarterback a few extra precious seconds to find the open receiver.
 
Brown's main contribution to the game, however, was not to the development of new plays but to the organization and administration of teams.{{sfn|Peterson|1997|p=157}} Before Brown, football was seen as a chaotic affair where winning was a product mostly of physical prowess. Few coaches took strategy and preparation seriously.{{sfn|Heaton|2007|pp=34–35}} Brown, by contrast, hired a full-time staff of assistants, tested his players on their intelligence and their knowledge of plays, instituted strict organization of practices and analyzed game film to get an edge on opponents.{{sfn|Pluto|1997|p=21}} Brown created a detailed system for scouting college talent as a means to improve the Browns' college draft.
Line 191:
The success of this systematic approach forced other teams to follow. Most of Brown's organizational innovations are still in use today.{{sfn|Heaton|2007|pp=34–35}} "No one, I mean no one, has ever had total command and respect like Paul Brown", [[Paul Wiggin]], a former Browns [[defensive end]], said in 1997. "I believe that Paul Brown could have been a general in the Army ... you put Paul Brown in charge of anything and he would have been one of those special people who could organize and lead."{{sfn|Pluto|1997|p=20}}
 
Brown's approach influenced future generations of coaches down to the present day. Men he worked directly with, including [[Don Shula]], [[Weeb Ewbank]], [[Chuck Noll]] and [[Bill Walsh (American football coach)|Bill Walsh]], all adopted his system to some degree.{{sfn|Pluto|1997|p=123}}{{sfn|Cantor|2008|p=198}}<ref name="Paul Brown coaching tree">{{cite web|last=Oremland|first=Brad|title=The NFL Coaching Tree 2008|url=http://www.sports-central.org/sports/2008/02/29/the_nfl_coaching_tree_2008_pt_2.php|publisher=Sports Central|access-date=September 8, 2012}}</ref>
 
{{blockquote|Brown was more than just a coach. He was a student of the game who had much to do with making professional football the attraction it is today. He made coaching a full-time job for himself and all his assistants. Others had to follow suit or fall behind. So they did the logical thing—they copied his methods, both as a coach and innovator. ..."Paul Brown didn't invent the game of football. He was just the first to take it seriously", declared ''Sport Magazine'' in a December 1986 story ... [[Sid Gillman]], Brown's coaching contemporary for many years in the NFL, told the magazine he always felt that "before Paul Brown pro football was a 'daisy chain.' He brought a system into pro football. He brought a practice routine. He broke down practice into individual areas. He had position coaches. He was an organizational genius. Before Paul Brown, coaches just rolled the ball out on the practice field."|[[Chuck Heaton]], ''Plain Dealer'' sportswriter{{sfn|Heaton|2007|pp=34–35}} }}
Line 208:
 
==Coaching tree==
Assistants under Paul Brown who became college or professional head coaches:
 
* [[Blanton Collier]]: [[Kentucky Wildcats football|Kentucky]] (1954–1961), [[Cleveland Browns]] (1963–1970)
The following coaches are considered to be in Brown's coaching tree, a grouping of people on whom his approach to the game is thought to have had an influence, either directly or indirectly.<ref name="Paul Brown coaching tree">{{cite web|last=Oremland|first=Brad|title=The NFL Coaching Tree 2008|url=http://www.sports-central.org/sports/2008/02/29/the_nfl_coaching_tree_2008_pt_2.php|publisher=Sports Central|access-date=September 8, 2012}}</ref> This is an excerpt of Brown's tree, which is so large it is sometimes called a "forest".<ref name="Paul Brown coaching tree" /> Many of Brown's coaching "descendants" have won NFL titles as head coaches, both before and after the creation of the [[Super Bowl]].
* [[Weeb Ewbank]]: [[Washington University Bears football|Washington University]] (1947–1948), [[Baltimore Colts]] (1954–1962), [[New York Jets]] (1963–1973)
 
