Since the Cincinnati Bengals were founded in 1967, there have been a handful of names that are etched in football history, and one of those is Paul Brown.
Brown founded the Bengals after his time with the Cleveland Browns and made a significant impact on the history of the NFL during his time in Cincinnati.
CBS Sports recently posted an article ranking the top-20 coaches in NFL history, and Brown is not only on the list, but he’s all the way up at No. 4, ahead of names like Don Shula and Chuck Noll.
Only Bill Walsh, Vince Lombardi, and Bill Belichick are ranked higher.
Here is some of what Bryan DeArdo wrote about Brown:
After legendary runs at the high school level and at Ohio State (he led the Buckeyes to their first national title in 1942), Brown delivered an iconic run with the Browns that included seven championships over a 10-year span. Brown had a prolific partnership with quarterback Otto Graham, who led the Browns to a championship game appearance in each of his 10 seasons in Cleveland. Founded in 1946, the Browns won four straight championships in the All-American Football Conference before joining the NFL in 1950. The jump to the NFL didn’t slow down Brown’s team, as Cleveland captured NFL titles in 1950, 1954 and 1955. The Browns played for the championship in 1951, 1952 and 1953.
Arguably the most innovative coach in NFL history, Brown is credited with creating practice squads, the draw play and the modern facemask. The first coach to hire a staff of full-time assistants, Brown is also the first coach to use game film to scout the opposition. Brown is also credited with helping break pro football’s color barrier. Brown’s personality (specifically, his hands-on approach, which included not allowing his quarterbacks to audible at the line of scrimmage) didn’t mesh with everyone, especially Art Modell, who relieved Brown of his duties less than two years after taking ownership of the Browns.
Brown is not only a member of the Bengals Ring of Honor but also holds a spot in the NFL Hall of Fame.
It is always incredibly neat to see such a prominent figure in the NFL world attached to the Bengals.
