Friday, September 6, 1946
Browns 44, Miami Seahawks 0
Cleveland Stadium (60,135)
1946 Browns team picture.
Dante Lavelli and Paul Brown enjoying some time together postgame during the season.
Dante Lavelli led the team with three receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown.
Don Greenwood scored on a 3 yard fumble return late in the game.
Lou Groza ended the day with 3 field goals and 5 extra points.
Mike Scarry started the first game at center over Hall of Famer, Frank Gatski.
Alton Coppage and Bill Willis in action during the 1946 season.
Lou Groza ended the day with 3 field goals and 5 extra points.
Mike Scarry, Gene Fekete, Gaylon Smith and Paul Brown on the sideline during the game.
Otto Graham entered the game as a back up to Cliff Lewis who threw for the first TD in team history in the first quarter.
Otto Graham, Dante Lavelli, Paul Brown and Mac Speedie celebrating the 1946 Championship at the end of the season.
Paul Brown game planning during the pre-season.
Program cover from the first game in Browns history.
Ray Terrell closed out the scoring on the day with a 76 yard interception return for a touchdown.
Taking the field for an official game for the first time, the Browns throttled the overmatched Seahawks before the largest crowd ever to watch a professional football game to that point. Five different players crossed the goal line, including WR Mac Speedie, who scored the first touchdown in team history on a 19-yard pass from starting QB Cliff Lewis on the eighth play of the game. Lewis was eventually replaced by Otto Graham and Graham threw his first career touchdown pass early in the second quarter on a long strike to WR Dante Lavelli. RB Tom Colella - a stalwart with the Cleveland Rams the previous two seasons - extended the lead to 24-0 on the first rushing touchdown in Browns' history: a 50-yard scamper in the second quarter. The Cleveland offense was powerful, rolling up 345 total yards, but the defense was dominant, holding the Seahawks to 27 total yards - minus-1 on the ground - and didn't allow Miami to penetrate the Cleveland 39. The Browns also forced four turnovers, two of which resulted in touchdowns by DBs: a three-yard fumble return by Don Greenwood and a 76-yard interception return by Ray Terrell as time expired.
1 2 3 4
Seahawks 0 0 0 0 = 0
Browns 10 17 0 17 = 44
CLE-Speedie 19-yd. pass from Lewis (Groza kick)
CLE-Groza 22-yd. FG
CLE-Lavelli 39-yd. pass from Graham (Groza kick)
CLE-Colella 50-yd. run (Groza kick)
CLE-Groza 27-yd. FG
CLE-Greenwood 3-yd. fumble return (Groza kick)
CLE-Groza 21-yd. FG
CLE-Terrell 76-yd. interception return (Groza kick)
Passing
MIA: Pugh 3-7-10 0 TD 0 INT, Tarrant 1-3-9 0 TD 0 INT, Johnston 1-1-9 0 TD 0 INT, Gafford 0-2-0 0 TD 1 INT, Price 0-2-0 0 TD 0 INT, McDonald 0-1-0 0 TD 1 INT
CLE: Graham 5-13-109 1 TD 0 INT, Lewis 2-3-31 1 TD 0 INT, Greenwood 1-1-27 0 TD 0 INT, Saban 0-3-0 0 TD 1 INT
Rushing
MIA: Reynolds 6-31, Johnston 5-11, Gloden 3-5, Nelson 3-5, Jones 2-2, Gafford 3-(-3), Tarrant 2-(-23), Pugh 2-(-29)
CLE: Smith 7-54, Colella 1-50, E.Jones 3-45, Evans 5-22, Motley 5-19, Greenwood 10-13, Fekete 2-3, Lund 1-(-1), Graham 2-(-5), Saban 2-(-6), Lewis 2-(-16)
Receiving
MIA: Pool 2-18, Scott 1-12, Mitchell 1-3, Nelson 1-(-5)
CLE: Lavelli 3-79, Motley 1-35, Coppage 1-27, Speedie 1-16, Terrell 1-11, Smith 1-(-1)
Text reproduced from The Browns Bible:The Complete Game-By-Game History of the Cleveland Browns by Jonathan Knight, The Kent State University Press
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