Chuck Bown Final years
When did chuck browns final years begin?
When did chuck bowns final years begin?
In 1994, Bown moved back up to the Cup series, driving the No. 12 Ford Thunderbird for Bobby Allison. He won the pole for the Food City 500, setting a new track record. He was seriously injured in a wreck at Pocono Raceway which sidelined him for the season.  Bown returned to racing in 1995 in four Busch races, finishing ninth at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the No. 05 Key Motorsports Ford. He competed in nine Cup races in the No. 32 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Active Motorsports, his best finish a 21st at Charlotte. In 1996, Bown drove for a variety of teams in the Busch Series, his best finish 21st at Darlington Raceway. He drove the Sadler Brothers Racing' No. 95 Ford in three Winston Cup Series events but only finished one race.  In 1997, Bown began racing in the Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 99 Ford F-150 for Roush Racing. Despite not winning a race, he had four top-fives and finished ninth in the standings. The next season, Bown qualified on the pole at the season opener at Walt Disney World Speedway, but finished 25th. After that race, he was released from Roush due to downsizing. He movted to the No. 57 CSG Motorsports Ford driving in six events before being released. He ended the season driving the No. 67 Chevrolet Silverado in a pair of races, finishing seventeenth at Phoenix.  In 1999, Bown returned to Hensley to drive their No. 63 Chevrolet. Despite a seventh-place finish at Charlotte, Bown was released from the team halfway into the season, and soon retired. CANNOTANSWER
In 1994, Bown moved back up to the Cup series, driving the No. 12 Ford Thunderbird for Bobby Allison.
Richard Charles "Chuck" Bown Jr. (born February 22, 1954) is a former NASCAR champion. His last ride came in 1999. He lives with his wife in Asheboro, North Carolina. He is the brother of former fellow NASCAR competitor Jim Bown.

1970s 
Bown made his NASCAR debut in 1972 in the Winston Cup Series. At the age of seventeen, he ran the Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway the No. 27 Plymouth owned by his father Dick. Bown started 22nd but finished 32nd that day after crashing on lap 88. Bown made 2 more starts in the No. 27 that year, with his best finish being fourteenth at the second Riverside race.

In 1973, Bown returned to the Winston Cup Series driving his father's No. 03 Dodge, finishing in the top-10 for the first time in his career at the Tuborg 400 at Riverside. In 1974, Bown again competed in the three California races on the Winston Cup Series schedule, the two events at Riverside as well as at Ontario Motor Speedway. His best finish was 20th. In 1976, Bown began driving for Gerald Cracker, driving the No. 01 Chevrolet in four races, and the No. 03 at Riveside, where he had his best finish. Bown was named the Most Popular Driver of the Year in the NASCAR Winston West Series in 1977. In 1979, Bown drove Jim Testa's No. 68 Buick and Chevrolet in 7 Winston Cup events. He scored a 7th-place finish in the Daytona 500 and a 6th-place finish in the Firecracker 400. He drove eleven races for the next two years for different owners, but did not reach the top-ten.

1986–1993 
In 1986, Bown returned to NASCAR, running in the Busch Series. His first start came at the Goody's 300, where he started 28th but finished 40th after wrecking his No. 67 Buick early in the race. He made his only other start of the year at the Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway, where he's started 13th and won his first career Busch race. The following season, Bown ran three races in the No. 7/56 Pontiac, but did not finish a race.

In 1989, Bown ran his first full season in Busch driving the No. 63 Pontiac at Lanier Speedway and at South Boston Speedway. He finished the season with 5 top-5s and 12 top-10s wound up ninth in the championship standings. The following year, Bown won six races and four poles. He had a total of thirteen top-fives and won the Busch Series championship over Jimmy Hensley by 200 points. That same season, he returned to the Cup series, running three races in the No. 97 Pontiac for Tex Powell, his best finish 23rd at the Atlanta Journal 500.

In 1991, Bown won three times and garnered four poles, but dropped 4th in the Busch Series points. He made one Winston Cup start driving Cale Yarborough's No. 66 Pontiac at North Wilkesboro Speedway where he finished 26th. The following season, Bown failed to win a race and had only five top-five finishes, and dropped to eleventh in the standings. In 1993, Bown won his final career pole at Richmond International Raceway and won his final race at Martinsville Speedway. He recorded 5 top-5s and 13 top-10s en route to a fourth-place points finish. He made one Winston Cup start driving the Roulo Brothers' No. 39 Chevrolet at Phoenix, finishing 24th.

Final years 

In 1994, Bown moved back up to the Cup series, driving the No. 12 Ford Thunderbird for Bobby Allison. He won the pole for the Food City 500, setting a new track record. He was seriously injured in a wreck at Pocono Raceway which sidelined him for the season.

