Members of the Hall of Fame at Browns

Legends of Browns

Through the Cleveland Browns Legends Program, the Cleveland Browns organization pays tribute to the team’s all-time greats. The guys who have helped the Browns organization succeed are honored in this presentation. In 2001, the Browns’ then-Pro Football Hall of Famer, along with the first class of five other members, were automatically inducted into the Legends Program.

Here are the basic guidelines for the Cleveland Browns Legends Program:

REQUIREMENTS

The three requirements to be eligible for consideration for induction are:

Candidates will have played for at least five seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
Candidates must have been a major contributor at their respective positions.
Candidates will have been retired from playing professional football for at least five years.

Starting in 2010, the number of yearly inductees was set at two:

With the initial ballot, panelists will shorten the list of eligible candidates down to ten finalists.
From that group, a second ballot will be cast in which panelists will simply select the best two players from the ten finalists.
In the event of a tied ballot, a third ballot will be cast to determine the final inductees.
SELECTION PANEL

The Legends Selection Panel consists of eight members:

Doug Dieken – Browns Alumni, Legends Class of 2006
Jim Donovan – News Anchor, WKYC TV3
Joe Horrigan – Vice President Communications/Exhibits, Pro Football Hall of Fame
Leroy Kelly – Browns Alumni, Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1994, Legends Class of 2001
Dino Lucarelli – Former Director of Alumni Relations, Cleveland Browns
Kevin Mack – Alumni Relations, Cleveland Browns, Legends Class of 2007
Terry Pluto – Columnist, The Plain Dealer
Chris Willis – Archivist, NFL Films
Hall of Fame Members

NUMBER OF INDUCTEES

Inducted in 2001:

Jim Brown – Fullback
Len Ford – Defensive End
Frank Gatski – Center
Otto Graham – Quarterback
Lou Groza – Offensive Tackle/Kicker
Leroy Kelly – Running Back
Dante Lavelli – End
Mike McCormack – Offensive Tackle
Bobby Mitchell – Wide Receiver/Halfback
Marion Motley – Fullback
Ozzie Newsome – Tight End
Paul Warfield – Wide Receiver
Bill Willis – Middle Guard
Inducted in 2003:

Joe DeLamielleure – Offensive Guard
Inducted in 2007:

Gene Hickerson – Offensive Guard
Legends Inductees

Class of 2001:

Ray Renfro – Wide Receiver
Greg Pruitt – Running Back
Gene Hickerson – Offensive Guard
Bernie Kosar – Quarterback
Michael Dean Perry – Defensive Tackle
Class of 2002:

Mac Speedie – Wide Receiver
Brian Sipe – Quarterback
Clay Matthews – Linebacker
Class of 2003:

Bob Gain – Defensive Tackle
Dick Schafrath – Offensive Tackle
Hanford Dixon – Cornerback
Class of 2004:

Tommy James – Defensive Back
Dub Jones – Wide Receiver
Gary Collins – Wide Receiver/Punter
Mike Pruitt – Running Back
Class of 2005:

Jim Ray Smith – Guard
Frank Ryan – Quarterback
Jerry Sherk – Defensive Tackle
Frank Minnifield – Cornerback
Class of 2006:

Walt Michaels – Linebacker
Jim Houston – Defensive End/Lineback
Doug Dieken – Offensive Tackle
Earnest Byner – Running Back
Class of 2007:

Horace Gillom – Punter/Wide Receiver
Bill Glass – Defensive End
Don Cockroft – Kicker/Punter
Kevin Mack – Running Back
Class of 2008:

Warren Lahr – Defensive Back
Paul Wiggin – Defensive End
Walter Johnson – Defensive Tackle
Eric Metcalf – Running Back
Class of 2010:

John Wooten – Offensive Guard
Cody Risien – Offensive Tackle
Class of 2011:

Vince Costello – Linebacker
Tom DeLeone – Center
Class of 2012:

Clarence Scott – Defensive Back
Ernie Green – Running Back
Class of 2013:

Abe Gibron – Offensive Guard
Galen Fiss – Linebacker
Class of 2014:

Robert Jackson – Offensive Guard
Milt Morin – Tight End
Class of 2015:

Don Colo – Defensive Tackle
Bob Golic – Nose Tackle
Class of 2016:

Dick Ambrose – Linebacker
Thom Darden – Free Safety
Class of 2017:

Bernie Parrish – Defensive Back
Tony Adamle – Linebacker/Fullback
Class of 2018:

Erich Barnes – Defensive Back
Eddie Johnson – Linebacker
Class of 2020:

Josh Cribbs – Wide Receiver
Webster Slaughter – Wide Receiver
Class of 2021:

D’Qwell Jackson – Linebacker
Bill Nelsen – Quarterback
Class of 2022:

Joe Thomas – Offensive Tackle
Darrel “Pete” Brewster – Defensive End/Tight End