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1953 Cleveland Browns
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Record: 11-1-0, Finished 1st in NFL East Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 348 points (29.0/g), 4th of 12 in the NFL.
Allowed 162 points (13.5/g), 1st.
Differential of 186 points (15.5/g), 1st.
Expected W-L: 10.3-1.7.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +17 (1.4/g), 1st.
Coached by Paul Brown (11-1-0)
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1953 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
Starters
Glossary · ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+), · CSV · PRE · Hide Non-primary Starters| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Otto Graham*+ | 32 | 7 | 11 | 167 for 258, 2,722 yards, 11 td, 9 int, & 43 rushes for 143 yards and 6 td | Detroit Lions / 1st / 4th pick / 1944 |
| FB | Chick Jagade* | 27 | 4 | 0 | 86 rushes for 344 yards, 4 td, & 20 catches for 193 yards and 0 td | Washington Redskins / 14th / 118th pick / 1948 |
| FB | Marion Motley | 33 | 7 | 0 | 32 rushes for 161 yards, 0 td, & 6 catches for 47 yards and 0 td | |
| LH | Ken Carpenter | 27 | 3 | 0 | 46 rushes for 195 yards, 3 td, & 9 catches for 109 yards and 2 td | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 13th pick / 1950 |
| LH | Ray Renfro* | 24 | 1 | 0 | 60 rushes for 352 yards, 4 td, & 39 catches for 722 yards and 4 td | Cleveland Browns / 4th / 48th pick / 1952 |
| RH | Dub Jones | 29 | 7 | 0 | 31 rushes for 28 yards, 0 td, & 24 catches for 373 yards and 0 td | Chicago Cardinals / 1st / 2nd pick / 1946 |
| RH | Billy Reynolds | 22 | Rook | 0 | 72 rushes for 313 yards, 3 td, & 9 catches for 120 yards and 0 td | Cleveland Browns / 2nd / 23rd pick / 1953 |
| LE | Pete Brewster | 23 | 1 | 12 | 32 catches for 632 yards, 4 td | Chicago Cardinals / 2nd / 21st pick / 1952 |
| LT | Lou Groza*+ | 29 | 7 | 0 | 1 fumble recovered | |
| LG | Abe Gibron* | 28 | 4 | 0 | New York Giants / 6th / 55th pick / 1949 |
|
| C | Frank Gatski+ | 31 | 7 | 0 | ||
| RG | Chuck Noll | 21 | Rook | 0 | Cleveland Browns / 20th / 239th pick / 1953 |
|
| RT | John Sandusky | 28 | 3 | 0 | 3 fumbles recovered | Cleveland Browns / 2nd / 18th pick / 1950 |
| RE | Dante Lavelli* | 30 | 7 | 0 | 45 catches for 783 yards, 6 td | Los Angeles Rams / 12th / 103rd pick / 1947 |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Doug Atkins | 23 | Rook | 0 | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 11th pick / 1953 |
|
| LDT | Don Colo | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Baltimore Colts / 3rd / 28th pick / 1950 |
| MG | Bill Willis+ | 32 | 7 | 0 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | |
| RDT | Derrell Palmer | 31 | 7 | 0 | Chicago Bears / 6th / 49th pick / 1943 |
|
| RDE | Len Ford*+ | 27 | 5 | 0 | 1 interception, 3 fumbles recovered | |
| LLB | Tom Catlin | 22 | Rook | 0 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | Baltimore Colts / 4th / 38th pick / 1953 |
| RLB | Tommy W. Thompson+ | 26 | 4 | 0 | 2 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Washington Redskins / 3rd / 16th pick / 1948 |
| LDH | Warren Lahr* | 30 | 4 | 0 | 5 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Pittsburgh Steelers / 32nd / 294th pick / 1947 |
| RDH | Tommy James* | 30 | 6 | 0 | 5 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Detroit Lions / 17th / 146th pick / 1947 |
| LS | Ken Gorgal | 24 | 3 | 0 | 4 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Cleveland Browns / 6th / 78th pick / 1950 |
| RS | Ken Konz | 25 | Rook | 0 | 5 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 14th pick / 1951 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Lou Groza*+ | 29 | 7 | 0 | 23 of 26 field goals & 39 of 40 extra points | |
| P | Horace Gillom | 32 | 6 | 0 | 63 punts for a 43.8 average, 0 blocked | |
| PR | Billy Reynolds | 22 | Rook | 0 | 18 punt returns for a 6.2 average and 0 td | Cleveland Browns / 2nd / 23rd pick / 1953 |
