Throwback Thursday: Taxi Squad

Arthur "Mickey" McBride was the original owner of the Cleveland Browns, bringing the team into the new All America Football Conference in 1946. Among other ventures, McBride made his money in the taxi cab business. He owned the Zone/Yellow Cab Company. That company would play a significant role in the history of professional football. With some helpful advice, McBride made the wise choice of hiring Paul Brown as the head coach of his football team. From coaching high school football in the talent-rich Massilon/Canton area and Ohio State and the Great Lakes Naval Air Station, Brown had seen a bunch of football players in the Midwest. If he hadn't already coached the players, he likely coached against them. He had a fantastic eye for football talent. It was so good that he signed too much of that talent. For four years the AAFC battled the NFL for football players. Not only did Brown not want to release any of his talent to competitors in his own league, he certainly didn't want to make any available to the NFL. To avoid it all together he devised a secret plan with McBride. The players that were not quite ready for the big time would work for McBride as taxi drivers. Their work schedules were conveniently arranged so that they could report to League Park in Cleveland where the Browns just happened to practice. The "taxi squard" was born.