The Cleveland Browns have won eight pro football championships. Unfortunately, the last one was way back in 1964.
That year, “Dr. Strangelove,” “Goldfinger,” and “Hush…Hush Sweet Charlotte” were the top movies for $1.25 a ticket that you gave to an usher who showed you to your seat. Gas was $.30 a gallon that was pumped by a man in a pointy hat who also checked your oil and tire pressure while washing your windows. Milk was delivered to your house in glass bottles for $1.06 a gallon by another man in a pointy hat. The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” topped the charts. A new Ford Mustang cost $2,320, and a postage stamp was $.05.
RELATED: THE STORY OF THE WEDGE BETWEEN ART MODELL AND PAUL BROWN
The Browns had fired their longtime coach, Paul Brown, after the 1962 season. In his stead was his offensive assistant Blanton Collier. Most felt that the 1964 team was still Coach Brown’s and that Collier just guided the ship. But that is far from the truth.
For one, 18 new players dotted the 38-man roster of the 1964 squad from Coach Brown’s 1962 team.
While Coach Brown was a strict disciplinarian, Coach Collier was a teacher. He allowed his quarterbacks to call their own plays after getting a sense of what the defense was doing, while Coach Brown used messenger guards to run plays to the signal caller each offensive down.
The 1964 Browns went 10-3-1 and won the Eastern crown. This placed them in the “NFL Championship Game” against the Western champion Baltimore Colts, who had gone 12-2-0. The Colts led the league in just about every offensive category that year, led by second-year head coach Don Shula and quarterback Johnny Unitas, and had a stout defense. Going into the contest, Baltimore was listed as 17-point favorites. Cleveland won 27-0. In the second half, Lou Groza kicked two field goals and three PATs, while WR Gary Collins caught three TD passes from QB Frank Ryan, while the Browns’ unsung defense and special teams each had a banner day.
This was the first “NFL Championship Game” broadcast by CBS and the last league title game televised in black-and-white.
Lowell Caylor was a defensive back with the 1964 Browns who played mainly on special teams and backup safety, where he stood 6’-3”, 205 pounds. It was his first full season in the NFL, and he ended up with a title ring.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Caylor
He spent his college days at Miami University, commonly referred to as Miami of Ohio, after playing at Roosevelt High School in Dayton, Ohio. The defensive coaches at Miami switched him from quarterback to safety.
RELATED: MIAMI OF OHIO GREATEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS LIST
After his college days were completed, Caylor was drafted by the Titans of New York of the American Football League (AFL) in the 24th round, the Chicago Bears of the NFL in Round 16, and he had interest from the Canadian Football League (CFL). After one season playing with the Bears’ farm club, he was traded to the Browns. Back then, almost every player had an off-season job. Caylor sold tractor-trailers in the off-season.
Today, Lowell and Laura Caylor, married in 2002, and have two daughters. He met her at a street party in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, where they live together presently in nearby Greer. The Caylors are the owners of Greenville Indoor Rowing located at 576 Woodruff Road, Suite A in Greenville.
Caylor is a certified indoor rowing instructor and is affiliated with Concept2, the company that created the premier indoor rower. The Concept2 rower is the one which all others are measured by and the primary equipment used for training and competition by college rowing crews and rowing clubs around the world.
LINK: CONCEPT2
Caylor, who will turn 84 in June, has attended most of the 1964 Browns alumni reunions, but recently he has suffered from peripheral neuropathy, which causes him to wear lead braces called AFOs on his legs/feet because he has bilateral foot drop. The braces eliminate falls, but the condition makes it harder for him to travel.
Getty Images
From the 1964 Browns roster, there were 38 players and six coaches. All of the coaches have passed away, as well as longtime trainer Leo Murphy. There remain just 20 surviving players.
Dawgs By Nature’s Barry Shuck was able to discuss the benefits of indoor rowing with Caylor between classes and to chat about the different coaching styles between Paul Brown and Blanton Collier, why he did not sign a contract to play for the maiden season of the Miami Dolphins, and that magical 1964 championship season in Cleveland.
