In 1944, Cleveland Browns in 1944 was formed as a result of the efforts of the businessman, Arthur B. McBride. In 1947, he acquired a franchise in the new All-America Football Conference that would begin play in the same year.
After acquiring the team, his next step was to hire the coach and general manager, Paul Brown, who had been a very successful high school, college, and service coach.
The teams of the AAFC basically were of comparable quality to those of the NFL but, in the first 10 years of post-World War II pro football, the Cleveland Browns proved to be the best in either league. With such all-time greats as quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley and tackle-kicker Lou Groza leading the way, Cleveland won all four AAFC championships and amassed a 52-4-3 winning record.
CLAY MATHEW
One of the best Defensive best Players for the Browns is known as William Clay Mathew (born 15 March,1956).
William Clay Matthews is a former American football player who played for the Cleveland Browns and the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football Federation. He was drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Browns and played 278 in 19 NFL seasons, initially ranking 17th among most games played. Matthews has had 1,561 tackles in his career, the third-highest in NFL history.
SEASONS PLAYED
Clay played 16 seasons for the Browns. His records in time Cleveland can’t be questioned. Clay has the most solo tackles (1,430), sacks (62.0) and forced fumbles (24) in franchise history. He played 232 games for the team, the second-most in team history behind Lou Groza, and will forever remain a Cleveland legend.
