Welcome to Cleveland, rookies! With rookie minicamp beginning Friday, you no doubt have a lot on your minds. There are plays to learn, teammates to meet, and coaches to impress.

There is also a franchise to learn about.

We forgive you if you don't know a lot about the Browns beyond the recent futility. Their championship legacy came before Super Bowls.

But don't worry. We're here to help. This slideshow contains information that every Browns rookie should know about the team.

Next slide: Why are they called the Browns?

Browns 101: What rookies should know

By Scott Patsko

cleveland.com

May 12, 2016

Plain Dealer/Associated Press photos

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Why are they called the Browns?

There has been debate over this. The popular answer is that the team is named after its first coach, Paul Brown. But another story says it’s named after boxer Joe Louis, aka The Brown Bomber.

Fans wanted to name the team the Panthers after a contest in 1946, but that was rejected due to its ties to an earlier, failed franchise.

Oh, and about the little Brownie Elf you might have seen. It was a marketing tool in the 1940s that was reborn when throwback apparel became popular.

Next slide: Who was Paul Brown?

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Who was Paul Brown?

He was the father of modern football. Not only did he build the Browns dynasty of the 1940s, 50s and early 60s, he was also an innovator.

He was the first to use game film, the first to use a playbook, and even invented the facemask. You should really check out this short video on Brown's legacy on YouTube.

Next slide: Who is Jim Brown?

(Plain Dealer file photo of Brown, right, with quarterback Otto Graham.)

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Who is Jim Brown?

He’s the greatest running back of all time. We also accept “Greatest living Cleveland Brown.” You’ll see him around.

He played nine years, was part of Cleveland’s last major sports championship (1964) and retired as the league’s all-time leading rusher.

He’s ninth on the all-time rushing list now. But keep in mind that he played when the season was 12 (and later 14) games long.

Next slide: Why is it called the Dawg Pound?

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Why is it called the Dawg Pound?

Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield were DBs for the Browns. In the mid-1980s, Dixon began calling the defense “Dawgs.” Barking ensued.

Once fans got wind of that, the section behind one of the end zones at old Municipal Stadium became the Dawg Pound, featuring costumed characters and the occasional dog biscuit (or battery) projectile.

When the new stadium was built, the Dawg Pound remained.

Next slide: Why do fans hate the Ravens?

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Why do fans hate the Ravens?

Simply put, the Ravens used to be the Browns. Team owner Art Modell moved the franchise after the 1995 season (which featured a young Bill Belichick as head coach, by the way). That left Cleveland without a football team until 1999.

So, as you can imagine, there is some animosity there for the fans.

Next slide: Who is the Browns biggest rival?

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Who is the Browns' biggest rival?

The Steelers. Yes, the Bengals are also in Ohio, and there’s the backstory with the Ravens, but the Steelers have always been enemy No. 1.

The rivalry was born mostly out of proximity and similarities between the cities. But this hasn’t been a competitive rivalry in a long time. To make matters worse, Steelers fans are all over Northeast Ohio, and usually swarm FirstEnergy Stadium when the Steelers visit.

Next slide: What is Red Right 88?

(Photo by John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

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What is Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble?

We name our misery here. Red Right 88 was the play call that resulted in a late-game interception in the 1980 playoffs, ending the run of a team dubbed the Kardiac Kids.

The Drive was John Elway’s 98-yard fourth-quarter drive to tie the 1986 AFC Championship Game, which the Broncos won with a questionable field goal in OT.

The Fumble was a fourth-quarter fumble by running back Earnest Byner near the goal line with 1:12 remaining in the 1987 AFC Championship Game, denying the Browns the tying score.

Sadly, despite the Browns’ pre-Super Bowl dynasty, those three plays have become the franchise’s legacy.

Next slide: Who is Bernie Kosar?

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Who is Bernie Kosar?

Before LeBron James came home, Bernie Kosar came home. A product of Boardman, Ohio (near Youngstown), Kosar quarterbacked Miami to a national title in 1983.

He became a hero here by leading the Browns to AFC title games in 1986, 1987 and 1989. Belichick cut him in 1993, citing “diminishing skills,” but he remains one of the franchises’ most-loved players.

Next slide: Why you want to play here.

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Why you want to play in Cleveland

Sure, the Browns haven’t won in a long time, and people across the country make fun of the franchise.

But nowhere else would the payoff for success be greater. You win here, you’ll be a legend. You win here, we’ll write songs about you like we did in the 1980s.

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