Clevelans Browns
The Cleveland Browns haven’t exactly been a hot destination for NFL stars over the years, due not only to their struggles on the field but also because of the area’s harsh winters.
Plenty of people love living in an area that has a distinct and classic winter season, but ice and snow aren’t for everyone.
Hanford Dixon is known by Browns fans of a certain age as a great cornerback for the team during the 1980s and the originator of the Dawg Pound, but when the team took him with the No. 22 pick in the 1981 draft, he didn’t exactly love the idea of living in Northeast Ohio.
The Alabama native admitted during an episode of “The Hanford Dixon Show” that he didn’t want to play for the Browns because he didn’t want to play in the snow.
Despite becoming the founder of the #DawgPound and a #Browns legend, @HanfordDixon29 was scared to come to Cleveland.
"I didn't want to come here; I didn't want to play in the snow!"
presented by: @NEFDirect pic.twitter.com/L5xI9Xn6mL
— The Hanford Dixon Show (@TopDawgShow) December 10, 2024
The Browns had been a dominant team during the NFL’s infancy and had won multiple league championships, but they fell on hard times in the 1970s, when they missed the playoffs in seven straight seasons.
Dixon was one of a number of players who started to turn the franchise around in the early 1980s, and he would team up with fellow corner Frank Minnifield to eventually make the Browns one of the NFL’s better defensive teams.
Once quarterback Bernie Kosar came on board in 1985, they managed to reach the AFC Championship Game three times in four seasons.
Dixon has long been an active figure on the Cleveland sports scene after his retirement, and his habit of barking at teammates led to that section of Municipal Stadium being called the Dawg Pound.
Not too bad for a man who was afraid of the snow when he first arrived.
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