100 Years of the NFL: 1948 Browns
As World War II drew to a close in September of 1945, many war veterans, including NFL players, headed back home to the United States looking for a new leash in life. But, after the city of Cleveland celebrated their first professional sports championship in two decades after the Cleveland Rams won the 1945 NFL Championship over the Washington Redskins, owner Dan Reeves moved the Rams franchise to Los Angeles, leaving Cleveland without a professional football team.
However, a taxi business owner in Cleveland, Arthur McBride, was forming a new football league in the All-America Football Conference. After forming the AAFC, McBride hired future Hall of Fame head coach Paul Brown and Cleveland's franchise was renamed the Browns.
During the four years of the All-America Football Conference, the Browns dominated their competition winning all four AAFC Championship games and losing only four games in their first four years of existence. But, in 1948, the Browns finished with a 14-0 mark and capped their perfect regular season with a 49-7 victory in the AAFC Championship Game to become the first professional football team to complete a perfect season.
With Hall of Famers Otto Graham, Marion Motley, Dante Lavelli, Mac Speedie, Frank Gatski, Bill Willis, and Lou Groza leading the charge for Cleveland, relive the story of professional football's first undefeated team: the 1948 Cleveland Browns!