Presented by Browns Countdown: Relive the franchise s top 75 moments, decide how we rank the top 10 and earn a chance for free tickets May 21, 2021 at 12:00 PM Copied!
This is history in the making, and Browns fans are poised to play a big role in it.
To continue our celebration of the franchise s 75th anniversary, we re launching Browns Countdown: Top 75 Moments presented by Bridgestone. Over the next month, through videos, articles and more, we ll be highlighting the top 75 moments in Browns history. Our video tributes, which will be available at ClevelandBrowns.com, the Browns mobile app and the Browns official YouTube Channel, will dive deep into the top 20 while our articles will put the spotlight on a number of different moments that are sprinkled throughout the top 75.
Remembering the greatest post-game press conference of all time
And other memories of Coach Jerry Burns
When you mention the name of former head coach Jerry Burns to fans of the Minnesota Vikings, there are certain to be a lot of different memories that come to mind. For most, however, the most cited would likely be what happened in the aftermath of the Vikings’ 23-21 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Rams on 5 November 1989.
The score might look like a fairly conventional football score, but the Vikings got to their 23 points in quite an unconventional manner. The points came as a result of seven field goals from barefoot kicker Rich Karlis, five of which came from less than 30 yards. That was enough to send the game to overtime, and the Vikings won courtesy of a blocked punt from linebacker Mike Merriweather that went out of the end zone for a safety. That was the first overtime safety in NFL history.
Here s an interesting question, via CBS Sports: What s each team s greatest victory?
Broncos fans, of course, have a lot to choose from. There are the three Super Bowl wins, the eight AFC Championship titles and plenty more of memorable games. Denver s first Super Bowl win was historic. The Broncos dethroning of the Packers was at the time the second-greatest upset in Super Bowl history. It also ended the NFC s 13-game winning streak over the AFC in Super Bowl competition. John Elway, after three prior Super Bowl losses, was hoisted on his teammates shoulders after winning his first ring. The MVP award went to Terrell Davis, who rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries despite missing most of the second quarter with a migraine headache.
40-yard behind-the-back passes. The Chicago Bears created a hit song (and music video) known as
“The Super Bowl Shuffle.”Heck, even the New York Jets posted winning seasons during that wild decade.
Nothing may have more bizarre than the kickers. The
barefoot kickers. Yes, back in the day a good number of players attempted field goals and booted kickoffs without a cleat (and sometimes
Mike Lansford and Rich Karlis were a couple of them, but the best was without a doubt Philadelphia Eagles kicker Tony Franklin.
Franklin produced a legendary college football career, setting NCAA records at
Texas A&M University. “The Barefoot Kicker” then carried his shoeless ways into the NFL, where he played in two Super Bowls.