AFC NEWS ‘N’ NOTES

BROWNS-STEELERS: RIVALRY REACHES 100TH MEETING SUNDAY

If NFL rivalries were graded like cuts of beef, the Browns-Steelers series would be appraised as “abundant marbling, optimum maturity.”   When the AFC’s oldest rivals clash this Sunday at Heinz Field, expect rich flavor, but no tenderness – at least not until the players are retired.

“I played those guys 28 times,” says DOUG DIEKEN, Browns offensive tackle from 1971-84.  “I don't think I ever shook hands with any of them and said, ‘Nice game.’  Half of our game plan was getting (JACK) LAMBERT kicked out of the game – and we did a couple times.  But today, I see (former Steelers) DWIGHT WHITE and Lambert and we’re friends.”

Friendship will be cast aside for at least four quarters Sunday when the Browns (2-1) travel 132 miles to Pittsburgh (0-2) to face the Steelers for the 100th time (including one playoff game).  The Browns-Steelers rivalry will become the AFC’s first to reach 100 meetings and is the 11th NFL series to do so all-time.  Sunday’s milestone meeting will determine whether the Steelers can rebound from consecutive losses or if the Browns can widen their AFC North first-place cushion. 

From 1970-2001, the teams combined to earn 23 of a possible 32 AFC Central titles (Steelers, 16; Browns, 7).  From 1950-58, Cleveland won 16 of 18 games versus Pittsburgh.  The Steelers returned the favor a generation later, downing the Browns in 14 of 16 games (1974-81) in the midst of four haunting words in Cleveland’s sports lexicon: “The Three Rivers Jinx.”  From 1970 – Three Rivers’ first season – through 1985, the mighty Steelers were 16-0 at home against the Browns.  In that span, Cleveland changed its travel plans to Pittsburgh almost annually, trying to end the curse. 

Steelers head coach BILL COWHER played three seasons as a Browns linebacker (1980-82) before joining Cleveland’s coaching staff (1985-88).  “After losing so many games in Pittsburgh, changing from riding a bus to flying, and then staying in every Pittsburgh hotel imaginable, our first win (1986) was very memorable,” says Cowher.

“I could be a tour guide for Pittsburgh,” says Dieken, a former roommate of Cowher’s when they played for the Browns.  “I stayed in just about every hotel there and rode on every possible route between there and Cleveland.”

Steelers sixth-year safety and Pittsburgh native MIKE LOGAN recalls memories of the rivalry while growing up in a Steelers household.  “I was young, but I remember my family making a big deal out of it,” says Logan. 

“I remember driving up (to Cleveland) one time,” says Logan.  “It was my first time seeing the ‘Dawg Pound.’  I didn’t know what was going on.  My grandfather explained to me what exactly the game meant.  I was a little intimidated by it at first until I got to know and understand it.”

Perhaps the most anticipated game in Browns history occurred on September 12, 1999 when the club returned to the NFL after a three-year absence.  The Steelers traveled north to pummel the expansion Browns, 43-0, before a national TV audience on ESPN, but Cleveland proved resilient and won the series’ next two games, including one in Three Rivers.

“We had the chance to continue this rivalry when the Browns came back,” says Browns wide receiver KEVIN JOHNSON.  “We have won a couple of big games against the Steelers.  We went back to Pittsburgh in 1999 and beat them at Three Rivers Stadium.  We won at Browns Stadium for the first time against them in 2000.”

Cowher reflects on what makes these meetings special: “More than anything, the Pittsburgh-Cleveland rivalry is built on time and based on the passion that both cities have for their football team.  This rivalry goes beyond what occurs on the football field.  It is about two cities, which are very similar, who are very passionate about their football teams.”

“What makes this rivalry great is the work ethic of both towns,” says Dieken.  “They're both blue-collar and tough.  The fans in both cities are appreciative of players who play hard, and football is the No. 1 sport in both towns.  People in both cities are very smart football fans and that adds more.

“After we won the AFC Central Division in 1980 – we had finally gotten past Pittsburgh – a fan sent me a tombstone that I still have that reads, ‘Here lies the remains of the Pittsburgh Steelers.’  This series means a lot to the fans.”