GARY-COLLINS-FRANK-RYAN-1964.JPG

Cleveland Browns quarterback Frank Ryan passes to Gary Collins (86) for a touchdown during a 33-33 tie with the St. Louis Cardinals in Cleveland Stadium on Sept. 20, 1964.

(Marvin M. Greene, The Plain Dealer)

Jim Brown ran for 114 yards, Lou Groza kicked two field goals and the Cleveland Browns shutout the highest scoring team in the league in defeating the Baltimore Colts to win the 1964 NFL championship on this day, Dec., 27, of 1964.

Long-time Browns beat writer Charles "Chuck" Heaton, in his account of the game, described it as "what well may be the best performance ever in the sparkling history of this football club."

The star for the Colts' powerful offense, John Unitas, was held to 95 yards passing, completing 12 of 20 attempts. Meanwhile, Gary Collins caught three touchdown passes from Frank Ryan for the Browns.

This is the 17th installment in a season-long series on cleveland.com - This Day in Browns History. We'll do what the current Cleveland Browns can't possibly do, guarantee a victory every week as we dig into the files of Browns history.

Enjoy the stories for the game memories, the player names you may recognize, and - especially with the older stories - the writing styles as sports reporting has changed over the years.

Curious about other games? Try out our online database that will connect you to all other Cleveland Browns game stories since the beginning of the franchise in 1946.

Browns Capture Crown, 27-0

December 27, 1964

By Charles Heaton

Plain Dealer Reporter

There can't be any doubters left this morning.

The Browns are the National Football League champions after what well may be the best performance ever in the sparkling history of this football club.

They stifled the Baltimore Colts, highest scoring team in the league this season, 27-0, before 79,544 on a windy, chilly afternoon at the stadium yesterday.

Underdogs by seven points at the kickoff, the Browns put 17 points on the board after a scoreless first half. And they added 10 more in the final quarter as visiting press box "experts" shook their heads and Baltimore rooters packed their bugles away and headed for the exits.

This was a Browns' team that decided it would prove something. And the players, who soon will be wearing rings designating them as the best performers in pro football, did it with a tremendous team effort.

Browns fans mob quarterback Frank Ryan he leaves field after the 1964 championship game in Cleveland Stadium.

Gary Collins set a title game record with three touchdown catches in one game. Frank Ryan, a quarterback who has arrived, threw those three passes in paving the way to the Browns' fourth NFL crown.

AND LOU GROZA, who'll be celebrating his 41st birthday soon and has been on three other NFL title teams, kicked field goals of 42 and 10 yards.

Jim Brown established the needed ball control by carrying 27 times and gaining 114 yards. The fullback, usually a quiet man but bubbling over as he accepted congratulations, also caught three important passes.

These fellows were great and so was the offensive line but full measure of credit must go to the defense. It had given up plenty of yardage this season and the players had been reading and hearing that John Unitas, the Colts' fine quarterback, would find soft pickings.

UNITAS, a very unhappy fellow in the dressing room, completed 12 of 20 passes but for only 95 yards. His longest was a 23-yard effort to Ray Berry and it came in the first quarter.

A passer usually worries about avoiding blitzing linebackers or defensive backs. John's trouble came primarily from the up-front four - Bill Glass and Paul Wiggin at the ends, Dick (Little Mo) Modzelewski and Jim Kanicki at the tackles.

This quartet wasn't highly regarded in some quarters but it overpowered the Baltimore line and forced Unitas to hurry his throws or run himself. The strong rush was demonstrated early with the quarterback being forced to carry the football on his first four aerial attempts.

Kanicki, who had big troubles early this season, did a masterful job of controlling Jim Parker, and the former Ohio State star is regarded as the top offensive lineman in the game.

Lou Groza shows his kicking style in 1966.

WITH THE LINE working so well, the linebackers were able to aid the defensive backs who played what Bernie Parrish, the cornerback and signal caller, described as a "crowding defense."

This strategy worked so well that the Colts' deepest penetration was to the Cleveland 19 in the opening seconds of the second quarter. Then Bob Boyd juggled the pass from center and Lou Michaels didn't even get the chance to kick the ball on the field goal call.

That was the closest the Colts, who wilted completely as the Browns exploded in the third quarter, came to scoring.

The Cleveland defense came through with two interceptions by Vince Costello in the second quarter and Walter Beach in the fourth period. Modzelewski and Wiggin also pounced on Baltimore fumbles to halt threats.

DESPITE THE FACT that he had a hand heavily encased in a cast, Galen Fiss played what must be the finest game of his career. The captain and linebacker from Kansas made tackles that rattled the teeth of fans in Row Z.

And if there was any doubt about this defensive showing being a team effort it was dispelled in the jam-packed Cleveland dressing room. You'd congratulate Larry Benz and he'd mention Jim Houston. Houston would mention Ross Fichtner and Ross would mention Vince Costello.

So it went right down the line.

THAT ABORTIVE field goal try by Michaels was the only scoring chance either team really had the first half. Paul Warfield held to one catch by the double teaming of the Colts, slipped on a Ryan aerial intercepted by Don Shinnick at the Baltimore 10.

Then came the start of the second half and the Browns, aided by a strong northeast wind at their backs, took charge. They forced a Baltimore punt and when the attack was halted, Groza lofted his 43-yard field goal. It was his eighth field goal in NFL playoffs.

The Cleveland defense shut off Unitas again and took over the ball on the Browns' 32. Jim Brown gained four yards and then turned the left corner and galloped 46 yards to the visitor's 18-yard line.

Ryan, who wound up the joyous afternoon with 11 completions in 18 attempts for 206 yards, immediately fired to Collins for 18 yards and the touchdown.

CLEVELAND followers at this point decided that an upset was in the making. They were sure moments later when Ryan again hit Collins. Somehow the flanker came out clean, with defensive backs Jerry Logan and Boyd pounding their helmets in frustration.

Gary took the ball about the 15 and could have sauntered into paydirt to complete the 42-yard touchdown pass.

Groza's second extra point completed the third-period uprising but the Browns were at the Baltimore 14 as the last quarter started. Warfield's lone catch took the ball to the one but three smashes by Jim Brown failed to dent the tough Colts' defense.

SO THE TOE hiked the margin to 20-0 with a field goal. Three touchdowns and the extra points could have won for Baltimore with time left but that Browns' defense wanted a whitewash.

Cleveland again took the football and Ryan, instead of playing conservatively, went to the air. And Collins made a tremendous grab of a long pass for 51 yards for the touchdown that finished off the rout.

Gary, the third-year flanker from Maryland, finished with 130 yards for his five catches.

STATISTICS don't always tell the story but in this 32nd annual NFL title bout, they gave a clear picture. The Browns made 339 total net yards to 171 for the vaunted Colts' offense. They piled up 20 first downs to 11 for the Maryland club.

And perhaps most importantly of all, the figures show that Blanton Collier's team was able to establish and maintain ball control.

The Browns had the football for 41 rushing plays as compared to 25 for Baltimore, overall it was 60-45. It was almost perfect execution of the game plan with that superb defense holding the fort until the offensive probing produced results.

AND IT WAS Jim Brown's 46-yard dash, a sweep of left end and cutback to the middle behind fine blocking, that first loosened up the Baltimore defense in the third period.

Now it's on to the Pro Bowl game, to be played a week from Sunday in Los Angeles, for some of the Browns and Collier. Others soon will be going to homes far from Cleveland.

All are expected back at Hiram College for training next summer.

And as we said in our Christmas Day column to the team - "Good luck in the College All-Star game."