CLEVELAND — When the Cleveland Browns take the field for their Week 15 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, they'll do so honoring one of the franchise's most famous eras.
On Wednesday, the Browns took to social media to announce that they will be wearing white facemasks. along with brown jerseys and orange pants -- a look first made famous by the team's 'Kardiac Kids' of the 1980s.
While Cleveland has worn brown jerseys with orange pants periodically over the course of the past few years, Saturday will mark the Browns' first time wearing white facemasks since 2005. After initially wearing gray facemasks, Cleveland first adopted white facemasks in 1975 -- a look the Browns continued to wear through the 2005 campaign.
Cleveland continued wearing gray facemasks, which the team readopted in 2006, until the 2015 season, when the Browns overhauled their uniform design to a more modernized look, complete with brown facemasks. When Cleveland reverted back to a more traditional look in 2020, it maintained its brown facemask -- although the Browns wore gray facemasks on three occasions in 2021 as a part of their 75th anniversary-inspired throwback uniforms.
Despite Cleveland entering Saturday's contest with just a 5-8 record and virtually eliminated from postseason contention, the Browns' facemask switch has generally been well-received on social media with many fans calling for the franchise to make the look permanent. In addition to their uniforms, the Browns also continue to pay tribute to their past with a 'Brownie the Elf' logo at midfield of FirstEnergy Stadium.