Browns May Look at Oberlin

by Blake Rehberg

The Cleveland Browns are looking for a new summer training ground, and Oberlin’s name has come up several times. If they did train here, Oberlin would benefit from increased visibility and improvements in facilities. However, at this time the whole deal is just a possibility.
The Browns currently train at a permanent facility near Berea. The Browns train there throughout the season between games. They are looking for a different location for the summer training session. 
Hoping to make the move for the summer of 2002, the process is in the very early stages. When contacted, the Browns said it was simply too early in the search to say anything concrete. They also commented that at this point the search has not been narrowed at all.
The Browns are still compiling the specific requirements that they would need in a summer training facility. The College has sent them a letter requesting a copy of those specs.
“This is by no way a done deal,” Vice President of College Relations Al Moran said. “They may not want us we might not want them.” 
The decision might still be up in there, but it is certain that if they do come, Oberlin will surely benefit.
The Buffalo Bills signed a contract with Saint John Fisher — a college outside of Rochester, New York — last year. Their first summer there brought approximately 120,000 people out to see them.
The Browns have said that they wanted a contract similar to the one the Bills signed according to Moran. Next week Moran along with Athletic Director Mike Muska and Football Head Coach Jeff Ramsey among others will travel to Saint John Fisher to check out the situation there.
That kind of flow into Oberlin would benefit town economics as well as the visibility of the college. 
“I think it will have an impact on admissions,” Moran said. 
Ramsey agreed that it would be a definite gain for football recruiting. “The major benefit is just that it’s a great attraction. For our guys that stick around in the summer it will be great for them to watch pro athletes.”
If the Browns did come, it might also mean good things for campus facilities. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a contract at Saint Vincent, where a brand new, air-conditioned dorm was built named Art Rooney Hall after the founder of the Steelers.