Lou Groza - Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns

Following his discharge from military service, Groza reported to the Browns' training camp in Bowling Green, Ohio. He showed up in army fatigues carrying all his clothes in a duffel bag. There, he joined quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley and receivers Dante Lavelli and Mac Speedie to form the core of the new team's offense. Groza was mainly a placekicker in his first two years with the Browns, but he played a big part in the team's early success. In his first season, he set a professional football record for both field goals and extra points. The Browns, meanwhile, advanced to the AAFC championship against the New York Yankees. Groza sprained his ankle in the game and missed three field goals, but Cleveland won 14–9. Behind a powerful offense led by Graham, Motley and Lavelli, the Browns finished the 1947 season with a 12–1–1 record and made it back to the championship game. Groza, however, was injured and could only watch as the team won its second championship in a row.

Further success followed for the Browns and Groza, who was nicknamed "The Toe" by a sportswriter for his kicking abilities. Groza led the league in field goals and the team won all of its games in 1948, recording professional football's first perfect season. As he grew into a star placekicker, Groza began playing regularly at offensive tackle beginning in 1948. One highlight of that year for Groza was a 53-yard field goal against the AAFC's Brooklyn Dodgers that was then the longest kick in pro football history. With Groza, the Browns could attempt field goals at a range many other teams could not. "Anywhere from 40 to 50 yards (37 to 46 m), he was a weapon," Tommy James, Groza's holder for eight years, later said. Another championship win followed in 1949, but the AAFC dissolved after the season, and the Browns were among three teams absorbed by the more established National Football League (NFL).

The war had shortened Groza's college career, so he continued to study at Ohio State in the offseason in his early years with the Browns. He graduated with a degree in business in 1949. Groza got married that year to Jackie Lou Robbins, a girl from Martin's Ferry who was working as a model in New York City when they first dated.

The Browns' debut in the NFL in the 1950 season was closely watched; while the team dominated the AAFC in its short existence, some sportswriters, NFL owners and coaches considered the league inferior. Cleveland put all doubts to rest in its first game against the two-time defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Browns won 35–10. In a game against the Washington Redskins later in the season, Groza broke a 24-year-old NFL record by kicking his 13th field goal of the season. He also scored the only touchdown of his career in that game on a reception from Graham. The Browns ended the regular season with a 10–2 record in the American Conference, tied with the New York Giants. That forced a playoff against the Giants in which Groza kicked the winning field goal for the Browns with under a minute to play.

The Browns next faced the Los Angeles Rams in the championship game. Groza came into the game as the NFL's leading kicker, both in terms of points scored and accuracy. He had a success rate of 68.4% in an era when most teams made fewer than half of their attempts. The Rams went ahead early in the game on a touchdown pass from star quarterback Bob Waterfield and a scoring run by Dick Hoerner. But Graham and the Browns came back with four touchdowns, two to receiver Dante Lavelli. As time wound down in the fourth quarter, however, the Rams were ahead 28–27, and Cleveland had one final chance to win the game. Graham drove the offense to the Rams' nine-yard line and set up a Groza field goal attempt. The 16-yard try sailed through the uprights with 28 seconds left, giving the Browns a 30–28 victory. It was the biggest kick of Groza's career. "I never thought I would miss," he said later. After the season, Groza was named to the first-ever Pro Bowl, the NFL's all-star game.

Cleveland again reached the championship game in 1951, but lost this time in a rematch against the Rams. Groza had a 52-yard field goal in the game, a record for a championship or Super Bowl that stood for 42 years. He was again named to the Pro Bowl after the season. The same scenario was repeated in 1952 and 1953: the Browns reached the championship both years, but lost both times to the Detroit Lions. Groza was playing with cracked ribs in the 1952 championship loss, and he missed three field goals. Groza set a record in 1953 when he made 23 field goals and had an 88.5% success rate, a single-season mark that stood for 28 years. He made the Pro Bowl again in 1952 and 1953, and was a first-team All-Pro selection both years.

The Browns came back in 1954 to win another championship. That year, Groza was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player by Sporting News. Cleveland won the championship again in 1955, beating the Rams 38–14. Groza was named to the Pro Bowl and sportswriters' All-Pro teams in 1954 and 1955.

Hurt by Graham's retirement before the season, Cleveland had its first-ever losing season in 1956. Groza's kicking continued to be a strength through the ensuing three years: he reached the Pro Bowl in 1957, 1958 and 1959, and tied Sam Baker for league leader in points scored in 1957. Cleveland reached the championship game in 1957 but lost to the Lions. The Browns lost to the New York Giants in a single-elimination playoff in 1958, and failed to reach the postseason in 1959. Groza sat out after the 1959 season due to a back injury and was presumed to be retired. While his kicking was his most visible contribution to the team, Groza was also an offensive tackle up until his injury, when Brown replaced him with Dick Schafrath. "Lou never got all the credit he deserved for his tackle play, probably because his great kicking skills got him more notoriety," Andy Robustelli, a defensive end who played against Groza, later said.

Groza took 1960 off and did some scouting for the team. He also focused on an insurance business he started. "I was 36 and I thought I had retired," he said. The following year, however, he came back to the team at the urging of Art Modell, who bought the Browns that year. Not wanting to use a roster spot on a kicking specialist (Groza's back injury prevented him from playing on the line), Brown had signed Sam Baker to kick and play halfback. But Groza was eager to return and Modell insisted. Groza stayed with the team as a placekicker until 1967, and was on a Browns team that won the 1964 championship. Groza scored the first points in that game on a third-quarter field goal. He also kicked four kickoffs more than 70 yards (64 m) and out of the Baltimore Colts end zone, preventing a return. Cleveland won 27–0.

When Groza retired for good in 1968 after 21 seasons in professional football, he held NFL career records for points scored, field goals made and extra points made. He had 234 field goals, 641 extra points and 1,349 total points in the NFL. Counting his AAFC years, his career point total was 1,603. He was the last of the original Browns still on the team. Groza, who was 44 years old when he quit the game, said in his memoir that retiring was "the saddest day of my football life." His top salary was $50,000 in his final year.