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Notable people · Sports

Paul Brown

Football coach who built Massillon, Ohio State, the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals into winners and pioneered much of the modern game.

Born September 7, 1908, Norwalk
Died August 5, 1991, Cincinnati

Paul Brown
Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Born
September 7, 1908, Norwalk (Huron County) source
Died
August 5, 1991, Cincinnati (Hamilton County) source
Buried
Rose Hill Memorial Park Cemetery, Jackson Township (Massillon), Section A, row 1 (Stark County) source
Also known as
Paul Brown, PB
Education
Massillon Washington High School, Massillon, OH, to 1922
Miami University, Oxford, OH, quarterback
Known as
Sports
Organizations
Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Ohio State University

Life story

Paul Brown was born in Norwalk in 1908 and moved to Massillon at nine. He graduated from Massillon Washington High School in 1922, spent time at Ohio State, and then played quarterback at Miami University, earning All-Ohio honors in 1928.

He coached Massillon Washington from 1932 to 1940 with an 80-8-2 record, then Ohio State from 1941 to 1943, winning the 1942 national title. After war service at Great Lakes Naval Station he founded and coached the Cleveland Browns (1946-62), and later founded and coached the Cincinnati Bengals (1968-75).

He is counted as having seven professional league championships and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967. He died in Cincinnati in 1991. Two stadiums carry his name.

Ohio ties

  • Norwalk (1908-1917)
    birthplace Huron County · source
  • Massillon (1917-1926, 1932-1940)
    Massillon Washington High School quarterback, then head coach (80-8-2) Stark County · source
  • Oxford (Miami University) (late 1920s)
    starting quarterback after transferring from Ohio State Butler County · source
  • Columbus (Ohio State University) (1941-1943)
    head coach; 1942 national championship Franklin County · source
  • Cleveland (1945-1963)
    first head coach of the Cleveland Browns Cuyahoga County · source
  • Cincinnati (1967-1991)
    co-founder, coach, president of the Cincinnati Bengals Hamilton County · source

Timeline

  1. 1924 Became Massillon's starting quarterback as a junior, weighing less than 150 pounds. source
  2. 1932 Took over as Massillon Washington High School head coach after a 2-6-2 season. source
  3. 1939 Massillon's WPA-built Tiger Stadium was dedicated on September 15; Brown's Tigers beat Cleveland Cathedral Latin 40-13 in its first game. source
  4. 1941 Became head coach at Ohio State. source
  5. 1942 Coached Ohio State to its first national championship. source
  6. 1945 Accepted the Cleveland job in February; in August owner Mickey McBride named the team the Browns over his objections. source
  7. 1946 The Browns began play in the AAFC; Brown signed Marion Motley and Bill Willis, helping break pro football's color line. source
  8. 1963 Fired by Art Modell on January 7 after a power struggle. source
  9. 1967 Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. source
  10. 1968 The Cincinnati Bengals, which he co-founded, played their first AFL season; he coached them through 1975. source
  11. 1976 Massillon renamed its stadium Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. source
  12. 1991 Died August 5 in Cincinnati and was buried in Massillon. source
  13. 2000 Cincinnati opened Paul Brown Stadium on the Ohio River; the name was kept until 2022. source
  14. 2013 Named a Great Ohioan by the Ohio Statehouse. source

What Paul is known for

  • Ohio State national championship 1942
  • Cleveland Browns: four AAFC titles 1946-49 and NFL titles 1950, 1954, 1955
  • Founded the Cincinnati Bengals (coached 1968-75); Pro Football Hall of Fame 1967
  • Founder of the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals

Stories

The stadium Massillon built for him

In 1936 Brown persuaded the Massillon school board to build a stadium almost triple the size of the town's 7,000-seat field. It went up as a Works Progress Administration project between December 1938 and September 1939, designed by Herman J. Albrecht, at a cost of $246,000, and seated 21,345. It was dedicated on September 15, 1939, and Brown's Tigers opened it with a 40-13 win over Cleveland Cathedral Latin. They went 20-0 in his last two seasons there. The town renamed it Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in 1976, and Massillon players still wear his initials on their uniforms. Asked after he retired which job he liked best, Brown named Massillon.

