298 pp.
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Ohio History and Culture

They all made Cleveland Municipal Stadium famous. And they shaped the memories of thousands of Browns fans, reluctant to let the visions of their childhood fade even though the stadium is long gone. Legends by the Lake preserves these memories, offering something for every generation of Browns fans.

The Browns had their home at Cleveland Municipal Stadium for six decades, and each decade offered a magical moment in Browns history. Fans from the 1950s remember Lou Groza's last-second field goal which gave the Browns an NFL title in their first year. Another generation of fans cherish the 1964 NFL Championship, when the Browns shut out the heavily favored Baltimore Colts. Although that was the last Browns championship, the special moments would continue. Some moments were agonizing, such as Brian Sipe's last-minute interception on the infamous Red Right 88 pass play against Oakland in 1981, or Denver's crushing drive to tie the 1986 AFC Championship, a game the Browns eventually lost.

Memories of the stadium also bring back to action the stars, from coaches Paul Brown and Blanton Collier to the thirteen Hall of Fame players, such as Otto Graham at quarterback and Jim Brown at running back.

In Legends by the Lake, Browns fans will relive their passion for the games, coaches, and players that they idolized in their youth and will treasure long after the stadium is gone.

John Keim is a Lakewood, Ohio, native who has covered the Washington Redskins for the Journal Newspapers since 1994. He has coauthored two other books, America's Rivalry: The 20 Greatest Redskins-Cowboys Games and Hail to RFK! 36 Seasons of Redskins Memories. He is a correspondent for Pro Football Weekly, and his work has also appeared in Sport Magazine and Joe Theismann's Pro Football Yearbook. The Ohio State graduate and former Willoughby News Herald intern lives in Chantilly, Virginia, with his wife, Kerry, and sons, Matthew and Christopher.