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The Cleveland Browns dynasty spanned three decades as the franchise collected eight league championships from 1946 to 1964.
There are several notable names from those years on offense like quarterback Otto Graham, running backs Marion Motley and Jim Brown, and wide receivers Dante Lavelli, Mac Speedie and Paul Warfield.
Related: The best player to wear No. 25 in Browns history
One player who flies a bit under the radar but who was a mainstay from 1952 to 1963 is wide receiver Ray Renfro, the choice as the best Cleveland player to wear No. 26 in franchise history.
The Cleveland #Browns starting offense for the 1953 NFL Championship
— Old Time Football (@Ol_TimeFootball) April 5, 2020
LG Abe Gibron
RG Chuck Noll (future #Steelers coach)
LT Lou Groza #HOF
RT John Sandusky
LE Pete Brewster
RE Dante Lavelli #HOF
QB Otto Graham #HOF
HB Ray Renfro
HB Dub Jones
HB Chick Jagade pic.twitter.com/NCxSgkBIYn
Renfro may not have ever put up a monster season - the NFL was still a running league during his career - but he did have four or more touchdown receptions nine times in 12 seasons, was selected to three Pro Bowls, was Top 10 in receiving yards three times, led the NFL in yards per catch in 1955, and was a member of Cleveland’s championship teams in 1953 and 1957.
He also was a threat to run the ball, at least early in his career, as he rushed for 352 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns in 1953, which gave him 1,074 yards from scrimmage and a combined eight touchdowns for the season.
That was the same season when Renfro rushed for a 38-yard touchdown, caught a 60-yard touchdown and threw a 36-yard touchdown pass in a 62-14 rout of the New York Giants in a December game at Cleveland Stadium, making him just one of 11 players in NFL history to achieve that feat.
Taking a look at the franchise’s all-time receiving list shows Renfro at No. 4 in yards (5,508), No. 12 in receptions (281) and No. 4 in touchdown receptions (50).
If not Renfro, then who?
No one really noticed when the Browns signed kick returner Dino Hall in 1979 as an undrafted free agent from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University). But the 5-foot-7 Hall quickly became a fan favorite as a kick returner during his five-year career as fans stayed glued to the game when he was back to return a kick.
Hall is No. 2 on Cleveland’s all-time list with 151 kickoff returns and 3,185 return yards, while also being No. 5 with 111 punt returns and No. 6 with 901 punt return yards.
As electric as he could be, Hall never returned a kick for a touchdown but he did have a 52-yard rushing touchdown against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979 and an 18-yard touchdown reception against the Dallas Cowboys in 1982.
The best of the rest
Safety Sean Jones, who made 44 starts from 2005 to 2008 and tallied 14 interceptions, safety Abram Elam, a two-year starter (2009 and 2010) who had 170 tackles and two interceptions, cornerback Raymond Clayborn, who closed out his 15-year career with two seasons in Cleveland (1990 and 1991), cornerback Greedy Williams, who played in 39 games from 2019 to 2022, and safety Derrick Kindred, who played 42 games from 2016 to 2017 as a part-time starter.
Poll
Who is the best player to wear No. 26 in Browns history?
This poll is closed
-
0%
Greg Allen
(2 votes) -
0%
Marcus Burley
(0 votes) -
0%
Dyshod Carter
(0 votes) -
2%
Raymond Clayborn
(6 votes) -
0%
Mike Davis
(2 votes) -
0%
Pierre Desir
(0 votes) -
0%
Abram Elam
(2 votes) -
19%
Dino Hall
(39 votes) -
0%
Keith Jones
(1 vote) -
6%
Sean Jones
(14 votes) -
0%
Derrick Kindred
(0 votes) -
2%
Billy Lefear
(5 votes) -
0%
Nick Maddox
(0 votes) -
0%
Anthony Malbrough
(0 votes) -
4%
Willis McGahee
(10 votes) -
0%
Reece Morrison
(2 votes) -
0%
Eddie Payton
(0 votes) -
0%
Dave Ralmey
(0 votes) -
54%
Ray Renfro
(111 votes) -
0%
Tom Sullivan
(0 votes) -
0%
Trevin Wade
(0 votes) -
1%
Greedy Williams
(4 votes) -
3%
Ron Wolfley
(7 votes)
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