1964 Cleveland Browns season

1964 Cleveland Browns season
Head coach	Blanton Collier
Home field	Cleveland Stadium
Local radio	WERE (1300 AM)
Results
Record	10–3–1
Division Place	1st NFL Eastern
Playoff finish	Won NFL Championship (4)
Timeline
Previous season      Next season < 1963      1965 >

The 1964 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 19th season, and 15th season with the National Football League. The Browns won the NFL Championship, despite having not made the playoffs in six seasons.

The Browns' championship is the most recent championship by a professional sports team in the Cleveland area.

The Upset Heard 'Round Pro Football World

The Browns were not expected to win the NFL Championship when they faced the Baltimore Colts who had their best season since their 1959 championship season, and had a star-studded lineup with the likes of Johnny Unitas, Lenny Moore, John Mackey, and Raymond Berry. But the Browns had home field advantage and the best fans in the NFL. After a scoreless first half, the Browns exploded for 27 unanswered points, and wide receiver Gary Collins became the unsung hero of the game, as he caught 2 critical touchdown passes, as the Browns shocked the football world by beating the Colts and earned their fourth (as of 2011) and most recent NFL championship.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Round	Overall	Player	Position	School/Club Team
1	11	Paul Warfield	Wide Receiver	Ohio State
2	26	Billy Truax	Defensive End	LSU
4	54	Don Shackelford	Tackle	Pacific
5	67	Dick Klein	Tackle	Wichita State
7	95	Sammy Odom	Linebacker	Northwestern (LA) State
8	110	Leroy Kelly	Running Back	Morgan State
9	123	John Briscoe	Linebacker	Arizona
10	135	Bobby Robinson	Guard	Mississippi
10	138	Dick Van Raaphorst	Kicker	Ohio State
11	151	Eddie Versprille	Fullback	Alabama
12	166	Ed Mitchell	Tackle	Southern
13	179	Bob Meehan	Guard	Syracuse
14	194	Terry Sieg	Running Back	Virginia
15	207	John Houtman	Tackle	Michigan
16	222	Sid Williams	End	Southern
17	235	Larry Bartolameolli	Tackle	Western Michigan
18	250	Sherman Lewis	Defensive Back	Michigan State
19	263	Jim Higgins	Guard	Xavier
20	278	Dave Archer	Tackle	Syracuse

Exhibition schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	August 9, 1964	at San Francisco 49ers	L 26–7	27,404
2	August 15, 1964	at Los Angeles Rams	W 56–31	43,183
3	August 22, 1964	vs. Pittsburgh Steelers at Akron	W 42–7	27,255
4	August 28, 1964	at Detroit Lions	W 35–14	36,946
5	September 5, 1964	Green Bay Packers	W 20–17	83,736

Regular season schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 13, 1964	at Washington Redskins	W 27–13	47,577
2	September 20, 1964	St. Louis Cardinals	T 33–33	76,954
3	September 27, 1964	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 28–20	60,671
4	October 4, 1964	Dallas Cowboys	W 27–6	72,062
5	October 10, 1964	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 23–7	80,530
6	October 18, 1964	at Dallas Cowboys	W 20–16	37,456
7	October 25, 1964	New York Giants	W 42–20	81,050
8	November 1, 1964	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 30–17	49,568
9	November 8, 1964	Washington Redskins	W 34–24	76,385
10	November 15, 1964	Detroit Lions	W 37–21	83,064
11	November 22, 1964	at Green Bay Packers	L 28–21	48,065
12	November 29, 1964	Philadelphia Eagles	W 38–24	79,289
13	December 6, 1964	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 28–19	31,585
14	December 12, 1964	at New York Giants	W 52–20	63,007

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
Championship	December 27, 1964	Baltimore Colts	W 27–0	79,544

Standings

NFL Eastern
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Cleveland Browns	10	3	1	.769	415	293	W-1
St. Louis Cardinals	9	3	2	.750	357	331	W-4
Philadelphia Eagles	6	8	0	.429	312	313	L-1
Washington Redskins	6	8	0	.429	307	305	L-2
Dallas Cowboys	5	8	1	.385	250	289	W-1
Pittsburgh Steelers	5	9	0	.357	253	315	L-1
New York Giants	2	10	2	.167	241	399	L-4

Roster

1964 Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks 11 Jim Ninowski 13 Frank Ryan Running Backs 32 Jim Brown FB 36 Charley Scales 44 Leroy Kelly KR/PR 48 Ernie Green Wide Receivers 27 Walter Roberts KR/PR 42 Paul Warfield 85 Clifton McNeil 86 Gary Collins P 87 Tom Hutchinson Tight Ends 83 Johnny Brewer		Offensive Linemen 56 John Morrow C 60 John Wooten G 62 Dale Memmelaar G 66 Gene Hickerson G 70 John Brown T 73 Monte Clark T 75 Roger Shoals T 77 Dick Schafrath T Defensive Linemen 69 Jim Kanicki DT 72 Mike Bundra DT 74 Dick Modzelewski DT 78 Frank Parker DT 79 Bob Gain DT 80 Bill Glass DE 84 Paul Wiggin DE		Linebackers 35 Galen Fiss OLB 38 Stan Sczurek 50 Vince Costello MLB 52 Mike Lucci MLB 64 Ed Bettridge 67 Sid Williams OLB 82 Jim Houston OLB/DE Defensive Backs 20 Ross Fichtner S 22 Lowell Caylor 23 Larry Benz S 24 Bobby Franklin S 26 Dave Raimey CB 30 Bernie Parrish CB 49 Walter Beach CB Special Teams 76 Lou Groza K Rookies in italics

Postseason

NFL Championship Game

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	0	0	0	0
Browns	0	0	17	10	27

Cleveland Browns 27, Baltimore Colts 0

Scoring

• CLE – FG Groza 43
• CLE – Collins 18 yard pass from Ryan (Groza kick)
• CLE – Collins 42 yard pass from Ryan (Groza kick)
• CLE – FG Groza 9
• CLE – Collins 51 yard pass from Ryan (Groza kick)

Awards and records

• Jim Brown, NFL Rushing Leader, (1,446 yards)
• Frank Ryan, NFL Leader, Touchdown Passes, (25)

Milestones

• Jim Brown, Seventh NFL Rushing Title

References

• Browns on Pro Football Reference
• Browns on jt-sw.com