1995 Cleveland Browns season
The 1995 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 50th season overall and 46th in the National Football League. After finishing 11–5 in 1994 under head coach Bill Belichick and winning a playoff game for the first time since 1989, the Browns were favored by many to reach Cleveland's first ever Super Bowl.[1] The Browns started by winning three of their first four games and were 4–4 halfway through the season.
| 1995 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Art Modell |
| Head coach | Bill Belichick |
| Home field | Cleveland Municipal Stadium |
| Local radio | WKNR · WDOK |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Division place | 4th AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The day after the Browns recorded their fifth loss, a 37–10 blowout against the Oilers, owner Art Modell announced that he was moving the franchise to Baltimore. Stunned by this news, the team collapsed and only won one of their remaining seven and games and Belichick was fired. As part of the agreement to allow Modell to move, the city of Cleveland was allowed to keep the Browns name, franchise history and all memorabilia. In return, Modell would be granted a new franchise, the Baltimore Ravens. While Modell would be allowed to take the player contracts from the old Browns, as well as the bulk of his organization, to Baltimore, the Ravens would otherwise be reckoned as an expansion team. The NFL also agreed that Cleveland would receive a new franchise once a stadium was built for it, and in 1999 the Browns franchise was reactivated under new ownership. The 1999 Browns were stocked by an expansion draft, but were otherwise a continuation of the original 1946 franchise.
The team was documented in NFL Network's A Football Life.[2]
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1995 Cleveland Browns draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | Craig Powell | Linebacker | Ohio State | |
| 3 | 84 | Eric Zeier | Quarterback | Georgia | |
| 3 | 94 | Mike Frederick | Defensive end | Virginia | |
| 5 | 136 | Tau Pupua | Defensive tackle | Weber State | |
| 5 | 147 | Mike Miller | Wide receiver | Notre Dame | |
| 7 | 231 | A. C. Tellison | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) | |
| Made roster | |||||
Draft Trades Made
- Traded Eric Metcalf and 1x26 to Atlanta Falcons for pick 1x10[4]
- Traded 1x10 to San Francisco 49ers for 1x30, 3x94, 4x119, and 1996 1st Rounder.[5]
- Traded 4th Round pick to Jacksonville Jaguars for 5x136 and 1996 6th Rounder.
- Traded 4x119 to Philadelphia Eagles for 5x147 and 1996 5th Rounder.
- Traded 7th Round pick to New England Patriots for 7x231.
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Coaching Assistants
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Roster
| 1995 Cleveland Browns roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends |
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special Teams
|
Reserve Lists
Practice squad
| |||
Regular season
Schedule
The Browns' record was 4–5 on November 6, the day that owner Art Modell announced the team would be moving to Baltimore, Maryland for the 1996 season. Cleveland ended the season losing six of their final seven games.
The Browns became the first NFL team to be swept by an expansion team, losing twice to the Jacksonville Jaguars.[7]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 3 | at New England Patriots | L 14–17 | ||
| 2 | September 10 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 22–6 | ||
| 3 | September 17 | at Houston Oilers | W 14–7 | ||
| 4 | September 24 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 35–17 | ||
| 5 | October 2 | Buffalo Bills | L 19–22 | ||
| 6 | October 8 | at Detroit Lions | L 20–38 | ||
| 7 | Bye | ||||
| 8 | October 22 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 15–23 | ||
| 9 | October 29 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 29–26 (OT) | ||
| 10 | November 5 | Houston Oilers | L 10–37 | ||
| 11 | November 13 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 3–20 | ||
| 12 | November 19 | Green Bay Packers | L 20–31 | ||
| 13 | November 26 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 17–20 | ||
| 14 | December 3 | at San Diego Chargers | L 13–31 | ||
| 15 | December 9 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 11–27 | ||
| 16 | December 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 26–10 | ||
| 17 | December 24 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 21–24 | ||
Week 16 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Browns | 0 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 26 |
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: December 17, 1995
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Overcast, 29 °F (−2 °C)
- Game attendance: 55,875
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones, Randy Cross and Jim Gray
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
The game marked the final game at Cleveland Stadium and the franchise's final game until 1999.
Standings
| AFC Central | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (2) Pittsburgh Steelers | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 407 | 327 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 349 | 374 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 348 | 324 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 289 | 356 | L1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 275 | 404 | W1 |
Relocation to Baltimore
Modell announced on November 6, 1995, that he had signed a deal to relocate the Browns to Baltimore in 1996—a move which would return the NFL to Baltimore for the first time since the Colts relocated to Indianapolis after the 1983 season. The very next day, on November 7, 1995, Cleveland voters overwhelmingly approved an issue that had been placed on the ballot at Modell's request, before he made his decision to move the franchise, which provided $175 million in tax dollars to refurbish the outmoded and declining Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Modell's plan was later scrapped and taxpayers ultimately paid close to $300 million to demolish the old stadium and construct a new stadium for the 1999 Expansion Browns on the site of Municipal Stadium.
Awards and records
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2014-03-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "NFL Network's A FOOTBALL LIFE to Return 9/12". tv.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
- "1995 Cleveland Browns Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
- https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/26/sports/sports-people-football-browns-trade-metcalf-for-first-round-choice.html
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2015-04-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- National Football League (July 1, 1995). Official 1995 National Football League Record & Fact Book. New York: Workman Publishing Company. p. 37. ISBN 0761100105. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
- https://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/2002_3600990/texans-inaugural-season-texans-experimenting-with.html