Countdown to 2020: Best Cleveland Browns player to wear No. 91
The Cleveland Browns have a rich and illustrious history. With only 91 days until the Browns season opener, we look at the best Browns player to ever wear number 91.
The countdown to the 2020 NFL season is upon us. With 91 days remaining until the Browns season opener, we continue the countdown by celebrating the best Cleveland Browns player to ever wear number 91 — Sam Clancy
Sam Clancy was brought in to play defensive end before the start of the 1985 season for the Cleveland Browns. Clancy’s route to playing in the NFL was unconventional, to say the least. Growing up in Pittsburgh Clancy found a passion for basketball at an early age.
Clancy grew to be 6-foot-7 and found himself playing on the hardwood for the University of Pittsburgh. After a successful collegiate basketball career, Clancy went on to play in the now-defunct CBA for the Billings Volcanos for a season.
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Seattle is where his professional football career began. Due to his large frame and tremendous athleticism, the Seahawks took a flyer on Clancy and drafted him in the 11th round of the 1982 NFL draft despite never playing college football. His stint as a Seahawk only lasted one year.
From there Clancy’s journey took a left turn. Instead of trying to stick around as an experimental player in the NFL, Clancy decided to play in the United States Football league. His first tour of duty in the USFL was back in his hometown for the Pittsburgh Maulers. The Maulers folded after one season due to the league deciding to move their season to the fall.
Clancy ended up getting picked up by the Memphis Showboats in 1985. While in Memphis Clancy played on the defensive line alongside future Hall of Famer Reggie White. After a successful season for the Showboats, and with the future of the USFL in dire straits, Clancy had shown enough for the Cleveland Browns to offer him a contract.
When Clancy arrived in Cleveland, the defensive line was already solidified, and playing time was a scarce commodity. In his first season in Cleveland Clancy didn’t see the field often but did record one sack in 1985.
It was in his second season with the Browns when Clancy began to make an impact. Clancy played in all 16 games but only started in one. However, Clancy was able to become a strong rotational player for the Browns and finished the 1986 season with six and a half sacks. That total put him at third on the team behind ‘Big Daddy’ Carl Hairston and Reggie Camp.
Over his final two seasons in Cleveland, Clancy started 20 games for a very competitive Browns defense and recorded another six and a half sacks. He finished his career in Cleveland with 14 sacks before moving on to play five seasons for the Indianapolis Colts.
Next. Countdown to 2020 — Best Browns player to wear No. 92. dark
From playing college basketball to playing in two defunct leagues, in two different sports, and then finally ending up as a quality NFL player, Sam Clancy had quite the sporting journey and is the best player to ever wear the number 91 for the Cleveland Browns.