* [[Bill Johnson (center)|Bill Johnson]]: [[Cincinnati Bengals]] (1976–1978)
{{chart top|width=100%|Paul Brown coaching tree}}
* [[Chuck Studley]]: [[Houston Oilers]] (1983)
{{chart/start|align=center}}
* [[Bill Walsh (American football coach)|Bill Walsh]]: [[Stanford Cardinal football]] (1977–1978), (1992–1994), [[San Francisco 49ers]] (1979–1988)
{{chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |PB| | | | | | | |PB=Paul Brown<br><small>[[Cleveland Browns]], 1946–62<br>[[Cincinnati Bengals]], 1968–75 (7 total championships with Browns; 4 AAFC titles, 3 NFL titles)</small>}}
{{chart| | | | | |,|-|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|-|-|.}}
{{chart| | | | |DS| | |BC| | |WE| | |BW| | | |CN|DS=[[Don Shula]]<br><small>[[History of the Baltimore Colts|Colts]], 1963–69<br>[[Miami Dolphins|Dolphins]], 1970–95 (2 Super Bowl titles with Dolphins)</small>|WE=[[Weeb Ewbank]]<br><small>[[History of the Baltimore Colts|Colts]], 1954–62<br>[[New York Jets|Jets]], 1963–73 (3 total championships; 2 NFL titles with Colts, 1 Super Bowl title with Jets)</small>|BC=[[Blanton Collier]]<br><small>[[Cleveland Browns|Browns]], 1963–70 (1 NFL title with Browns)</small>|CN=[[Chuck Noll]]<br><small>[[Pittsburgh Steelers|Steelers]], 1969–91 (4 Super Bowl titles with Steelers)</small>|BW=[[Bill Walsh (American football coach)|Bill Walsh]]<br><small>[[San Francisco 49ers|49ers]], 1979–88 (3 Super Bowl titles with 49ers)</small>}}
{{chart| |,|-|-|-|^|.| | | | |,|-|-|-|^|.| | | |!| | | |,|-|^|-|.}}
{{chart|BA| | |RP| | |CK| | |BR| |MH| |JF| |TD|BA=[[Bill Arnsparger]]<br><small>[[New York Giants|Giants]], 1974–76</small>|RP=[[Ray Perkins (wide receiver)|Ray Perkins]]<br><small>[[New York Giants|Giants]], 1979–82<br>[[Tampa Bay Buccaneers|Bucs]], 1987–90</small>|CK=[[Chuck Knox]]<br><small>[[Los Angeles Rams|Rams]], 1973–77, 92–94<br>[[Buffalo Bills|Bills]], 1978–82<br>[[Seattle Seahawks|Seahawks]], 1983–91</small>|BR=[[Buddy Ryan]]<br><small>[[Philadelphia Eagles|Eagles]], 1986–90<br>[[Arizona Cardinals|Cardinals]], 1994–95</small>|TD=[[Tony Dungy]]<br><small>[[Tampa Bay Buccaneers|Bucs]], 1996–2001<br>[[Indianapolis Colts|Colts]], 2002–08 (1 Super Bowl title with Colts)</small>|JF=[[John Fox (American football)|John Fox]]<br><small>[[Carolina Panthers|Panthers]], 2002–10<br>[[Denver Broncos|Broncos]], 2011–14<br>[[Chicago Bears|Bears]], 2015—2017</small>|MH=[[Mike Holmgren]]<br><small>[[Green Bay Packers|Packers]], 1992–98 (1 Super Bowl title with Packers)<br>[[Seattle Seahawks|Seahawks]], 1999–2008</small>}}
{{chart| |!| | | | |!| | | | | |,|-|-|-|'|,|-|-|^|.| | | |,|-|-|^|.}}
{{chart|MS| | |BP| | | |JFR| | |JG| |AR| |LS| | |MT|MS=[[Marty Schottenheimer]]<br><small>[[Cleveland Browns|Browns]], 1984–88<br>[[Kansas City Chiefs|Chiefs]], 1989–98<br>[[Washington Redskins|Redskins]], 2001<br>[[San Diego Chargers|Chargers]], 2002–06</small>|BP=[[Bill Parcells]]<br><small>[[New York Giants|Giants]], 1983–90 (2 Super Bowl titles with Giants)<br>[[New England Patriots|Patriots]], 1993–96<br>[[New York Jets|Jets]], 1997–99<br>[[Dallas Cowboys|Cowboys]], 2003–06</small>|JFR=[[Jeff Fisher]]<br><small>[[Houston Oilers|Oilers]], 1994–96<br>[[Tennessee Titans|Titans]], 1997–2010<br>[[Los Angeles Rams|Rams]], 2012–2016</small>|JG=[[Jon Gruden]]<br><small>[[Oakland Raiders|Raiders]], 1998–2001, 2018-2021 [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers|Bucs]], 2002–08 (1 Super Bowl title with Bucs)</small>|AR=[[Andy Reid]]<br><small>[[Philadelphia Eagles|Eagles]], 1999–2012<br>[[Kansas City Chiefs|Chiefs]], 2013– (2 Super Bowl titles with Chiefs)</small>|LS=[[Lovie Smith]]<br><small>[[Chicago Bears|Bears]], 2004–12,<br>[[Tampa Bay Buccaneers|Bucs]], 2014–2016<br>[[Houston Texans|Texans]], 2022</small>|MT=[[Mike Tomlin]]<br><small>[[Pittsburgh Steelers|Steelers]], 2007– (1 Super Bowl title with Steelers)</small>}}
{{chart| |!| | | | |)|-|-|-|-|-|.}}
{{chart|BC| | |BB| | | |TC|BC=[[Bill Cowher]]<br><small>[[Pittsburgh Steelers|Steelers]], 1992–2006 (1 Super Bowl title with Steelers)</small>|BB=[[Bill Belichick]]<br><small>[[Cleveland Browns|Browns]], 1991–95<br>[[New England Patriots|Patriots]], 2000– (6 Super Bowl titles with Patriots)</small>|TC=[[Tom Coughlin]]<br><small>[[Jacksonville Jaguars|Jaguars]], 1995–2002<br>[[New York Giants|Giants]], 2004–2015 (2 Super Bowl titles with Giants)</small>}}
{{chart| |!}}
{{chart|ML|ML=[[Marvin Lewis]]<br><small>[[Cincinnati Bengals|Bengals]], 2003-2018 </small>}}
{{chart/end}}
{{chart bottom}}
 
