1961 Cleveland Browns season

The 1961 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 12th season with the National Football League.

1961 Cleveland Browns season
Head coachPaul Brown
Home fieldCleveland Stadium
Local radioWGAR
Results
Record8–5–1
Division place3rd NFL Eastern
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersNone

Offseason

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On March 22, Dave R. Jones sold the Browns to a group headed by Arthur B. Modell.[1]

Exhibition schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 August 11 at Detroit Lions L 7–35 0–1 Tiger Stadium 25,602
2 August 20 at San Francisco 49ers W 27–24 1–1 Kezar Stadium 38,759
3 August 25 at Los Angeles Rams W 34–17 2–1 Los Angeles Coliseum 40,086
4 September 2 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers W 38–6 3–1 Rubber Bowl 27,758
5 September 9 Detroit Lions L 17–35 3–2 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 41,374

Regular season schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 17 at Philadelphia Eagles L 20–27 0–1 Franklin Field 60,671
2 September 24 St. Louis Cardinals W 20–17 1–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 50,443
3 October 1 Dallas Cowboys W 25–7 2–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 43,638
4 October 8 Washington Redskins W 31–7 3–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 46,186
5 October 15 Green Bay Packers L 17–49 3–2 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 75,042
6 October 22 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 30–28 4–2 Forbes Field 29,266
7 October 29 at St. Louis Cardinals W 21–10 5–2 Busch Stadium (I) 26,696
8 November 5 Pittsburgh Steelers L 13–17 5–3 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 62,723
9 November 12 at Washington Redskins W 17–6 6–3 D.C. Stadium 28,975
10 November 19 Philadelphia Eagles W 45–24 7–3 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 68,399
11 November 26 New York Giants L 21–37 7–4 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 80,455
12 December 3 at Dallas Cowboys W 38–17 8–4 Cotton Bowl 23,500
13 December 10 at Chicago Bears L 14–17 8–5 Wrigley Field 38,717
14 December 17 at New York Giants T 7–7 8–5–1 Yankee Stadium 61,084

Standings

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NFL Eastern Conference
W L T PCT CONF PF PA STK
New York Giants 10 3 1 .769 9–2–1 368 220 T1
Philadelphia Eagles 10 4 0 .714 8–4 361 297 W1
Cleveland Browns 8 5 1 .615 8–3–1 319 270 T1
St. Louis Cardinals 7 7 0 .500 7–5 279 267 W3
Pittsburgh Steelers 6 8 0 .429 5–7 295 287 L1
Dallas Cowboys 4 9 1 .308 2–9–1 236 380 L4
Washington Redskins 1 12 1 .077 1–10–1 174 392 W1
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Awards and records

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  • Jim Brown, NFL rushing leader, 1,408 yards
  • Milt Plum, NFL leader, passing yards, (2416)

Milestones

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  • Jim Brown, Fourth Consecutive 1,000 yard season
  • Jim Brown, Fifth Consecutive Rushing Title

Personnel

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Roster

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1961 Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

rookies in italics

[2]

Staff/Coaches

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1961 Cleveland Browns staff
Front office

Coaches

Offensive coaches

  Defensive coaches

Strength & Coditioning

  • Athletic trainer – Leo Murphy
  • Equipment manager – Morris Kono

References

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  1. ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 281
  2. ^ "1961 Cleveland Browns Starters, Roster, & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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