YEAR: 1970
SIGNIFICANCE: As HC of the Bengals, Paul Brown exacted his revenge on the Browns for his “greatest victory”
Widely considered one of the absolute greatest and most forward-thinking coaches in football history, Paul Brown helped turn the Cleveland Browns into an AAFC powerhouse. Winning four consecutive championships (1946-49) until moving to the NFL, the Browns assimilated into the new league immediately and won their fifth straight championship in 1950. As the years progressed, however, Brown’s effectiveness and ability to connect with and motivate players began waning and he was ultimately fired by owner Art Modell in 1962.
Slighted by his firing, he never again attended a single Browns game until this date in 1970. Exiled from the sidelines after nearly two decades and seven championships to his name, Paul Brown was admittedly miserable despite a secure financial standing. He desperately wanted to return to coaching, but desired a situation that would give him more control over player personnel decisions as he had in Cleveland. In 1968, that perfect situation came around as the AFL was looking to put an expansion franchise in Cincinnati, Ohio — right in Cleveland’s backyard.
Paul Brown invested heavily into the new franchise and was promptly named their first HC and GM. On this date in 1970, after the AFL-NFL merger, the Cleveland Browns hosted the Cincinnati Bengals for the very first time. Outplaying the Browns despite three turnovers, the young Bengals delivered a 14-10 road victory to give their legendary coach the sweet revenge he had plotted years for, which became known as his “greatest” victory.