Browns Town 1964 - by Terry Pluto (Paperback)

Number of Pages: 318
Genre: Sports + Recreation
Sub-Genre: Football
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Gray & Company Publishers
Age Range: Adult
Author: Terry Pluto
Language: English

About the Book

A nostalgic look back at the upstart AFC Cleveland Browns' surprising 1964 championship victory over the hugely favored Baltimore Colts. Profiles the colorful players who made that season memorable, including Jim Brown, Paul Warfield, Frank Ryan. Recreates an era and a team for which pride was not just a slogan.

Book Synopsis

The inspiring story of Cleveland's last champions: The 1964 Cleveland Browns.

A nostalgic look back at the remarkable story of the upstart AFC Cleveland Browns' surprise championship victory over the hugely favored Baltimore Colts in 1964. Sportswriter Terry Pluto profiles the colorful players who made that season so memorable. He takes us through the entire 1964 season from training camp at Hiram College to the championship game in Municipal Stadium. Along the way he recreates an era and a team for which pride was not just a slogan.

They were a team of men in the truest sense of the words, men who didn't expect to be coddled, men who didn't believe the world should genuflect at the mere mention of their names. They had the greatest running back in the history of football, and a coach who wore a hearing aid. Their quarterback had a Ph.D. in math. They had a defensive end who was a preacher, and a halfback who became a millionaire. Together, they won it all.

Back before Free Agency, before shoe contracts and end zone dances, football was a tough game played by men who loved it. They had real jobs in the off season, as insurance salesmen or manufacturers' representatives, and they lived in the community where they played. They were grateful to the fans for their support and believed that nothing they accomplished was important unless the team won.

Review Quotes

In 1963, the Cleveland Browns's new owner, Art Modell, fired legendary coach Paul Brown. The next year new coach Blanton Collier led the team to the NFL championship--the last title any Cleveland pro team would win. Pluto tells of the team's season and dramatic win over the favored Baltimore Colts. He adds memories from Jim Brown, Frank Ryan, Bernie Parrish, and other key Browns . . . A good regional sports pick, for Ohio and elsewhere.-- "Library Journal" (9/1/1997 12:00:00 AM)

Pluto movingly reveals the substance of a mythic bond between men and a game, a team and a city--and thus lays bare how present-day pro football has surrendered its soul. . . . For Clevelanders, the 1964 championship will remain one of their most cherished memories. Thanks to Pluto, that moment has been lovingly preserved.-- "Kirkus Reviews" (9/1/1997 12:00:00 AM)

Terry Pluto's engrossing book tells the tale of a team in flux . . . A great book not only for any fan of football, Browns fan or otherwise, but also for anyone who loves a good story, well told.--Sean Gerski "Cuyahoga Falls News Press" (9/1/1997 12:00:00 AM)