By Shirley Povich
Washington Post Columnist
October 31, 1960

For 18 minutes the Redskins were enjoying equal rights with the Cleveland Browns yesterday, in the sense that there was no score in the contest. Then it suddenly became unequal in favor of the Browns, who brought along Jim Brown, their rugged colored fullback from Syracuse.

From 25 yards out, Brown was served the ball by Milt Plum on a pitch-out and he integrated the Redskins' goal line with more than deliberate speed, perhaps exceeding the famous Supreme Court decree. Brown fled the 25 yards like a man in an uncommon hurry and the Redskins' goal line, at least, became interracial.

The Redskins were practically ambushed on the play because Brown is Cleveland's man for the inside jobs where the going is heavy and they leave the end running to Bobby Mitchell. Brown swinging around end was a great surprise to the Redskins who now can better understand how Custer felt about it.

The Browns were very sneaky, otherwise. In the second quarter Mitchell swung toward right end with a handoff from Plum but only so far. Then he threw his first pass and it was touchdown, Browns, because Ray Renfro was skulking in the end zone unguarded and caught it. The Cleveland quarterback was Plum full of surprises for the Redskins.

In the beginning, the Redskins themsevels were the daring team. On their first play from scrimmage, Ralph Guglielmi passed from his own 15-yard line and made it work to Jim Podoley for seven yards and the crowd of 32,086 was brought up sharply by this tactic. There was a drop in the enthusiasm, though, when two passes later Bobby Franklin of the Browns picked off a pitch aimed at Podoley.

On fourth down, Cleveland asked Jim Brown to get a touchdown from the six-inch line and at this point the Redskins were wonderful, particularly Don Lawrence and Ralph Fenton. Brown hit the Redskins' line and vice versa. He didn't get the six inches. Lawrence hit him low and Felton hit him high and the Redskins took the ball away from the Browns.

In the first quarter and early in the second, the officials were blowing their whistles against the Browns and coach Paul Brown was furious with them. He started on the field but was whistled off it. Cleveland was twice penalized for clipping with Brown denying his team had transformed Griffith Stadium into a vast clip joint.

Guglielmi pitched the Redskins back to field goal range after the Browns took a 7-0 lead and Bob Khayat booted one from 12 yards out. This was a very mild effort by Khayat who booted a 50-yarder two weeks ago, and on the next kickoff he proved something by kicking 60 yards through the goal posts for a pointless but impressive touchback.

With Coach Mike Nelson's halftime lecture still ringing in their ears, the Redskins came back on the field and were scored on again, almost immediately. The clock showed only a minute and 50 seconds of elapsed time for the third quarter when Gern Nagler was in the end zone with a Plum pass firmly clutched to his bosom. This play covered 53 yards but not the embarassment of Billy Brewer, the Redskins' pass defense rookie.

Guglielmi was getting none of the excellent pass protection of Plum, probably for some reason very fundamental, and in addition he was luckless. A pass he threw at midfield was deflected first by a Redskin then by a Brown before it was snatched by Don Fleming of the Browns. Fleming ran it back 25 yards and Sam Baker improved the Browns' lead to 24-3 by kicking a mere 22-yard field goal.

Plum found Mitchell in motion, and ungarded in the Redskins' secondary a bit later a reacted spendidly. He passed to Mitchell for a 31-yard gain to the Redskins' three-yard line and on the next play he sent Mitchell around the left end. This was a play well-scouted by the Redskins wo know Mitchell's habits. He scored a touchdown.

With their 31-3 lead the Browns were hardly a desperate club in the final quarter but they acted like one and continued to throw passes, even in their own territory, palpably trying to pour it on. They had to punt and served 'em rightly. The Redskins got the ball, and Guglielmi took them to a face-saving touchdown.

Guglielmi threw a pass to Podoley who had the ball wrestled away from him by Ross Fichter of the Browns who promptly fumbled it into the air. Joe Walton grabbed the air-borne fumble for the Redskins and took it to the Browns' seven. Don Bosseler took it over from the one-yard line and the Redskins' cuth the Brown's lead to 21 points with five minutes left to play.