The 1947 Cleveland Browns season was the team's second in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). Led by head coach Paul Brown, Cleveland finished with a 12–1–1 record, winning the Western division and the AAFC championship for the second straight year. As in 1946, quarterback Otto Graham led an offensive attack that featured fullback Marion Motley, ends Dante Lavelli, and Mac Speedie.
After a number of coaching changes and roster moves in the offseason, including signing punter Horace Gillom and fullback Tony Adamle, the Browns began with a 30–14 win over the Buffalo Bills, the first of five consecutive victories. The team lost its only game of the season to the Los Angeles Dons in October. Five more wins followed before a come-from-behind tie in November with the New York Yankees, the team Cleveland defeated in the 1946 AAFC championship. The Browns won their last two games, including a 42–0 shutout over the Baltimore Colts in the finale, to set up a championship game rematch with the Yankees in December. Cleveland beat the Yankees 14–3 in New York on an icy field to win its second championship in a row.
Graham was named the AAFC's most valuable player after leading the league in passing yards, with 2,753, and passing touchdowns, with 25. Speedie led the league in receiving, and several other Cleveland players were named to sportswriters' All-Pro lists. Brown was named the league's coach of the year by Pro Football Illustrated. The Browns played all their home games in Cleveland Stadium, attracting an average crowd of 55,848, the best home attendance record in both the AAFC and the competing National Football League (NFL).
Offseason and roster moves
Cleveland finished with a 12–2 regular-season record and won the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) championship in 1946, the league's first year of play. Despite the team's strength, however, head coach Paul Brown made a number of roster moves before the beginning of 1947. He signed Tony Adamle, a fullback and linebacker who joined the team even though he had two years of college eligibility left at Ohio State University, and guard Bob Gaudio, another Ohio State player. Guard Weldon Humble, who Brown recruited out of Rice University in Texas, also joined the team.
In the Browns' biggest trade of the offseason, Brown sent end John Harrington to the Chicago Rockets for Bill Boedeker, a halfback. Perhaps the most significant signing, however, was punter Horace Gillom, who had played for Brown at Massillon Washington High School and who Brown had recruited to Ohio State before World War II. Gillom could kick the ball further than most punters of his era. He changed the way teams approached punting by lining up 15 yards behind the center instead of the customary 10 yards to give himself more space and time to make his kicks. Gillom was also the third black player to sign with the Browns at a time when many teams did not employ African-Americans. Cleveland chose fullback Dick Hoerner in the 1947 AAFC draft, but he signed instead with the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League.
The Browns also made a number of changes to the coaching staff before the season. Bob Voigts, the tackles coach in 1946, left to become head football coach at Northwestern University. Bill Edwards, a former schoolmate of Brown's at Massillon, was hired to replace him. Red Conkright, the end and center coach in 1946, left for an assistant coaching job with the Buffalo Bills; he was replaced by Dick Gallagher. Creighton Miller, meanwhile, who had served as a backfield coach, left the Browns staff to get a law degree.
Roster and coaching staff 1947 Cleveland Browns rosterBacks RB/QB/CB RB/CB RB/CB RB/CB FB/LB RB/CB QB/S RB/CB RB/CB CB/QB RB/CB RB FB/MLB RB/CB
Ends/Receivers P
Linemen/Linebackers OLB/FB DT/T/K DT/T C/LB G T/K G/DG G/DG C/LB T/DT T/DT OLB/C/K C/LB DT/T DG/G DG/GHead Coach Paul Brown
Assistants John Brickels (Backfield) Blanton Collier (Backfield) Bill Edwards (Tackles) Dick Gallagher (Ends) Fritz Heisler (Guards)
rookies in italics
Preseason
Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland held its training camp at Bowling Green University, as it did the year before. The Browns played one preseason game in late August against the Baltimore Colts, a new AAFC team formed to replace the Miami Seahawks after the Seahawks folded. The Browns scored their first points on a drive in the second period. A 14-yard run by fullback Marion Motley set up a 25-yard touchdown throw by quarterback Otto Graham to end Mac Speedie. Cleveland scored three more touchdowns in the game, all of them following Colts passes the Browns intercepted. One of them was a pass by Graham to end Dante Lavelli in the third quarter, and another was a rush by halfback Edgar Jones. Paul Brown pulled most of the Browns' starters from the game as the team built up a three-touchdown lead. Backup end Bob Cowan scored a fourth Cleveland touchdown in the final quarter on a pass from backup quarterback Ermal Allen, and the Browns won 28–0. Following the victory, the Browns faced the Buffalo Bills in the regular-season opener at Cleveland Stadium to begin their defense of the AAFC championship.
