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I'll go first...

The thought of backfire probably never crossed my uncle’s mind. On August 9th, 1993 I turned 7 years old. It seemed to be another normal birthday passing with the regular party and gifts but there was something different. My mother brought a gift out from her room and sat it on the table in front of me and said "this is from your uncle Jody". I got excited because I did not expect a gift from my uncle. As I tore into the wrapping paper I came to realize it was a Cleveland Browns sweatshirt. This confused my dad because he knew that my uncle would not seriously send me anything Browns since he was a diehard Steeler fan. I also was pretty confused because every time I saw any of my uncles they would try to convince me to become a Steeler fan. After calling my uncle, my dad told me my uncle sent me this because my dad once told me "you can be a fan of any team, I’m not going to make you be a Steeler or Viking fan" and my uncle was trying to poke fun at my dad by doing so. On that day I became a fan of the greatest football team in the NFL, The Cleveland Browns.


Since that day, I still thank my uncle for helping me decide on what football team I would follow. At first it was a struggle for me. I was 7 years old, the Browns rarely played on tv, and at schooled I was made fun of. Early on I thought of ditching the team and picking a new one, but my dad told me "do you really want your uncles to win this one" and it fueled my passion for the team over the 1st season as a fan. That 1st season was definitely the toughest, but I got through it and moved on. Over the first 3 years I gained knowledge of the team and learned of its strong fan base that I was now a part of. Over the 1st 3 years the Browns compiled an overall record of 23-25 and made one playoff appearance where they went 1-1 while losing to the Steelers and breaking my heart.


Then the full out tearing of my heart came when the ... we once called our owner moved the team to Baltimore. I am almost positive that when I heard the news was the last time I cried. I got a phone call from one of my uncles about it and he asked me if I was going to convert to a Steeler fan and I told him I was not going to watch football anymore. Over the next 4 years I felt that something was missing in my life, it just wasn’t the same not having the Browns during football season. I will admit that I began to follow the Jets, but it definitely was nothing like the feeling I had being a Browns fan. When football was talked at the family gathering I tried to avoid the conversation for sake of my family not having any compassion for Cleveland losing their team.

“The Return” was one of the greatest moments of my life; it brought back the something that I was missing over the previous 4 seasons without my beloved Browns. I anticipated the return to the field and followed the Browns every move. I went out and bought a Browns jersey and was ready for the season opener. We opened against the Pittsburgh Steelers and were given no chance but I didn’t care, The Browns were back in Cleveland and should have never left. I watched the game with my uncle and even though he got to laugh at how horrible we looked the feeling I had was not even explainable and the loss did not bother me a bit. That first year was like reuniting with a family member after 20 years and even though we looked so bad, it was a great thing.

On 12/19/04 I made my way to CBS to view my first Browns game live and it was an amazing feeling. If there is anything that compares to seeing the Browns run out onto the field live for the first time I have not experienced it, because it was electrifying. Although they could not deliver me a win the game was an amazing experience that I will never forget. In 2005 I ventured into enemy territory (Heinz Field) on November 13th for my first Browns game away from CBS. I was one of maybe fifty Browns fans in the entire stadium, but the colors of Brown and Orange poured from my veins throughout the entire game and I cheered them on until the very end.

Since the return we as Browns fans have had our ups and many many downs, but we unite with a bond that cannot be broken, that is as Cleveland Browns fans. We stick with the team through thick and thin and understand that if we are patient our time will come. This is my story and I am proud to be a Browns Fan and part of the best fan base in the world.

The Fumble game - that's the day I fell in love with the Browns.
Kind of ironic, considering the crap we've been through since then.
But what can you do about love?

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PA_Browns_Fan

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There's a name from the past.

And incessant thread starting.....

I was born in Northwest PA and grew up around thousands of rancid putrid steeler fans and was never deterred from becoming a Browns fan... stayed strong and here I am.