Brad Craddock

Maryland place kicker Brad Craddock (15) won the Lou Groza Award in 2014. The award is presented annually to college football's best kicker. (Associated Press)

BEREA, Ohio -- Matt Stover's time in Cleveland ended abruptly in 1995 when, as he recalled, an ascending Browns team "had the rug pulled out from under" it with the announcement of the franchise's relocation to Baltimore.

The kicker led the NFL in field-goal percentage a year earlier and was a proud member of the last Browns club to win a playoff game. Stover also is half the answer to a delicious bit of team trivia.

What two former Browns attended the same high school in Dallas? Stover and fan favorite Phil Dawson.

"I actually coached Phil a couple times back home when he was 13 or 14 years old," Stover said in a phone interview. "His father was (our family) accountant. (Dawson is) really good, obviously, and you could see he had the talent back then."

The 48-year-old entrepreneur has another pupil headed to Berea in the form of kicker Brad Craddock, who signed a free-agent deal with the Browns this week. The University of Maryland product and 2014 Lou Groza Award winner will be among those challenging incumbent Travis Coons.

Craddock, an Australian native, went from a converted punter to college football's best kicker two seasons ago with the help of Stover, who began working with him in the 2013 off-season.

Teacher and student were united by a mutual friend, former NFL kicker Michael Husted.

Matt Stover kicked for the Browns from 1991-95 and led the NFL in field-goal accuracy in 1994. (Plain Dealer archive).

Stover raves about Craddock's character and diligence. The youngster didn't have a driver's license, but arranged transportation to make the 45-minute trek to where Stover resides in Maryland. They trained together every three weeks that first year before scaling back lessons as Craddock's results improved.

Recruited as a punter, the former Australian Rules Football player made just 10 of 16 field goals attempts in his freshman year after replacing an injured teammate. With Stover's assistance, he converted 39-of-44 over the next two seasons, including a school-record 57-yarder against Ohio State.

"My first year was pretty rough and once I got Matt Stover as a coach, it sort of started working a bit better and snowballing," Craddock said at the NFL scouting combine. "It's been fun. Definitely a lot of learning curves and things to work on, but it's been good."

Stover, a 20-year NFL veteran and Super Bowl champion with the Ravens, equates mentoring kickers to the work of a golf instructor. Correcting technique is a major part of the job, as is building a kicker's confidence. Stover also stresses the importance of fitness and weight training. He never missed a game during his career.

Unfortunately for Craddock, he was sidelined the final few games of his senior year due to a wrist injury -- he suffered it making a tackle on a kickoff return -- which required surgery.

"When I started working with him, Brad was very raw, but he had a lot of natural ability," Stover said. "It was a matter of fine tuning . . . He deserves all the credit. He understood what he wanted. He wanted to be the best at his craft. I gave him a plan, showed him what it looked like, and he put it to work."

The prospect is working to improve his kickoffs and his strength coming off the wrist injury.

Stover has taught other kickers, including Mayfield graduate Carey Spear, who lost out to Coons in a kicking competition a year ago. Coons finished his first year with the Browns hitting 28 of 32 field-goal tries, but had four late-season kicks blocked, including the infamous Monday nighter in which the Ravens won on the final play with a return for a touchdown.

His longest make was 47 yards and his blocks occurred on longer attempts.

"I just think we have to continue to work on the lift of the football and just the strength of his overall leg," said Browns special teams coordinator Chris Tabor in regards to Coons.

Stover doesn't make many trips to Cleveland, where he played from 1991-95, but he knows Mike Pettine and Hue Jackson from their days as Ravens' assistants.

Serving as an NFL ambassador for the league office of player engagement, Stover addressed Browns players on the topic of fostering a healthy locker-room environment in the wake of the Miami Dolphins' bullying scandal.

Stover, who interned at IMG during his playing days with the Browns, is well-versed in the business world. He's an angel investor and co-founder of the Players' Philanthropy Fund. He also owns a piece of EvoShield Protective Gear.

Working with young kickers is more a labor of love and a way to give back to the game. Craddock had several free-agent options and consulted with Stover, who gave the Browns a good recommendation based on his association with Jackson, respect for Tabor and history with the team.

Stover didn't get to finish what he started in Cleveland because of Art Modell's decision to move the franchise. If Craddock evolves into a Pro Bowl-caliber kicker, however, the fan base will have another reason to offer him thanks.