==Head coaching record==
Line 419 ⟶ 407:
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1951 Cleveland Browns season|CLE]]||[[1951 NFL season|1951]]
||11||1||0||91.7||'''1st in NFL Eastern Conference'''|| 0 || 1 || 000.0 || <small>'''Lost to [[1951 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]] in [[1951 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship game]]'''</small>
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1952 Cleveland Browns season|CLE]]||[[1952 NFL season|1952]]
||8||4||0||66.7||'''1st in NFL Eastern Conference'''|| 0 || 1 || 000.0 || <small>'''Lost to [[1952 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]] in [[1952 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship game]]'''</small>
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1953 Cleveland Browns season|CLE]]||[[1953 NFL season|1953]]
||11||1||0||91.7||'''1st in NFL Eastern Conference'''|| 0 || 1 || 000.0 || <small>'''Lost to [[1953 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]] in [[1953 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship game]]'''</small>
|-! style="background:#FDE910;"
![[1954 Cleveland Browns season|CLE]]||[[1954 NFL season|1954]]
Line 437 ⟶ 425:
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1957 Cleveland Browns season|CLE]]||[[1957 NFL season|1957]]
||9||2||1||81.8||'''1st in NFL Eastern Conference'''|| 0 || 1 || 000.0 || <small>'''Lost to [[1957 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]] in [[1954 NFL Championship Game|NFL Championship game]]'''</small>
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1958 Cleveland Browns season|CLE]]||[[1958 NFL season|1958]]
||9||3||0||75.0||'''1st-T in NFL Eastern Conference'''|| 0 || 1 || 000.0 || <small>'''Lost to [[1958 New York Giants|New York Giants]] in [[1958 NFL playoffs#Eastern Conference championship|Eastern conference tie-breaker]]'''</small>
|-
![[1959 Cleveland Browns season|CLE]]||[[1959 NFL season|1959]]
Line 465 ⟶ 453:
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1970 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]||[[1970 NFL season|1970]]
||8||6||0||57.1||'''1st in NFL AFC Central'''|| 0 || 1 || 0.000 || <small>'''Lost to [[1970 Baltimore Colts season|Baltimore Colts]] in [[1970-711970–71 NFL playoffs#AFC: Baltimore Colts 17, Cincinnati Bengals 0|AFC Divisional Playoff]]'''</small>
|-
![[1971 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]||[[1971 NFL season|1971]]
Line 473 ⟶ 461:
||8||6||0||57.1||3rd in NFL AFC Central|| - || - || - ||
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1973 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]|| [[1973 NFL season|1973]]
||10||4||0||71.4||'''1st in NFL AFC Central'''|| 0 || 1 || 0.000 || <small>'''Lost to [[1973 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]] in [[1973-741973–74 NFL playoffs#AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, Cincinnati Bengals 16|AFC Divisional Playoff]]'''</small>
|-
![[1974 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]|| [[1974 NFL season|1974]]
||7||7||0||50.0||2nd in NFL AFC Central|| - || - || - ||
|- style="background:#fdd;"
![[1975 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]|| [[1975 NFL season|1975]]
||11||3||0||78.6||'''2nd in NFL AFC Central'''|| 0 || 1 || 0.000 || <small>'''Lost to [[1976 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders]] in [[1975-761975–76 NFL playoffs#AFC: Oakland Raiders 31, Cincinnati Bengals 28|AFC Divisional Playoff]]'''</small>
|-
! colspan="2"| CIN NFL Total|| 48 || 36 || 0 || 57.1 || || 0 || 3 || 000.0 ||
|-
! colspan="2"| Official NFL Total|| 159 || 80 || 5 || 66.5 || || 4 || 8 || 33.3333 ||
|-
! colspan="2"| Professional Total|| 213 || 104 || 9 || 67.2 || || 9 || 8 || 52.9 ||
|-
! colspan="11"| Source: [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/BrowPa0.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]
|}
 