Bown returned to racing in 1995 in four Busch races, finishing ninth at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the No. 05 Key Motorsports Ford.  He competed in nine Cup races in the No. 32 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Active Motorsports, his best finish a 21st at Charlotte. In 1996, Bown drove for a variety of teams in the Busch Series, his best finish 21st at Darlington Raceway. He drove the Sadler Brothers Racing' No. 95 Ford in three Winston Cup Series events but only finished one race.

In 1997, Bown began racing in the Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 99 Ford F-150 for Roush Racing. Despite not winning a race, he had four top-fives and finished ninth in the standings. The next season, Bown qualified on the pole at the season opener at Walt Disney World Speedway, but finished 25th. After that race, he was released from Roush due to downsizing. He moved to the No. 57 CSG Motorsports Ford driving in six events before being released. He ended the season driving the No. 67 Chevrolet Silverado in a pair of races, finishing seventeenth at Phoenix.

In 1999, Bown returned to Hensley to drive their No. 63 Chevrolet. Despite a seventh-place finish at Charlotte, Bown was released from the team halfway into the season, and soon retired.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

Daytona 500 results

Busch Series

Craftsman Truck Series

Awards 
Bown was inducted in the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in 2009 along with Wayne Spears, Doug George, and Rick Carelli.

References

External links 
 
Speedway Media profile

Living people
1954 births
Racing drivers from Portland, Oregon
NASCAR drivers
CARS Tour drivers
NASCAR Xfinity Series champions
The 1999 Cleveland Browns season was the Browns 51st season overall and 47th in the NFL. It marked the return of professional football to the city of Cleveland, Ohio for the first time since the 1995 season, when the franchise was temporarily deactivated following the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy, which ultimately established the Baltimore Ravens. Officially, the Browns are considered a continuation of the previous franchise, as the history and colors of the team remained in Cleveland. The franchise was still alive as a legal entity between 1996 and 1998 and its assets kept in a trust managed by the NFL until Al Lerner became the owner in 1998. The Browns, however, in 1999 were treated as an "expansion team" by having an expansion draft and receiving the number one overall draft pick. 

The Browns' offense and defense both finished in the bottom of the league. The Browns scored 217 points and gained 3,762 yards of total offense, both last in the NFL. The Browns allowed 437 points and gave up 6,046 yards, ranking 29th and 31st, respectively.

Season information
During the course of the 1995 season, then-Browns owner Art Modell announced his decision to move the Browns to Baltimore. Modell's new team would begin playing in the 1996 season. It would be the first time since 1935 that Cleveland would be left without an existing football team and the first time since 1943 without a team playing, when the Cleveland Rams suspended operation for one year, so the other teams could have enough players during World War II.

However, many Browns fans and Cleveland city officials were determined to keep the team in Cleveland, and orchestrated a grassroots movement to keep the team in Cleveland. The NFL responded by working with city officials, and the two parties came to a unique agreement which would provide the city with a brand-new, state-of-the-art stadium and would promise the return of professional football to Cleveland by the beginning of the 1999 season. Modell also agreed to relinquish the Browns' name, colors and team history to the new owner of the Browns. Modell's new team would begin playing in the 1996 season as the Baltimore Ravens.

While the Browns' new stadium was being built on the site of the old Cleveland Stadium, the foundation of the front office was being set in place. Al Lerner won a bidding war for the new team for $750 million. Lerner hired former San Francisco 49ers front office staffers Carmen Policy and Dwight Clark as the Browns' president and vice president.

Football finally returned to Cleveland on September 12 when the Browns opened the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home; Cleveland native Drew Carey was present and gave a rousing pre-game speech. However, the fans were sorely disappointed as the Browns were defeated by the Steelers 43–0. The team would go on to lose their first seven games, but finally in week 8 of their inaugural season the "New Browns" got their first ever win over the New Orleans Saints.  From the Browns' 42-yard line Tim Couch squared up and threw a Hail Mary pass that was tipped in the endzone by Saints defenders but then caught by the Browns' Kevin Johnson. The dramatic game-winning touchdown play happened in the last two seconds of the game, causing the final score to be 21–16. Two weeks later, the Browns defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh, 16–15, for their second and final win of the year.

The Browns finished the season 2–14—sixth in the AFC Central. It was, at the time, the worst record that the Browns had ever compiled at the end of a season. Since then, the Browns finished with worse records in 2016 and 2017.  The Browns did not win a home game throughout the season.

Draft

1999 NFL Draft

Expansion Draft

Players selected from other teams in the Cleveland Expansion Draft, in order of selection.

^ Made roster.

