Dawg Pound The Dawg Pound is the name of the bleacher section behind the east end zone in Cleveland Browns Stadium , the home field of the Cleveland Browns . It is known for its extremely zealous fan base . Formation . According to Hanford Dixon , then a cornerback with the Browns , Dixon himself gave his defensive teammates the name " Dawgs " to inspire them before the 1985 season . The Dawg Pound started during the 1985 Training Camp at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland , Ohio . Dixon and fellow cornerback Frank Minnifield started the idea of the pound by using the dog - versus - cat relationship between the quarterback and the defense . " We had the idea of the quarterback being the cat , and the defensive line being the dog , " Dixon said . " Whenever the defense would get a regular sack or a coverage sack the defensive linemen and linebackers would bark . " This attitude carried into the stands at the training camp , where fans started barking along with the players . Dixon and Minnifield then put up the first " Dawg Pound " banner in front of the bleachers before the first preseason game at old Cleveland Municipal Stadium . The bleacher section had the cheapest seats in the stadium , and its fans were already known as the most vocal . They adopted their new identity whole - heartedly , wearing dog nose s , dog mask s , bone - shaped hat s and other outlandish costume s . Hanford Dixon originally thought up the concept after hearing a fan , Sean T Leonard , barking at every home game in 1984 . Notoriety . Dawg Pound fans quickly developed a reputation for misbehavior as well as vociferousness . Team officials banned the carrying of dog food into the stadium , as bleacher fans would shower the visiting team with Milk - Bone s , along with other objects . Dawg Pound fans also consumed hefty amounts of alcohol , even sneaking a keg into the stadium inside of a doghouse . Eventually , the team lined the Dawg Pound with security personnel and had spies monitor the section from above to look for violations of ground rules . Their reputation was such that other teams ' rowdy fans would often be compared to them - in 1989 , when a Cincinnati Bengals game was halted by the throwing of debris at the visiting Seattle Seahawks , Bengals coach Sam Wyche addressed the crowd , angrily reminding them that , " You don ' t live in Cleveland , you live in Cincinnati ! " On at least one occasion , Dawg Pound rowdiness had a concrete impact on the outcome of a game . In the fourth quarter of a 1989 game against the hated Denver Broncos , the rain of batteries and other debris coming down from the bleachers was endangering the safety of the players . To move the action away from the east end , referee Tom Dooley had the teams switch sides . That put the wind at the Browns ' back . The Browns won on a Matt Bahr field goal that barely cleared the crossbar . At the final game at Cleveland Stadium in December 1995 , members of the Dawg Pound ripped the bleachers from the stands ( many having brought wrenches , crowbar s , and other tools to dislodge the seats ) . Some fans threw the seats onto the field , while others took them home as souvenirs . " Here We Go , Brownies , Here We Go ! " , followed by " Woof ! Woof ! " is the most common chant heard in the Pound , especially on drives ( either offensive or defensive ) going towards that end of the field . The new Pound . When FirstEnergy Stadium was completed in 1999 , team officials named the sections in FirstEnergy Stadium ' s east end the Dawg Pound . The new Pound differs from the original in having two decks , but like the Dawg Pound of Cleveland Municipal Stadium , the new stadium ' s Dawg Pound seats are all bleachers . The new Pound also has official recognition from the team . The team trademark ed a Dawg Pound logo , which it uses on select fan memorabilia . This logo was created by NFL Properties and is the only such logo developed for an NFL fan base by the league . It features a Browns helmet - clad dog gripping a football in its jaws surrounded by the words " DAWG POUND " in a stencil font . The logo is featured on officially licensed Browns merchandise such as t - shirts , pennants , bumper stickers , etc . The establishment nature of the new Pound , as well as the more - sterile atmosphere of the new stadium , originally turned off some veteran fans . There has also been somewhat of a backlash against the Browns organization by some in the old " blue - collar " fan base . This has resulted from what was originally a player and fan movement - the Dawg Pound - having been made " corporate , " by the Browns organization , including trademarks , copyrights and an official " Dawg Pound " logo ( seen at the top right of this article ) . Also , the more sterile , corporate atmosphere at the new First Energy Stadium ( as opposed to the near anarchy at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the 1960s - 1990s ) has been viewed by more traditionalist Browns fans and Dawg Pound season ticket holders as tarnishing the history and traditional passion of the fanbase . In a crucial late - season 2001 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars , the Browns were driving toward the east end zone for what would have been the winning score . A controversial call on fourth down gave the Jaguars the ball . Browns ' receiver Quincy Morgan had caught a pass for a first down on 4th and 1 . After Tim Couch spiked the ball on the next play , referee Terry McAulay reviewed Morgan ' s catch , claiming that the replay officials had buzzed him before Couch spiked the ball . ( NFL Rules state that once the next play is completed , the officials cannot under any circumstances review any previous plays . ) Upon reviewing the play , McAulay determined that Morgan never had control of the ball , thus the pass was incomplete , and the Jaguars were awarded the ball . Fans in the Dawg Pound began throwing plastic beer bottles and other objects on the players and officials . McAulay declared the game over and sent the teams to the locker rooms . NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue then called to override the referee ' s decision , sending the players back onto the field , where the Jaguars ran out the last seconds under a hail of debris . Dawg Pound fans . Current ticket prices for the Dawg Pound are $ 50 per game , and usually require purchase of season tickets . Since construction of the new stadium the Dawg Pound is populated with more affluent attendees compared to the generally blue collar fan base that made the Municipal Stadium ' s Dawg Pound famous . Even Hank Aaron has been known to sit ( incognito ) in the Pound . One of the more famous Dawg Pound season - ticket holders is John Big Dawg Thompson ( he had a legal name change to include his nickname ) , known as the " Canine - in - Chief . " Television cameras often showed the offensive - lineman - sized man in his dog mask and No . 98 jersey , although recently he has undergone gastric bypass surgery and lost considerable weight . In 1995 , Thompson became an unofficial spokesman for Browns fans fighting the move of the team to Baltimore . He testified before the U . S . House Committee on the Judiciary and appeared on " Politically Incorrect " with Bill Maher .