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Dawg PoundThe Dawg Pound is the name of the bleacher section behind the east end zone in Cleveland Browns Stadium, the home field of the Cleveland Browns. It is known for having some of the most-rabid fans in the National Football League. History According to Hanford Dixon, then a cornerback with the Browns, Dixon himself gave his defensive teammates the name "Dawgs" to inspire them before the 1985 season. Dixon and teammate Frank Minnifield then put up the first "Dawg Pound" banner in front of the bleachers before the first preseason game at old Cleveland Stadium. The bleacher section had the cheapest seats in the stadium, and its fans were already known as the most vocal. They adopted their new identity whole-heartedly, wearing dog noses, dog masks, bone-shaped hats and other outlandish costumes. Notoriety Dawg Pound fans quickly developed a reputation for misbehavior as well as vociferousness. Team officials banned the carrying of dog food into the stadium, as bleacher fans would shower the visiting team with Milk-Bones. Dawg Pound fans also consumed hefty amounts of alcohol, even sneaking a keg into the stadium inside of a doghouse. Eventually, the team lined the Dawg Pound with security personnel and had spies monitor the section from above to look for violations of ground rules. On at least one occasion, Dawg Pound rowdiness had a concrete impact on the outcome of a game. In the fourth quarter of a 1989 game against the hated Denver Broncos, the rain of batteries and other debris coming down from the bleachers was endangering the safety of the players. To move the action away from the east end, game officials had the teams switch sides. That put the wind at the Browns' back. Sure enough, the Browns then won on a Matt Bahr field goal that barely cleared the crossbar. The new Pound In 1995, owner Art Modell moved the original Browns to Baltimore, and the NFL awarded a new franchise to Cleveland, to begin play in 1999. The new owners decided to include a Dawg Pound on the east end of the stadium that would replace old Cleveland Stadium. The new Pound differs from the original in having two decks, but, like the original, it contains only bleachers. The new Pound also has official recognition from the team. The team trademarked a Dawg Pound logo, which it uses on memorabilia. The establishment nature of the new Pound, as well as the more-sterile atmosphere of the new stadium, originally turned off some veteran fans. Yet the fans at the new stadium quickly proved their rambunctiousness. In a crucial late-season 2001 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Browns were driving toward the east end zone for what would have been the winning score. A controversial call on fourth down gave the Jaguars the ball. Fans in the Dawg Pound began throwing plastic beer bottles and other objects on the players and officials. The officials declared the game over and sent the teams to the locker rooms. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue then called to override the referee's decision, sending the players back onto the field, where the Jaguars ran out the last seconds under a hail of debris. Dawg Pound fans NFL ticket prices being what they are, Dawg Pound fans are generally not members of the underclass. Some are lawyers and business people. Even all-time home run king Hank Aaron has been known to sit in the Pound. Yet the most-famous Pound season-ticket holder is probably John Big Dawg Thompson (he had a name change to include his nickname), known as the "Canine-in-Chief." Television cameras often show the offensive-lineman-sized man in his dog mask and No. 98 jersey. In 1995, Thompson became an unofficial spokesman for Browns fans fighting the move of the team to Baltimore. He testified before the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary and appeared on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/02-96/02-07-96/8nfl.htm Sources - Grossi, Tony. Tales From the Browns Sideline. n.p.: Sports Publishing LLC, 2004. ISBN 1-58261-713-9.
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