DBN: You played quarterback at Roosevelt High School in Dayton, Ohio. How did you end up switching sides of the ball?
Caylor: When I was in the quarterback line at Miami, there was a guy who was All-State of Ohio and another guy who was All-State in Indiana and I went, “Ah crap.” It was a little different than back home. I was also the punter in high school. The defensive backfield coach was also the punting coach. One day he asked if I had ever played defense, but I hadn’t. He asked if I would like to try, and I said absolutely. I assumed my quarterback future there wasn’t going to be that great. So, I switched over to defense and remained there the rest of my time at Miami. We played three-deep primarily, and I was the safety.
Miami Ohio v Kentucky Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
DBN: Why did you decide to go to Miami of Ohio?
Caylor: I visited Bowling Green and Western Kentucky, and several other schools. There was a guy who played for Miami from my high school and asked me to visit. It was an hour and a half from Dayton and would put me closer to home without being in my hometown. I liked what I saw and committed to them.
DBN: You were drafted in 1963 by the Titans of New York of the AFL in the 24thround and the Chicago Bears of the NFL in Round 16. What type of contracts did these two teams offer?
Caylor: The Titans went bankrupt, so I did not get an offer from them. Later, they became the Jets. I also had an offer from a team in the Canadian Football League, and heard from a team in the Atlantic Coast League. But I decided to try the NFL. I signed with the Bears and went to training camp in 1963. I got a whopping $500 signing bonus, which was good money back then. I made it to the last cut. Back then, they didn’t have a practice squad. I then signed to play in the Atlantic Coast League with two other players with the understanding that if anybody on the Bears got hurt, I would be called back and get activated - but that never happened. That league was a farm system of the NFL with teams supplying players.
RELATED: ATLANTIC COAST FOOTBALL LEAGUE
DBN: How did you end up in Cleveland?
Caylor: I had a contract with the Bears for the 1964 season, and two weeks before training camp, I got a call from George Allen, who was Chicago’s defensive coordinator. He said he traded me to the Browns. He said he knew I was born and raised in Ohio and was probably a Browns fan. I said absolutely. The Bengals weren’t a team yet. The following day, I got a call from Blanton Collier. One of my favorite players was Dub Jones, who was the receivers coach with the Browns.
DBN: Growing up in Dayton and being a Browns fan, what do you remember most about your first time meeting Jim Brown?
Caylor: It was interesting. First off, Jim Brown didn’t even know who the hell I was. It was different in 1964. Jim was an activist. He didn’t pay much attention to anyone other than his folks he was close with. And especially defensive players.
DBN: What was Browns’ training camp like?
Caylor: Blanton didn’t believe in scrimmages, so there wasn’t a lot of hitting. In Chicago, it was countless hitting. So, I spent a lot of time with Bernie Parrish, who was my mentor and helped me quite a bit. Our training camp was in Hiram, and then we went back to Cleveland before the first game and found out who was going to make the roster and who wasn’t. They just called me into Blanton’s office and said, “Okay, you made the team.” That was about it.
Editor’s note: The 1964 team photo is displayed at the :31 mark. Jim Brown (#32) is the last one on the right on the third row with Caylor (#22) to his left and then Hickerson (#66).
DBN: In the 1964 Browns team photo, you, the rookie, are sandwiched between Jim Brown and Gene Hickerson, two Browns’ legends. Did you just say “excuse me” and squeeze in between them?
Caylor: I don’t know how that happened. In my rowing studio now, I have that team picture hanging up. People point to me standing by Jim Brown and Hickerson, who are both in the Hall of Fame and the Browns’ Ring of Honor. I tell them that when they were getting ready to shoot that picture, Jim asked if he could stand next to me. These people look at me and go, “Really!?” And I go, “No, not really.”
DBN: During the preseason in 1964, in the last preseason game but the only one played in Cleveland, coming out of the tunnel that led to the Indians’ locker room for the first time against the Green Bay Packers in front of over 83,000 home fans, tell us what that anticipation was like as a lifelong Browns’ fan.
