Cleveland Crows

Cleveland has had a turbulent history to say the least. They began their journey in 1920 as the Akron Rubber Kings, the company team of the Whitmarsh Rubber & Tire Company, They were a barnstorming team for a few years before joining the MWFC in 1926, taking the runner-up position before winning their first trophy a year later, and gained another piece of silverware a few years later in 1932. However, that was the beginning of the downfall for them. They could never duplicate the success of their early hayday, and fell into a constant state of championship hangover. The Great Depression didn’t help them out either, as less fans started showing up along with the lack of their success. The Rubber Kings met a dramatic end during the 1936 rubber strikes, with Whitmarsh withdrawing the team from the 1936 season with no anticipation of bringing them back in the future. However, oil executive Ike Schwann bought the team off of Whitmarsh’s hands and moved them to his hometown of Cleveland. People called him crazy for moving the Rubber Kings to Cleveland, calling it a death sentence for the dying team. Schwann was still deciding what to name the team, and went with what people were calling them even before they hit the field again. And thus, the Cleveland Crows were born. His investment worked off, as they made 4 straight Bradshaw Cups, finally winning their first title in Cleveland on their final attempt in 1943. Currently, the Crows play out of Municipal Stadium, seating 37,707 fans.


Those days of success for the Crows are behind them, but still remain relatively solid. QB Ray Hoffman was the main man for their run during the early 40’s, but now he’s on the wrong side of 35. RB Tom McGee is the current lead back, but he’s definitely not the long-term option for the team. WRs Lonnie Ware and Peter Crouch are solid options, but their ages are beginning to show, especially the latter who is currently 32. WR Christopher Walsh is their third option at wideout, but he’s not near the caliber of the other two receivers. Their defense is slightly better than their offense, with their defensive line being one of the better ones in a league. DL’s Leon Costa and Glen Conrad are nearing the end of their prime, but are still solid players. Their linebacking core is pretty average (and old), with their best 2 are Stuart Sloan and Karl Stark, both at age 35. Their secondary is young and solid though, with DB’s Jerry Pruitt and Nicholas Lamb both at 22 and still show plenty of potential. Ike Schwann is still coaching the team like he was when he bought it, but he’s no football genius and many are demanding he step down and have someone else lead the Crows back to the promised land. But for now, they are very much average and don’t really have any expectations put upon them. 


Cleveland’s logo is a perched crow on a football with an arched “Cleveland” above it. They originally were going to be dark purple and white, but Schwann didn’t like any of the darker shades of purple and went with a black and white color scheme. He wanted the team to be unique, so he kept the 4-stripe design and striping mismatch from the former Rubber Kings.

 

Brand:

1950-1953


 
1954-present (TV Numbers added 1955)
  



 

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