Bama in the NFL: There's Been Only One Wizard for Cleveland Browns

Ozzie Newsome was not only a one-of-a-kind player, he changed the way tight ends were viewed and used in football.

When it comes to the connection between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Cleveland Browns, only two words are really necessary: Ozzie Newsome. 

That's nothing against all of the other players who have worn the brown and orange over the years, just Newsome was that good, and built that strong of a legacy.

One of the very few Crimson Tide players who has been inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame (1994) and the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1999), Newsome was so head-and-shoulders better than anyone else at his position that he's still the all-time receiving leader for the Browns. 

A first-round draft pick, he was the first rookie in 25 years to be named the Browns’ Offensive Player of the Year in 1978. 

During his second year he was named All-Pro by one media outlet (Dave Casper was the consensus choice), and landed the honor outright in 1984). 

Newsome was a key player in the Browns reaching the AFC Championship Game for three showdowns in four years against the Denver Broncos 

When he wrapped up his 13-season, 198-game career in 1990, his 662 receptions for 7,840 yards and 47 touchdowns weren't just the best of any tight end in league history (and are still ninth all-time), but were fourth among all receivers. 

A long-time team captain, Newsome played in 198 consecutive games, and he caught at least one pass in 150 consecutive games, which at the time was the second longest streak in NFL history. His biggest statistical game came against the New York Jets in 1984 when he caught 14 passes for 191 yards.

"I don’t like dropping anything," Newsome once said. "I haven’t played this game as long as I have, as well as I have, dropping footballs.

"I guess I’m a perfectionist.”

Newsome won the NFL Players Association Whizzer White award for community service in 1990. Four years earlier in 1986, he won the Ed Block Courage Award for continuing to play in spite of injuries.

He's still in football today, having moved with the franchise that morphed into the Ravens, as part of the front office. "The Wizard of Oz" has arguably been just as successful in Baltimore, where he helped orchestrate two Super Bowl champions. 

Bama in the NFL: Cleveland Browns

The Franchise

American Football Conference

North Division

Team Colors: Brown, Orange and White

Founded: 1946

Stadium: Cleveland Browns Stadium (capacity: 67,431) 

Playing Surface: Grass 

Training Camp: CrossCountry Mortgage Campus (Berea, Ohio)

All-Time Alabama Players

1. Amari Cooper, WR, 2022
2. Johnny Davis, RB, 1982 - 1987
3. Miller Forristall, TE, 2021 - 2022
4. Ronnie Harrison Jr., S, 2020 - 2022
5. Antonio Langham, DB, 1994 - 1995, 1999
6. Anthony Madison, DB, 2009
7. Michael Myers, DT, 2003 - 2004
8. Ozzie Newsome, TE, 1978 - 1990
9. Reggie Ragland, LB, 2022
10. Trent Richardson, RB, 2012 - 2013
11. Ramzee Robinson, DB, 2009
12. Dwayne Rudd, LB, 2001 - 2002
13. Brad Smelley, RB, 2012
14. Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, 2020 - 2022
15. Mack Wilson Sr., LB, 2019 - 2021
16. Sid Youngelman, DT/DE, 1959

Crimson Tide Players Drafted

Year	Player	Pos.	Round	Pick	Overall
1953	Clell Hobson	B	29	10	347
1957	Don Comstock	B	9	6	103
1964	Eddie Versprille	RB	11	11	151
1966	David Ray	E	16	13	243
1967	Cecil Dowdy	LB	9	19	230
1978	Ozzie Newsome	TE	1	23	23
1994	Antonio Langham	CB	1	9	9
2012	Trent Richardson	RB	1	3	3
2012	Brad Smelley	TE	7	40	247
2019	Mack Wilson	LB	5	17	155
2020	Jedrick Wills Jr.	T	1	10	10

Super Bowl Appearances

The Browns are one of four teams to have never appeared in a Super Bowl (Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars). However, Cleveland played in seven NFL championship games, and won eight league titles prior to the Super Bowl era.

Browns League Championships

AAFC championships: 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949
NFL championships: 1950, 1954, 1955, 1964

Notable Awards/Honors

All-Pro 

Ozzie Newsome (1): 1984

Pro Bowl

Ozzie Newsome (3): 1981, 1984, 1985

Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor 

Ozzie Newsome

NFL 1980s All-Decade Team

Ozzie Newsome

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Ozzie Newsome

Kirby Lee / USA Today Sports

SEE ALSO, Crimson Tide NFL Team Rundown: Cleveland Browns

In conjunction with our revamped Bama in the NFL Database, this is the eighth story in a series examining the team-by-team history of Alabama's former players in the NFL.

AFC

• Baltimore Ravens
• Buffalo Bills
• Cincinnati Bengals

NFC

• Arizona Cardinals
• Atlanta Falcons
• Carolina Panthers
• Chicago Bears

See Also

Bama in the NFL: The Ultimate Crimson Tide Database
Bama in the NFL: Active Alabama Crimson Tide Players by Team