On this day 58 years ago, Jim Brown showed the football world just how special of a player he was as a rookie with the Cleveland Browns.
Brown powered the way to a big Browns comeback win over the Los Angeles Rams, rushing for an NFL record 237 yards and four touchdowns in the 45-31 victory before a packed house at Cleveland Stadium. The biggest crowd in four years watched Brown break off a 69-yard touchdown run in the first half and follow with three more shorter scores in a 28-point Cleveland second half.
Brown had 237 of Cleveland's 330 rushing yards on the day. The Browns moved to 7-1-1 with the win in a season that ended with a loss to Detroit in the 1957 NFL Championship.
Brown's record topped the mark set by Los Angeles Rams running back Tommy Wilson, who had 223 in a game one year earlier. Brown matched the record in a game four years later, and the total stood as the team record for 52 seasons before Jerome Harrison rushed for 286 against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012.
Brown finished his rookie year with 942 yards and nine touchdowns. He'd finish with fewer than 1,000 just once over the following eight seasons.
