HoF to honor Browns legacy with special exhibit

A Legacy Unleashed will celebrate the players and coaches who built one of the NFL’s storied franchises.

What if we told you that the Cleveland Browns were once the greatest dynasty in professional football?

Under legendary head coach Paul Brown, the team went to 10 consecutive league title games from 1946 through 1955 and brought home seven championships. The Browns added another NFL title in 1964 and played for the league championship again in 1965, 1968, and 1969.

Brian Sipe and the Kardiac Kids thrilled fans in the 1970s, while Bernie Kosar and the Dawgs defense led the way to five consecutive playoff appearances and three AFC Championship Games in the 1980s.

Those teams, players, memories, and more will be celebrated in a special exhibit at the Pro Football Hall of Fame beginning in March.

Entitled A Legacy Unleashed, the multi-area exhibit will honor the storied history of the team, the franchise’s eight league titles, celebrate the anniversaries of the 1954 and 1965 championship teams, highlight how Paul Brown’s influence is still felt today, and spotlight the contributions that Marion Motley and Bill Willis made in reintegrating professional football as part of The Forgotten Four, according to the hall’s website.

The exhibit is an opportunity for fans to celebrate and remember one of the league’s storied franchises,” Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a press release:

“No fan base supports its team with more passion than Browns fans. This exhibit will give thousands of fans, not only in Northeast Ohio but across the country, an opportunity to celebrate the unique history of a franchise that dominated pro football from the moment it took the field in 1946. Rooting for the Browns — through the good times and the not-so-good times — has never wavered across the many generations of people who have wrapped themselves in the colors of orange and brown.”

In addition, several former players will make scheduled appearances throughout the run of the exhibit, including Bernie Kosar and Peyton Hillis (March 16-17); Hanford Dixon, Felix Wright and Phil Dawson (March 22-23); Greg Pruitt (March 29-30); Josh Cribbs, Eric Metcalf, Dino Hall and Gerald McNeil (April 5-6); Reggie Langhorne and Webster Slaughter (April 12-13); and Joe DeLamielleure and Ozzie Newsome (April 19-20).

For more information, visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website.