CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Just 13 months ago Kevin Stefanski was introduced as the Browns’ fifth head coach in the last eight years and 10th since the franchise returned in 1999.
Saturday night, one season into his Cleveland tenure, he was named the NFL’s Coach of the Year.
Stefanski, who changed the Browns for the better on and off the field, received the award during NFL Honors, the league’s annual awards show televised the night before the Super Bowl.
“Kevin is more than deserving of this award as he has consistently messaged and embodied a team-first approach in everything he does,” Dee and Jimmy Haslam of the Haslam Sports Group, which owns and operates the Browns, said. “While Kevin will most certainly downplay his personal contributions, his steady demeanor and servant leadership have been and will continue to be incredibly impactful for our football team and entire organization. We are proud to have Kevin as our head coach and this honor reflects his and our team’s collective accomplishments.”
Stefanski is just the second Browns head coach to win the award from the Associated Press, joining Forrest Gregg in 1976. He received 25 of 50 votes for while Buffalo’s Sean McDermott (seven) and Miami’s Brian Flores (six) were second and third in balloting.
It was the third Coach of the Year honor in the last month for Stefanski, who was named the same by the Pro Football Writers of America and the Sporting News making him the first to sweep Coach of the Year awards since Sean McVay in 2017.
Stefanski accepted his award in the same way he coached in the offseason and during the season – virtually through a video.
“I’m incredibly humbled, especially given some of the coaching we’ve witnessed this season around the NFL,” Stefanski said. “My name may be on this award but I think this speaks to the amazing support I get day in and day out from my coaching staff with the Cleveland Browns. I’m very glad I don’t have to do this by myself.
“Then the players – it helps to have good players. I appreciate how they work every single day, week in and week out and how they fought. I appreciate that from those guys.”
In Stefanski’s first season as Browns coach, he guided the franchise to an 11-5 finish, their best year in a quarter century and the first playoff berth in 18 years, ending the league’s longest postseason drought.
The Browns won five more games, scored 73 more points and increased their turnover ratio by +13 in 2020 from 2019 under Stefanski.
Cleveland's 408 points scored were the second-most in franchise history.
The Browns finished third in the league in rushing with an average of 148.4 yards per game, their best since 1978.
Baker Mayfield saw his quarterback rating jump from 78.8 in 2019 to 95.9 in 2020 while increasing his touchdown passes from 22 to 26 and drastically decreasing his interceptions from 21 to 8.
Stefanski did it all in the face of seemingly insurmountable circumstances – during a pandemic that saw multiple players, coaches, staff and even Stefanski himself test positive for COVID-19.
“For him to be a first-time head coach, no real offseason and navigating the challenges of an NFL season amid a global pandemic, it’s remarkable,” Browns executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry said. “His poise, his ability to handle adversity and ultimately lead our team through adversity the entire year, whether it was a loss, injuries, having players, coaches, staff out for COVID-related reasons, he never lost his cool, he never lost his poise. It obviously showed with the on-field results.”
For only the second time in 22 years, the Browns did not lose back-to-back games and they were one of four teams to accomplish the feat this past season.
The Browns also tied the longest win streak in the expansion era by winning four straight – and they did that twice, a first for the franchise in the same season since 1967.
“Every Monday, win or loss, was really the same thing for us,” Berry said. “He really did a great job of protecting our cocoon, so to speak. The season can be emotional. It can be emotional particularly externally whether you have a big win or an ugly loss. Kevin's mindset was when we come in on Monday, we should look to improve and we should look to work. It really should feel the same regardless of the outcome on Sunday. That's a credit to his steady hand.”
During virtual meetings over the course of the offseason, Stefanski had players, coaches, front office members and even ownership speak about the four Hs – History, Heroes, Heartbreaks and Hopes.
The exercise allowed Stefanski to bring his team together in a virtual environment and amidst social justice protests and violence across the country in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.
Stefanski didn’t shy away from the uprising.
Instead, he urged his players to use their platforms and to “get in the arena” to fight for what is right and the equal treatment of all under the law and within society regardless of races, religion or orientation.
“Kevin was very thoughtful and creative and deliberate in the manner he tried to create a level of camaraderie, community and team even though we didn't have the same in-person opportunities we would in a typical year,” Berry said. “It wasn't like there was any existing foundation in place for our players, coaches and staff to bond. The fact he was able to accomplish that as everyone was interacting over laptops is remarkable.”
