A 1981 First Round Pick from Southern Mississippi, Hanford Dixon played nine seasons in the National Football League, all with the Cleveland Browns.

Playing at Cornerback, Dixon started 128 of his 131 Games on the right side, and he would come into his own in the last half of the decade.  Dixon went to three consecutive Pro Bowls (1986-88), with the first two achieving First Team All-Pro status.  

Dixon secured 26 Interceptions over his career and is credited with naming the Browns' defense the "Dawg Pound," which took a life of its own.  The Browns named Dixon to the list of Legends in 2003.

Taken in the 4^th Round from North Texas, Ray Renfro was one of the many players that Paul Brown acquired who turned out to be a hidden gem.

Renfro played his entire 12-year career with the Browns, with the middle ten as one of the better Flankers in football.  A three-time Pro Bowl Selection, Renfro led the NFL in Receiving Yards per Game in 1955 and accumulated 5,508 Receiving Yards over his career, an excellent tally for his era.  Renfro proved to be a key part of two NFL Championships (1954 & 1955).

He would later win a Super Bowl as the Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers Coach for Dallas.  The Browns named Renfro to their legends list in 2001.

Mike McCormack played for the New York Yanks as a rookie, but he would leave them to serve his country in the Korean War.  When he returned, the Yanks had folded, and the Baltimore Colts were created to replace them.  McCormack signed with the Colts, but Cleveland Browns Head Coach, Paul Brown, remembered the Lineman and traded for him before he played for the Colts.

McCormack started at Middle Guard and then Right Tackle, helping Cleveland win the NFL Championship in both 1954 and 1955.  The Browns were a very competitive team for McCormack's duration (until 1962), and he was named to five Pro Bowls and three Second Team All-Pros.  Brown had referred to McCormack as the best Lineman that he ever coached, and that is as high praise as you can get.  The Browns agreed and named him to their Ring of Honor in 2010.

Bill Willis played for Paul Brown at Ohio State, where he was a part of the 1942 National Championship Team.  Willis graduated in 1945 and wanted to play pro football, but as a black man with the knowledge that the NFL had an unspoken rule about African-Americans, there was nowhere for him to go.  

Enter the All-American Football Conference.

In 1946, his former Head Coach, Brown, was the Head Coach of the new team that bore his name, and Willis received an opportunity to try out for the Cleveland Browns.  Willis made the team, and along with Marion Motley, were among the first two black players in pro football.

Playing at Guard, he was a part of the Browns dominance of the short-lived league, winning all four Championships.  Willis proved to be one of the top Guards in the AAFC, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  When the AAFC migrated with the NFL, Willis was recognized as a three-time Pro Bowl and three-time First Team All-Pro.  The Browns won the 1950 NFL Championship, and Willis was a colossal component of Cleveland's success in their early existence.

Willis retired in 1953, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame called his name for induction in 1977.  The Browns also chose Willis for their Ring of Honor in 2010 as part of the first group.