By Joe Jancsurak
Millions of fathers and sons have toured the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton since its opening in 1963. Only a handful have been honored by it.
One of those duos has been part of the Browns organization since 1946: Northeast Ohio’s Abe Abraham and his son Lou. Both have plaques honoring them inside the Hall of Fame’s Visa Hall of Fans.
Back Then
Long-time Browns fans may remember Abe, a Lebanese immigrant and deli owner, as a “The Man in the Brown Suit. The Browns appointed him to catch after-attempts and field-goal kicks in the Browns’ end zone from 1946 to 1982, shortly before he passed away at age 74.
Abe’s son Lou, 76, lives in Willoughby with his wife, Shelley, and a treasure trove of football memories. He was the mascot for the 1953-54 Browns teams when he was 10 years old. A classic photo shows the young mascot with members of the 1954 championship Browns, including seven future Pro Football Hall of Famers.
Lou’s business cards feature the image and were happily received by fans he encountered during the days leading up to the NFL draft this past spring in Cleveland.
Today, Lou, a retired telecom professional, is an integral part of the Browns press box team, a role he has cherished since 1999. Listening to Lou’s recollections is a treat for fans who grew up with the Browns. Even if you didn’t, his enthusiasm for the game and its players and coaches, many of whom he calls friends, is infectious.
“I began shadowing my dad to the team’s training camps and games when I was three. As a young boy, one of my duties was to circle the locker room before games and wish the players good luck,” Lou says.
Imagine being a kid tasked with wishing such greats as “Automatic Otto” Graham, Dante “Gluefingers” Lavelli and Lou “The Toe” Groza (who served as Lou’s confirmation sponsor and would later teach him “the fine art of place-kicking”) good luck before the games.
Then came the day when Paul Brown dubbed Lou the team’s “good luck charm.”
The legendary Browns coach, for whom the team was named, said he wanted Lou to be the team’s mascot. “They provided a uniform and introduced me during a 1953 game against the Redskins (now the Washington Football Club),” Lou recalls.
Wearing No. 1 and holding the game ball, Lou ran with the team onto the field before presenting the ball to center Frank Gatski. The next season, before the 1954 championship 56-10 win over the Detroit Lions, Lou got to do it again.
A Tryout
Ten years later, after serving in the Navy and graduating high school from St. Ed’s and West Tech where he kicked, the Browns gave Lou a “pseudo tryout” before the Browns’ 1964 championship 27-0 win against the heavily favored Baltimore Colts. Three years later, he was invited to training camp for a real tryout as a free agent.
Although the tryout didn’t lead to a place on the team, his love for the Browns eventually led Lou to his current press box duties, where he disseminates stats, background information and hospitality to media, coaches, players and front-office personnel.
“Even during losing seasons (the most notable being the 2017 winless campaign), I never lost sight of the fact that I’m a part of something special, which means that I always greet the players and coaches with a smile and treat them with respect; they, in turn, treat me the same,” says Lou, whose mementos include a signed, mud-caked kicking shoe worn by Browns kicker Phil Dawson (1999-2002).
Lou’s engaging personality continues to attract current Browns greats, such as quarterback Baker Mayfield, to his circle of friends. “Baker and I talk about everything,” Lou says.
As for the Browns’ chances as they prepare for the 2021-22 season, Lou says, “They have the pieces they need and I’m hoping to be a part of another championship team.”
Go, Browns!
Twinsburg-based freelance writer and lifelong Browns fan Joe Jancsurak feels fortunate to have shaken hands with two Browns legends: Jim Brown and Lou Abraham.
In Photo: Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield with Lou Abraham. Photo courtesy of Lou Abraham
