CLEVELAND, Ohio – Steve Kuhn needed to talk about the Browns after the terrible loss he had witnessed.
Kuhn was at First Energy Stadium on Oct. 1, 2017, when the Browns were trounced, 31-7, against the Cincinnati Bengals. It was Cleveland’s worst margin of defeat during that dreadful 0-16 season.
A loyal and longtime fan, Kuhn had a space where he could talk about the woes of his favorite team. Following the loss, he went on his three sons’ podcast, “Sin of our Fathers,” and read Michael, Matthew and Mark a letter.
“I’m sorry for the heartbreak rendered by inconceivable endings and the persistent, late-season collapses. This latest embarrassment against the Bengals has forced me to acknowledge what can no longer be ignored. You’ve suffered at the hands of this team because I made you watch this team.”
“We do Sunday afternoon, and we huddle up in the bonus room and pound the table when necessary,” Kuhn said. “Walk around, pace the room. You know how it is.”
Kuhn grew up watching the team with his father, Sam, and grandfather. He lived in Cleveland until he was 10, and his father and grandfather would take him to some games.
He then moved to Tampa, Florida, and with the Internet, NFL Sunday Ticket and social media not around, it wasn’t easy following his favorite team. Kuhn and his family had relatives who would send via mail The Plain Dealer’s Monday sports section.
When it came time to passing on his fandom, Kuhn went as hard as he could to introduce his sons to the Browns. Kuhn and his family lived in Cincinnati, the heart of Bengals territory, until 2004.
In his submission, Kuhn wrote he bought long range antennas to pull in Browns games from a Dayton station. When each of his sons were babies, they had Browns sheets in their cribs and the border of the nursery walls was a Browns helmet stripe.
Kuhn and his sons had a cool moment when they went to Atlanta to watch the Browns play the Falcons in November 2014. The Browns were down 24-23 with 44 seconds left, and they won the game when Billy Cundiff converted on a last-second field goal.
“We got a big celebratory picture,” Kuhn said. “That was a great memory.”
As a family of Browns fans, the three generations of Kuhn men came together for a game in October 2018. Sam, 82, lives in central Florida, and he met with Steve and his grandsons to watch the Browns play the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Despite being a fan his whole life, Sam had never done one of the most common pregame customs: tailgating.
“So we walked over to a lot outside the stadium and found a bunch of Browns fans, and of course we’re instantly welcomed as friends,” Kuhn said. “And so he got invited to play beer pong at some of the tailgate.”
With the family connection strong, Kuhn is appreciative of the lifestyle he’s made. He’s a Browns fan year-round, and he always stays updated on the happenings around the team. The Browns are once again under new leadership, which helps Kuhn have hope for better days ahead.
“For the Browns, most years the offseason’s the best season,” Kuhn said. “Hope springs eternal every offseason. You can always look forward to the draft, and about every two or three years a whole new leadership team. So that gives you a lot of stuff to follow. It’s just looking forward to the next year.”
