With the Browns season in our rearview mirror, we’ll have to get our football fix watching other teams battle it out over the next couple of weeks.
But let’s savor the season’s last victory with a bit of a history lesson of the Browns-Steelers matchups.
The game earlier this month at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh defined a long-running rivalry… reportedly the oldest rivalry in the history of the American Football Conference (AFC).
We all know which team to love and which to hate, but does anyone remember how this rivalry got started in the first place?
According to bettingnews.com, geographic proximity certainly plays a huge role, with Cleveland and Pittsburgh being relatively close. Many of the greatest players in the history of the NFL have suited up for these teams, and there has also been a lot of crossover between the Steelers and Browns. Pittsburgh’s record has been much better than the Browns in recent seasons, but Cleveland is clearly on the upswing. This season has provided much promise, despite fallout from COVID-19 cases that hit the time hard just in time for key games.
The Browns and Steelers met for the first time on October 7, 1950. Cleveland won that first game over Pittsburgh by a score of 30-17, and they dominated the first two decades of this rivalry.
The Browns went 31-9 against the Steelers in the 1950s and 1960s, but Pittsburgh took control of this rivalry in the 1970s. The AFC North rivals have met a total of 132 times in the regular season, with Pittsburgh leading the series by 75-58-1, with the tie happening in 2018. Pittsburgh has also won the only two postseason matchups between the two teams, outscoring the Browns by 65-42 in those games. The Steelers and Browns have combined to win 32 AFC Central/North Championships since the 1970 season, and Betting News says, odds are that they will continue to dominate the division going forward.
The Pittsburgh Steelers is the oldest team in the American Football Conference and have also been one of the most successful. The team was founded in 1933 and was originally called the Pittsburgh Pirates, but they changed the name to “Steelers” for good in 1945. Pittsburgh has played in 16 conference championship games in the Super Bowl era and has hosted a league-high 11 of them. The Steelers won four Super Bowl titles from 1974-1979 and were led by one of the most dominating defensive lines in NFL history, nicknamed the “Steel Curtain.” Running back Franco Harris and quarterback Terry Bradshaw are two of the most famous players to wear a Steelers uniform and have both been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Cleveland Browns first started playing games during the 1946 season as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference. Cleveland absolutely dominated the league in the early years, winning four straight championships. The NFL came calling in 1950, and the Browns joined as one of three expansion teams. Cleveland was again successful right away in the NFL, winning the league championship in their first season.
Owner Art Modell moved the team from Cleveland to Baltimore in 1996, but the Browns returned to the NFL as an expansion team in 1999. Since their return to the NFL, Cleveland has produced just two winning seasons, and have only made one playoff appearance (2002). Running back Jim Brown is considered the most famous player in Browns history and is one of the best players in NFL history.
The Pittsburgh Steelers got off to a slow start in terms of winning championships, but they have been one of the best in the Super Bowl Era. Pittsburgh has won the Lombardi Trophy six times since the first Super Bowl was played, and they are tied with the New England Patriots for the most all-time Super Bowl wins. Cleveland has yet to win a Super Bowl, but they have actually won more league championships than Pittsburgh.
The Browns have a total of eight league championships; all of them coming before the 1965 season. Cleveland has also won more conference championships (11) than the Steelers (8). Pittsburgh has made 31 playoff appearances in franchise history, and the Browns are right behind them with 28.
We’ve had a fun season. Thanks, Browns.
Image courtesy wkbn.com
