Evening star., 1950-12-25
Browns Receive
S1,113 Each for
Storybook Win
Lou Grozo, Graham
Top Heroes in One of
Footballs Greatest
BY the Associaied Press

CLEVELAND, Dec. 25.-Each o.
the Cleveland Browns tuckee
$1,113.16 into his Christmas stock.
ing today-a Christmas present
for defeating the Los Angeles
Rams yesterday in the star.
spangled National Football League
championship game.
In a startling finish so unbeliev-
able you'd laugh at it if you saw
1t in a movie, the Browns came
from a point behind to triumph
1923, in the last 20 seconds or
Lou Groza's 16-yard field goal.
1t was a record-setting due
and a pitchers battle, with Boz
Waterfield of the Rams and Otto
Graham of the Browns doing the
pitching.
Waterfield, off and running
with an 82-yard scoring pass tc
Glenn Davis on the opening play
completed 18 of 81 passes for 81
yards and a single touchdown
while Graham connected on % oi
33 aerials for 298 yards and foul
touchdowns.
Second Straight for Groza.
1t was Groza's unerring toe
which provided the payof, how
ever. for the second straight week
Last Sunday he booted a pair of
three-pointers to vanquish the
New York Giants, 8-3. in the
American division playoff.
Waterfleld muffed his chance
to wrap up the victory when he
missed field goal from Is yards
out in the fading minutes of the
second period.
The Browns, four time cham
pions of the now defunct ALL
America Conference, thus brought
to Cleveland the city's sixth
straight pro title. The Rams won
the National League crown in
l945 before shifting to Los An
geleS, and the Browns were never
headed in their four years in the
All-America.
Coach Paul Brown of the vic
tors extended his phenomenal
record in pro ball, winning IL of
IA championship games this year
in addition to victories in five ex-
hibitions. He beat all the clubs
in the loop, in title Or exhibition
contests. except the New York
Yanks. His only losses were a
pair to the New York Giants, the
victims in last weeks division
playoff.
In five years of professional
ball, not counting exhibitions,
the Browns have won 81, lost six
and tied three games.
Temperature 20 Degrees.
Yesterdays nip-and-tuck classic.
played in 29-degree temperature
and in 28-mile wind, was
tagged by Commissioner Bert Bell
as "the greatest football game
I've ever seen"
After Waterfield's sensational
pass to Davis on the first play,
covering 81 yards for new cham
pionship game record, the Browns
countered with a 31-yard pass,
Graham to Dub Jones, to tie the
score. Fullback Dick Hoerner put
the Rams back in front with a
4-yard plunge to end the first
period scoring.
The Rams were blanked in the
second, being halted twice by the
Browns stalWart defense inside
the 10-yard line, but Graham s
35-yard pass to Dante Lavelli
pulled Cleveland up to a 1914
deficit at the half-the extra
point being muffed because of a
poor pass from center.
A 39-yard Graham-to-Lavelli
pass put the Browns ahead, 2O-14
early in the third session, but the
Rams came back with 71-yard
march to send Hoerner over for
his second marker from the 1-yard
line, and then made it 1920 as
End Larry Brink picked up Marion
Motleys tumble on the Brown 6
and ambled over for another score
The Browns moved right in at
the start of the final quarter with
a 65-yard march climaxed By
Graham's 14-yard scoring toss te
Rex Bumgardner. Then they
STAYED off a couple of Rams drives
and set the stage for the climax
Goal Posts Torn Down.
With less than 2 minutes to
play, the Clevelanders started or
their own 81, and Graham's tosses
moved the ball to the Rams 8
where Groza dropped back with 2C
seconds to play and booted the
,jc]inching points.
\ A half minute later, many o1
the 29,75l paying customers were
On the field tearing down the goa
posts and ripping the jersies from
the Browns for souvenirs.
Among the records set for g
championship tilt were Lavelli's II
pass receptions, Cleveland's /;
first downs by passing and the 80.
Yard Waterfeld-Davis pass play
Center Hal Herring, last of the
Browns off the field, was sur
rounded by nearly 1000 milling
fans who ripped his shirt to
shreds.
Honestly. I wasn't nervous, -
Groza said in the dressing room
'Not any more than last week"
Then Groza noticed Joe Page
the New York Yankees famous
relief pitcher, standing nearby
Pointing to him, Lou observed:
you never get nervous in a
,