SANDUSKY - After a nearly seven-year wait, diehard Cleveland Browns fan Jeff Panovich, a longtime season ticket holder from Bucyrus, has finally got a haircut following the franchise’s first winning season in over a decade.
It was just over six years ago Panovich declared he would let his hair grow until the Browns had a winning season.
At that point in 2014, it already had been seven years since the team had its last winning season in 2007, when the likes of Romeo Crennel at head coach and Derek Anderson at quarterback led the Browns to a 10-6 record, barely missing the playoffs.
Long-time season ticket holder
Panovich, a licensed masseuse who operates Hands On Therapies on East Mansfield Street, has been a Browns season ticket holder since 1991. Till this year, I d only missed two games in 28 years, he said. He s staying home this year because of COVID-19 and concerns about games being rescheduled his work schedule wouldn t accommodate that. I just transferred my money to next year so I can keep my same seats, and I didn t have to worry about the COVID, he said.
Watching games from home this year has been really different, he said. It s kind of nice, because it s always warm in the house, Panovich said. But I do miss the stadium. I ve made a lot of friends. I ve sat in the Dawg Pound since 91, so I know pretty well everybody around me. It s nice to see everybody, hang out with them. Especially this year. I mean, we ve waited so long for a winning season that these fans are going nuts. And if we had that stadium filled . you could probabl