Nov. 25, 1963 - The Browns turned two fourth-period interceptions into touchdowns yesterday and defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 27-17, before a Cleveland crowd of 55,096. The victory moved the Browns into a tie with New York and St. Louis for the NFL’s Eastern Division lead. The Browns held only a 13-10 edge going into the fourth quarter. Then Ross Fichtner intercepted Don Meredith’s pass and raced 36 yards into the end zone for Cleveland. Later, Paul Wiggin and Galen Fiss intercepted passes by Meredith. The Browns’ quarterback, Frank Ryan, threw 16 yards to Gary Collins for a score after the catch by Fiss. The Cowboys got their final points in the last four seconds when Jim Brown fumbled. Cornell Green picked up the ball and raced 20 yards to score. Ryan, back at starting quarterback after having been benched for a week, completed 13 of 27 passes for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns. Both scoring tosses went to Collins, giving him a total of 10 for the season and bettering the club record of 9 set by Dante Lavelli in 1947. Yesterday’s crowd was the second smallest of the season in Cleveland. Marsh Samuel, public relations director, said the Browns received perhaps 100 calls protesting the game being played. He explained that commissioner Pete Rozelle’s ruling left member clubs no alternative. Players were not introduced before the game; there was no band show before the game or at halftime; cheering was minor until the late stages when the scoreboard returned the Cardinals to their final lead over the Giants.
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