Bama in the NFL: There's Been Only One Wizard for Cleveland Browns
When it comes to the connection between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Cleveland Browns, only two words are really necessary: Ozzie Newsome.
That's nothing against all of the other players who have worn the brown and orange over the years, just Newsome was that good, and built that strong of a legacy.
One of the very few Crimson Tide players who has been inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame (1994) and the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1999), Newsome was so head-and-shoulders better than anyone else at his position that he's still the all-time receiving leader for the Browns.
A first-round draft pick, he was the first rookie in 25 years to be named the Browns’ Offensive Player of the Year in 1978.
During his second year he was named All-Pro by one media outlet (Dave Casper was the consensus choice), and landed the honor outright in 1984).
Newsome was a key player in the Browns reaching the AFC Championship Game for three showdowns in four years against the Denver Broncos
When he wrapped up his 13-season, 198-game career in 1990, his 662 receptions for 7,840 yards and 47 touchdowns weren't just the best of any tight end in league history (and are still ninth all-time), but were fourth among all receivers.
A long-time team captain, Newsome played in 198 consecutive games, and he caught at least one pass in 150 consecutive games, which at the time was the second longest streak in NFL history. His biggest statistical game came against the New York Jets in 1984 when he caught 14 passes for 191 yards.
"I don’t like dropping anything," Newsome once said. "I haven’t played this game as long as I have, as well as I have, dropping footballs.
"I guess I’m a perfectionist.”
Newsome won the NFL Players Association Whizzer White award for community service in 1990. Four years earlier in 1986, he won the Ed Block Courage Award for continuing to play in spite of injuries.
He's still in football today, having moved with the franchise that morphed into the Ravens, as part of the front office. "The Wizard of Oz" has arguably been just as successful in Baltimore, where he helped orchestrate two Super Bowl champions.
Bama in the NFL: Cleveland Browns
The Franchise
American Football Conference
North Division
Team Colors: Brown, Orange and White
Founded: 1946
Stadium: Cleveland Browns Stadium (capacity: 67,431)
Playing Surface: Grass
Training Camp: CrossCountry Mortgage Campus (Berea, Ohio)
All-Time Alabama Players
Crimson Tide Players Drafted
Super Bowl Appearances
Notable Awards/Honors
All-Pro
Ozzie Newsome (1): 1984
Pro Bowl
Ozzie Newsome (3): 1981, 1984, 1985
Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor
Ozzie Newsome
NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
Ozzie Newsome
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Ozzie Newsome
Kirby Lee / USA Today Sports
SEE ALSO, Crimson Tide NFL Team Rundown: Cleveland Browns
In conjunction with our revamped Bama in the NFL Database, this is the eighth story in a series examining the team-by-team history of Alabama's former players in the NFL.
AFC
NFC
See Also
Bama in the NFL: The Ultimate Crimson Tide Database
Bama in the NFL: Active Alabama Crimson Tide Players by Team
