The name of the team was at first left up to Brown, who rejected calls for it to be christened the Browns. McBride then held a contest to name the team in May 1945; "Cleveland Panthers" was the most popular choice, but Brown rejected it because it was the name of an earlier failed football team.

Since it was deemed infeasible for the Browns to play the 1996 season in Cleveland under such circumstances, the franchise was officially deactivated by the NFL in February 1996. The NFL agreed to re-activate the Browns by 1999 either by way of an expansion draft or by moving an existing team to Cleveland.

DEBUT OF BROWNIE THE ELF The character made its debut in the team's first season in the old All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946. Owner Arthur McBride named the team after its coach, Paul Brown, but needed a mascot to market it. The name Brownie comes from Scottish folklore.

Randy Lerner has reached a deal to sell the Cleveland Browns to truck-stop magnate Jimmy Haslam. The deal is worth more than $1 billion, league sources said. The sale of the Browns is laid out in two parts. Haslam will take over controlling interest of the Browns for more than $700 million.