Who is the heart and soul of the Cleveland Browns and Cleveland sports and events for decades? You the fan. It is Clevelanders that brought the team back. It was Clevelanders that captured the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was Clevelanders that packed Jacobs Field year after year, after agreeing to pay with for them with money out of OUR pockets.

The real bloodline of the Dawg Pound started in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, when the Browns couldn't give those seats away. Management would open the gate closest to End Zone for free to kids, families that couldn't afford the seats.

This passage taken from "Glory for Sale" Fans, Dollars, and the NFL, by Jon Morgan. It is a must read for any real Browns fan. For a complete review and where to buy it: CLICK HERE

Writing about the Cleveland Browns 1984 season...

The team ended the season a very disappointing 5 - 11 but acquired one of its more endearing and enduring symbols: the "Dawg."

For years, Cleveland's All-Pro cornerback Hanford Dixon fired up his defensive line mates by barking at them like a dog. What better way to inspire the sacking of opposing team quarterbacks? But soon he and fellow cornerback Frank Minnifield were barking at opponents, too.

Then the fans got into the act. Dog yelps began to echo through Municipal Stadium, especially when Minnifield or Dixon charged up a small hill in front of the end-zone bleachers. An especially enthusiastic group of fans sat in these cheap bench seats, which had been added for the 1981 baseball All-Star game. Dixon dubbed the section the "Dawg Pound."

Fans brought dog biscuits to the games, tossing them onto the field in celebration and in anger. During one game, the fans pelted the Broncos with biscuits as they approached the goal line. Officials had to stop play and reverse field.

One group of fans took to every game an actual dog house which soon became a fixture of the Dawg Pound. Stadium officials eventually discovered a keg of beer inside the house and made the owners sign statements promising not to bring any more in. They were allowed to keep the dog house, though.

Apply for your official Cleveland Kennel Club Pedigree, it's free.

Then you can prove your bloodline back to your brothers and sisters, the great fans from Cleveland and the North Coast. The toughest, scrappiest fans in the world!

I AM READY TO STAND
WITH MY FELLOW CLEVELANDERS
I AM JOINGING TODAY!