 Cleveland
Brown Stadium
Cleveland,
OH
Sitting on one of the most hallowed grounds in the NFL, football
has been played at the location of Cleveland Browns Stadium since
1946. The history of the Cleveland Browns in the NFL dates back to
1950, when the team joined the league from the All American
Football Conference. From their inception they had played their
games at the cavernous Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Built in the
early 1930s, the stadium had a seating capacity of 78,000 and was
also home of the Cleveland Indians (MLB). Municipal Stadium hosted
many memorable Browns games, but by the late 1980s and early 1990s
it began to physically show its age. Both the Browns and Indians wanted new
separate stadiums to attract more fans. Owner of the Browns, Art Modell, proposed that a
new stadium be built. The Indians succeeded in getting a new
stadium constructed and after the
1993 season they moved into Progressive Field in downtown
Cleveland. However, the Browns were stuck with the monstrous
Municipal Stadium. The City of Cleveland wanted to renovate
Municipal Stadium but the Browns
wanted a new state of the art
facility. On November 16, 1995, after failing to reach an agreement
to build a new stadium for the Browns, Modell announced that the
Browns would move to Baltimore after the 1995 season.
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Cleveland Browns
football was not lost.
In 1996, the City
of Cleveland and the NFL secured a deal to return the Cleveland
Browns to the city by 1999. The deal stipulated that the
name, colors and heritage of the Browns would remain in Cleveland.
Meanwhile Cleveland Municipal Stadium was being demolished. On May
15, 1997, construction on a new stadium began on the same site
of Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Construction was completed
in time for the home opener on September 12, 1999, when they played
against
the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unlike most stadiums, the naming rights
were not sold and it was named Cleveland Browns Stadium. Over 73,200 orange seats are
located throughout the stadium. Two three-tier grandstands are located on
both sides of the gridiron. A section of 10,000 bleacher seats,
known as the "Dawg Pound", are located at the east end of the
stadium. Additional seating is located
behind
each endzone.
 Two
video/scoreboards are located beyond
the seating area behind the endzones. Architectural gaps in the
seating bowl at Cleveland
Browns Stadium at the Southeast and
Southwest entrance plazas allow visitors to view the field and the
inside of the Stadium even when the Browns are not playing.
Excellent views of downtown Cleveland and Lake
Erie can also be seen from the stadium. These gaps also prevent
wind swirls that were prevalent at Cleveland Municipal
Stadium. Several amenities are
located at Cleveland Browns Stadium including the Browns Hall of
Fame, team store and Legends, a sports grille. In 2006, a campaign
was launched to add a dome to the stadium, in an effort to be
awarded a Super Bowl. However, there have been no recent
discussions on this topic. Browns fans are
well known for being some of the most loyal fans in football sticking with the team
through its ups and downs.
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