It was a steady push to history.
Sixty yards here, 88 yards there, another 72 against the Oilers. Kevin Mack's and Earnest Byner's march toward their respective 1,000 yard seasons in 1985 was methodical and consistent. What it lacked in flash it made up for in overall production and provided the antidote toward the team's first playoff appearance in three seasons.
Byner and Mack will be honored Sunday in a celebration of the 30th anniversary of that memorable 1985 season. The Browns finished 8-8 and advanced to the playoffs by riding the backs of Mack and Byner, who finished with 1,104 and 1,002 yards, respectively.
Before Sunday's game against the Broncos, Mack and Byner will be a fixture on Dawg Pound Drive, where they'll conduct radio and TV interviews. They'll be recognized during the Dawg Pound Moment, which occurs at the first timeout of the first quarter. At halftime, they'll be interviewed by NewsChannel 5's Andy Baskin after a photo and video montage plays on the FirstEnergy Stadium scoreboards. Sara Carnes will interview the pair once more during a third-quarter timeout.
When Byner and Mack both cleared 1,000 yards, they became the third duo in NFL history to accomplish such a feat. It's happened just three more times over the past 30 years.
Mack and Byner did it together, as the pair notched just five 100-yard games between them. Mack was the leading rusher nine times and Byner finished on top in the other seven. Mack hit 1,000 at the end of Cleveland's Dec. 8 loss to Seattle. Byner did it with his last carry of the regular season, a 9-yarder against the Jets that gave him 101 for the game and 1,002 for the season.
This Sunday, we're commemorating the 30th anniversary of Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack both reaching 1,000 yards in one season. In this gallery, we take a look back at their Browns careers.
Here's how they got there game-by-game.
Sept. 8 vs. St. Louis - Mack (48), Byner (68)
Sept. 16 vs. Pittsburgh - Mack (40), Byner (82)
Sept. 22 at Dallas - Mack (23), Byner (80)
Sept. 29 at San Diego - Mack (130), Byner (83)
Oct. 6 vs. New England - Mack (115), Byner (37)
Oct. 13 at Houston - Mack (91), Byner (54)
Oct. 20 vs. Los Angeles - Mack (56), Byner (41)
Oct. 27 vs. Washington - Mack (60), Byner (39)
Nov. 3 at Pittsburgh - Mack (30), Byner (45)
Nov. 10 at Cincinnati - Mack (88), Byner (24)
Nov. 17 vs. Buffalo - Mack (94), Byner (109)
Nov. 24 vs. Cincinnati - Mack (117), Byner (66)
Dec. 1 at New York Giants - Mack (66), Byner (44)
Dec. 8 at Seattle - Mack (44), Byner (42)
Dec. 15 vs. Houston - Mack (72), Byner (87)
Dec. 22 at New York Jets - Mack (30), Byner (101)