Source

The team he did not want named after him

When Cleveland's new AAFC club held a naming contest in May 1945, the winner was "Panthers," the name of a failed 1920s Cleveland team. Brown reportedly wanted no part of it, though another account says owner Mickey McBride balked at paying for the rights. In August McBride named the club the Browns, over the coach's objections. For years Brown told a story that the name honored boxer Joe Louis, the "Brown Bomber," before admitting it was not true.

Source

Inventions and firsts

All Ohio inventions and firsts

Honors and things named for them

  • Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1967
  • Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon, OH (1939)
  • Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH (2000)
  • NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team

Named for Paul Brown

Family

  • first wife: Katie Kester
  • son: Mike Brown
  • son: Robin Brown
  • son: Pete Brown
  • second wife: Mary Rightsell (m. 1973)

Sites to know

Homes, graves, markers, museums and monuments; the numbered ones are on the map.

1
  • 1 Paul Brown Tiger Stadium
    Massillon (1 Paul E Brown Drive SE) Stark County · source
  • Paul Brown grave, Rose Hill Memorial Park Cemetery
    Jackson Township near Massillon Stark County · source
  • Ohio historical marker 16-76, Football Pioneer Paul E. Brown
    Massillon Stark County · source
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame Hometown Hall of Famer plaque, Massillon Washington High School (unknown)
    Massillon Stark County · source

Places in Ohio to see

Ohio places

Where Paul Brown was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.

Myths and corrections

Things often said about Paul Brown, and what the record shows.

Often said The Browns were named after boxer Joe Louis, the "Brown Bomber."

The record Brown himself promoted that story but later admitted it was false. Owner Mickey McBride named the team after Brown in August 1945, over Brown's objections. source

Often said Brown played football at Ohio State before coaching there.

The record He enrolled at Ohio State but never got past the tryout phase, and transferred to Miami University after his freshman year, where he was the starting quarterback. source

Pictures

Free to use with the credit shown. Select a picture for the original and its license.

  • A sketch from Jack Manning of the Los Angeles Mirror of Joe Stydahar and Paul Brown, coaches of the 1951 Pro Bowl at Los
    A sketch from Jack Manning of the Los Angeles Mirror of Joe Stydahar and Paul Brown, coaches of the 1951 Pro B...
    Public domain
  • American football players Bill Willis (left), Otto Graham (right) and head coach Paul Brown (center)
    American football players Bill Willis (left), Otto Graham (right) and head coach Paul Brown (center)
    Public domain
  • Cleveland Browns quarterback Bobby Garrett (left) and head coach Paul Brown (right)
    Cleveland Browns quarterback Bobby Garrett (left) and head coach Paul Brown (right)
    Public domain
  • 1969 Tresler Comet card of Paul Brown with the Cincinnati Bengals
    1969 Tresler Comet card of Paul Brown with the Cincinnati Bengals
    Public domain
  • Head coach Paul Brown (right) shakes the hand of his quarterback, Otto Graham (left), following the American Conference
    Head coach Paul Brown (right) shakes the hand of his quarterback, Otto Graham (left), following the American C...
    Public domain
  • American football player Otto Graham (left) and coach Paul Brown (right)
    American football player Otto Graham (left) and coach Paul Brown (right)
    Public domain
  • American football coach Paul Brown
    American football coach Paul Brown
    Public domain
  • American football coach Paul Brown
    American football coach Paul Brown
    Public domain
  • American football coach Paul Brown
    American football coach Paul Brown
    Public domain
  • A promotional image of Cincinnati Bengals coach Paul Brown.
    A promotional image of Cincinnati Bengals coach Paul Brown.
    Public domain
  • American football coaches Paul Brown (left) and Joe Stydahar (right)
    American football coaches Paul Brown (left) and Joe Stydahar (right)
    Public domain
  • Cleveland Browns head coach Paul Brown (left) congratulates placekicker Lou Groza (right), who scored a game winning fie
    Cleveland Browns head coach Paul Brown (left) congratulates placekicker Lou Groza (right), who scored a game w...
    Public domain

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. High: the main facts were confirmed in sources we opened.

Every link goes to the original source. Profile researched 2026-10-14.

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