| KR | Ken Carpenter | 27 | 3 | 0 | 16 kick returns for a 22.9 average and 0 td | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 13th pick / 1950 |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Atkins | 23 | DE | 8 | 0 | 257 | 6-8 | Tennessee | 5/8/1930 | Rook | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 11th pick / 1953 |
| Pete Brewster | 23 | E | 12 | 12 | 210 | 6-3 | Purdue | 9/1/1930 | 1 | Chicago Cardinals / 2nd / 21st pick / 1952 |
| Ken Carpenter | 27 | HB-FL | 12 | 0 | 195 | 6-0 | Oregon State | 2/26/1926 | 3 | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 13th pick / 1950 |
| Tom Catlin | 22 | LB-C | 12 | 0 | 213 | 6-1 | Oklahoma | 9/8/1931 | Rook | Baltimore Colts / 4th / 38th pick / 1953 |
| Don Colo | 28 | DT | 12 | 0 | 252 | 6-3 | Brown | 1/5/1925 | 3 | Baltimore Colts / 3rd / 28th pick / 1950 |
| Gene Donaldson | 23 | G | 11 | 0 | 215 | 5-9 | Kentucky | 9/29/1930 | Rook | Cleveland Browns / 3rd / 37th pick / 1953 |
| Len Ford*+ | 27 | DE-E | 12 | 0 | 245 | 6-4 | Michigan,Morgan State | 2/18/1926 | 5 | |
| Frank Gatski+ | 31 | C-LB | 12 | 0 | 233 | 6-3 | Auburn,Marshall | 3/18/1922 | 7 | |
| Abe Gibron* | 28 | G | 10 | 0 | 243 | 5-11 | Purdue,Valparaiso | 9/22/1925 | 4 | New York Giants / 6th / 55th pick / 1949 |
| Horace Gillom | 32 | E-DE | 12 | 0 | 221 | 6-1 | Nevada-Reno,Ohio State | 3/3/1921 | 6 | |
| Ken Gorgal | 24 | DB | 12 | 0 | 200 | 6-2 | Purdue | 2/13/1929 | 3 | Cleveland Browns / 6th / 78th pick / 1950 |
| Otto Graham*+ | 32 | QB-DB | 12 | 11 | 196 | 6-1 | Northwestern | 12/6/1921 | 7 | Detroit Lions / 1st / 4th pick / 1944 |
| Lou Groza*+ | 29 | T-C-DT-K | 12 | 0 | 240 | 6-3 | Ohio State | 1/25/1924 | 7 | |
| Jerry Helluin | 24 | DT | 6 | 0 | 272 | 6-2 | Tulane | 8/8/1929 | 1 | Cleveland Browns / 3rd / 38th pick / 1951 |
| Lin Houston | 32 | G | 12 | 0 | 213 | 6-0 | Ohio State | 1/11/1921 | 7 | Chicago Bears / 11th / 106th pick / 1944 |
| Sherman Howard | 29 | HB-DB | 12 | 0 | 193 | 5-11 | Iowa,Nevada-Reno | 11/28/1924 | 4 | |
| Chick Jagade* | 27 | FB | 12 | 0 | 213 | 6-0 | Indiana | 12/9/1926 | 4 | Washington Redskins / 14th / 118th pick / 1948 |
| Tommy James* | 30 | DB-HB | 12 | 0 | 185 | 5-10 | Ohio State | 9/16/1923 | 6 | Detroit Lions / 17th / 146th pick / 1947 |
| Dub Jones | 29 | HB-DB-WB-TB | 12 | 0 | 202 | 6-4 | LSU,Tulane | 12/29/1924 | 7 | Chicago Cardinals / 1st / 2nd pick / 1946 |
| Ken Konz | 25 | DB | 12 | 0 | 184 | 5-10 | LSU | 9/25/1928 | Rook | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 14th pick / 1951 |
| Warren Lahr* | 30 | DB | 12 | 0 | 189 | 5-11 | Case Western Reserve | 9/5/1923 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers / 32nd / 294th pick / 1947 |
| Dante Lavelli* | 30 | E-DE | 12 | 0 | 191 | 6-0 | Ohio State | 2/23/1923 | 7 | Los Angeles Rams / 12th / 103rd pick / 1947 |
| Walt Michaels | 24 | LB | 12 | 0 | 231 | 6-0 | Washington & Lee | 10/16/1929 | 2 | Cleveland Browns / 7th / 86th pick / 1951 |
| Marion Motley | 33 | FB-LB | 12 | 0 | 232 | 6-1 | Nevada-Reno,South Carolina State | 6/5/1920 | 7 | |
| Chuck Noll | 21 | LB-G-C | 12 | 0 | 220 | 6-1 | Dayton | 1/5/1932 | Rook | Cleveland Browns / 20th / 239th pick / 1953 |
| Derrell Palmer | 31 | DT-T | 11 | 0 | 240 | 6-2 | TCU | 8/27/1922 | 7 | Chicago Bears / 6th / 49th pick / 1943 |
| George Ratterman | 27 | QB | 9 | 1 | 192 | 6-0 | Notre Dame | 11/12/1926 | 6 | Boston Yanks / 16th / 139th pick / 1948 |
| Ray Renfro* | 24 | HB-FL | 12 | 0 | 190 | 6-1 | North Texas | 11/7/1929 | 1 | Cleveland Browns / 4th / 48th pick / 1952 |
| Billy Reynolds | 22 | HB | 12 | 0 | 195 | 5-11 | Pittsburgh | 7/20/1931 | Rook | Cleveland Browns / 2nd / 23rd pick / 1953 |
| John Sandusky | 28 | T-DT | 12 | 0 | 251 | 6-1 | Villanova | 12/28/1925 | 3 | Cleveland Browns / 2nd / 18th pick / 1950 |
| Don Steinbrunner | 21 | T | 8 | 0 | 220 | 6-3 | Washington State | 4/5/1932 | Rook | Cleveland Browns / 6th / 71st pick / 1953 |
| Tommy W. Thompson+ | 26 | LB-C | 9 | 0 | 221 | 6-1 | William & Mary | 1/6/1927 | 4 | Washington Redskins / 3rd / 16th pick / 1948 |
| Bill Willis+ | 32 | DG-G | 11 | 0 | 213 | 6-2 | Ohio State | 10/5/1921 | 7 | |
| George Young | 29 | DE-E | 12 | 0 | 214 | 6-3 | Baldwin-Wallace,Georgia | 5/10/1924 | 7 | |
| Team Total | 27.1 | 12 | 217.1 | 6-1.1 | 3.8 |