Weekly Feature: Hidden Gems

Today's Hidden Gem: The Dawg Pound

Though just the beginning of August and baseball season still in full swing, tonight ushers in the Browns first Pre-Season game. No other team has anything that even comes close to The Dawg Pound.

Trust me, I know. I sit there each week, first row, in the midst of all the craziness & experience the phenomenon.

Cleveland, bar none, has the best fans in the world for ANY sport --football, baseball, basketball, and even hockey...and how we love our Ohio State Buckeyes and high school sports!

Hanford Dixon (along with Frank Minnifield) pride themselves in 'coining' the idea and the phrase 'Dawg Pound.'

Geographically, it depicts the fans in either end zone. The main Dawg Pound is as you enter the National City Gate on the east end.

However, the 'concept' of Dawg Pound encompasses the spirit of the dedicated fan who stays until the last second in a blizzard with subzero temperatures, who will wear anything, paint any body part, tailgate in the Muny lot from 6am 'til game time grilling dogs/burgers/ribs and then go back after the game, and bark like a dawg until their voice is raw and hoarse!

Everyone world-wide knows the Dawg Pound and their fearless leader, Big Dawg. John Thompson sits in the first row in the center of the Dawg Pound wearing his dog mask, jersey #98, signing autographs and taking pictures with his adoring fans. Every out-of-town media representative on the field snaps at least one shot of Big Dawg!

The players know who to turn to when they need to get the fans back into the game. They come over to the Dawg Pound and light the spark that ignites the entire stadium.

Dawg Pounders love when the Browns have the ball coming toward the Dawg Pound area...in hopes that the beloved Brownies will score and jump into the front row! Though not a huge fan of his, that happened to us the game Jeff Garcia ran into the end zone, scored a touch down and jumped right into our arms!!

There is no other place to be on a Sunday during Football Season than surrounded by hundreds of other Dawg Pound comrades cheering on the football team with the greatest heart, soul, and spirit!

You should try the Dawg Pound experience once in your lifetime and then you, too, will see why the Cleveland Browns' Dawg Pound is this week's Hidden Gem!

A small 'souvenir' from Cleveland Municipal Stadium --our Dawg Pound seat! Memories!!!!!