Paul Brown: The Man Who Invented Modern Football

Paul Brown was such a towering figure in pro football history that he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame before he had even retired. A head coach for more than 20 years, Brown won plenty of games. But he is remembered and lionized for the many innovations he introduced to the game, most of which have become standard practice in the NFL today. Paul Brown: The Man Who Invented Modern Football is the first full-length biography of the legendary head coach of the Cleveland Browns. In a career that spanned more than four decades, Paul Brown had only one losing season with the Browns, winning four championships in the AAFC and three more in the NFL. A native Ohioan who coached at every level of competition in the state--including Ohio State University, the Cleveland Browns, and later the Cincinnati Bengals--Brown left his mark on more than just the Buckeye state. Based on extensive research and original interviews with former player and others, this book examines Brown's rise from obscure high school football coach to NFL Hall of Famer and illuminates the profound influence he had on the game. Brown re-engineered the business of scouting college football players and evaluating talent, and pioneered the use of film as a teaching and scouting tool. He was the first to exploit ways to use the forward pass as a primary offensive weapon. And when other coaches starting emulating his offense, he was the first to design a defense to counterattack the forward pass. By any measure Paul Brown was one of pro football's greatest coaches. And he remains the only coach for which a professional franchise is named--a lasting testament to his place in the history of the NFL.