Caylor: That was one of the two greatest experiences for me playing in the NFL. We went out and warmed up before the game and then went back to the locker room. We made our final plans and went back out. All the lights are out, they are playing the “Star Spangled Banner,” and spotlights are on the flag. That brought tears to my eyes because I had watched this my entire childhood – and here I am. I could not believe that this was actually happening to me.
Coach Blanton Collier of the Cleveland Browns in 1963 Browns head coach Blanton Collier
Photo by James Drake/Getty Images
DBN: This was the second year for head coach Blanton Collier. What was he like?
Caylor: Very humble and really quiet. But he was a great human being. I was in camp in ’64 and got a call from my parents that my sister had gone to the hospital for brain surgery, and I didn’t know she was going to do that. But she never came out. The decision was made to pull life support. When she passed, Blanton told me I needed to go home. He said for me to come back when I was ready, for as long as I needed to stay. He said that the family comes first. I went home long enough to be there for the funeral. That always stuck with me. Another thing I remember about him is that he liked to shake hands left-handed. The reason he did that is because your left hand is closer to your heart.
DBN: In the 1964 NFL Championship Game, the Baltimore Colts were 17-point favorites and had seven future Hall of Famers on their roster. The Browns featured Jimmy Brown. Leading up to the game, what was the atmosphere like the week of that game?
Caylor: The atmosphere was that we were a very close-knit team. We had read all the stuff about how big a favorite the Colts were. The best offense in the league, and we weren’t supposed to be able to hold a candle to them. But you know what? We didn’t have to listen to all that shit you hear or read. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is what we can do. And with all their offensive numbers, we go into halftime and it’s 0-0. I remember in the locker room at the half, Gary Collins walking up to the blackboard and writing a big dollar sign on it and then turning away. He said, “You want the winner’s share or the loser’s share?”
DBN: That game was in Cleveland in December. The wind coming off Lake Erie must have been 30 MPH, while the temperature at game time was 22 degrees. The Browns won the toss. Why did that make a difference?
Caylor: That game was cold. The wind built up as the game went on. It was even worse in the third quarter, but we had the wind to our backs because the coin toss to start the game placed us in that position to begin the second half. The Colts tried to punt, but the kick went nowhere and put us in great field position. Lou Groza kicked a field goal from over 40 yards, and then Gary (Collins) scored off of a pass and then later another one using the wind to carry the pass deep.
Editor’s note: The Galen Fiss tackle on Lenny Moore’s sweep had four blockers in front. That tackle is featured at the 1:31 mark.
DBN: The Colts were a huge offensive team, scoring the most points in the league that year. QB Johnny Unitas was the NFL MVP. He led in nine passing categories. RB Lenny Moore led the league in rushing TDs and total TDs. Yet, the halftime score was 0-0. What was the key to that first half?
Caylor: Bernie Parrish and Galen Fiss had a lot to do with that. What they had designed to combat what the Colts wanted to do. They wanted to shut as much down because they had Lenny Moore and Tom Matte and John Mackey and Raymond Berry. All those guys. What was decided to do was to shut down the key players. With Fiss and Parrish, Vince Costello and Jim Houston. Remember the play Fiss made on Lenny Moore? That play ignited people and could be a turning point.
DBN: What do you remember most about that game in the second half which the Browns scored 27 unanswered points to win 27-0?
Caylor: That game, I was just playing special teams. Into the fourth quarter, you start to think this is really going to happen. We are going to do this and at home in front of all these crazy, wild people.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Caylor
DBN: How often do you wear your 1964 NFL Championship ring?
Caylor: I don’t wear it that often, but I belong to the local Browns Backers club and I always wear it when I go there. When they have people visiting, they always want to see the ring and take a picture because they haven’t seen one before. When I was in the software business, I wore it then. When I would make a new presentation to a prospect, invariably, someone after the session would ask what the ring was. I would show them and explain. But I don’t wear it much now.
LINK: GREENVILLE (SC) BROWNS BACKERS FACEBOOK PAGE
DBN: The Browns once went to the championship game 10 years in a row and won seven. 1964 was their last pro football title. You were part of that. That’s a long time since Cleveland won anything. Are you aware of how long that’s been?
