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The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The Browns play their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium, with administrative offices and training facilities in Berea, Ohio. The Browns' official colors are brown, orange and white. They are unique among the 32 member franchises of the NFL in that they do not have a helmet logo.
The Cleveland Browns were founded in 1945 by businessman Arthur B. McBride and coach Paul Brown as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Cleveland Browns dominated the AAFC, compiling a 47–4–3 record in the league's four active seasons and winning its championship in each of them. When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, the Browns joined the National Football League along with the San Francisco 49ers and the original Baltimore Colts. The Browns won a championship in their inaugural NFL season, as well as in the 1954, 1955, and 1964 seasons. From 1965 to 1995, they made the playoffs 14 times, but have never won another championship or appeared in the Super Bowl.
In 1995, owner Art Modell, who had purchased the Browns in 1961, announced plans to move the team to Baltimore, Maryland. After threats of legal action from the city of Cleveland and fans, a compromise was reached in early 1996 that allowed Modell to establish the Baltimore Ravens as a new franchise while retaining the contracts of all Browns personnel. The Browns' intellectual property, including team name, logos, training facility, and history, were kept in trust and the franchise was regarded by the NFL as suspended. A new team would be established by 1999 either by expansion or relocation. The Browns were announced as an expansion team in 1998 and resumed play in 1999.
Since resuming operations in 1999, the Cleveland Browns have struggled to find success. They have had only two winning seasons in 2002 and in 2007, one playoff appearance in 2002, and no postseason wins. To date, the Browns' overall win-loss record since their NFL return is 87–185.