In a Browns season filled with uncertainty, one thing is certain — fans still love Jim Brown and cling to the greatness he brought to the field.
All it took was a glimpse of the 80-year-old former running back making his way to the Browns-logoed cloth covering his statue at FirstEnergy Stadium’s University Hospitals gate for the fans who gathered some three hours before kickoff to erupt into cheers.
One man yelled, “Touchdown Jimmy Brown” while a woman shouted, “We love you, Jimmy.”
With one hand resting on an ornate cane, Brown gave the adoring crowd a quick wave.
The importance of the day — this is the first statue of a Browns player ever put up at the stadium — was not lost on the dozens of other former Browns players gathered for the team’s home opener and alumni weekend.
Even Browns coach Hue Jackson broke from his pregame routine and left the locker room to duck outside of the stadium to attend the ceremony.
“[Jim] is not only the greatest Cleveland Brown of all time, but the greatest NFL player of all time,” said Browns owner Jimmy Haslam.
And that is no hype as Brown’s stats as a Cleveland Brown have stood the test of time.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer finished his career with 12,312 rushing yards and one of the top per-carry averages (5.2) ever established by a running back.
Drafted in the first round in 1957, Brown earned nine consecutive Pro Bowl honors and led the team to the postseason four times, including three berths in the league championship and the 1964 world title.
An eight-time first-team All-Pro, he led the NFL in rushing during eight of his nine NFL seasons and became the franchise’s all-time career leader in rushing yards, attempts and touchdowns.
The Browns retired his No. 32 when he retired in 1965 to pursue an acting career.
While Hollywood called, Brown stayed connected with the Browns over the years mentoring young players, the team’s coaches and owners and working with Cleveland youth.
Looking at the statue that is about as impressive as he is, standing some 11 feet tall and weighing more than 2,000 pounds, Brown joked that it is a fair “representation” of him.
“This is a fantastic moment for me,” he said. “It is a great moment because I feel it throughout my body, particularly my heart, my mind.”
The statue was created by Lakewood artist David Deming who said he spent about three hours with Brown and pored over countless photos of the Browns legend to get it right.
“The whole time I was talking at him, I was checking his ears,” Deming said in a video shown at the unveiling.
Brown said he is honored by the tribute, but, like playing in the NFL, the accomplishments in his life have been a team effort — from fellow running back Ernie Green throwing blocks to those he has worked shoulder to shoulder with to end the cycle of violence on the streets of Cleveland.
“This represents one of the highest moments of my life, because when I look at the audience, about 95 percent of the people I know personally, and most of them I know through the work that they do and the work that I do and the work that we do together in the community to make it a better community.
“And that’s a fabulous kind of thing to feel — the diversity,” he added. “The ones who have the money, that have put up their money. The ones who work in the community and risk their lives.”
Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3547.