Ranking all the ex-Cleveland Browns in the Super Bowl
By Chad Porto
The Cleveland Browns have three alumni in the Super Bowl.
It’s that time of the year once again, where the Cleveland Browns have to be reminded that, despite their success before the NFL and AFL merger, the Cleveland Browns have never been to a Super Bowl. Guided by Paul Brown in the early days, once the NFL’s mightiest of franchises, the team struggled to find success in the 70s and kept being the bride’s maids in the 80s.
The least said about the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s the better. Here’s hoping the 2020s can see the Browns finally breakthrough.
This year’s Super Bowl hurts a bit more, as the Cincinnati Bengals, the other son of the famous Cleveland legend Paul Brown, is back in the Super Bowl for the third time since the 1980s.
They were led there twice before under Ken Anderson, who nearly guided the Bengals to a victory in 1982 over the Joe Montana fronted San Francisco 49ers. Then In 1989, the Bengals were back in the big game, this time with Boomer Esiason leading the way, falling once again to Montana and the 49ers.
The closest the Browns have been to the Super Bowl have been through ex-players. Last year’s teams saw a lot of ex-players in the big-game last year, which included Shon Coleman, Raheem Mostert, K’Waun Williams, Anthony Zettel, Cameron Erving, Emmanuel Ogbah, Austin Reiter, and Mitchell Schwartz.
This year, there are far fewer players, only three by my count. It’s very possible I overlooked someone, but these appear to be the only ex-Browns in the big game this year.