Out of East Carolina, Earnest Byner made the Cleveland Browns as a Tenth Round Pick, showing dual skills as a rusher and receiver throughout his career.  

Byner cracked 1,000 Rushing Yards as s sophomore (1,005), and though that was his best rushing year, he was still productive, not just statistically but also as a blocker.  Byner helped Cleveland reach the AFC Championship Game in 1987, but it would be a tragic event for him.

Byner will, however, remain synonymous with that the game, as he was stripped of the ball at the Denver 8-yard line with a minute left to go and the Browns down by seven.  "The Fumble" haunts Browns fans to this day.  

Byner played another season for Cleveland before he was traded to Washington, but he did come back in 1994.  He played four more seasons, the first two with the Browns and the next two in Baltimore when the franchise relocated.

As a Brown, Byner had 5,994 Yards From Scrimmage with 37 Touchdowns.  He was also welcomed back in 2006 as one of their Legends.