By Bill Turianski on 24 January 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-1964 NFL season
-1964 NFL Championship Game (en.wikipedia.org).
-1964 NFL season (pro-football-reference.com).
1964 NFL title game: Cleveland Browns 27, Baltimore Colts 0.
In 1963, Blanton Collier replaced the Cleveland Browns’ 17-year head coach Paul Brown. Owner Art Modell had fired Paul Brown, after the team went 7-6-1 in 1962. This came about because by the early 1960s, Paul Brown had hardened into an autocratic leader unwilling to work with the owner, or to let others share the limelight. The power struggle between Modell (the owner), Paul Brown (the head coach and team founder), and the star player (Jim Brown) could only end one way, and that was for Paul Brown to go.
Collier had been an assistant coach under Paul Brown from 1946 to 1953, back in the glory days of the Browns in the AAFC (winning all four AAFC titles) and then in the NFL (winning the 1950 title in the Browns’ first NFL season). Circa the early 1950s, Blanton Collier had been the first coach in the NFL to utilize film analysis. Collier went on to coach the University of Kentucky Wildcats from 1954-61. Collier then went back to Cleveland in 1962, as offensive assistant. One year later, Collier was the Browns’ new head coach.
As head coach, Blanton Collier was a patient perfectionist who brought calm to the Browns’ locker room.
•In 1963, the Browns under Collier went 10-4, finishing 1 game behind the Giants in the NFL East.
•In 1964, the Browns under Collier went 10-3-1, finishing 1/2 game above the Cardinals, and winning the NFL East.
1964 NFL Championship Game, Sunday December 27 1964.
Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, OH. Attendance: 79,544 [overflow-capacity of 101.7%]. Game-time temperature was 32°F (0°C), with a strong 20-MPH wind off of Lake Erie, and occasional light snow flurries. The Baltimore Colts were heavily-favored. Oddsmakers had the Colts favored by 7 points, and virtually everyone in the national media - and the local Cleveland media - predicted a huge Colts victory. The Colts were led by second-year head coach Don Shula and QB Johnny Unitas, and featured the league-leader in TDs, HB Lenny Moore. The Colts had coasted to the Western Division title, going 12-2 and clinching their post-season berth with 3 games to spare, and had the highest-scoring offense and the least-scored-upon defense. Meanwhile, the Browns had struggled to win the Eastern Division, and squeaked into the post-season with only a half-a-game lead over the surprise St. Louis Cardinals. The Browns were led by second-year head coach Blanton Collier, QB Frank Ryan (the league-leader in TD passes), FB Jim Brown (the league-leader in rushing and in yards from scrimmage), and WRs Gary Collins and rookie Paul Warfield. This was the Browns’ eighth NFL championship game appearance since joining the NFL in 1950, but it was their first in seven years.
The first half went scoreless, with both teams unable to move the ball. Late in the 3rd Quarter, with the Browns up 3-0, Jim Brown broke open for a 46-yard run {see photo below}. (Jim Brown ran for 114 yards in the game.) That run set up the Browns’ first TD, on the next play: an 18-yard pass from Browns QB Frank Ryan to WR Gary Collins {see photo below}. Then late in the 3rd quarter, Ryan found Collins again, on a 42-yard pass. That gave the Browns a 17-0 lead {see photo below}. In the 4th quarter, Ryan found Collins yet again, on a 51-yard pass play that carried Gary Collins into the end zone standing-room-only crowd {see photos below}. Gary Collins’ 3 TD pass receptions in an NFL title game is a record that still stands (as of 2022). The Cleveland Browns’ 1964 title was the only NFL title that Jim Brown won. It was the Browns’ 4th NFL title. And 58 years later, it is still the last NFL title that the Cleveland Browns have won.
Photo and Image credits above -
Screenshot of exterior of Municipal Stadium’s “Home of the Cleveland Browns” banner, from video uploaded by jstube36 at youtube.com. Interior shot of Municipal Stadium for 1964 NFL title game (Sunday December 27, 1964 in Cleveland, Ohio), shot from upper deck before game, photo unattributed at goldenrankings.com/nflchampionshipgame1964. Blanton Collier and Jim Brown [photo circa 1963], unattributed at fold3.com/[Blanton Collier]. Photo of Blanton Collier and QB Frank Ryan, unattributed from Cleveland Browns (II) at artsci.case.edu. Jim Brown running for 46-yard gain, photo unattributed at brownswire.usatoday.com. Screenshot of WR Gary Collins catching his 1st TD pass in end zone, from video uploaded by Cleveland Browns at youtube.com. Screenshot of WR Gary Collins catching his 2nd TD pass in end zone, from video uploaded by Cleveland Browns at youtube.com. Gary Collins after his record-setting 3rd TD pass reception, emerging from standing-room-only section behind endzone, photo unattributed via dawgsbynature.com/2019/12/26/21038201/where-are-your-former-browns-now-wr-gary-collins. Jim Brown immediately after the game, swarm by congratulatory fans, screenshot from video uploaded by NFL Films at youtube.com.
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Browns players on map page,
Frank Ryan [photo circa 1965], unattributed at thedelite.com. Dick Schafrath [1965 Fleer card], from vintagecardprices.com. Jim Brown [photo from 1964], photo by Neil Leifer via pinterest.com. Paul Warfield [1965 Fleer card], from psacard.com. Gary Collins [photo from 1964 NFL Championship Game (Dec. 27 1964)], unattributed via dawgsbynature.com/2019/12/26/21038201/where-are-your-former-browns-now-wr-gary-collins. Brownie the Elf with crown (1964 NFL title-winners), photo from worthpoint.com.
Game-worn mid-1960s Cleveland Browns helmet (Paul Warfield), photo from helmethut.com/Browns/Warfield. Lou Groza [photo circa 1963], unattributed at gamedaysportsmemorabilia.com. Jim Houston [1962 Post Cereal card], from footballcardgallery.com. Dick Modzelewski [photo circa 1964], unattributed at clevelandbrowns.com. Bill Glass [photo from 1962], photo by Neil Leifer via gettyimages.com. Bernie Parrish [1965 Fleer card], from maaravamall.com. Segment of NFL-logo-themed playing cards [from 1964], from grayflannelsuit.net/blog.
Offensive stats leaders on map page,
Bart Starr QB (Packers) [photo circa 1963], 1964 Packers Yearbook from ebay.com
Charley Johnson QB (Cardinals) [photo from Jan. 1965], photo by Walter Iooss Jr via gettyimages.com.
Frank Ryan QB (Browns) [photo circa 1963], photo from Getty Images via pinterest.com.
Jim Brown FB (Browns) [photo circa 1964], photo unattributed at brownswire.usatoday.com.
Johnny Morris FL (Bears) [image from 1963], screenshot from video at chicagobears.com/video/chicago-bears-decade-series-1960-s.
Lenny Moore HB (Colts) [image circa 1965], screenshot from video uploaded by NFL Films at youtube.com/[#94: Lenny Moore | The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players]
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Thanks to all at the following links…
-Blank map by anonymous US federal government employee, at File:StatesU.svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Thanks to the contributors at pro-football-reference.com
-Thanks to the contributors at NFL 1964 season (en.wikipedia.org).
Special thanks to Tim Brulia, Bill Schaefer and Rob Holecko of The Gridiron Uniform Database, for giving billsportsmaps.com the permission to use football uniforms illustrations from Gridiron Uniform Database {GUD}.