Line 494 ⟶ 482:
* [[List of American Football League players]]
* [[List of National Football League head coaches with 50 wins]]
* [[List of professionalNational gridironFootball footballLeague head coaches with 200 wins]]
* [[List of National Football League head coaches by playoff record]]
 
Line 507 ⟶ 495:
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Cantor|first=George|year=2008|title=Paul Brown: The Man Who Invented Modern Football|publisher=Triumph Books|location=Chicago|isbn=978-1-57243-725-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Coughlin|first=Dan|year=2011|title=Pass the Nuts: More Stories About the Most Unusual People and Remarkable Events from My Four Decades As a Sports Journalist|publisher=Gray & Company, Publishers |isbn=978-1-59851-073-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Heaton|first=Chuck|author-link=Chuck Heaton|year=2007|title=Browns Scrapbook: A Fond Look Back at Five Decades of Football, from a Legendary Cleveland Sportswriter|publisher=Gray & Company|location=Cleveland|isbn=978-1-59851-043-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Henkel|first=Frank M.|year=2005|title=Cleveland Browns History|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|location=Mount Pleasant, South Carolina|isbn=978-0-7385-3428-2 }}
Line 520 ⟶ 508:
* {{cite book|last=Vare|first=Robert|year=1973|title=Buckeye: A Study of Coach Woody Hayes and the Ohio State Football Machine|publisher=Popular Library|location=New York|asin=B00394GOEK}}
* {{cite book|author=<!--Not stated-->|year=1963|title=The Play He Didn't Call|publisher=[[Cleveland Press|The Cleveland Press-News]]; [[The Plain Dealer]]|location=Cleveland|type=Booklet }} As quoted in
** {{cite news|first=Jeff|last=Schudel|title=What if Paul Brown had blocked Modell from buying Browns? He had that power|url=https://www.news-herald.com/sports/browns/what-if-paul-brown-had-blocked-modell-from-buying-browns-he-had-that-power-jeff/article_5219f836-7c07-11ea-8394-33b8c1db7f4c.html|work=[[The News-Herald (Ohio)|The News Herald]]|location=[[Willoughby, Ohio]]|date=April 11, 2020|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=June 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613135245/https://www.news-herald.com/sports/browns/what-if-paul-brown-had-blocked-modell-from-buying-browns-he-had-that-power-jeff/article_5219f836-7c07-11ea-8394-33b8c1db7f4c.html|url-status=dead}}
{{refend}}
 
Line 544 ⟶ 532:
{{1955 Cleveland Browns}}
{{Cincinnati Bengals coach navbox}}
{{Cincinnati Bengals general manager navbox}}
{{Cincinnati Bengals president navbox}}
{{1968 Cincinnati Bengals}}
{{Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor}}
Line 579 ⟶ 565:
[[Category:People from Norwalk, Ohio]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Shaker Heights, Ohio]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Cuyahoga County, Ohio]]
[[Category:Brown family (Cincinnati Bengals)]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Brown"