1967 Cleveland Browns season

1967 Cleveland Browns season
1967 Cleveland Browns season
General manager	Harold Sauerbrei
Head coach	Blanton Collier
Home field	Cleveland Stadium
Local radio	WERE
Results
Record	9–5
Division place	1st NFL Century
Playoff finish	Lost Eastern Conference Championship Game; (at Cowboys) 14–52; Lost NFL Playoff Bowl; (vs. Rams) 6–30
	← 1966; Browns seasons; 1968 →;

The 1967 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 18th season with the National Football League. The Browns were back in the playoffs after a one-year absence. They finished 9–5, the same as in 1966, but this time, it was good enough for them to get in as they won the Century Division championship in the first year of play after the NFL split the Eastern and Western conferences into two divisions each. The division race was not close, as the Browns finished two games ahead of the runner-up New York Giants (7–7), their old arch rival in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Running Back Leroy Kelly went over 1,000 yards rushing for the second straight time, getting 1,205 to go along with 11 touchdowns, while Ernie Green, now out of the shadow of Jim Brown, went over 700 yards for the second year in a row, getting 710. Quarterback Frank Ryan, the architect of the 27–0 1964 NFL title game victory over the Baltimore Colts, was in his last full season as a starter. He had 20 TD passes and 16 interceptions. But Ryan, with his body, especially his shoulder, beat up, gave way to Bill Nelsen early the next year.

The 52–14 playoff loss to Dallas in the Eastern Conference title contest caused Browns head coach Blanton Collier to re-shape his team at other positions as well, as new players were brought in to replace some of the fading stars who had carried the club for years. For instance, this was the last season for Hall of Fame place-kicker Lou Groza, who retired for the second time – this time for good – after making 11 of 23 field-goal tries. Groza, the last member of the original Browns from the team's inception in 1946, would retire after 21 seasons. Groza was replaced the next season by Don Cockroft.

Offseason

NFL Draft

The following were selected in the 1967 NFL/AFL draft.

1967 Cleveland Browns Draft
Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	18	Bob Matheson	Linebacker	Duke
2	46	Larry Conjar	Running Back	Notre Dame
3	55	Don Cockroft	Kicker	Adams State
3	72	Eppie Barney	Flanker	Iowa State
4	83	Carl Ward	Defensive Back	Michigan
4	98	Joe Taffoni	Tackle	Tennessee-Martin
6	152	John Demarie	Guard	LSU
7	177	Bill House	Tackle	Youngstown State
8	205	Bill Devrow	Defensive Back	Southern Mississippi
9	230	Cecil Dowdy	Linebacker	Alabama
10	255	Jim Copeland	Center	Virginia
11	282	Bill Sabatino	Defensive Tackle	Colorado
12	308	Charlie Fowler	Guard	Houston
13	333	Billy Andrews	Linebacker	Southeastern Louisiana
14	360	Floyd Rogers	Tackle	Clemson
15	386	Dennis Williamson	Defensive Back	Wisconsin-Whitewater
16	411	Don Williams	End	Akron
17	439	Ben Davis	Defensive Back	Defiance

^[1]

Exhibition schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	August 5	vs. Philadelphia Eagles at Canton	L 13–28	17,500
2	August 13	at San Francisco 49ers	L 14–42	27,482
3	August 19	at Los Angeles Rams	L 17–24	36,942
4	August 25	at Atlanta Falcons	L 31–34	52,240
5	September 2	Green Bay Packers	L 21–30	84,236
6	September 10	at Minnesota Vikings	W 42–14	40,012

There was a doubleheader on September 2, 1967 Falcons vs Vikings and Packers vs Browns.

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Attendance
1	September 17	Dallas Cowboys	L 14–21	0–1	81,039
2	September 24	at Detroit Lions	L 14–31	0–2	57,383
3	October 1	at New Orleans Saints	W 42–7	1–2	77,045
4	October 7	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 21–10	2–2	82,949
5	October 15	St. Louis Cardinals	W 20–16	3–2	77,813
6	October 22	Chicago Bears	W 24–0	4–2	83,183
7	October 29	at New York Giants	L 34–38	4–3	62,903
8	November 5	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 34–14	5–3	47,131
9	November 12	at Green Bay Packers	L 7–55	5–4	50,074
10	November 19	Minnesota Vikings	W 14–10	6–4	68,431
11	November 26	Washington Redskins	W 42–37	7–4	72,798
12	December 3	New York Giants	W 24–14	8–4	78,594
13	December 10	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 20–16	9–4	47,782
14	December 17	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 24–28	9–5	60,658

Game summaries

Week 13

The Browns clinch their first Century Division title with a 20-16 victory at St. Louis. One touchdown comes on an 18-yard interception return by linebacker Jim Houston and the game ends when St. Louis tight end Jackie Smith catches a 41-yard pass and is dragged down at the Cleveland 18 yard line.

Week 14

	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	7	3	0	14	24
• Eagles	0	7	7	14	28

Date: December 17
Location: Franklin Field

Playoffs

Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
Eastern Conference	December 24	at Dallas Cowboys	L 14–52	0–1	Cotton Bowl	70,786	Recap
Playoff Bowl	January 7	Los Angeles Rams	L 6–30	0–2	Miami Orange Bowl	37,102

Standings

NFL Century
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Cleveland Browns	9	5	0	.643	5–1	7–3	334	297	L1
New York Giants	7	7	0	.500	5–1	7–3	369	379	W1
St. Louis Cardinals	6	7	1	.462	1–4–1	4–5–1	333	356	L2
Pittsburgh Steelers	4	9	1	.308	0–5–1	1–8–1	281	320	W1