Greatest moments in Cleveland Browns history: 3. Their AAFC domination
The recent debut of the Alliance of American Football reminds us all that there was a time where the NFL had some competition to deal with. Albeit, this wasn’t exactly great competition as the shield remained the football giant throughout the years, but still, there was a time where other leagues offered up some talent worth paying attention to.
One of those was the All-America Football Conference which was in existence from 1946 through 1949 and featured eight teams including the Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and the Baltimore Colts.
During the league’s brief existence, the Browns reigned supreme. They were the Western Division Champions for three seasons as they owned records of 12-2, 12-1-1, and 14-0 in that span. In 1949, the divisions merged and the Browns topped the ranks with a 9-1-2 mark. That gave them an amazing 47-4-3 record in four seasons, and they won titles in each of those years as well.
Led by head coach Paul Brown, no one could pose a legitimate threat to Cleveland. They even averaged a 16-point margin of victory during this span. Names like Otto Graham, Marion Motley, and Dub Jones were the leaders of this team and still serve as some of the most recognizable names in Browns history.