Caylor: Oh yeah, but here’s the other thing. They had a big deal for the 40 and 50-year reunions. 2024 was supposed to be the 60-year mark, but I didn’t hear anything. I thought maybe they don’t care anymore, and over half the guys have died now. Maybe they just didn’t want to bother with it. That was disappointing, they didn’t do anything for the 60.
DBN: You were with Cleveland in 1965 but were injured. Where did you play after the Browns?
Caylor: In the 1965 exhibition season, I went down on punt coverage against the Detroit Lions, and as a guy was trying to go down and block me, I tried to hurdle him and my trail foot caught him and when I fell, I dislocated my right elbow. They tried to set it back into place on the field, but I was having muscle spasms and had to do it in the locker room. Flying home, they told me that they were putting me on injured reserve. Training then was nothing like what they have today. I went back to Dayton to do my therapy. I came back to Cleveland and practiced but was never activated, and then they released me. In 1966, I signed a contract for $18,500 and went to training camp with the Atlanta Falcons in their first year.
In preseason, I went down on kickoff coverage against the St. Louis Cardinals and got a pretty good hit on their return guy, Johnny Roland, but my helmet came loose. And then one of my teammates came from the side and hit me on the side of my head. During the game, my jaw was killing me. We practiced on Sunday, and I told them it was still bothering me, so they sent me in to have X-rays. Monday, I practiced, and they came and told me I had a fractured cheekbone and would have surgery the next morning. As soon as I was cleared medically, I was released.
The next year, I got a call from the Miami Dolphins, who were starting up with their first season in the American Football League. They wanted me to sign a contract and come to camp. So, here is my thought process: I can quit my off-season job and go to camp and make the Dolphins, or I cannot make it, or I can get hurt and not make it. Two of the three were negative. I had that Browns’ championship ring at home, and I said I need to get on with my life. It allowed me to cut the cord, which a lot of guys can’t handle. I never looked back and never regretted that decision.
Baltimore Ravens v Cleveland Browns 1946 Browns reunion L to R: QB Frank Ryan #13, WR Gary Collins #86, S Lowell Caylor #22
Lowell Caylor
DBN: How did you end up in the software business?
Caylor: I had a 40-year sales career, and I was pretty successful. When I moved to Denver, my wife was a flight attendant for Frontier Airlines. I had been working for Dayton Tire and Rubber Company. They were going to close down the Dayton plant because Firestone bought it. And my boss said I had two options: move to Akron and go into the home office of Firestone, or I could get some severance pay. My decision was easy – go to Denver to be with this flight attendant. I knew this guy told me of a company that needed a Western States sales territory rep. They were out of Greenville, South Carolina, so I interviewed with them. I took the job, which was the Western States, and ended up later back in Greenville at their home office. I moved here in 1991.
DBN: So, when you lived in Denver, you were a member of a gym, and noticed that the rowing machine wasn’t getting much use. What made you decide to get on it and take a spin?
Caylor: Every machine you got on had a time limit. I was weight lifting, I was running, I was doing yoga classes. And there were these two machines sitting outside the racquetball courts, from the next level down from the Stair Masters. There was a woman in her 20s on one of these machines who was extremely fit. I went down and asked her to explain to me what the machines did. She was on the U.S. Olympic rowing team. She was working out on that machine in the wintertime because it was too cold to be out on the water. There were two machines, so she showed me about them. Number one, there wasn’t a time limit. I could get a great workout on it because it only reacted to what I was giving it. This was right up my alley, and I eventually quit doing aerobics, running, and weight lifting. For 45 years now, the rowing machine has been my sole form of exercise.
DBN: What type of physical benefits does a rowing machine give someone looking to stay fit?
Caylor: Every stroke you take uses 86% of your muscle mass. It works cardio, lungs, and your muscle mass. It is a machine that will only react to what you give it. If you want to get on and mess around, the machine doesn’t care. If you want to get serious about it, the machine says, “Oh good, let’s go.” That’s the thing I love about it.
