Cleveland Browns
The history of the Cleveland Browns American football team began in 1944 when taxi-cab magnate Arthur B. "Mickey" McBride secured a Cleveland franchise in the newly formed All-America Football Conference (AAFC). Paul Brown was the team's namesake and first coach. The Browns began play in 1946 in the AAFC. The Browns won each of the league's four championship games before the league dissolved in 1949. The team then moved to the more established National Football League (NFL), where it continued to dominate. Between 1950 and 1955, Cleveland reached the NFL championship game every year, winning three times.
Clay Matthews Jr.
Matthews was drafted by the Browns out of the University of Southern California with the 12th pick in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft. Clay was a four-time Pro Bowler for Cleveland and was a cornerstone of the defense for well over a decade. In 1984, Clay recorded 12.0 sacks. He was present at the infamous Browns playoff losses known as Red Right 88, The Drive, and The Fumble, that kept some very good teams from appearing in a Super Bowl. One of his most memorable moments as a Brown was in a playoff game against the Bills on January 6, 1990. Jim Kelly and the high flying Bills offense came to Cleveland for a memorable shootout. With only seconds left in the 4th quarter and clinging to a 34-30 lead, Matthews intercepted a Kelly pass on the Browns' two-yard line to seal a Cleveland victory. After the 1993 season, Clay became an Atlanta Falcon. In 1995 at the age of 39, Matthews started all 16 games for the Falcons. He was also the oldest player to record a sack at 40 years, 282 days. Matthews was one of the first players to negotiate a large contract going into the NFL.