1976 Cleveland Browns season

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1976 Cleveland Browns season

Owner	Art Modell
Head coach	Forrest Gregg
Home field	Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Local radio	WHK
Results
Record	9–5
Division place	3rd AFC Central
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	RB Greg Pruitt DT Jerry Sherk
← 1975 Browns seasons 1977 →

The 1976 Cleveland Browns season was the franchise's 31st as a professional sports franchise and their 27th season as a member of the National Football League. The Browns were coached by second-year coach Forrest Gregg, and ended their season with a record of 9–5, being third in their division. The team's top draft choice was running back Mike Pruitt.

Brian Sipe firmly took control at quarterback. Sipe had been inserted into the lineup after a Mike Phipps injury in the season-opening win against the New York Jets on September 12. After a 1–3 start brought visions of another disastrous year, the Browns jolted the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers with an 18–16 victory on October 10. Third-string quarterback Dave Mays helped lead the team to that victory, while defensive end Joe "Turkey" Jones' pile-driving sack of quarterback Terry Bradshaw fueled the heated rivalry between the two teams. That win was the first of eight in the next nine weeks, helping put the Browns in contention for the AFC playoffs. A loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the regular-season finale cost them a share of the division title, but running back Greg Pruitt continued his outstanding play by rushing for exactly 1,000 yards, his second-straight 1,000-yard season.

Offseason

1976 Expansion Draft

Main article: 1976 NFL expansion draft

Cleveland Browns selected during the Expansion Draft
Name	Position	Expansion Team
Carl Barisich	Defensive tackle	Seattle Seahawks
John Demarie	Guard	Seattle Seahawks
J. K. McKay	Wide receiver	Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL Draft

The following were selected in the 1976 NFL draft.

1976 Cleveland Browns draft
Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	7	Mike Pruitt	Running back	Purdue
3	65	Dave Logan	Wide receiver	Colorado
4	97	Gene Swick	Quarterback	Toledo
4	99	Mike St. Clair	Defensive end	Grambling
5	130	Henry Sheppard	Guard	SMU
7	189	Steve Cassidy	Defensive tackle	LSU
9	242	James Reed	Running back	Mississippi
9	261	Craig Nagel	Quarterback	Purdue
10	271	Doug Kleber	Offensive tackle	Illinois
11	297	Doug Celek	Defensive end	Kent State
13	354	Brian Murray	Offensive tackle	Arizona
14	381	Joe Smalzer	Tight end	Illinois
15	408	Luther Philyaw	Defensive back	Loyola Marymount
16	438	Chris Lorenzen	Defensive tackle	Arizona State
17	464	Tom Fleming	Wide receiver	Dartmouth

Staff / Coaches

**1976 Cleveland Browns staff**
	Front office Owner and president – Art Modell Executive vice president/general manager – Harold Sauerbrai Head coaches Head coaches – Forrest Gregg Offensive coaches Running backs – George Sefcik Wide receivers – Raymond Berry Offensive line – Rod Humenuik			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator - Dick Modzelewski Linebackers – Walt Corey Secondary / defensive backs – Billy Kinard Special teams coaches Special teams – Al Tabor Film Coordinator - Ed Ulinski Athletic Trainer - Leo Murphy

Roster

1976 Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks 10 Dave Mays 15 Mike Phipps 17 Brian Sipe Running backs 30 Cleo Miller FB 34 Greg Pruitt 35 Brian Duncan 38 Larry Poole 43 Mike Pruitt FB Wide receivers 33 Reggie Rucker 42 Paul Warfield 80 Willie Miller 83 Ricky Feacher 85 Dave Logan 88 Steve Holden Tight ends 81 Oscar Roan 84 Gary Parris		Offensive linemen 54 Tom DeLeone C 61 Al Dennis G 63 Barry Darrow T 65 Henry Sheppard G 68 Robert E. Jackson G 69 Pete Adams G 73 Doug Dieken T 79 Gerry Sullivan T/C Defensive linemen 64 Joe Jones DE 66 Earl Edwards DT 70 Mack Mitchell DE 71 Walter Johnson DT 72 Jerry Sherk DT 74 Mike St. Clair DE		Linebackers 50 John Garlington OLB 52 Dick Ambrose ILB 55 Dave Graf ILB 59 Charlie Hall OLB 60 Bob Babich ILB 86 Gerald Irons OLB Defensive backs 20 Tony Peters CB/SS 21 Van Green CB/S 22 Clarence Scott CB 23 Bill Craven S 24 Terry Brown SS 27 Thom Darden FS 28 Ron Bolton CB 49 Neal Craig SS Special teams 12 Don Cockroft K/P rookies in italics

