So 2012 has come and gone without another championship from any of Cleveland’s teams.
While there were no titles to celebrate, there were still plenty of stories, from firings to trades, to too many losses and too few wins.
Our annual review of the year in Cleveland sports concludes with the fourth quarter of the year. (In case you missed the First Quarter, click here. Second Quarter can be found here. Third Quarter? Right here).
The Browns hit the quarter-mark of the season, filling fans with likes, dislikes, hopes and fears.
The NFL Network takes a few liberties with the truth in Cleveland ’95: A Football Life.
Despite taking an early lead, the Browns lose to the New York Giants to fall to 0-5 on the season for the first time since 1999.
Losers of a franchise-record 11 consecutive games, the Browns wonder when they will smell the sweet scent of success.
The Indians hire Terry Francona as manager and asks Tribe fans to trust that they know what they are doing.
The Browns send owner Randy Lerner out on a high note, beating the Bengals in the last official game of Lerner’s ownership. The win breaks an 11-game losing streak and a 12-game losing streak in the AFC North.
While Jimmy Haslam is hailed as the anti-Lerner, he needs to be more than that for the Browns to be successful.
The Browns drop a winnable game in Indianapolis against the Colts. A critical fourth-and-one call in the game has fans once again questioning coach Pat Shurmur’s decision-making process.
As his time with the Browns draws to close, outgoing team president Mike Holmgren just couldn’t win – on or off the field.
Just seven games into his NFL career, Josh Gordon was becoming the Browns best wide receiver.
The Kent State Golden Flashes post the biggest win in the 90-year history of the football program, beating No. 15-ranked Rutgers.
The Browns do just enough in a victory over San Diego.
Kent State beats Akron to retain the Wagon Wheel.
The Ravens try to give a game away, but the Browns are not in the mood to accept.
The Browns team up with the Travel Channel to find out if the team is Road Tested.
Browns quarterback Brandon Weeded heads into the bye week working on trying to fix the team’s struggles in the red zone.
Joe Banner takes over as CEO of the Browns and fans wonder what he has in store for the team.
For the first time in almost 40 years, Kent State enters the Associated Press rankings.
With the Browns at the bye week, it was time to wonder if the glass was half-full or half-empty for the Orange and Brown.
Josh Cribbs talks about wanting a bigger role in the Browns offense and the backlash from fans and the media seems odd.
Dri Archer runs for 241 yards and two touchdowns as Kent State clinches its first MAC East Division championship.
The Browns fall to Dallas in overtime.
After another close loss, it was time to wonder if the Browns were ever going to make enough plays to actually win.
Thanks to eight turnovers, the Browns beat the Steelers for just the fifth time in their past 28 meetings.
The Mike Holmgren era in Cleveland officially comes to a close.
Kent State prepares to face Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game – only the biggest sporting event in school history.
It took two overtimes and an interception in the end zone on a fourth-down pass, but Kent State’s dream season dies on a Friday night at Ford Field in Detroit.
The Browns beat the Raiders to snap a 12-game road losing streak.
Football coach Darrell Hazell decides to leave Kent State to take over at Purdue.
The Browns roll over the Kansas City Chiefs for their third consecutive win.
With Browns fans so unaccustomed to winning, many were not sure if they could believe in the three-game winning streak.
The Indians being rebuilding their roster, signing strikeout machine Mark Reynolds to a one-year contract and trading outfield Shin-Soo Choo in a three-team deal that lands them strikeout machine Drew Stubbs and pitcher Trevor Bauer – the third overall pick in the 2011 draft who wore out his welcome in Arizona after just one year.
The Browns prepared to face the Redskins in the final home game of the season – and quite possibly the final home game for Josh Cribbs in a Cleveland uniform.
After three consecutive wins, the Browns lose to Washington and, in the process, lose any goodwill they had built up with fans.
With rumors about the future of Browns general manager Tom Heckert and coach Pat Shurmur changing by the minute, Browns fans struggle with anonymous, single-sourced stories.
Kent State hires former defensive back Paul Haynes as football coach.
The Browns hit the road to Denver and get pounded by the Broncos, losing quarterback Brandon Weeden and running back Trent Richardson in the process.
With third-string quarterback Thad Lewis under center, the Browns close out the season in predictable fashion.
A day after finishing the season at 5-11, the Browns fire general manager Tom Heckert and Pat Shurmur, setting up yet another regime change.
Coming in 2013: The Indians struggle in the standings and at the box office, the Cavs struggle in the standings and don’t find any luck in the NBA Draft lottery, and the latest Browns reboot gives the fans a temporary shot of hope.
In other words, just another typical year in Cleveland sports.
(Photo by Kent State Athletics)