The Cleveland Browns and the origins of the NFL Draft: Part 1

(Original Caption) New York: The All All-America of 1935--A close up of Jay Berwanger, ace backfield man of the University of Chicago, shown holding the bronze trophy of the downtown Athletic Club, with which he was presented today, December 10th, after his selection as the Outstanding Football Player of 1935. Berwanger is the only football player in the country to have been selected on All All-America Teams. The Cleveland Browns began in 1946 in an NFL-rival league called the “All America Football Conference” (AAFC).

For several years, numerous wealthy men wanted to own their NFL club, but were rebuffed by the league, which told them that they weren’t going to offer any expansion teams. At the time, the NFL was just 10 teams, all located in the Northeast, the Eastern seaboard, and the Midwest. These new investors were from Kansas City, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Seattle.

RELATED: WILL BROWNS FAN ATTEND THE 2026 DRAFT IN PITTSBURGH? Another wealthy individual who wanted an NFL expansion team was Mickey McBride, a taxi cab owner out of Cleveland. He had attempted to purchase the Cleveland Rams, but was told he could buy a small percentage and become a minority owner.

But McBride wanted his own team. So, he bought an AAFC franchise and announced it would play its home games in Cleveland. The AAFC got eight owners and announced they would begin playing a full schedule in 1946.