Written by Greg Popelka

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My most basic reason for following sports is for the enjoyment of an entertaining diversion. I do not delude myself: I know that none of my Cleveland teams are very good; my pet saying continues to be, “it’s a process”.  I follow closely enough to possess some level of knowledge; much of that comes from reading the articles and forums on this website. I don’t begrudge our local casual fans- as long as they don’t jump on the bandwagon of the Pittsburgh Steelers. At its essence, following sports is for whatever you want it for- hopefully, enjoyment is part of the equation.

And hoo-boy, have we needed a diversion recently. Enough said about that, for now. Today, we’re going to look at a Browns game that featured running back Mike Pruitt, from 1978. Good times, good times…  When we fondly recall the past, we tend to filter for the positives. By definition, nostalgia implies a sentimental yearning for happiness- so looking back at sports history is like a distilled, concentrated measure of what we want out of sports in the first place.

But was 1978 ‘better’ than the present day? Was television’s nightly news less fraught with the pain and suffering we see today?

At the mention of 1978, I get a visual of snow. LOTS of snow. The Blizzard of 1978.Cleveland has endured more snowfall, lots of times. But this was a combination of single-digit temperatures, 80 mile per hour winds… and SNOW. There were widespread power outages, sending chilled families to emergency shelters. The winds blew the snow into 2-story piles. I recall our family car, parked in the driveway in front of our garage. Most of the car was under a snow drift. The curve of the drift began in front of the car, and extended over it and onto the garage roof. In digging the car out, we had to carve out the snow from inside the wheel wells. It was so hard-packed that we needed to use tools. Trying to scoop the snow around the wheels with our gloves was insufficient. 

Ha- there’s nostalgia for you. There was a terrible storm- dozens of people died- and here I am recalling a fond memory. 

When Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell and general manager Peter Hadhazy drafted Mike Pruitt in the first round of the NFL draft in 1976, they expected him to play right away. Head Coach Forrest Gregg has said he wanted to work him into the lineup. Hadhazy has gone on record saying Gregg “hated him, he fumbled so much.” Pruitt, a fullback, never had fumbling problems when he was running over-and through- Big Ten defenses while at Purdue University. His take was he just needed some consistent work, running the ball with the Browns.

Most Americans know that 1979 was when the Iranian radicals took U.S. citizens hostage. Was there terrorism in the world, in 1978? A quick look back reveals a bomb in Sydney, Australia that killed two. Palestinians killed 34 Israelis in an attack (Israel invaded Lebanon three days later). The Unabomber’s first attack occurred, with an explosion at Northwestern University. The Provisional IRA battled with the British Army. The Red Brigades kidnapped and later killed former Italian premier Aldo Moro. Terrorists struck at the new Tokyo airport, taking over the control tower. 

The stern disciplinarian Forrest Gregg was replaced by the loose and innovative Sam Rutigliano late in 1977. In a couple more seasons, Cleveland would experience the Kardiac Kids phenomenon. But at this early juncture, the Browns were just trying to get better.

The 1978 season saw the Browns get out of the gate fast, with a 3-0 record. An overtime loss in Pittsburgh gave way to a home loss against the Houston Oilers. By Week 9, the Browns had stumbled to a 4-4 record. The second half of the season would see the offense come to life, providing much hope for the future.

Week 9’s opponent was the Buffalo Bills, at home. Plain Dealer beat writer Hal Lebovitz would call the offensive output that day “one of the greatest offensive explosions in their 33-year history.” The proverbial light appeared to go on for Brian Sipe (#17 in photo), whose play had been uneven in the years since he’d been taken with a low draft choice by the Browns. He threw for 233 yards in leading the Browns to the lopsided, 41-20 win. Receiving stars included wide receiver Reggie Rucker and the revitalized veteran running back, Calvin Hill (basketball's Grant Hill's father). The Browns rushed for 309 yards. Veteran star Greg Pruitt finished with 87. But on this day, young Mike Pruitt had his coming out party. He galloped for 173 yards on 21 carries. He scored two touchdowns, with one coming on a 71-yard run up the middle.

