1955 Cleveland Browns season

1955 Cleveland Browns season
Head coach Paul Brown
Home field Cleveland Stadium
Results
Record 9–2–1
Division place 1st NFL American
Playoff finish Won NFL Championship (3)

The 1955 Cleveland Browns season was the team's sixth season with the National Football League. The Browns' defense became the first defense in the history of the NFL to lead the league in fewest points allowed and fewest total yards allowed for two consecutive seasons.[1]

Season summary

The 1955 season began in rough fashion for the Browns, with the defending world champions losing 27–17 at home in the opener to the Washington Redskins, who would have their best season in a decade by finishing second in the Eastern Conference at 8–4. But once Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham got back on track, so did the Browns. With Graham, who had been lured out of retirement when the team experienced problems at that position in training camp, leading the way, the Browns then went on to win six in a row and nine of their last 11 to finish 9–2–1 and capture the conference title for the sixth straight year. The Browns then blasted the host Los Angeles Rams 38–14 in the league title game, after which Graham retired again – this time for good, ending the club's remarkable first decade of existence in which it played in the league championship contest all 10 times and won seven crowns.

The Browns really caught fire offensively in the last five games. Including the title contest, they averaged 37.8 points per outing during that span, in which they won four times and played to a 35–35 tie with the New York Giants. Also, earlier in the year, they won the important rematch with the Redskins, 24–14.

On the season, Graham threw for 15 touchdowns with just eight interceptions for a 94.0 quarterback rating, the second-best mark of his six-year NFL career. The Browns had three receivers with 29 or more catches, combining for 18 TDs. Darrel Brewster was tops in receptions with 34, with Ray Renfro leading the way in scores with eight. Also, the Browns had something they hadn't had since their first year in the NFL—that is, a big-yardage running back. Fred "Curly" Morrison rushed for 824 yards, the most by a Brown since the team joined the league in 1950. Hall of Famer Marion Motley had 810 yards that year.[2]

Exhibition Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 August 12, 1955 vs. College All-Stars at Chicago L 30–27
75,000
2 August 20, 1955 vs. Green Bay Packers at Akron W 13–7
22,000
3 August 28, 1955 at San Francisco 49ers L 17–14
41,604
4 September 2, 1955 at Los Angeles Rams L 38–21
35,948
5 September 10, 1955 Detroit Lions L 19–3
29,581
6 September 15, 1955 at Chicago Bears L 24–21
43,067

Regular Season Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 25, 1955 Washington Redskins L 27–17
30,041
2 October 2, 1955 at San Francisco 49ers W 38–3
46,150
3 October 9, 1955 Philadelphia Eagles W 21–17
43,974
4 October 16, 1955 at Washington Redskins W 24–14
29,168
5 October 23, 1955 Green Bay Packers W 41–10
51,482
6 October 30, 1955 at Chicago Cardinals W 26–20
29,471
7 November 6, 1955 New York Giants W 24–14
46,524
8 November 13, 1955 at Philadelphia Eagles L 33–17
39,303
9 November 20, 1955 Pittsburgh Steelers W 41–14
53,509
10 November 27, 1955 at New York Giants T 35–35
45,699
11 December 4, 1955 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 30–7
31,101
12 December 11, 1955 Chicago Cardinals W 35–24
25,914

Playoffs

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
Championship December 26, 1955 at Los Angeles Rams W 38–14
87,695

Standings

NFL Eastern Conference
W L T PCT CONF PF PA STK
Cleveland Browns 9 2 1 .818 7–2–1 349 218 W2
Washington Redskins 8 4 0 .667 6–4 246 222 W1
New York Giants 6 5 1 .545 4–5–1 267 223 W2
Philadelphia Eagles 4 7 1 .364 4–5–1 248 231 L1
Chicago Cardinals 4 7 1 .364 3–6–1 224 252 L2
Pittsburgh Steelers 4 8 0 .333 4–6 195 285 L7

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Roster

Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

 Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

 Reserve Lists
  • Currently vacant

Awards and records

References

  1. ↑ The Best Show in Football:The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns, p.294, Andy Piascik, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-58979-360-6
  2. ↑ Season summary and statictics at Cleveland Browns.com
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