The strength of three: The 30 greatest trios in NFL history
By Ian Cummings
53. . Otto Graham, Marion Motley, Dante Lavelli. Cleveland Browns. Browns of Old . 16. player
Football has changed. Parity is now far closer to a reality than it was in the older eras. Back then, it was an idea, perhaps championed most fervently by those who bore witness to the Cleveland Browns dynasty of the 1940s and the 1950s.
The Browns of old were the New England Patriots of the mid-20th century. The trio itself isn’t rated as highly as its dominance should suggest; while all the trio’s members are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, one member, Otto Graham, was the most integral in his team’s success by far.
That said, Graham, Marion Motley, and Dante Lavelli all played with the Browns from 1946 to 1955. During that time, the team did not miss a league championship appearance. From 1946 to 1949, the Browns were in the All-American Football Conference. They went 47-4-3 en route to four straight AAFC Championships.
When the Browns joined the NFL in 1950, the success of Graham’s trio only continued. The Browns reached the next six NFL championship games, winning in 1950, 1954, and 1955.
Graham was awarded MVP honors three times; he was so good that after he retired initially in 1954, the Browns convinced him to come back in 1955. He returned from retirement and won another title like it was no big deal.
The Browns of old are the envy of every middling team and the idol of every dynasty. Success, to the degree that they experienced, has seldom been matched to this day.