Thursday, September 5, 2024

Cleveland Browns vs Packers Ad – 1954

The Cleveland Browns open their 2024 regular season this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. The team has already met the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks in preseason games.

Seventy years ago (!) the Browns also met the Packers in the first preseason game. Above you see the ad that appeared in the Lorain Journal on August 20, 1954 promoting the game.

It's interesting seeing that the game was going to be broadcast on WGAR. It seems that the Browns games were on 1100 WWWE for so many years that I thought it was always their home. But the radio home changed many times over the decades. Even now, I seem to forget that the games are on 850 The Fan.

Radio announcers for the 1954 season were Bill McColgan (who called Browns games from 1954 - 1960) and play-by-play man Ken Coleman (father of Emmy Award-winning sports anchor Casey Coleman).

Note the sponsor of the games: Carling's Black Label Beer, a favorite topic on this blog and – when I can find it – a favorite beer in my fridge.