The Day The Cleveland Browns' Fan (in Me) Died

I'd say that most Browns' fans remember early November 1995.  No need to rehash about our owner being all smiles in another city.  We remember it all too clearly. 

But what about the last home game against Cincinnati?  The Browns won 26-10 on a sunny, frigid day, to stop a 6 game losing streak.  How many fans remember that game?

I remember.  I was there.  I have the ticket stub to prove it.

Some fans might recall being drunk and trashing the stadium or seeing it being done.  Some might recall being happy to able to take their young child to a game before the NFL left our shores.  Others remember being that as bright as it was out, it STILL was pretty cold.

I don't recall much of that.  My three friends and I left at the end of the third quarter.

I doubt that I was anywhere close to tears, but I remember sitting in a row by myself after half time thinking I was never, ever going to go to another Browns' game again.  I loved the Browns, loved em more than tOSU Buckeyes (YES, I'm a THE OSU kinda guy!).  And now their going, going, gone.

The stadium itself was depressing.  All the advertising was gone or blacked out.  The big Marlboro sign above the Dawg Pound was absent.  The only sign I recall was of the local radio station that had the broadcast rights to the game.  Fans were prohibited to bring banners criticizing the ownership, so there weren't many banners.

I sat one whole quarter just sitting and watching.  I don't even recalling if I cheered for the Browns in the first half.  I know I didn't in the third quarter.  Just looking at people, the players, the coaches.  What is everyone thinking?  Soaked in the decrepit stadium and all the history, both football and baseball.

Nah, I didn't cry but I did sniffle a bit.

I got with my buddies at the end of three, and we all decided to head on over to the new Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.  Football in Cleveland was gone and now so were we.

December 17th, 1995, the day the Browns' fan in me died.