CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – As the Browns celebrate their 75th anniversary this season, the team will pay homage to their history with special commemorative uniforms.
The team unveiled the special look on the Browns mobile app at midnight Saturday.
The Browns plan to wear a white replica jersey from their 1946 inaugural season, which includes brown numbers shadowboxed with an orange outline and the team’s official 1946 patch.
The commemorative helmet design will incorporate multiple eras for the franchise and feature their regular orange base shell with a single white stripe, the player’s number in brown on the sides and a gray facemask.
“The Browns are one of those iconic franchises in all of sports, not just the NFL,” Haslam Sports Group president and Browns partner J.W. Johnson said. “We really wanted to give a nice nod to the past and the players that have paved the way for the team we have here today. It's just a nice thank you to them for everything they've done for this league and for this team and for this city. We wouldn't be here without the likes of Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Lou Groza and Joe Thomas. We want to honor them. We want to respect them.”
Cleveland’s helmets featured the single white stripe from 1952-59, which included two NFL championship seasons. Brown numerals adorned the helmet from 1957-60 as well as during the mid-2000s as part of an alternate uniform. The gray facemask was worn from 1961-74 and 2006-14.
To compliment the uniform, they will wear their current white pants and white socks featuring three brown stripes and two orange stripes.
“We spent a lot of time going back and looking at old photos and the history of the team and working with our friends at Nike and the NFL to put this all together,” Johnson said. “At the end of the day, like we said when we went back to the uniforms we are currently wearing, we wanted something clean, iconic, traditional and something that would honor the team and represent it appropriately.”
The team has also created digital trading cards of several players in the 75th anniversary uniforms, which are available to fans through the Browns mobile app.
The team plans to announce when they will wear the special commemorative threads this season at a later date.
As part of the launch this weekend, the Browns are offering registered Browns mobile app users an in depth look at the commemorative threads as well as access to the special 1946 collection and other commemorative items for sale.
Registered app users who visit the Pro Shop at FirstEnergy Stadium this weekend will also be eligible to receive one of two exclusive posters when buying one or more items from the 1946 collection, while supplies last. Fans who make a purchase at the Pro Shop will also get an opportunity to take a photo from the lower bowl with the specially painted field honoring the 75th anniversary serving as a backdrop.