⚾ MLB: 1894-2021 128 2
One of the eight original American League teams beginning with the 1901 season.
🏈 NFL: 1946-2021 76 8
The Cleveland Browns franchise was founded in 1945 by Brown and businessman Arthur B. McBride as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Browns dominated the AAFC, compilin...
The team began play as an expansion team in 1970, along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Braves. Home games were first held at Cleveland Arena from 1970 to 1974, followed by the Richfield C...

Defunct Teams

Teams that have folded or moved away from the Cleveland area.
F i l t e r   &   S o r t 
NHL: 1977-1978 2
Franchise merged with the Minnesota North Stars on June 14, 1978. The merged team retained the North Stars name, colors, and history, and remained in Minnesota.
Crusaders were forced out of Cleveland in 1976 after the NHL moved into the city. The team was going to relocate to Florida but eventually moved to Minnesota as the Fighting Saints
Initially switching between Cincinnati, Meadville, and Cleveland for home games, eventually moved permanently to Cleveland and played in League Park, where it won 2 championships and a Colored World Series
🏀 NBL: 1941-1948 8
The Toledo Jeeps were a professional basketball team that played in the National Basketball League from 1946 to 1948. As with many other NBL teams, they owed their name to an industry of their hometow...
The Youngstown Bears were a basketball team based in Youngstown, Ohio. They played two seasons (1945–1947) in the National Basketball League, before disbanding due to poor performances. ...
The Cleveland Chase Brassmen were an American professional basketball team that played in the National Basketball League during the 1943–44 season but was known as the Cleveland Allmen Transfers from ...
🏈 NFL: 1936-1945 10 1
The franchise began in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams, based in Cleveland, Ohio. The club was owned by Homer Marshman and featured players such as William "Bud" Cooper, Harry "The Horse" Mattos, Stan Pinc...
The Akron Goodyear Wingfoots are one of the oldest basketball teams in the United States. They were founded in 1918, by the workers at the Goodyear Tire Company, in Akron, Ohio. The teams, while givin...
The Akron Firestone Non-Skids were an American professional basketball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team was one of the thirteen founding members of the National Basketball League (NBL), which forme...
The team was based in Jacksonville, Florida playing at Durkee Field in 1938. They moved to Cleveland in 1939 and became the Cleveland Bears, playing their home games at Hardware Field. They returned to Jacksonville as the Red Caps in 1941.
Members of the short-lived and mysterious USNL developed by Branch Rickey prior to integration of blacks in baseball.
The Detroit Eagles were a professional basketball team based in Detroit, Michigan. Managed by Dutch Dehnert, they played in the National Basketball League from 1939 to 1941, then became a barnstorming...
The Toledo Redmen were an American basketball team based in Toledo, Ohio that was a member of the National Basketball League and the American Basketball League. For the 1930/31 season, the team was k...
The team's origins lie in two local negro amateur baseball teams: the Nashville Maroons and the Elites. The Giants welcomed any competition, including white-only teams, but played independently of any leagues until the mid-1920s.
The Cleveland Rosenblums (also known as the Rosies) were an American basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio that was one of the original members of the American Basketball League. The Rosenblums pla...
The Cleveland Bulldogs were a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League. They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with the Cleveland Indians NFL fr...
After 1926, The team was disfranchised by the league and disbanded. Herb Brandt, owner of the NFL CLEVELAND BULLDOGS, quickly signed most of the Panthers' players. The Panthers returned in 1927 but were apparently an independent semiprofessional team managed by Jones.
🏈 NFL: 1908-1926 19 5
The Akron Pros were a professional football team that played in Akron, Ohio, from 1908 to 1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, but later became Akron Pros in 1...
🏈 NFL: 1905-1926 22 5
The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and the American Professional Football Associa...
Played as an independent team from 1919 through 1921, and joined the Negro National League in 1922 where they finished last of eight clubs. The franchise folded a year later.
🏈 NFL: 1910-1923 14
The Toledo Maroons were a professional American football team based in Toledo, Ohio in the National Football League in 1922 and 1923. Prior to joining the NFL, the Maroons played in the unofficial "Oh...
The Cleveland Indians football team was originally established in 1916 and played in the Ohio League. The team was formed after the Massillon Tigers raided the Akron Indians roster in 1915 and took aw...
🏈 OL: 1903-1919 17 5
The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the "Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldog...
🏈 OL: 1902-1919 18 2
The Shelby Blues were an American football team based in Shelby, Ohio. The team played in the Ohio League from 1900 to 1919. In 1920, when the Ohio League became the APFA (now known as the National Fo...
The Youngstown Patricians were a semi-professional football team based in Youngstown, Ohio. In the 1910s, the team briefly held the professional football championship and established itself as a fierc...
Cleveland Indians owner proceeded to move Toledo Mud Hens to Cleveland in order to prevent the Green Sox from continuing in the city. Dropped from the league before the 1914 season.
⚾ NL: 1887-1899 13 1
Left the American Association to join the National League to begin the 1889 season. Folded at the end of the 1899 season when the National League contracted back to 8 teams.
Team disbanded after the Players League folded following the 1890 season.
⚾ NL: 1879-1884 6
After 6 years in the National League, the franchise folded and sold all player contracts to the Brooklyn Grays following the 1884 season.
After 2 years in the National Association, the franchise folded following the 1872 season.
The early history of sports contains hundreds of teams that appeared for only 1 or 2 seasons before folding. Most of these teams have no historical photographs or articles, so are omitted from this list to reduce clutter. To view a comprehensive list of all defunct teams, browse to the early leagues section for baseball, football, basketball, or hockey.