Customer Reviews

When All the World Was Browns Town: Cleveland's Browns and the Championship Season of '64

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Award-winning Akron Beacon Journal sportswriter Terry Pluto's latest work is When All The World Was Browns Town. It discusses the 1964 Cleveland Browns, the last Cleveland champion in one of the four major professional sports. Pluto is one of the most gifted sportswriters working today, and the calibre of the writing in this book, like The Curse of Rocky Colavito, is a fine example of his work. It is far better written than the average sports book, in part because Pluto, like David Halberstam, does a fine job of digging up how the people involved saw the events he discusses. One thing I did not care for about the book is that it takes too much of the season itself as a given. The season up until the playoffs only rates one chapter, for example. For those who grew up in Cleveland and remember the season, that's probably sufficient, but I would have liked more focus on it. It's also somewhat unorthodox and anticlimactic to have the title game discussion come in the middle of the book and not the end, and the brief discussion of the 1965 season comes off as whiny and does not give the outstanding '65 Packers the respect they are due. There's much more that is good than bad here, however. Pluto is masterful as usual at showing how different people saw the same events differently. He handles the discussion of Paul Brown well, and did a good job of getting Art Modell's perspective even as he is (rightly) critical of him for moving the Browns to Baltimore. In short, I think any football fan would enjoy this book, and those who remember the '64 Browns firsthand won't be able to put it down.

For me, the acid test of books like these is whether they manage to engage the neutral. Certainly Browns fans will enjoy this pleasant wallow in nostalgia from a time when football was still football.

I'm not a Browns fan but I found myself wallowing along with them. Pluto manages to capture the essence of the '64 season and yet not neglect the wider context. Fascinating stuff.

This book brings back many memories of life and football in 1964 (not necessarily in that order!). The town of Aurora, Ohio was where Cleveland Browns Coach Blanton Collier, Asst. Coach Fritz Heisler, and GM Harol Sauerbrei lived as well as star players Bernie Parrish, Gary Collins and Dick Schafrath. In the Fall of 1964, Aurora High School's footbal was undefeated, the Ohio State Buckeyes were Big 10 Champs, and our beloved Browns were World Champions. Folks in Aurora, and Ohio in general, lived and breathed football. Especially for a then high school sophomore like me, this book brings back wonderful memories of an era as well as of a great football team. If you loved the Browns, you'll love the book!

This is another one of author Terry Pluto's books that is on point. It is written with the knowledge that the author has of local sports. He has his finger on the pulse of Northeast Ohio sports fans. His viewpoint and analysis is on target. A great read. GO BROWNS!

Item was received in even better condition than expected. Great book. Highly recommend the book and the seller.

What a book! It takes you back in time to when the Browns were not only part of the fabric of Ohio, but also the team that captured every heart. The section on the training camp and the players sneaking off to a local gas station is worth the price of the book alone. It was a special time and this book captures it beautifully.

I read it, loved it, and gave it to my Dad and he practically read it in one night.

I was a huge Browns' fan growing up, even though I lived about 5 hours away from Cleveland. When the Browns lost on a Sunday, I had a miserable week and couldn't wait until 1 o'clock the next Sunday. Ah, the joy of growing up.

I learned a lot about the Browns that I never knew before about Paul Brown, Art Modell, Blanton Collier and the whole team. What memories it brought back. If you were a fan of that era by all means read this book.

Five years ago upon visiting the midwest I stopped in Cleveland to see a game and visit Jacobs Field. That Sunday morning I drove out to see the remains of League Park because that's where the Browns had their practices. League Park is arguably in the worse part of any town that I've ever visited a ballpark (and I've seen 150-200), but boy was it worth it. Too bad so little remains of the ballpark, but I have a baseball book describing and picturing League Park.

Pluto has done it again. This book, especially the second half, is a must-read for any Browns fan. Pluto's compelling take on the last Cleveland championship is loaded with information that cannot be found elsewhere. If you're a Browns fan, this book, if nothing else, needs to be in your collection.

A great look back for Browns fans, especially those of us who were just little kids the last time the Browns won the championship. The players tell why the '64 team was so close and so successful, and it is interesting to see what happended to the players since then -- especially since few made a lifetime's worth of money in their playing days like today's players do -- these guys actually had to go out and get a job and a career when they retired from football. Maybe that's why these great players are remembered so fondly -- they were just like us expect they could take the field for us on Sundays too. Fond memories for Browns fans who miss their heroes on Sundays, and a good book for general football fans who want to know what made a great team click.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ IN MY ENTIRE LIFE