The Cleveland Browns were founded in 1946 under owner Arthur McBride. The team was to be named the Cleveland Panthers, but a semi-pro team was using that name and threatened to sue if the AAFC club used it as well. McBride then named the team after its first head coach, Paul Brown. Brown was uncomfortable with the idea of having the team named after him, stating publicly that the team was named after boxing champion Joe Louis who was known as the "Brown Bomber".

In either event, the Browns were extremely successful in the early part of their existence, dominating the All America Football Conference, winning all four of its championships including with a landmark 1948 season in which they went unbeaten and untied - 24 years before the 'first' perfect team, the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Upon being merged into the older National Football League, the Browns proceeded to resume their position among pro football's best teams, winning 4 NFL championsips during the 1950's.

        Hybl was named the Player of the Game of the 2003 Rose Bowl after leading the Oklahoma Sooners to a 34-14 victory over the Washington State Cougars. Hybl was chosen by over 2/3 of the ballots, with Oklahoma's Teddy Lehman, Jonathan Jackson, Antonio Perkins, and the entire Oklahoma defense splitting the majority of the rest of the votes. He completed 19-of-29 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.Hybl finished his career at Oklahoma as a starting quarterback with a record of 20-3.