how did the cleveland browns get its name
Cleveland Browns The name of the team was at first left up to Paul Brown, who rejected calls for it to be christened the "Browns".[22][23] The franchise and the local newspaper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, then held a naming contest to publicize the team, promising a $1,000 war bond to the winner. In June 1945, a committee selected "Panthers" as the new team's name, named after a failed American Football League (AFL) franchise in Cleveland which only lasted part way through that professional league's single season in 1926 (although as a semi-professional team the Cleveland Panthers existed between 1919 and 1933). It is unclear whether "Panthers" was the highest vote-getter, or if it was second-highest behind "Browns", which was again rejected by Paul Brown.[24][25] George T. Jones, who been the secretary for the Panthers under the AFL team owner General Charles X. Zimmerman (who died in November 1926), had become manager of the re-established semi-professional Cleveland Panthers in 1927 and had the rights to the name. Jones apparently demanded several thousand dollars from the new franchise owner, Arthur McBride, for the use of the name. McBride refused to pay, reopened the contest, and selected the Browns name for his team.[26] At this point, Paul Brown bowed to popular sentiment and agreed to the "Browns" name.[25]