Regular season results Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Gamerecap 1 September 5 Buffalo Bills W 30–14 1–0 Cleveland Stadium 63,263 Recap 2 September 12 at Brooklyn Dodgers W 55–7 2–0 Ebbets Field 18,876 Recap 3 September 21 Baltimore Colts W 28–0 3–0 Cleveland Stadium 44,257 Recap 4 September 26 at Chicago Rockets W 41–21 4–0 Soldier Field 18,450 Recap 5 October 5 New York Yankees W 26–17 5–0 Cleveland Stadium 80,067 Recap 6 October 12 Los Angeles Dons L 10–13 5–1 Cleveland Stadium 63,124 Recap 7 October 19 Chicago Rockets W 31–28 6–1 Cleveland Stadium 35,266 Recap 8 October 26 at San Francisco 49ers W 14–7 7–1 Kezar Stadium 54,483 Recap 9 November 2 at Buffalo Bills W 28–7 8–1 War Memorial Stadium 43,167 Recap 10 November 9 Brooklyn Dodgers W 13–12 9–1 Cleveland Stadium 30,279 Recap 11 November 16 San Francisco 49ers W 37–14 10–1 Cleveland Stadium 76,504 Recap 12 November 23 at New York Yankees T 28–28 10–1–1 Yankee Stadium 70,060 Recap 13 November 27 at Los Angeles Dons W 27–17 11–1–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 45,009 Recap 14 December 7 at Baltimore Colts W 42–0 12–1–1 Memorial Stadium 20,574 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
Source: Pro Football Reference
Cleveland began the season with a 30–14 win over the Buffalo Bills. The Browns got out to a fast start, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter and adding two more in the second while holding the Bills scoreless. Buffalo came back in the third quarter, scoring two touchdowns of its own, but Cleveland held its lead. Browns coach Paul Brown criticized the performance after the game, saying the team had failed to keep pace in the second half after he rotated in some of his younger players. "We got a good head of steam and took a commanding lead in the first half and then let down and looked bad in the last two periods," he said. Buffalo quarterback George Ratterman felt pressure from Cleveland's defense the whole game, and said the Browns were better than the Chicago Bears, who had won the 1946 NFL Championship Game the previous season. "Their line rushed me all night long and I didn't have much of a chance to get the ball away accurately," Ratterman said. "I think the Browns are much better than the Bears, especially their line." Placekicker Lou Groza had his extra point blocked after the Browns' first touchdown. It was his first missed extra point since Cleveland started play in 1946.
Week 2: vs. Brooklyn Dodgers
Source: Pro Football Reference
Cleveland next faced the Brooklyn Dodgers, winning 55–7. The Browns scored three touchdowns in five minutes during the first quarter. Cleveland added five more touchdowns in the second half and held a comfortable lead to the end. Fullback Marion Motley ran for 111 yards on five carries and scored two touchdowns, including a 50-yard run at the beginning of the second half. Tommy Colella scored a touchdown on an 82-yard punt return, and Bill Lund ran back an interception 28 yards for another. It was in this game that the Draw play was accidentally invented when Otto Graham tripped while dropping back for a pass. As he went down, sensing blitzers about to wallop him, he stuck the ball in Motley's stomach who scampered for a sizable gain. Liking the effect, Brown added it to the playbook during halftime. By the next game the play became a staple of the offense with several versions for different situations. As Cleveland's lead increased in the second half, Brown put in second-string players. Quarterback Otto Graham was replaced by Ermal Allen, who threw for two of the Browns' touchdowns and intercepted a pass while playing on defense. Cliff Lewis, Graham's primary backup, also played in the game. Brooklyn's only score came in the second quarter on a Bob Hoernschemeyer rush. The Dodgers were hurt by short punts from Mickey Colmer and a poor passing game. The team was held to 39 yards of passing. Edgar Jones, Cleveland's primary halfback suffered an elbow injury during the game.
Week 3: vs. Baltimore Colts
Source: Pro Football Reference
Cleveland shut out the Colts 28–0 in the third game of the regular season. The team scored three of its four touchdowns in the first quarter in a span of 12 plays. Two of those touchdowns came on runs, one by Motley and the other by Bill Boedeker; the third was a Colella interception returned for a score. The Browns' fourth touchdown, a short run by Bob Cowan, came at the end of the second quarter. Cleveland was helped by strong punting from Horace Gillom, who had a 55.7-yard average for the game, including punts of 85 and 80 yards. Graham was taken out of the game in the first half along with most of the team's first-string players. Bud Schwenk substituted at quarterback later in the game, but the team did not score in the second half. Baltimore had two opportunities to score, once reaching the Browns' four-yard line, but the Cleveland defense held. The victory made the Browns the only undefeated team in the AAFC after the San Francisco 49ers lost to the New York Yankees
Week 4: vs. Chicago Rockets
Source: Pro Football Reference
Cleveland beat the Chicago Rockets 41–21 at Chicago's Soldier Field to extend the team's winning streak to four games. The Browns scored a touchdown in the first quarter and two more in the second. The team led 27–0 at the half. Chicago, however, started to come back in the third quarter after Cleveland coach Paul Brown took out most of his first-string players. Graham, Colella, Lew Mayne and Ed Ulinski sat out most of the game. Chicago quarterback Sam Vacanti threw three touchdown passes in the second half to give the Rockets 21 points, but a score by Cleveland's Boedeker and a fumble return for a touchdown by Spiro Dellerba kept the game out of reach. The Rockets' Bill Kellagher intercepted one of Graham's passes in the first quarter, ending Graham's streak of 91 straight pass attempts without an interception, a professional football record at the time. Chicago had the best passing performance against the Browns of any team the Browns had faced in 1947 as Vacanti threw for 195 yards on 11 completions. Groza kicked through two field goals and five extra points in the game, putting him in third place in scoring in the AAFC behind Motley and New York's Spec Sanders. Motley suffered a head injury during a pileup in the second quarter and was taken to the locker room.
Week 5: vs. New York Yankees
Source: Pro Football Reference