Cleveland Browns: 15 best defensive backs of all time
By Randy Gurzi
player. 53. . S. 1949-59. Warren Lahr. 3
Greatest defensive backs in Cleveland Browns history: #3. Warren Lahr
Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Warren Lahr spurned the team — despite being a Pennsylvania native. Instead of joining Pittsburgh, he headed to the Browns who were still a part of the AAFC.
As a rookie, Lahr was set to play quarterback but didn’t suit up in 1948 due to a knee injury. He watched the team win a third-straight title that season. Lahr then helped them win another in 1949 when he finally did get on the field.
By then, they moved him to the defensive side of the ball, as he filled in for an injured Cliff Lewis. That proved to be a good move for him as he was able to remain a starter for them and even had an interception in their playoff win over the Buffalo Bills in 1949.
In his first season in the NFL — when Cleveland joined after the AAFC dissolving — Lahr had a career-high eight interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns. He scored two more defensive touchdowns in 1951 when he had five picks.
While Lahr only received one Pro Bowl nod (in 1951), he did make the All-Pro First-Team in 1951 and was named to the All-Pro Second-Team (1952 through 1955) four seasons in a row. When he was done playing, Lahr had 44 interceptions which places him second all-time in team history — although he was No. 1 when he retired.
He also had a total of five defensive touchdowns, the only player to score off more interceptions than Ken Konz in Cleveland’s history.