1976 Cleveland Browns roster

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

81 Oscar Roan
84 Gary Parris

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

50 John Garlington OLB
52 Dick Ambrose ILB
55 Dave Graf ILB
59 Charlie Hall OLB
60 Bob Babich ILB
86 Gerald Irons OLB

Defensive backs

20 Tony Peters CB/SS
21 Van Green CB/S
22 Clarence Scott CB
23 Bill Craven S
24 Terry Brown SS
27 Thom Darden FS
28 Ron Bolton CB
49 Neal Craig SS

Special teams

12 Don Cockroft K/P

rookies in italics

Exhibition schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	July 31	vs. Baltimore Colts	L 0–21	0–1	Memorial Stadium (Lincoln)	20,304	Recap
2	August 7	vs. Atlanta Falcons	W 31–7	1–1	Lewis Field	24,227	Recap
3	August 16	Minnesota Vikings	W 31–7	2–1	Cleveland Stadium	44,336	Recap
4	August 23	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 21–17	3–1	Veterans Stadium	20,600	Recap
5	August 30	New England Patriots	W 30–27	4–1	Cleveland Stadium	36,016	Recap
6	September 3	at Buffalo Bills	L 10–28	4–2	Rich Stadium	37,951	Recap

Regular season schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 12	New York Jets	W 38–17	1–0	Cleveland Stadium	67,496	Recap
2	September 19	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 14–31	1–1	Three Rivers Stadium	49,169	Recap
3	September 26	at Denver Broncos	L 13–44	1–2	Mile High Stadium	62,775	Recap
4	October 3	Cincinnati Bengals	L 24–45	1–3	Cleveland Stadium	75,817	Recap
5	October 10	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 18–16	2–3	Cleveland Stadium	76,411	Recap
6	October 17	at Atlanta Falcons	W 20–17	3–3	Atlanta Stadium	33,364	Recap
7	October 24	San Diego Chargers	W 21–17	4–3	Cleveland Stadium	60,018	Recap
8	October 31	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 6–21	4–4	Riverfront Stadium	54,776	Recap
9	November 7	at Houston Oilers	W 21–7	5–4	Astrodome	39,828	Recap
10	November 14	Philadelphia Eagles	W 24–3	6–4	Cleveland Stadium	62,120	Recap
11	November 21	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 24–7	7–4	Tampa Stadium	36,930	Recap
12	November 28	Miami Dolphins	W 17–13	8–4	Cleveland Stadium	74,715	Recap
13	December 5	Houston Oilers	W 13–10	9–4	Cleveland Stadium	56,025	Recap
14	December 12	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 14–39	9–5	Arrowhead Stadium	34,340	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Pittsburgh Steelers	10	4	0	.714	5–1	9–3	342	138	W9
Cincinnati Bengals	10	4	0	.714	4–2	8–4	335	210	W1
Cleveland Browns	9	5	0	.643	3–3	7–5	267	287	L1
Houston Oilers	5	9	0	.357	0–6	3–9	222	273	L2

Game summaries

Week 5 vs Steelers

Week Five: Pittsburgh Steelers (1–3) at Cleveland Browns (1–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	3	0	6	16
Browns	3	3	9	3	18

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Date: October 10, 1976
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C)
Game attendance: 76,411
Referee: Bernie Ulman
TV: NBC
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

CLE – Don Cockroft 43-yard field goal. Browns 3–0. Drive:
PIT – Franco Harris 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick). Steelers 7–3. Drive:

Second quarter

CLE – Don Cockroft 28-yard field goal. Steelers 7–6. Drive:
PIT – Roy Gerela 30-yard field goal. Steelers 10–6. Drive:

Third quarter

CLE – Cleo Miller 1-yard run (kick failed). Browns 12–10. Drive:
CLE – Don Cockroft 50-yard field goal. Browns 15–10. Drive:

Fourth quarter

CLE – Don Cockroft 40-yard field goal. Browns 18–10. Drive:
PIT – Mike Kruczek 22-yard run (kick blocked). Browns 18–16. Drive:

Top passers

PIT – Terry Bradshaw – 10/18, 75 yards, INT
CLE – Brian Sipe – 4/14, 80 yards

Top rushers

PIT – Franco Harris – 13 rushes, 39 yards, TD
CLE – Greg Pruitt – 22 rushes, 76 yards

Top receivers

PIT – Lynn Swann – 3 receptions, 74 yards
CLE – Reggie Rucker – 3 receptions, 77 yards

Turkey Jones knocked out Terry Bradshaw in this contest.

