Brownie was updated about 1950 and remained unchanged until 1969. From 1950 to 1969, the emblem was an orange elf, and from 1960 to 1969, it was a halfback elf. After the Browns won the NFL championship in 1964 (yeah, it was that long ago, Cleveland fans), Brownie was frequently represented with a crown, symbolizing the team’s success. However, after losing four games in a row in 1970, the club decided to change their look again.
The new logo was introduced in January 1970 at a time when many professional sports teams were changing their logos because of “modernization” or simply because they wanted to. The new design was created by Albert Dormanberry and is considered one of the first modern football logos. It features a brown field with white dots (representing snow) and blue lines (for clarity).
The new logo was met with positive reviews from both fans and members of the media. One newspaper wrote, “A winner is identified by its white ball on a dark green field. A beautiful combination.” Another newspaper stated, “This is the only Cleveland sport logo I like. It’s simple and effective.” Yet another article called it “a good strong image [that] should make the Browns attractive to potential advertisers.”
Unfortunately, none of this helped the Browns win any games. The new design was also criticized for being too similar to the logo of Boston College, which at the time had the longest-running college football program in history.
Throughout its existence in the league, the team has had two logos: the current one, which has an orange football helmet and Brownie the Elf, and the previous one, which featured an orange football helmet and Brownie the Elf. According to USA Today, the team’s mascot from 1948 through 1969 was Brownie the Elf. Brownie resembled a cartoon character for children. In 1970, the name “Browns” became available after the original Washington Redskins franchise moved to Dallas and took their name with them. The new Cleveland Browns chose this name as part of a bid to create a new fan base beyond the region’s fans of the old Pittsburgh Steelers football team.
The team adopted its current logo in 1974. It features an orange football helmet with white trim and the word “BROWNS” in brown lettering on the front. The back of the helmet has a picture of Running Back Leroy Kelly (who died in 1973 at age 27) running with the ball. This image is used throughout much of baseball’s history but was changed when John Brodie took over as manager in 1975 and did not want his players to be compared to other teams’. Thus, he ordered that the picture not be shown until the pitcher’s mound was at least 10 feet away from home plate.
In 1999, the NFL approved a new logo for use by all 32 teams. The Browns adopted it within weeks of the approval. The new logo is very similar to their former logo except that instead of an orange football helmet, it has a brown one.
Brownie’s elfplay program featuring the Brownie elf, the team’s principal mascot during its early years of glory. Since the Browns’ debut game against the Miami Seahawks on September 6, 1946, they have used every type of mascot possible. Today, the team has one of the most unique fan bases in all of sports with the Brownies making regular appearances at games wearing various types of costume.
The original idea for an elf-like character to represent the team came from former NFL player and actor Bob Scott. He was hired by then-Cleveland Arena owner Charles A. Wiegert to perform at halftime shows during the team’s first two seasons (1946-47). The character became known as “Brownie” because he wore a brown uniform similar to that worn by soldiers in World War II.
After the demise of the original Brownie following the 1947 season, there were several other mascots who played the part over the next few decades including Betty, Brucie, Bucky, and Blaze. In 1999, new management decided to bring back the original Brownie by hiring a local children’s television show host named Wally West to play the role. He performed this function until after the 2001 season when he was replaced by another local celebrity, Charlie Dayton, who continued in this role through the end of the 2002 season.
The tale of Brownie the Elf, the Cleveland Browns’ logo, began long before the franchise adopted the small creature—in fact, much before the team ever existed. “Brownies” may be traced back to legend, where they were elf-like beings that assisted with domestic duties in exchange for little treats. In more recent years, the term has been used by children to describe small, cute creatures that live in cookies and other baked goods.
In 1920, The Cleveland News published an article about a new football coach who had just been hired by John Rigas to lead the team he had just purchased from George Preston Marshall. The paper named the new coach “Brownsville Johnny Mack Brown.” A few weeks later, another newspaper article mentioned that “Johnny Mack Brown has brought with him to Cleveland several members of his family, among them his wife’s brother, Charles ‘Chuck’ Brown, who is said to be an elf at home.”
Thus, the nickname “Brownsville Johnny Mack Brown” was transformed into “Brownsville Chuck Brown,” and the story of how he came to be nicknamed “Chuck” will be told in greater detail below.
Shortly after arriving in Cleveland, Brown hired a public relations firm which, among other things, helped create promotional materials for the team. One of these items was a logo that appeared on all of the players’ uniforms.
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