Johnson celebrated

Sports can be a unifying activity — not just for those on the field, but for those of us in the stands.

Some spectators like to casually consume sports. Others are more serious about their fandom.

Fanatics will often dive deep into their favorite team, going beyond just watching games in their free time.

With 124 professional sports teams between the big four sports — MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL — fans have a lot of options to choose from.

For Dave Johnson, it’s the Cleveland Browns.

Earlier this month, Scott Stahl, the president of the Union City, Ohio, chapter of Browns Backers presented Johnson with a plaque celebrating his support for the team and the club over the years.

“We just wanted to honor (Johnson) as a dedicated member of our club,” Stahl said. “He's worked real hard to get Browns fans to join the club and he has done an awesome job at that. He has even paid some of their dues for (other members). He’s just a good Browns fan.”

Johnson, a longtime Portland resident, has been a Browns fan since the late 1950s. He became a fan because of Pete Brewster, who lived across the street from Johnson growing up and played for Cleveland from 1952-58.

Brewster was a part of Portland High School’s “Three B’s” along with John Bright and Dick Bond. The trio led the Panthers all the way to the semi-state championship game but fell to Muncie Central.

Johnson can still recall the game watching the game.

“They were up by a point,” Johnson recalled. “Muncie Central ended up scoring with no time left on the clock to win the game.”

Brewster graduated from Portland High School in 1948 and went on to play basketball and football at Purdue University. He was drafted with the 21st overall pick by the Chicago Cardinals in the 1952 draft before being immediately traded to the Browns. He played on both sides of the ball and was selected for Pro Bowl honors in 1955 and 1956.

After playing for the Browns, Brewster spent two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ten years after his retirement, Brewster earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs’ coaching staff in Super Bowl IV.

The former tight end has since been inducted into the Cleveland Browns legends program in 2022. The program honors former Browns who made noteworthy impacts to the history of the franchise.

The Union City chapter of the Browns Backers, of which Johnson is a longtime member, was founded in 1987. The group would often meet at Woodcrest Lanes in Union City and occasionally organize trips to a home game each year with a banquet where players would speak to the group.

“Everybody says it’s easy to stay home and watch it on TV, but you’ve got to go to the stadium to watch the game,” Johnson said. “There’s stuff you just don’t see on TV because the cameraman is focused on the ball. You really miss a lot of stuff that’s going on watching the game on TV.”

Stahl wanted to celebrate Johnson for the efforts he’s given over the years to help the club grow. Johnson talked to other sports fans about the club and the Browns, and often invited fans to come to meetings to see what membership would be like. He was also welcoming to fans of other teams when making the trip up to Cleveland for games as well.

Some of Johnson’s work for the club was based around its charitable causes. He would try to get people involved in the club and to come to events like its preseason raffle that benefits a variety of different causes. In the past, Johnson has helped raise money that was donated to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and The Journey Home veterans shelter in Winchester among others.

Johnson, who is currently suffering from prostate cancer, last took the trip to Cleveland in 2009 and has been forced to join meetings over the phone since 2011.

Despite dealing with cancer, Johnson has kept a positive attitude and has enjoyed his Browns whatever way he can.

“Here’s my thing,” Johnson said. “Life is one day at a time. Never give up.”