City to recognize football icon Paul Brown

Jan. 22—NORWALK — One of the iconic figures in the history of football — and one of the most distinguished to come from the city of Norwalk — may soon get a permanent honor in his hometown.

The late Paul Brown, one of the most successful and influential figures in the history of college and professional football, was born in Norwalk on Sept. 7, 1908.

A committee was recently formed to explore several potential ideas to recognize his ties to the city, which may include a possible statue on West Main Street.

The son of Lester and Ida Brown, Paul and his family lived in the Maple City until relocating to Massillon. He attended school in Norwalk and had completed the fifth grade at Benedict Elementary School — which is the present-day Central Office building for Norwalk City Schools (134 Benedict Ave.).

The namesake of the Cleveland Browns, and later a key founder of the Cincinnati Bengals, Brown also coached teams to multiple state championships and an NCAA title at Massillon High School and Ohio State University, respectively.

While living in Norwalk, Brown and his family lived at 7 W. Elm St.

"Jim Westerhold told me the story how he would get dropped off by train down by Charlie's Bar (on Benedict Ave.) and walk up the hill to his home," Norwalk Mayor Dave Light said. "It's funny, but pretty much every time I slow down to cross those tracks while driving, I picture him walking up and down that hill.

"You can't hardly watch a Browns game without thinking about him and his amazing accomplishments and ties to our city," he added. "It means a great deal that he's from here, and it's a shame not to recognize him beyond the plaque we have inside the hallway here (at city hall)."

Light noted that everything is in the preliminary stages. The committee plans to meet at the end of the month.

The mayor came across information on a possible grant from the National Football League (NFL). There are various types of grants that can be requested to honor former players and coaches — and the most influential coach in the history of football certainly fits the bill.

"We just missed the deadline on it last year," Light said. "When we began researching it, the deadline had just closed. So we're exploring potential grant money, and we will write a letter on behalf of the city to his family in Cincinnati to see if they have any interest in contributing."

Light said the committee — made up of about seven people currently — is just in talking phases. But he did point out a possible location could be in a small area located to the right of the front entrance to Berry's Restaurant (15 W. Main St.).

Near the location of the city's yearly Christmas tree, the city owns a small strip of land — about 12-to-15 feet — located where a fountain used to run between Berry's and Suhr Park.

"What a perfect place to come, eat at Berry's and visit the Suhr Park area; the library and the other local businesses located through that stretch," Light said. "It's a really neat little part of our city."

When the NFL celebrated its 100th year last season, it did a season-long countdown of the 100 greatest game changers in the sport. Paul Brown was No. 1 on the list.

Lester Brown's dispatcher job for for Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad took him and his family to Massillon when Paul was nine.

Brown graduated from Miami University in Oxford, and his coaching career took him back to Massillon in 1932. In nine seasons coaching the Tigers, Brown invented the playbook, and his teams went 80-8-2 with five state titles and a 35-game win streak.

Paul Brown Tiger Stadium opened in 1939 and also has a statue of Brown out front. Locally, St. Paul played in three state championship games at the venue, including winning the Division VI title in 2009.

Brown spent three years at Ohio State, coaching the Buckeyes to an 18-8-1 mark from 1941-43 — including finishing as the No. 1-ranked team in the country in a 9-1 campaign in 1942.

Upon his arrival to the Cleveland franchise in 1946, the name of the team was first left up to Brown, who rejected many overtures for the name to be in his honor. But eventually, the owners gave in to the popular demand and christened the team as the Cleveland Browns — despite Paul's objections.

From 1946-62, Paul Brown coached Cleveland to one of the greatest dynasties in the sport. With players like Otto Graham, Dante Lavelli, Lou Groza and Jim Brown among many other stars, Cleveland went 158-48-8 under Paul Brown. They won three NFL championships (pre-Super Bowl) and lost in the title game five other times.

After infamously being let go by then-owner Art Modell prior to the 1963 season, Brown was out of the game for several years.

But when the American Football League (AFL) announced a new franchise for Cincinnati, Brown came on board with the third-largest stake in ownership of what became the Bengals.

Brown was the team's first general manager and head coach. One of his sons, Mike, joined him in the front office — and still today is the Bengals owner as the team visits Tennessee in an NFL playoff game this weekend.

The present-day home of the Bengals, built in 2000, is also named Paul Brown Stadium.

Paul Brown took the Bengals to the playoffs three times with quarterback Ken Anderson leading the way. He retired following the 1975 season. Among those to get their coaching start under Brown included future Hall of Famers and multiple Super Bowl winners Don Shula, Chuck Knoll and Bill Walsh.

He died on Aug. 5, 1991 at the age of 82.

On top of his local ties to Ohio, Brown is recognized nationally for his significant roles in the evolution of football. From adopting the playbook, creating the draw play on offense, to helping develop the face mask — Brown's fingerprints remain all over the game.

Brown's ideas of hiring a full-time assistant staff, game planning, training methods and scouting are still used today. He created a detailed system for scouting college talent, and was the first to call plays in from the sideline using radio and phone technology.

"There was a big event here in June of 1975 when Norwalk honored Paul for his accomplishments with our Outstanding Citizen award," Light said. "Jim (Westerhold) was passionate about doing something for Paul in Norwalk, and within a couple months, six or seven others had contacted me as well.

"People are interested and want to honor Paul Brown's legacy in his hometown," he added. "So it's very early in the process, but we'll meet soon and talk through some ideas."