1968 Cleveland Browns season
NFL team season
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The 1968 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 19th season with the National Football League. The Browns made it to the playoffs for the 2nd straight year thanks to an 8-game winning streak. Quarterback Bill Nelsen replaced Frank Ryan as the starting quarterback prior to week 4 of their season.
| 1968 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Harold Sauerbrei |
| Head coach | Blanton Collier |
| Home stadium | Cleveland Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–4 |
| Division place | 1st NFL Century |
| Playoffs | Won Eastern Conference Championship Game (vs. Cowboys) 31–20 Lost NFL Championship (vs. Colts) 0–34 |
| Pro Bowlers | Walter Johnson, DT Ernie Kellermann, S Dick Schafrath, LT Milt Morin, TE Erich Barnes, CB Paul Warfield, E Leroy Kelly, RB Gene Hickerson, G |
Veteran wide receiver Paul Warfield had the best season of his entire career catching 50 passes for 1,067 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns.
Season summary
The Browns had enjoyed some recent success, qualifying for the 1965 season NFL Championship Game, in which they lost to the Green Bay Packers 23–12. They finished 9–5 in 1966 and '67, making the playoffs in 1967. The Dallas Cowboys blew them out 52–14 in the Eastern Conference Championship Game. The Browns retooled their roster entered the 1968 season and sought to reestablish themselves as series title contenders. After a slow start in which they lost two of their first three games and three of their first five, the re-tooled Browns won eight in a row before falling 27–16 to the St. Louis Cardinals in a meaningless game in the regular-season finale. The result was a 10–4 mark, the Century Division crown (by the slimmest of margins over the 9–4–1 Cardinals) and a spot in the conference title game again opposite those same Cowboys.
Only this time, the Browns advanced, beating Dallas 31–20 to get to the league title game against the Baltimore Colts. The Colts were returning to Cleveland Stadium, where they were had been stunned by the Browns 27–0 in the championship contest four years before. The Colts got revenge with a shutout victory of their own, 34–0, and advanced to Super Bowl III.
The key to the Browns' turnaround in 1968 was the insertion of Bill Nelsen at quarterback early in the season. Nelsen had been acquired in an offseason trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He replaced Frank Ryan, who had been the team's starting quarterback since 1963 and lead the team on its playoff run in 1964. By 1968, though, Ryan was struggling with shoulder problems. Nelsen made an impact right away, helping to beat the Colts 30–20 to hand Baltimore its only loss in a 13–1 season.
Offseason
NFL draft
The following were selected in the 1968 NFL/AFL draft.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Marvin Upshaw | Defensive end | Trinity | |
| 2 | 47 | John Garlington | Linebacker | LSU | |
| 3 | 64 | Harry Olszewski | Guard | Clemson | |
| 3 | 66 | Reece Morrison | Running back | Texas State | |
| 4 | 104 | Wayne Meylan | Linebacker | Nebraska | |
| 5 | 131 | Mike Wempe | Tackle | Missouri | |
| 5 | 134 | Jackie Jackson | Running back | Clemson | |
| 6 | 152 | Nate James | Defensive back | Florida A&M | |
| 7 | 186 | Dale Brady | Running back | Memphis | |
| 8 | 212 | Tom Schoen | Defensive back | Notre Dame | |
| 9 | 238 | David Porter | Defensive tackle | Michigan | |
| 10 | 255 | James Greer | Defensive end | Stephen F. Austin | |
| 10 | 267 | Alvin Mitchell | Defensive back | Morgan State | |
| 11 | 293 | Jim Alcorn | Quarterback | Clarion | |
| 12 | 319 | Tom Beutler | Linebacker | Toledo | |
| 13 | 348 | Terry Sellers | Defensive back | Georgia | |
| 14 | 374 | Edgar Whipps | Running back | Jackson State | |
| 15 | 400 | Bob Baxter | Flanker | Memphis | |
| 16 | 429 | Dick Sievert | Defensive end | Wisconsin-River Falls | |
| 17 | 455 | Wayne McDuffie | Center | Florida State |
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Mel Jernigan | Tackle | Harding |
Personnel
Roster
Staff/Coaches
| 1968 Cleveland Browns staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Coaching staff
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Strength & Conditioning
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Exhibition schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 9 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 21–23 | 64,020 |
| 2 | August 18 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 31–17 | 26,801 |
| 3 | August 24 | at New Orleans Saints | L 27–40 | 70,045 |
| 4 | August 30 | at Buffalo Bills | W 22–12 | 45,448 |
| 5 | September 7 | Green Bay Packers | L 9–31 | 84,918 |
There was a doubleheader on September 7, 1968 Lions vs Jets (AFL) and Packers vs Browns.
Regular season schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 15 | at New Orleans Saints | W 24–10 | 1–0 | 74,215 |
| 2 | September 22 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 7–28 | 1–1 | 68,733 |
| 3 | September 29 | Los Angeles Rams | L 6–24 | 1–2 | 82,514 |
| 4 | October 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 31–24 | 2–2 | 81,865 |
| 5 | October 13 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 21–27 | 2–3 | 79,349 |
| 6 | October 20 | at Baltimore Colts | W 30–20 | 3–3 | 60,238 |
| 7 | October 27 | Atlanta Falcons | W 30–7 | 4–3 | 67,723 |
| 8 | November 3 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 33–21 | 5–3 | 31,359 |
| 9 | November 10 | New Orleans Saints | W 35–17 | 6–3 | 71,025 |
| 10 | November 17 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 45–24 | 7–3 | 41,572 |
| 11 | November 24 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 47–13 | 8–3 | 62,338 |
| 12 | December 1 | New York Giants | W 45–10 | 9–3 | 83,193 |
| 13 | December 8 | at Washington Redskins | W 24–21 | 10–3 | 50,661 |
| 14 | December 14 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 16–27 | 10–4 | 39,746 |
Game summaries
Week 7: vs. Atlanta
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Browns | 7 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 30 |
at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: October 27
- Game time: 1:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 45 °F (7 °C), relative humidity 63%, round (wind) 17 mph
- Game attendance: 67,723
- TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber (play–by–play), Eddie LeBaron (color commentator) and John Fitzgerald (sideline reporter)
| Game information |
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Playoffs
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | December 21 | Dallas Cowboys | W 31–20 | 1–0 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 81,497 | Recap |
| NFL Championship | December 29 | Baltimore Colts | L 0–34 | 1–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 80,628 | Recap |
Standings
| NFL Century | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Cleveland Browns | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 4–2 | 7–3 | 394 | 273 | L1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 5–0–1 | 8–1–1 | 325 | 289 | W4 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 2–4 | 3–7 | 246 | 327 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2 | 11 | 1 | .154 | 0–5–1 | 1–8–1 | 244 | 397 | L5 |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Awards and honors
- LeRoy Kelly, Bert Bell Award[4]