DBN: You bought a machine, then started competing. What were the first events you medaled in, and how many medals do you have to date?
Caylor: The Atlanta and the Chattanooga. Mid-1990s. I entered the 2,000-meter races. The gold standard is 6.7 minutes. I did my first sub-seven in my early sixties. I don’t keep count, but the medals hang in the studio. Maybe 20 or 25 medals.
DBN: Tell me about when your doctor claimed that your rowing machine had saved your life.
Caylor: The year was 2006 before I opened my rowing business. I had a machine at the house. Sales is always high-stress, and I couldn’t wait to get home and get on that machine. At the end of my workout, I started to get chest pressure. A few days later, my goal was to do 10,000 meters. About 9,000 meters into the workout, I began to have more chest pressure. I did the last 1,000 meters, but afterwards I couldn’t stop sweating. My wife was driving me to the hospital as we passed a firehouse and we pull in. They started doing stuff to me and called an ambulance, which took me to the hospital at about 7:00 pm. About midnight, I saw the cardiologist who looked at all the tests, but he didn’t think I had a heart attack. They kept me overnight. The next morning, they did some more tests, and the doctor asked me if I was working out on a rowing machine. I said yes. He asked if it was a Concept2. That is the gold standard of rowing machines. He said he hated the Concept2. I asked why, and he told me he was a rower in college and that the machine was a love-hate relationship. He said I had 100% blockage right coronary artery. He said most people would not be talking to him because of the blockage, but that the rowing machine was the reason my heart was so strong to overcome it. He put a stint in and kept me overnight. He said there was no heart damage because the heart was strong from all the rowing.
Lowell and Laura Caylor/photo courtesy Lowell Caylor
DBN: When did you start Greenville Indoor Rowing, and what does it offer?
LINK: GREENVILLE INDOOR ROWING
Caylor: I started in March of 2008. I was about ready to retire from the software business and wanted to share my experience with the rowing machine. I didn’t want to have a fancy gym where there are so many machines and a sauna and locker rooms and showers, which would cost a fortune. I had a client in LA, and he had a rowing studio. I rented a car on that trip and saw his place, which was just 10 machines in a row. I called my wife and told her we didn’t have to spend a fortune to start this business. We can do this. I started in the back room of a health food market with five machines and one for me. Now, I have 21 machines with 10 other instructors doing 24 classes a week. I haven’t spent a dollar on advertising. If I can get them in the door, I have about an 80% hit rate that they are going to join.
DBN: The machine works every major muscle group, plus cardiovascular, and is an all-in-one workout. How much muscle mass comes into play during a normal workout routine, and is it a low-impact workout?
Caylor: The cardio and the heart stuff come into play when you start pushing harder. It does not have a knob where you can gain more resistance. If I want more resistance, I push harder with my legs and increase my stroke rate and gain more strokes per minute. The harder you work, the more benefit you are going to get out of it. It’s not weight-bearing, so it’s low impact. I have people who can’t run but can do this.
DBN: What do you remember most about the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium?
Caylor: Getting to the field, you had to go down some steps, then through the tunnel, and then up some steps out of the Indians’ dugout. We as players had to park in a parking lot across the street, whereas players today park inside. By being across the street, you were always confronted with fans. After games, you would come out of the locker room into the underbelly of the stadium. There was always a bunch of people out there. For whatever reason, there was a group of guys for whom I was “their guy.” I had no idea why, but they were always waiting for me and hollering for me.
DBN: What was your fondest moment of being a Cleveland Brown?
Caylor: That first exhibition game against the Packers at home in my rookie year, and the championship game. I was excited to be in a Browns uniform and play in the stadium of my childhood in front of a huge Cleveland crowd. And then the championship game in my first year was exciting and a dream come true.
Other interviews by Barry Shuck from the 1964 Cleveland Browns championship team. Dawgs By Nature is honored that the Nino and Glass interviews were each player’s last before they passed.
QB Jim Ninowski
OG John Wooten
WR Gary Collins
DE Paul Wiggin
DE Bill Glass