Personnel

Staff

Final roster

Preseason

Hall of Fame Game
 Cleveland Browns 20, Dallas Cowboys 17 (Overtime)

Regular season

Schedule

Season summary

Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

After being deactivated for three seasons, the Cleveland Browns returned to the NFL, playing their first game since December 24, 1995 and first home game since December 17, 1995. The game was featured on ESPN Sunday Night Football and a pre-game speech was given by comedian Drew Carey, a Cleveland native. The celebration would be short-lived as the Steelers would shutout the Browns 43–0. The Browns would finish the game with only 40 yards of total offense and committed four turnovers and had a time of possession of just 12:11.

Week 2: at Tennessee Titans

Kicker Phil Dawson made a 41-yard field goal in the second quarter, scoring the Browns' first points of the season. Cleveland would score its first touchdown of the season in the third quarter, with a 39-yard pass from Tim Couch to Kevin Johnson.

Week 3: at Baltimore Ravens

This was the first meeting between the reactivated Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens, the latter of which previously played in Cleveland as the Browns from 1946 to 1995 before a controversial relocation. As a compromise by the NFL, the Browns were officially deactivated in 1996 while the team in Baltimore was considered an expansion team. The game would be a defensive battle with poor offensive performance, as both teams committed three turnovers. The Browns, down by seven with 2:34 to go, had the ball and were looking to tie the game, but Tim Couch threw an interception to Chris McAlister. The Ravens would run out the clock to win the game.

Week 8: at New Orleans Saints

The 0–7 Browns headed to New Orleans to take on the 1–6 Saints. The Saints would score first, with quarterback Billy Joe Hobert throwing a five yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Keith Poole. The Browns would respond midway through the second quarter with fullback Marc Edwards on a 27-yard catch-and-run from Tim Couch to tie the game at 7–7. New Orleans kicker Doug Brien made a 49-yard field goal in the waning seconds of the first half to put the Saints up 10–7. Cleveland would take its first lead of the game with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Couch to wide receiver Kevin Johnson in the third quarter. Brien would make two more field goals, giving the Saints a 16–14 lead with just 0:21 left in the game. Cleveland started the final drive at its own 25-yard line, needing to score a touchdown in under 15 seconds to win the game. On the first play, Couch's pass to wide receiver Darrin Chiaverini fell incomplete, being broken up by Willie Clay. The next play, Couch completed a 19-yard pass to Leslie Shepherd to the Cleveland 44-yard line. Head coach Chris Palmer would immediately call a timeout with just 0:02 left. Down to the Browns' last chance for a win, Couch would heave up a 56-yard Hail Mary that was caught by Johnson in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. With the last-second win, the Browns got their first victory since being reactivated and was the franchise's first win since December 17, 1995.

The Browns had 243 yards of total offense and maintained possession of the ball for only 19:10; the Saints had 351 total yards and possessed the ball for 40:50. However, Cleveland only turned the ball over once while New Orleans had five turnovers.

Week 13: at San Diego Chargers

Week 16: vs. Indianapolis Colts

On a cold and windy afternoon, the 2–13 Browns hosted the 12–2 Colts, looking to end the season on a high note. The Browns led for most of the game and were up 28–19 at the beginning of the fourth, but were shutout in the final quarter as the Colts scored ten unanswered points to win 29–28.

Standings

References

 
 
 
 

Cleveland
Cleveland Browns seasons
Cleveland The Cleveland Browns were a charter member club of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) when the league was founded in 1946. From 1946 to 1949, the Browns won each of the league’s four championships. While the National Football League (NFL) does not recognize the Browns’ AAFC championships, the Pro Football Hall of Fame does recognize the team’s championships, which is reflected in this list. When the AAFC folded in 1949, the Browns were absorbed into the NFL in . The Browns went on to win three NFL championships, nearly dominating the NFL in the 1950s, and won one more NFL championship in 1964. The team has yet to appear in a Super Bowl, however. Overall, the team has won eight championships: four in the AAFC, and four in the NFL.

In , then-Browns owner Art Modell made the decision to move the team from Cleveland, Ohio to Baltimore, Maryland. An agreement between the city of Cleveland and the NFL kept the team’s history, name and colors in Cleveland, while Modell’s new team would be regarded as an expansion team. The Baltimore Ravens would begin play in 1996, and the Browns would return to the league in . For record-keeping purposes, the Browns are considered to have suspended operations from 1996 to 1998, which is reflected in this list. In 2017, the Cleveland Browns became the second team in NFL history (2008 Detroit Lions) to suffer a 0-16 record. In 2020, the Browns won their first playoff game since their reactivation in 1999, defeating the division champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round.

Seasons
 For a complete team history, see History of the Cleveland Browns.

Footnotes

References 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Cleveland Browns
Browns Seasons