This was the run that Mike Pruitt identifies as his most memorable. It represented the moment when his self-doubt melted away. The resulting confidence propelled him to a productive career with the Browns, as an important cog in the playoff contending Browns teams of Rutigliano. 

Wars, and civil unrest? 1978 saw its share. A noted Nicaraguan dissident was assassinated by its government. Somalia and Ethiopia waged war, as did Rhodesia, with Zambia. Warring factions clashed in Angola. Afghanistan endured a military coup. Iranian students clashed with the government, and were put down by the Shah’s army. Rebels occupied a city in Zaire. The Soviets shot down two Iranian helicopters that flew into Soviet air space. The Yemen Arab Republic president was killed. Viet Nam attacked the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. In San Francisco, former City Supervisor Dan White shot and killed Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, in anti-gay-tinged violence. Cult leader Jim Jones ordered over 900 cult members- including over 200 children- to commit suicide by drinking poisoned Koolade at his camp in Guyana (this is what the term, “drinking the Koolade” refers to). 

The 1978 Browns only finished 8-8. That was a marked improvement, however, over the previous season. In 1979, Mike Pruitt’s mentor, Greg Pruitt, severely injured his knee. Mike Pruitt blossomed as a runner, rushing for 1,000 yards in four of the next five seasons. He also led the Browns in receiving in the Kardiac Kids season of 1980. (As an aside: while many Browns fans debated the choice of having the injured Don Cockroft kick in the Raiders playoff game vs. having Sipe throw, Mike Pruitt feels certain he’d have scored had Rutigliano kept calling his number. He'd ripped off an 11 yard gain just prior to Sipe's pick.) 

In 1978, several predatory whack job serial killers were on the minds of Americans. Richard Chase, "The Vampire of Sacramento", was arrested. You can guess what one of his tendencies was. Ted Bundy was also captured. The Hillside Strangler was still torturing and killing young women in Los Angeles. David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam”, was sentenced in June. Chicago’s John Wayne Gacy was arrested in December. 

Today, many consider Mike Pruitt to be the fourth or fifth all-time best back in Browns history. Ahead of him are Jim Brown, Marion Motley, Leroy Kelly and perhaps Greg Pruitt. He was voted All-Pro twice, playing in the Pro Bowl both years as well. He was the Cleveland Browns' Offensive Player of the Year in 1980- the season in which Brian Sipe won MVP of the NFL.

Mike Pruitt played with the Browns through the 1984 season.  He finished his career with a short stint in Buffalo, and then with the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished his Browns years with over 8,000 combined rushing and receiving yards, and 52 total touchdowns.

These days, he sells Hondas in Akron. 

So 1978- which oh-by-the-way was still in the tense Cold War era, was as cloaked in as much angst as much of the rest of recorded history. Still, there were some bright, or interesting, spots. China lifted its ban on works by Aristotle, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. The remains of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan were discovered by electrical workers in Mexico City. A helium balloon, the Double Eagle II, became the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean (flying from Maine to France). U.S. president Jimmy Carter brokered the Camp David Accords, bringing together Israel’s Menachem Begin and Egypt’s Anwar Sadat. Oh- and Carter signed a bill into law making it legal to brew beer at home… 

Recalling the exploits of Mike Pruitt while with the Cleveland Browns conjures memories of another time. A time when the Cleveland Browns were among the best teams in the NFL. During an era when the world was simpler, and a lot less contentious.

Or maybe I only remember it that way.

Thank you for reading. Sources included the Browns game database on Cleveland.com; the Browns website history pages; Tales From the Browns Sidelines, Grossi; Winning in the Trenches, Gregg; Cleveland Browns A-Z, Gordon; Wikipedia.