The 1948 Cleveland Browns season was the team's third in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). After winning the AAFC crown in 1946 and 1947, the league's first two years of existence, the Browns repeated as champions in 1948 and had a perfect season, winning all of their games.
The season began with a number of roster moves, including the addition of linebacker Alex Agase and halfbacks Ara Parseghian and Dub Jones. Following training camp and two preseason games, the Browns began the regular season with a win against the Buffalo Bills. Led by quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley and ends Mac Speedie and Dante Lavelli, the Browns followed with a string of victories leading up to a November matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams had perfect records to that point, the 49ers relying heavily on the offensive production of quarterback Frankie Albert and end Alyn Beals to win their first 10 games. The Browns beat the 49ers 14–7, and followed two weeks later with another narrow victory over San Francisco, their closest competition in the AAFC in 1948.
By the end of the season, the Browns had a perfect 14–0 record and led the league's Western Division, setting up a championship-game matchup with the Bills, who had won a playoff to take the Eastern Division. Cleveland beat Buffalo 49–7 in December to win the championship and preserve its unbeaten record. It would be the only undefeated team in pro football history until the Dolphins did it in 1972, 24 years later. After the season, Graham, Motley and Speedie were included in many news organizations' All-Pro teams, alongside several other teammates. Graham was named the co-Most Valuable Player of the league alongside Albert. Browns games were televised for the first time in 1948.
The season is recognized as perfect by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, although the National Football League (NFL), which absorbed the Browns when the AAFC dissolved in 1949, did not recognize it. Ohio senator Sherrod Brown wrote a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in 2008 asking the league to officially recognize AAFC team statistics, including the perfect season. The 2007 New England Patriots were vying to complete a 19–0 season at the time and join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only teams to register a perfect record. On April 1, 2025, the NFL at its annual meeting has decided to begin officially incorporating AAFC records into its NFL records, officially recognizing the undefeated season.
Offseason and roster moves Cleveland finished the 1947 season with a 12–1–1 win-loss-tie record and beat the New York Yankees to win its second straight AAFC championship. While the team was successful in those first two years of existence, head coach Paul Brown made numerous roster changes before the 1948 season.Andy Piascik, The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns. Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007; p. 106. He brought in linebacker Alex Agase and defensive tackle Chubby Grigg via a trade with the Chicago Rockets. Tommy James, a defensive back who stayed with the team through the 1955 season, came from the National Football League's Detroit Lions.
Defensive back Warren Lahr also joined the team but did not play in 1948 after breaking a leg in the preseason.
Offensive additions included halfback Ara Parseghian and quarterback George Terlep, but the most significant signing of the year was Dub Jones. Brown got Jones – who had a long and successful career in Cleveland – in a trade with the Brooklyn Dodgers for the rights to select Bob Chappuis in the 1947 AAFC draft. Author Andy Piasick describes this trade as one of the most astute in Browns history. The Browns also signed quarterback Y. A. Tittle from Louisiana State University, but were forced to send him to the Baltimore Colts as part of an effort to balance talent among the AAFC's teams during the league's third year of play.
Browns center Mike Scarry left before the season to become the head coach at Western Reserve. Frank Gatski took over at the position after Scarry's retirement. Don Greenwood, a halfback who featured in the team's first two seasons, retired after sustaining a serious cheekbone injury in 1947 and accepted a job as head football coach at Cuyahoga Falls High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Browns games were televised for the first time in 1948 on 84 stations across the country. Only away games were shown in northeast Ohio; they were presented by Bob Neal and Stan Gee, who had announced Browns games on WGAR-AM radio in 1946 and 1947.
The entry of a new ownership group of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the offseason that included Branch Rickey affected the Browns' schedule in 1948. Rickey, an executive for baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers, convinced Brown to schedule a late-season road trip during which Cleveland would play three teams in eight days: the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dons and the San Francisco 49ers. The plan was part of an effort to bring more attention to the AAFC and help attendance by sending its most successful team on a cross-country road trip, a strategy that had worked in baseball.
Roster and coaching staff 1948 Cleveland Browns rosterQuarterbacks S S
Running backs
CB
CB
Ends/Receivers P
Linemen DT/T C/LB G DT T/K G/MG C/LB T/DT T/DT DT/T G/MG MG/G
Linebackers OLB/FB MLB/G MLB/G OLBDefensive backs CB/RB CB/RB S/QB
Reserve CB/S (IR)
Head Coach Paul Brown
Assistants John Brickels (Backfield) Blanton Collier (Backfield) Bill Edwards (Tackles) Dick Gallagher (Ends) Fritz Heisler (Guards)
rookies in italics
Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Gamerecap 1 August 22 Buffalo Bills W 35–21 1–0 Rubber Bowl 28,069 Recap 2 August 27 Baltimore Colts L 17–21 1–1 Glass Bowl 13,433 Recap
Preseason game summaries
Cleveland held its training camp at the campus of Bowling Green State University, as it had the previous two years. Two preseason games were scheduled, one against the Buffalo Bills at the Rubber Bowl in Akron, Ohio and a second against the Baltimore Colts at the Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio.
Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
Source: Plain Dealer
Cleveland's first preseason game was a victory over the Bills in Akron. The Browns scored three touchdowns in the first quarter, first on an interception return by Cliff Lewis and then on a pair of passes from quarterback Otto Graham to Dean Sensanbaugher and Mac Speedie. Sensanbaugher scored another touchdown in the second quarter on a pass from Lewis, who came in to substitute for Graham. By the time fullback Marion Motley ran for a short touchdown in the third quarter to make the score 35–0, coach Paul Brown had pulled most of the team's starters. Buffalo proceeded to mount a comeback, scoring one touchdown in the third quarter and two in the fourth. Buffalo's final score came on a punt return received by Rex Bumgardner. As he was about to be tackled at the Cleveland 20-yard line, Bumgardner pitched the ball to teammate Bill Heywood, who ran the rest of the way for the touchdown. Cleveland and Buffalo both had 12 first downs and 206 yards of rushing, but the Browns had 159 yards of passing to Buffalo's 127, helping secure the 35–21 win.
Week 2: vs. Baltimore Colts
Source: Plain Dealer
Cleveland lost its second preseason game, played against the Baltimore Colts in 100-degree heat in Toledo, Ohio. Browns placekicker Lou Groza opened the scoring with an 18-yard field goal in the first quarter, and a touchdown by fullback Ollie Cline later in the period put the Browns up 10–0. Baltimore responded in the second quarter with a touchdown pass by quarterback Y. A. Tittle to receiver Jake Leicht. Cline ran for another touchdown soon thereafter, however, once more giving the Browns a 10-point lead. Colts receiver Lamar Davis caught a 25-yard touchdown pass at the end of the second quarter. Cleveland led 17–14 at halftime. Neither team scored again until the fourth quarter, when Baltimore's Bus Mertes ran for a 38-yard touchdown and secured the 21–17 win. A number of Cleveland players suffered injuries during the game. Graham hurt his hand, Motley strained his back and end Dante Lavelli suffered a broken leg. Lavelli's injury sidelined him for the first seven games of the regular season. During the game, Baltimore players Hub Bechtol and Lew Mayne, a former Brown, tapped a phone line that went from Cleveland's press box to its sideline. This allowed the Colts to listen in on coaches' conversations and anticipate the Browns' play-calling.
Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Gamerecap 1 September 3 Los Angeles Dons W 19–14 1–0 Cleveland Stadium 60,193 Recap 2 September 12 at Buffalo Bills W 42–13 2–0 War Memorial Stadium 35,340 Recap 3 September 17 at Chicago RocketsW 28–7 3–0 Soldier Field 30,874 Recap 4 September 26 Chicago Rockets W 41–21 4–0 Cleveland Stadium 37,190 Recap 5 October 5 at Baltimore Colts W 14–10 5–0 Memorial Stadium 22,359 Recap 6 October 10 Brooklyn Dodgers W 30–17 6–0 Cleveland Stadium 31,187 Recap 7 October 17 Buffalo Bills W 31–14 7–0 Cleveland Stadium 28,054 Recap 8 October 24 New York YankeesW 35–7 8–0 Cleveland Stadium 46,912 Recap 9 November 7 Baltimore ColtsW 28–7 9–0 Cleveland Stadium 32,313 Recap 10 November 14 San Francisco 49ersW 14–7 10–0 Cleveland Stadium 82,769 Recap 11 November 21 at New York Yankees W 34–21 11–0 Yankee Stadium 52,518 Recap 12 November 25 at Los Angeles Dons W 31–14 12–0 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 60,031 Recap 13 November 28 at San Francisco 49ers W 31–28 13–0 Kezar Stadium 59,785 Recap 14 December 5 at Brooklyn Dodgers W 31–21 14–0 Ebbets Field 9,821 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Los Angeles Dons
Source: Pro Football Reference
The Browns opened the regular season with a win at home against the Los Angeles Dons. The Dons had beaten the Chicago Rockets in their season opener the week before, but they struggled against the Browns. Cleveland built a 19–0 lead after the first three quarters on touchdowns by Ara Parseghian and Bill Boedeker, a Lou Groza field goal and a safety. The Dons, however, almost pulled off a comeback with just 30 seconds remaining in the game. Los Angeles fullback John Kimbrough scored a touchdown on a short run with time ticking down, and the Dons recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff. Dons quarterback Glenn Dobbs then threw a long pass to end Joe Aguirre. It fell incomplete, but Cleveland was called for pass interference, and the ball was placed on the Browns' nine-yard line. Dobbs then threw a completion to Aguirre for a second touchdown with five seconds left to play. Time expired on the ensuing kickoff, however, and Cleveland won 19–14. Groza's 51-yard field goal matched a professional football record he set two years earlier.
Week 2: vs. Buffalo Bills
Source: Pro Football Reference
The Browns beat the Bills in the second game of the regular season. Cleveland dominated the game from beginning to end, scoring 42 points and amassing 504 total yards on offense. The scoring began with touchdowns in the first quarter by halfback Bob Cowan and Marion Motley. End Mac Speedie caught another touchdown in the second quarter, giving the Browns three scores in a span of just 18 minutes. Buffalo scored two touchdowns of its own in the second period, however, and the score stood at 21–13 at halftime. The Browns pulled away in the second half, scoring three more unanswered touchdowns. Otto Graham ran for a score in the third period, but was taken out of the game when the Browns' lead widened. Motley ran for 136 yards on 17 carries, and Speedie matched an AAFC single-game record by recording 10 receptions for 151 yards. Despite the loss, Bills backs Vic Kulbitski and Julie Rykovich ran for 187 yards combined. The final score was 42–13.
Week 3: vs. Chicago Rockets
Source: Pro Football Reference