As members of the 1985 Cleveland Browns team told old stories from their time as players, the room was transported back 40 years. They shared tales of games at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, moments in the Dawg Pound and at training camp at Lakeland Community College, painting the picture for those in attendance about the Browns' 1985 season.
As the Browns celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Dawg Pound, they also honored the 1985 Cleveland Browns team as a part of the festivities of Alumni Weekend. Players from the 1985 team, along with more than 60 other Browns alumni, gathered at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a dinner on Sept. 20.
"It's something that doesn't happen very often, so for us a group, it's really nice to get together and enjoy each other," former running back Kevin Mack said. "We came together as a group of young guys and I think we accomplished more than any of us thought we could, so it's a special group to me."
The 1985 Browns team started a winning culture for Cleveland in the 1980s, reaching the playoffs in the 1985 season. That trip to the playoffs would be the first in a string of five consecutive playoff appearances, including playing in three AFC championship games.
"(Us being back together), it means the organization saw fit to celebrate us again," former running back Earnest Byner said. "They recognized the excellence that was formed by the 1985 team and brought the family unit back together."
Browns radio play-by-play announcer Andrew Siciliano led a panel of Byner, Bob Golic and Hanford Dixon to talk about memories of their time with the team. Byner recalled going to TGI Friday's with the team on Thursdays to hang out with one another. All three talked about going to the houses of their teammates for barbecues and relaxing during the season, helping to naturally build team chemistry.
That chemistry among the 1985 team was one Golic said couldn't be replicated by other teams in the NFL. He recalled trying to recreate the same level of chemistry later in his career but said it wasn't the same as it was in Cleveland.
Dixon told the story of how the iconic barking originated. He talked about needing to get the defensive line energized, so he told them to think about the quarterback as a cat and themselves as dogs. To remind the defensive line of needing to be dogs, Dixon and fellow cornerback Frank Minnifield would bark at them. When the fans heard the team barking, it caught on and led to the creation of the Dawg Pound.
Former kicker Matt Bahr said that the barking and the Dawg Pound became a part of the culture of the 1985 Browns team and recalled how everybody bought into the bark. That season, the Dawg Pound served as a home-field advantage for the Browns. In Sections 118-122 right behind the end zone, the Dawg Pound brought fear to the opposition when they were in front of barking Browns fans. For the Browns players, it was a place to celebrate with the fans after scoring a touchdown or making a big play.
Cleveland used three consecutive wins at Cleveland Municipal Stadium that season to help clinch a playoff berth. Byner said the Dawg Pound helped drive the team to win games on their home field.
"I can remember the fan base and the connection with the fan base, how that served as a motivation factor," Byner said. "Even when we came back from playoff games, whether we won or lost, the fan base was there."
Bahr was among the alumni who made the trip back to Cleveland to be a part of the celebration. He said the event brought back good memories for him, and the stories that were told felt like they just happened yesterday, even though they occurred 40 years ago. However, for Bahr, the celebrations with the 1985 team were also about the members of the team who couldn't be there.
"When Earnest Byner was talking about family and everything else, it's the people who are gone who I miss," Bahr said. "The locker room equipment managers, Bobby Glenn and the strength coach Dave Redding. They were as big a part of the team as anyone and it was a family, but you also recognize that you did work together, and they were a part of your life."
As the celebrations concluded, Executive Vice President and Partner JW Johnson awarded personalized footballs to the 25 alumni from the 1985 team to celebrate their accomplishments. The team will be recognized on Sept. 21 during a pregame moment when the Browns face the Packers in Week 3.
