CLEVELAND — Even before I came to Cleveland, I would always get a chill whenever I saw the Browns in their classic uniforms. I was just heartbroken five years ago when the they went away from that look, but now that the old is new again, I have to tell you, I love 'em!
Since 2015, whenever the team wore those uniforms that are now (luckily) put away, they looked like they were in the Arena League, and at times they played like it, too. But now, we're going back in time to when they really were the Cleveland Browns. The colors we fought for when Art Modell moved the team a quarter century ago are now coming back.
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The club got it right, and when you first saw the hype video with the images of all those great players (Otto Graham, Jim Brown, Bernie Kosar, Brian Sipe, you name it) wearing that proud uniform, you knew it was going to happen. The combinations are familiar: Brown jersey with white pants, white jersey with brown or white pants. There is even a modern take on the beloved "Color Rush" set, a big favorite with the players (although it will no longer be the primary home uniform).
You know who's really smiling upstairs about all of this? Paul Brown, who put that legendary uniform together way back in 1946. He wanted a traditional, simple, proud look, and he used the New York Yankees as a template.
Brown said, "When you see pinstripes and that navy blue hat, you know those are the New York Yankees." When the Cleveland Browns came out of that dugout at the old stadium, you knew just who they were by that simple, traditional look.
But what thrills me the most? As the man broadcasting each game, I needed bigger numbers! Thankfully, it looks like they've gone back to that, and I'm going to call my eye doctor to cancel my weekly appointments during the fall.
I am a happy man. We are the Cleveland Browns once again.
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