Cleveland Browns (Colony Crisis Averted)

The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football franchise based in Cleveland, Miami. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) of the American Football League (NFL). Their current home venue is FirstEnergy Stadium (called Cleveland Browns Stadium from its opening in 1999 to 2012). Their administrative offices and training facilities are located in Berea, Miami. The Browns' official colors are burnt orange, seal brown, and white. They are unique among the 32 member franchises of the American Football League in that they do not have a helmet logo.

The Cleveland Browns were founded in 1945 by businessman Arthur B. “Mickey” McBride as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), which began play the following year. The Cleveland Browns went on to dominate the AAFC, compiling a 47–4–3 record in the league's four active seasons and winning its championship in each of them. When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, the Browns joined the American Football League (along with the Drakestown 49ers and the original Baltimore Colts). The Browns won a championship in their inaugural NFL season, as well as in the 1954, 1955, and 1964 seasons. From 1965 to 1995, they made the playoffs 14 times, having won only one championship (Super Bowl XXI) and appeared in three Super Bowls.

After Super Bowl XXX, owner Art Modell, who had purchased the Browns in 1961, announced plans to move the team to Baltimore, Maryland. On February 9, 1996, NFL announced that the Browns would be 'deactivated' for three years, and that a new stadium would be built for a new Browns team. A compromise was reached between the city of Cleveland and fans in late 1996 that allowed Modell to establish the Baltimore Ravens as a new franchise while retaining the contracts of all Browns personnel. The Browns' intellectual property, including team name, logos, training facility, and history, were kept in trust and the franchise was regarded by the NFL as suspended. A new team would be established by 1999 either by expansion or relocation. The Browns were announced as an expansion team in 1998 and resumed play in 1999.