Week 6: at Atlanta

Week 6: Cleveland Browns at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	14	0	6	0	20
Falcons	0	14	3	0	17

at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta

Date: October 17
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), relative humidity 78%, round (wind) 11 mph (18 km/h)
Game attendance: 33,364
TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph (play–by–play) and Floyd Little (color commentator)

Game information

First quarter

CLE – Pruitt 1 yard rush (Cockroft kick)
Browns 7, Falcons 0
CLE – Miller 1 yard rush (Cockroft kick)
Browns 14, Falcons 0

Second quarter

ATL – Bean 23 yard rush (Mike-Mayer kick)
Browns 14, Falcons 7
ATL – Gilliam 18 yard pass from McQuilken (Mike-Mayer kick)
Browns 14, Falcons 14

Third quarter

ATL – Mike-Mayer 33 yard field goal
Falcons 17, Browns 14
CLE – Pruitt 2 yard rush (run failed)
Browns 20, Falcons 17

Fourth quarter

No scoring plays

Top passers

CLE – Brian Sipe 12/18, 134 yds, 2 INT
ATL – Kim McQuilken 15/28, 180 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT

Top rushers

CLE – Greg Pruitt 26 carr, 191 yds, 2 TD
ATL – Bubba Bean 14 carr, 54 yds, 1 TD

Top receivers

CLE – Paul Warfield 4 rec, 69 yds
ATL – Alfred Jenkins 6 rec, 74 yds

Turnovers

CLE – 3
ATL – 1

Notes and references

"1976 NFL Draft Listing – Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
"1976 Cleveland Browns Starters, Roster, & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

External links

1976 Cleveland Browns at Pro Football Reference
1976 Cleveland Browns Statistics at jt-sw.com
1976 Cleveland Browns Schedule at jt-sw.com
1976 Cleveland Browns at DatabaseFootball.com

v t e Cleveland Browns
Founded in 1946 Based in Cleveland, Ohio Headquartered in Berea, Ohio
Franchise	History All-time roster (A–J, K–Z) Head coaches Seasons Logos and uniforms First-round draft picks 1999 expansion draft Starting quarterbacks Pro Bowlers Broadcasters
Stadiums	Cleveland Stadium Huntington Bank Field
Key personnel	Owners: Jimmy Haslam Dee Haslam Chief Strategy Officer: Paul DePodesta EVP of Football Ops/GM: Andrew Berry Head coach: Kevin Stefanski
Culture	Art Modell Cleveland sports curse Dawg Pound Doug Dieken The Drew Carey Show Draft Day Hot Tub Time Machine Jeff Shreve Paul Brown Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man The Express: The Ernie Davis Story The Dirty Dozen The Fortune Cookie Brownie the Elf
Lore	Kardiac Kids Miracle at the Met Red Right 88 The Drive The Fumble Relocation controversy 0–16 Bottlegate Deshaun Watson trade
Rivalries	Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Pittsburgh Steelers
Playoff appearances (30)	1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1957 1958 1964 1965 1967 1968 1969 1971 1972 1980 1982 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1994 2002 2020 2023
Division championships (12)	1946 1947 1948 1967 1968 1969 1971 1980 1985 1986 1987 1989
Conference championships (11)	1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1957 1964 1965 1968 1969
League championships (8)	AAFC: 1946 1947 1948 1949 NFL: 1950 1954 1955 1964
Retired numbers	14 32 45 46 76
Hall of Fame inductees	Players: Brown, J. DeLamielleure Ford Gatski Graham Groza Hickerson Kelly Lavelli McCormack Mitchell Motley Newsome Thomas Warfield Willis Coach: Brown, P.
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1950–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: North Division
Former league affiliation	League: All-America Football Conference (1946–1949)
Media	Cleveland Browns Radio Network Andrew Siciliano Nathan Zegura Je'Rod Cherry WEWS-TV Chris Rose Nathan Zegura Aditi Kinkhabwala

v t e Cleveland Browns seasons
1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Bold indicates AAFC championship (through 1949) or NFL championship (1950–1969)

Cleveland Browns seasons

Bold indicates AAFC championship (through 1949) or NFL championship (1950–1969)

1976 NFL season

East	Central	West	East	Central	West
Baltimore	Cincinnati	Denver	Dallas	Chicago	Atlanta
Buffalo	Cleveland	Kansas City	NY Giants	Detroit	Los Angeles
Miami	Houston	Oakland	Philadelphia	Green Bay	New Orleans
New England	Pittsburgh	San Diego	St. Louis	Minnesota	San Francisco
NY Jets		Tampa Bay	Washington		Seattle

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