Cleveland Browns
Greatest Player: Jim Brown
At 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Jim Brown was a man amongst boys. Brown was bigger, faster, and stronger than the competition. He was too fast to be tackled by lineman and linebackers, and too strong to be taken down by defensive backs. During his nine seasons in the NFL (1957-1965), Brown claimed eight rushing titles and walked away from the league as the owner of every significant record.
Although several backs have surpassed Brown in the record books, fans must remember that when Brown played, the regular season was 12 games long from 1957-1960 and 14 games from 1961-1965. In terms of per game production, Brown ranks #1 in NFL history with an impressive 104.3 yards per game — a record that has stood since he retired in 1965.
Cleveland Browns
Runner Up: Otto Graham
We tried not to include too many players who played before the 60’s. There were only 13 NFL teams at the time, so participation in pro football wasn’t what we are used to now – and the competition suffered as a result. But with all that said, there was no way we could make this list without including former Browns quarterback Otto Graham. How good was Graham? He was widely regarded as the most dominant player of his era, having taken the Browns to the championship game every year of his career.
The Browns have been one of the most miserable franchises in all of pro sports over the past 50 years, but Graham stands out as a bright spot for an otherwise tortured fan base. In 10 seasons with Graham at quarterback, the Browns posted a record of 114 wins and only 20 losses. To put that into perspective, in 2016 alone, the Browns lost 15 games.