| 1954 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Head coach | Paul Brown |
| Home stadium | Cleveland Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–3 |
| Division place | 1stEastern |
| Playoffs | WonNFL Championship (vs.Lions) 56–10 |
| Pro Bowlers | Otto Graham, QB Len Ford, DE Lou Groza, LT Abe Gibron, G Don Colo, DT Dante Lavelli, E |
| All-Pros | 4
|
The1954 Cleveland Browns season was the team's fifth season with theNational Football League. The Browns' defense became the first defense in the history of the NFL to lead the league in fewest rushing yards allowed, fewest passing yards allowed, and fewest total yards allowed.[1]
The Browns were 9–3 in the regular season and won theEastern Conference. They hosted theNFL Championship Game, and met the two-time defending championDetroit Lions for the third straight year. This year's result was different, as the Browns won with a 56–10 blowout.[2][3]
The teams had met on the same field the previous week, in a meaningless game won 14–10 by the Lions. Both teams had already clinched their respective conference titles; it was postponed from early October due to theWorld Series.[4] After the win, Detroit was a slight favorite for the title game.[5][6]
Defensive Back Don Paul arrived via a trade with theWashington Redskins, who acquired him from theChicago Cardinals. Upon his arrival in Washington, he fell in disfavor withGeorge Preston Marshall of the Redskins.[7]
In January 1954, assistant coachWeeb Ewbank departed to become head coach of theBaltimore Colts.[8][9]
The1954 NFL draft was one of the biggest busts in the team's history. With thefirst overall pick in the draft, the Browns selected quarterbackBobby Garrett out ofStanford University. The plan was that he would be the heir toOtto Graham. Garrett suffered from a stuttering problem which hindered his performance in the huddle. Eventually, Garrett was traded to theGreen Bay Packers in exchange forBabe Parilli, although Parilli would not play for the Browns until1956.[7] Later in the first round, the club selectedJohn Bauer, who never played for the Browns and only played in two NFL games in his career.[7]
| 1954 Cleveland Browns roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks 14Otto Graham Running backs 54Tony Adamle (LB) Wide receivers 26Ray Renfro Tight ends 82Pete Brewster | Offensive linemen 74Mike McCormack LT (DL) Defensive linemen 82Carlton Massey DE | Linebackers 65Chuck Noll LB (G, C) Defensive backs 42Tommy James Special teams 76Lou Groza K (RT) | Reserve lists
| |||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 21 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 14–13 | 15,747 |
| 2 | August 27 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 38–10 | 58,567 |
| 3 | September 5 | atSan Francisco 49ers | L 21–38 | 46,877 |
| 4 | September 10 | vs.Detroit Lions atDallas | L 31–56 | 42,000 |
| 5 | September 18 | Chicago Bears | L 7–35 | 17,631 |
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 26 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L 10–28 | 0–1 | Connie Mack Stadium | 26,546 | Recap | ||
| — | October 3 | Postponement to December 19; (World Series) | |||||||
| 2 | October 10 | Chicago Cardinals | W 31–7 | 1–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 24,101 | Recap | ||
| 3 | October 17 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L 27–55 | 1–2 | Forbes Field | 33,262 | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 24 | atChicago Cardinals | W 35–3 | 2–2 | Comiskey Park | 23,823 | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 31 | New York Giants | W 24–14 | 3–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 30,448 | Recap | ||
| 6 | November 7 | Washington Redskins | W 62–3 | 4–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 25,158 | Recap | ||
| 7 | November 14 | atChicago Bears | W 39–10 | 5–2 | Wrigley Field | 48,773 | Recap | ||
| 8 | November 21 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 6–0 | 6–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 41,537 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 28 | atNew York Giants | W 16–7 | 7–2 | Polo Grounds | 45,936 | Recap | ||
| 10 | December 5 | atWashington Redskins | W 34–14 | 8–2 | Griffith Stadium | 21,761 | Recap | ||
| 11 | December 12 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 42–7 | 9–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 28,064 | Recap | ||
| 12 | December 19 | Detroit Lions | L 10–14 | 9–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 34,168 | Recap | ||
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are inbold text. | |||||||||
| NFL Eastern Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Cleveland Browns | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 8–2 | 336 | 162 | L1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 4 | 1 | .636 | 7–3 | 284 | 230 | W1 | |
| New York Giants | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 7–3 | 293 | 184 | L1 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | 4–6 | 219 | 263 | L2 | |
| Washington Redskins | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 2–8 | 207 | 432 | W1 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 2–8 | 183 | 347 | L3 | |
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Detroit Lions | 9 | 2 | 1 | .818 | 8–2 | 337 | 189 | W1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 7–3 | 301 | 279 | W4 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 4 | 1 | .636 | 5–4–1 | 313 | 251 | W2 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 5 | 1 | .545 | 4–5–1 | 314 | 285 | W1 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 3–7 | 234 | 251 | L4 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 2–8 | 131 | 279 | L1 | |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | December 26 | Detroit Lions | W 56–10 | 1–0 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 43,827 | Recap |