On This Date in Sports October 31, 1999: Halloween Hail Mary
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The Cleveland Browns dramatically win their first game as Kevin Johnson catches a 56-yard Hail Mary pass from Tim Couch as time expires in a 21-16 win over the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome. The play came just moments after the Saints took the lead. The Browns returned to the NFL as an expansion team in 1999. The new Browns would finish the season at 2-14.
The City of Cleveland was devastated in 1995 when the Browns owned by Art Modell announced plans to move to Baltimore. Modell was unhappy that the Indians and Cavaliers each got new venues, while they remained stuck in the decrypt Municipal Stadium. The city fought to prevent the Browns move; eventually, a settlement was reached, allowing Modell to take his team to Baltimore, while the Browns name and history remained left behind in Cleveland. As the old Browns became the Baltimore Ravens, the NFL granted Cleveland an expansion team that would take the Browns history in 1999, complete with a new stadium, built where the old Municipal Stadium has previously stood.
The new Cleveland Browns were owned by Al Lerner, who had previously been a minority partner in the old ownership. The Browns looked to the successful San Francisco 49ers to build the new team as Carmen Policy, who had played a key role in building four Super Bowl championships in San Francisco, was named team President, with Dwight Clark taking the reigns as General Manager. The new Browns first coach was Chris Palmer, a longtime NFL assistant, while quarterback Tim Couch was drafted first overall out of Kentucky in the NFL Draft.
While the Browns chose Couch with the first pick, Mike Ditka was making bold moves with the New Orleans Saints. Ditka had become the coach of the Saints in 1997 and posted a 6-10 record in each of his first two seasons. Infatuated by Heisman winner Ricky Williams, Ditka offered to trade his entire draft to pick Williams a running back out of Texas. The Washington Redskins took Ditka up on his offer, allowing New Orleans to grab Williams with the fifth overall pick. Ricky Williams struggled in his rookie season as the Saints sputtered to a 1-5 start, losing five straight games after beating the Carolina Panthers to begin the season.
The Cleveland Browns were officially reborn on September 12, 1999, with a Sunday Night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That game would be a microcosm of the Browns’ upcoming struggles as they suffered a 43-0 loss. The next six games would not go much better as Cleveland held a 0-7 record entering a Week 8 matchup with the Saints at the Superdome.
The Saints grabbed the early lead, as Keith Poole caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Billy Joe Hobert in the first quarter. The game began to turn in Cleveland’s favor in the second quarter, as Roy Barker intercepted a Hobert pass setting the Browns up at the New Orleans 22. After a false start penalty, the Browns got in the end zone as Marc Edwards caught a screen pass from Couch and went 27 yards. On the interception, Hobert was hurt, making the tackle, leading Billy Joe Tolliver to take over at quarterback. Tolliver did not fare any better as he was picked off by Marquez Pope on his first series. Despite the turnover, the Saints would get a 10-7 lead at the half a Doug Brien hit a 49-yard field goal just before halftime.
In the third quarter, the Browns defense managed to force another turnover as Tolliver fumbled, setting Cleveland up deep in Saints territory again. This time it would be Tim Couch connecting with Kevin Johnson on a 24-yard touchdown pass. The Saints would answer with a 22-yard field goal and went into the fourth quarter trailing 14-13. In the fourth quarter, Ricky Williams fumbled twice, including one in the red zone, as the Browns continued to lead 14-13. Despite the fumbles, Williams had a strong game, rushing for 179 yards on 40 carries; as the Saints’ two Billy Joes managed, a paltry 120 yards combined passing yards.
The Brown had a chance to extend the lead, following one of Williams’ fumbles, but Phil Dawson missed a 46-yard field goal, keeping New Orleans in the game. This would prove to be critical as the Saints took a 16-14 lead with 21 seconds left when Doug Brien nailed a 46-yard field goal. With 15 seconds left, the Browns began their last drive on their own 25. After missing on his first pass, Tim Couch got the ball near midfield with a 19-yard pass to Leslie Sheppard. With two seconds left, the Browns were at the 44, needing a miracle. The miracle would come as Couch’s Hail Mary pass to the end zone was caught by Kevin Johnson. Johnson was helped when Sammy Knight got tangled up and ended up on the ground, leaving Johnson alone to make the catch. Phil Dawson added the PAT as the Browns won 21-16 with the Superdome left in shocked disbelief; especially Mike Ditka was dropped to the ground with his head buried in his hands.
The Browns would win just two games that season, stunning the Steelers two weeks later at Three Rivers Stadium 16-15. The Saints would struggle all season, finishing at 3-13 as Mike Ditka was fired following the season, ending his NFL coaching career.