Browns great Earnest Byner should be remembered for more than 'The Fumble'

Recently, we ranked the top 10 running backs in Cleveland Browns history and Earnest Byner came in at No. 7. One of the better backs during his time in the NFL, Byner could have climbed higher up the list had he spent the entirety of his career in Cleveland.

That wasn't the case, however, as the 10th-round pick out of East Carolina played five seasons with the Browns before leaving in free agency to sign with Washington. He returned in 1994 at the age of 32 and moved with the franchise to Baltimore. In all, he spent seven years in Cleveland and had 3,364 yards on the ground and 2,630 through the air with 37 touchdowns.

Byner is eighth in team history but his career total (8,261) would have been enough for second. Even at No. 8, he's a significant part of Cleveland's history and put his name in the record books in 1985. During his second season in the NFL, Byner and teammate Kevin Mack each ran for 1,000 yards — the only players in team history to accomplish this in the same year.

As impressive as that is, Byner is often remembered for a play he wishes never happened. During the 1987 AFC Championship Game, Byner lost the ball when trying to run in for a game-tying touchdown against the Denver Broncos. This allowed the Broncos to seal the win and the play went down in infamy, known simply as "The Fumble."

Cleveland was kept out of the Super Bowl once again but Byner isn't someone who should take the blame for the defeat. In fact, he's arguably the main reason they had a shot at winning the title game.

The Browns fell behind 21-3 in the second quarter against John Elway and the Broncos. It appeared this game would be a blowout but Cleveland fought back with Byner leading the way. He had 67 yards on the ground and another 120 through the air with two touchdowns. — his second making it a 28-24 contest.

As upsetting as it was to see the game end on the fumble, Byner's efforts brought them back and gave them a fighting chance. He should be remembered for this, as well as all the success he had outside of this one game.

More Browns coverage