Cleveland Browns are the pride and joy of the fervent manufacturing city that sits on the shores of Lake Erie.
They are one of the oldest and most established teams in American football, but their participation in the AAFC from its inception, which pre-dated the merger of the AFL and NFL in 1970 by 24 years, is not officially recognised by the NFL in today's game.
The 1940s and 1950s were far and away the most successful decades in a long and often chaotic history for Cleveland. Born in 1946, they exploded out of the blocks on a remarkable 10-year run of appearances in the championship games of the leagues in which they played - a feat that no other team in American professional sports has matched to this day.
Paul Brown, who founded the team that, to his enduring reluctance, bears his name, was at the forefront of this incredible success. His penchant for quick, attacking play was a hallmark of not just the way the Browns played football, but how footballers played football in the national leagues.
In the early 1960s after a thoroughly successful previous decade, businessman, Art Modell, purchased a controlling stake in the team and changed its course forever. He controversially sacked head coach and founder, Brown, who went on to form Cincinnati Bengals, and won only one more championship (1964) in his next three decades at the franchise.
Further controversy surrounded Modell in 1995 when he announced that he wanted to move the Browns to Baltimore. The city erupted and ferociously defended its right to keep the team - they won, but Modell was legally allowed to take his staff and team to Baltimore to create the Ravens.
Since re-joining the league again in 1999, Cleveland Browns have lost over 200 games and struggled to find a dependable quarterback or turn any draft picks into success for the team.
They are yet to reach a Super Bowl and slumped to a winning percentage of just .063 in 2016 with a 1-15 losing season - their 16th and worst since 1999.