About this Book

These twenty exciting stories recount some of the most memorable and sensational events in Cleveland sports history. 

Some are inspiring tales of glory: The Browns’ thrilling underdog victory over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in the 1964 NFL championship game … The upstart Cavaliers’ magical “Miracle of Richfield” in 1976 … The Indians’ exhilarating sprint toward the World Series in the 1995 playoffs, symbolized by Kenny Lofton’s “Dash in the Dome” against Seattle. 

Some are almost painful to recall: “The Fumble”—that heart-stopping play in January 1988 that kept the Browns out of the Super Bowl … “The Shot”—Michael Jordan’s jaw-dropping basket that knocked the Cavs out of the 1989 playoffs … “Ten-Cent Beer Night,” the Tribe’s misguided 1974 promotion that turned into a hideous debacle.

Glorious or gut-wrenching, these memories are a legacy shared by all Northeast Ohio sports fans. They reflect an unquenchable spirit—the same spirit that keeps us up late into the night, honking our horns in parking garages and trading high-fives with total strangers on East Ninth Street, or trudging down to the lakefront on Sundays when the wind chill hits single digits, wearing dog masks and carrying banners drawn on bedsheets. 

Read these stories and ­relive Cleveland’s most exciting sports moments. Then pass the spirit along to the next generation of fans.