The Cleveland Browns Legends will grow by three members this fall when the franchise inducts Alex Mack, Brian Brennan, and Lou Rymkus into the club prior to the home opener on September 27.
Established in 2001, the Legends program honors the men who have contributed to the success of an organization with eight professional championships and 18 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Rymkus was a member of head coach Paul Brown’s inaugural team in the All-American Football Conference in 1946. During
his six seasons with the Browns, Rymkus was part of a team that played in six league title games, winning five of them, including the 1950 NFL Championship in their first year in the league.
You can see Rymkus, No. 44, in action in this highlight film from the 1950 Championship Game:
He played in 76 games for the Browns, earning an All-Pro Second Team selection in 1948 as the Browns finished a perfect 14-0 season, and was the starting right tackle in 1950 as the Browns defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 30-28, in the league title game.
Rymkus retired after the 1951 season and passed away in 1998 at the age of 78.
A first-round selection by the Browns in 2009, Mack spent seven seasons in Cleveland and started in every game he played, including 85 consecutive games at the beginning of his career. He is one of just six players to make at least 100 starts for the Browns since 1999.
Mack was the anchor of a dominant offensive line in Cleveland that included Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Joe Thomas and the recently retired Joel Bitonio – two other players who also played in 100-plus games for the Browns.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Browns, the most in franchise history for a center, Mack was also named to the Hall of Fame’s All-2010s team. Mack closed out his 13-year career with the Atlanta Falcons (2016 to 2020) and the San Francisco 49ers (2021), when he picked up his seventh Pro Bowl selection.
Brennan was a fourth-round selection by the Browns in the 1984 NFL Draft and went on to be a fan favorite as the Browns made three trips to the AFC Championship Game during his eight years in Cleveland.
He played eight years with the Browns and is currently fifth on the franchise’s all-time list for receptions (315), ninth in receiving yards (4,148), and tied for 15th in receiving touchdowns (19). Brennan’s best season was in 1986, when he led the team in receptions (55), receiving yards (838), and receiving touchdowns (6) as the Browns advanced to the AFC Championship Game after a 12-4 season.
Brennan split time between the Cincinnati Bengals and then-San Diego Chargers in 1992 before retiring.
