Cleveland Browns: Top 10 receiving games of all-time

Sep 21, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns helmet on the field before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

While it was not the house of horrors that Three Rivers Stadium was for the Browns, Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field was the site of two of Cleveland’s four losses to Pittsburgh during the 1950s.

The Steelers had swept the Browns in 1959 and while Cleveland won the first meeting of 1960 and came to Forbes Field on Nov. 20 with a 5-2, Cleveland had reason to be concerned even though Pittsburgh had not won a game in a month.

The Browns’ fears were realized when, despite putting up more than 400 yards of total offense, they could only score 10 points and dropped a close game to the Steelers.

The offensive output included a career day from tight end Gern Nagler, who pulled in 10 receptions for 177 yards. His biggest catch of the day came on a fourth-and-24 play near the end of the game, when Nagler hauled in a pass from Milt Plum for 27 yards. Unfortunately for the Browns, they could not pull out the win as, on the game’s final play, wide receiver Leon Clarke was unable to hold onto a pass from Plum in the end zone.

Until we pulled the list for this article we had never heard of Nagler, a 14th-round draft pick in 1953 by the Chicago Cardinals out of Santa Clara.

Nagler played eight years in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl in 1958, and spent his final two years with the Browns, catching 55 passes for 857 yards and four touchdowns.

Next: No. 6: Pete Brewster takes down the Giants