Paul Brown: Difference between revisions

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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’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==