Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Hey Guys:
I need some clarification. When exactly did the Cleveland Browns get the moniker Cardiac Kids? Was it 1978, 1979, or 1980? Also, how does the NFL and most media outlets spell it? Do they spell it with a K (Kardiac) or a C (Cardiac)? Thanks for your help on this guys!

Sincerely,
Joe Zagorski

An AP story started referring to the Cleveland Browns as "this year's NFL version of the 'Cardiac Kids'" in November 1979, but from 1980 onward, it was being spelled as "Kardiac Kids". There was a book by Frank Henkel about the Browns, where he said that "sometime in the middle of the 1979 season", a banner on the Cuyahoga County Courthouse called the team the Kardiac Kids. However, it's not that original. Other teams had been dubbed the "Kardiac Kids" over the years, at least as far back as the 1958 Air Force Academy football team, the 1965 Texas Tech football team, the 1966 SMU basketball team, and even the Chicago Cubs, but I think that the Browns were the last word on the subject.

Thanks Mark!

Joe Zagorski

The '79 Browns had 12 games where the final margin was seven points or less, including three that went to OT and seven that were decided in the final minute (or OT)