Team: | Cleveland Browns |
Year: | 1966 |
Record: | 9–5 |
Division Place: | T–2nd NFL Eastern |
Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers: | None |
Shortnavlink: | Browns seasons |
Pro Bowlers: | LB Johnny Brewer, FL Gary Collins, FB Ernie Green, RG Gene Hickerson, HB Leroy Kelly, QB Frank Ryan, LT Dick Schafrath, LG John Wooten |
Ap All-Pros: | HB Leroy Kelly |
The 1966 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 17th season with the National Football League.They finished just 9–5, their worst record since 1962, and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1963.
Save for a devastating 16–6 upset loss to a Pittsburgh Steelers team that would finish just 5–8–1, the Browns offense scored points in bunches. In later years, Browns players from that era said the 1966 team had the best offense—even better than the one in 1964, when the club won the NFL championship—and there's evidence to support that contention. The flurry of points started in the opener when the Browns blew out the Washington Redskins 38–14. It continued in a stretch of five straight games in which they lost 34–28 to the St. Louis Cardinals, beat the New York Giants 28–7, routed the Steelers 41–10, turned back the Dallas Cowboys 30–21 and crushed the expansion Atlanta Falcons 49–17.
Then, as they were finishing the season, the Browns outscored the Giants 49–40 and walloped the Cardinals 38–10.
The Browns scored 403 points in all, averaging a healthy 28.8 per contest. Even in the game that eventually did in their playoff chances—a 33–21 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the next-to-last week—they were able to score a decent number of points.Quarterback Frank Ryan was as good – or better – than he was in any of his previous three seasons as the full-time starter, including 1964, when he helped lead the Browns to the NFL championship. He threw for a career-high 2,974 yards and had better than a 2-to-1 ratio of touchdown passes (29) to interceptions (14). He also posted his second-best quarterback rating at 88.2.
The following were selected in the 1966 NFL draft.
Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 14 | Milt Morin | Tight End | Massachusetts | |
2 | 29 | Rick Norton | Quarterback | Kentucky | |
4 | 61 | Pete Duranko | Defensive End | Notre Dame | |
5 | 74 | Randy Schultz | Running Back | Northern Iowa | |
5 | 78 | Dan Fulford | End | Auburn | |
6 | 90 | Jim Battle | Tackle | Saginaw Valley | |
6 | 93 | Fred Hoaglin | Center | Pittsburgh | |
7 | 109 | Leroy Carter | Flanker | Grambling | |
8 | 123 | Tom Talaga | End | Notre Dame | |
9 | 139 | Jack Gregory | Defensive End | Delta St. | |
10 | 153 | Monte Ledbetter | Wide Receiver | Northwestern St. (LA) | |
11 | 169 | Tony Fire | Tackle | Bowling Green | |
11 | 183 | Rich Czap | Tackle | Nebraska | |
13 | 199 | Jim Boudreaux | Tackle | Louisiana Tech | |
14 | 213 | Pete Lammons | Tight End | Texas | |
15 | 229 | Bob Ellis | Defensive End | Massachusetts | |
16 | 243 | David Ray | Kicker | Alabama | |
17 | 259 | Gene Modzelewski | Tackle | New Mexico St. | |
18 | 273 | Charley Harraway | Running Back | San Jose St. | |
19 | 289 | Karl Singer | Tackle | Purdue | |
20 | 303 | Joe Petro | Defensive Back | Temple |
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 6 | L 6–16 | 63,285 | ||
2 | August 14 | W 28–17 | 27,867 | ||
3 | August 20 | W 42–3 | 48,548 | ||
4 | August 26 | L 17–24 | 83,418 | ||
5 | September 3 | vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (at Birmingham) | W 13–10 | 23,590 |
There was a doubleheader on August 26, 1966 Redskins vs Vikings and Colts vs Browns.
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 11 | at Washington Redskins | W 38–14 | 1–0 | 48,643 | |
2 | September 18 | Green Bay Packers | L 20–21 | 1–1 | 83,943 | |
3 | September 25 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 28–34 | 1–2 | 74,814 | |
4 | October 2 | at New York Giants | W 28–7 | 2–2 | 62,916 | |
5 | October 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 41–10 | 3–2 | 82,687 | |
6 | October 16 | Bye | ||||
7 | October 23 | Dallas Cowboys | W 30–21 | 4–2 | 84,721 | |
8 | October 30 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 49–17 | 5–2 | 57,235 | |
9 | November 6 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 6–16 | 5–3 | 39,690 | |
10 | November 13 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 27–7 | 6–3 | 77,698 | |
11 | November 20 | Washington Redskins | W 14–3 | 7–3 | 78,466 | |
12 | November 24 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 14–26 | 7–4 | 75,504 | |
13 | December 4 | New York Giants | W 49–40 | 8–4 | 61,651 | |
14 | December 11 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 21–33 | 8–5 | 58,074 | |
15 | December 17 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 38–10 | 9–5 | 47,721 |
See also: 1966 Dallas Cowboys season.