How They Got Their Name: Cleveland Browns

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Many people have wondered throughout the years how the Cleveland Browns got their name.  It is, after all, a unique name for a sports team.  It began in 1944, when businessman Arthur McBride invested in his own professional football team to play in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC).  One of his first moves, and probably the best decision the franchise has ever made, was to bring Paul Brown on board to not only coach the team, but also be its general manager, as well as handle many other personnel decisions.  At this time, Brown was already a big name and successful coach.  From coaching at high schools to Ohio State, he was very successful everywhere he’d been.  With the excitement of professional football growing in the area, Brown’s hiring was celebrated by the Cleveland people.  So much so, they chose “Browns” to be the team’s name when McBride had fans send him their suggestions.

Of course, Brown wasn’t too keen on naming the team after himself.  He insisted the team be named the “Panthers” instead.  But when he was informed the naming rights to “Cleveland Panthers” were already owned by a former independent professional football team, he gave in and the team became known as the Browns.  However, Brown stated many times early on that the team was actually named after boxer Joe Louis, who was nicknamed “The Brown Bomber.”  There are some who still believe the Browns are named after him, but it was probably just Paul Brown’s attempt to turn the attention away from himself.  Joe Louis had no connections with the city of Cleveland, and later in life, Brown admitted the team was indeed named after himself.

Garett