Browns Ring of Honor to grow on Sunday

Team will induct Joe Thomas and also honor Hall of Famer Mac Speedie during a halftime ceremony.

The Cleveland Browns will expand their Ring of Honor on Sunday as the team enshrines Joe Thomas.

The club will also recognize Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Mac Speedie during the halftime ceremony by presenting the hall’s Ring of Excellence to Speedie’s son-in-law, Rod Walker.

Related: Hall of Famer Joe Thomas: Exclusive interview with Browns legend

Thomas will also receive his Ring of Excellence, the third and final recognition presented by the hall, to go along with his gold jacket and bronze bust. The rings are 14K gold and have a total diamond weight of 1.75 carats, according to clevelandbrowns.com. The inside of the ring is engraved with each member’s enshrinee number

Thomas was enshrined into the Hall of Fame in August as a member of the Class of 2023. During 11 seasons with the Browns, he was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first 10 seasons, one of just five players in NFL history to achieve that, was a First-Team All-Pro selection six times and a Second-Team selection two times and played what is believed to be an NFL-record 10,363 consecutive snaps, and was selected as a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2010s.

Speedie, who played for the Browns from 1946 to 1952, was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020. During his seven-year career, he had 349 receptions, 5,602 receiving yards (including two 1,000-yard seasons) and 33 receiving touchdowns. He was a member of five championship teams with the Browns and the Hall of Fame’s All-1940s Team.

According to his bio on the Hall of Fame’s website:

Speedie established every major receiving record in the four-year history of the AAFC and led the AAFC in receptions three times (1947-49) and the NFL once (1952). He made the United Press all-league team in 1950 and 1952. He played in six league championship games during his seven years with Cleveland. Speedie started in 74 of his 86 career games – which was a feat for a player during his era.

During his seven years with the Browns, Speedie’s career totals included 349 receptions for 5,602 yards and 33 touchdowns. He was named All-Pro three times, All-AAFC four times, All-NFL twice, and the NFL’s All-Decade Team of 1940s.

The hall changed its policy in 2022 regarding the presentation of rings to enshrinees elected posthumously to allow for a surviving spouse, adult child or parent to accept the ring.