Product Description

Andy Piascik boldly asserts that the 1946-1955 Cleveland Browns were the greatest dynasty in the 85-year history of organized pro football. Piascik evaluates the team's accomplishments through exhaustive research and extensive interviews; and he analyzes the correlation between the Browns being the first integrated pro sports team of the modern era and the numerous championships they won from 1946 through 1955. Finally, Piascik explores the three specific areas of pro football that the Browns helped revolutionize: the passing game, the kicking game, and defense.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #232402 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 432 pages

Customer Reviews

Fine 40s and 50s Football
"The Best Show in Football" is about the first 10 years of the Cleveland Browns franchise, 1946-'55. The Browns played in their league championship in each of those years, winning 7. It is author Piascik's firm conviction that the Browns were the top dynasty in the history of pro football. (The other contenders are the 1940-`46 Bears, the `61-'67 Packers, the '74-'79 Steelers and the '81-'89 San Francisco 49ers). BSF ventures deep into the history of the old All America Football Conference and its' absorption into the National Football League. BSF is a virtual whirl of players, coaches, stadia and a myriad of franchise shifts. Try tracing the roots of the Colts franchise! There is a plethora of recollections from the `40s and `50s adding up to a mini history of pro football in those heady years after WW2. Piascik also offers deep analysis of most aspects of the game-almost to the point of paralysis! A cardinal point of BSF is the integration of the National Football League. The Browns signed Bill Willis and Marion Motley to contracts for the 1946 season and were far more progressive in signing black players than many other teams. The LA Rams and Detroit Lions are offered as examples of teams that were not. BSF is very well researched and documented. Author Piascik contacted 58 former NFL and AAFC players and provides a season by season scorecard of players shifts on the '46-'55 rosters. He has done his homework! Rating BSF is difficult: For hardcore Browns fans-and certainly for Ohio natives-this is a 5 star production. Younger fans and those from other parts of the country may not be so enthusiastic. 4 stars appear to be a fair call. BSF is noteworthy for its portrait of pro football just before its explosion in popularity and its' rise to the favorite sport of this country.

The AAFC Can No Longer Be Considered Just a Footnote to Pro Football History
The author re-establishes and brings into clear focus the fact that the 1946-1955 Cleveland Browns had players so talented, so well-schooled and well-drilled, assistant coaches so technically proficient, a club so advanced in its organization, a head coach, Paul Brown, so commanding in his grasp of the game and in team organization, that his appearance and that of his team on the pro football scene were the making of the most significant revolution to hit the sport. Paul Brown and his influence changed everyone's approach to the game, and men such as Weeb Ewbank, Blanton Collier, Chuck Noll, Tom Landry, Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, and Bill Walsh astutely followed the lessons of this great man and made their own significant impact on pro football history. In all cases they gave credit to the man who started it all, much as we--lovers of the game and historians alike--must also do. This book does give Paul Brown the credit he deserves, and thereby becomes a significant contribution to the truth of pro football history.

Great Football Book
On one level, this book is full of great football stories. Piascik weaves the fascinating tales of great players like Otto Graham, Marion Motley, and Lou Groza and the coach that helped pull it all together, the legendary Paul Brown. In their first ten years of existence, the Browns won seven league championships, and Piascik makes a strong argument that they were the greatest dynasty in pro football history.

But Piascik also takes the tale to another level, and that is what makes this book such an important addition to the field of football history. Beyond simply recognizing their accomplishments, Piascik delves into the methods and strategies that helped the Browns stand out, not just against the teams of their era but compared to all of the teams in pro football history. Head coach Paul Brown was a great innovator, but what made the biggest difference was his eagerness to use African American players at a time when pro football -- and all other team sports -- had closed their doors. Piascik suggests that it was this move which made the biggest contribution to the Browns dominance. The integration of pro football seems like an inevitable development in retrospect, but in 1946 -- a year before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier -- it wasn't an easy or popular choice.

Football fans will love this book because of the gripping stories about some of the game's great players. But this book is also a must read for those interested in sports history and social justice.