Meet Top 10 Cleveland Browns tailgate groups for 2019; who won contest?

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The sizzle of brats mix with the aroma of scrambled eggs as it wafts through the air and amid all the tailgaters filling parking lots near the shores of Lake Erie for another Browns home game.

Tailgating in Cleveland. There’s nothing like it. Clevelanders love their Browns. And Clevelanders love their tailgating. So it was a no-brainer to conduct a contest to determine the Best Browns Tailgate Group.

Cleveland’s Best reporters Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez sought nominations from cleveland.com readers and then spent multiple Sunday mornings in September and October traversing the big tailgating areas to meet – and celebrate with – the contending groups. They took notes, photos and videos to help determine the rankings of who throws the best party.

Below are the Top 10 results. Congratulations to the winner, Burke Airport Tailgate Society!

If you’re tailgating tonight before the Browns take on the Steelers in Cleveland, stop by and say hello to these Top 10 place-winners.

No. 1: Burke Airport Tailgate Society (BATS)

Started by John Hazek and his wife, Melissa, in 2007, this group began tailgating in the Flats, but as they grew started looking for a new tailgating home. They found it in a corner at Burke Lakefront Airport – just across from the U.S.S. Cod.

Made up mostly of retired military and first responders, BATS has a welcoming spirit which draws in strangers, even fans of opposing teams. The food and the beer is secondary to this group. They are more about giving back.

They average about 75 members, and BATS has a big mission. Each week they hold a 50-50 raffle, then donate the proceeds to support the U.S.S. Cod’s preservation. Last season they donated more than $1,000 to the decommissioned war ship.

“We may be more sedate than the other groups you’ll find out here, but we are a tight-knit group that is still open to welcoming anyone – regardless of where their team loyalties lie,” said Hazek. “Of course, if you are here to support ‘the other guys,’ you will take a little razzing at first, but if you take it well, then you become a part of the family.”

The message of BATS is one of “camaraderie.” Hazek said it’s a message each member learned in the military or as a first responder, “to have one another’s back” – and one, he believes, is at the core of every Browns fan.

No. 2: Browns Forever – No Matter What!

“Big John” Susong is easy to spot as your walk through the crowds in the Muni Lot. Towering over the heads of many of the revelers, he can usually be found behind his oversized grill not far from the west entrance.

It’s a big job. Susong and partner Mark Treez are not content with serving up just one meal on game day. They serve three – full breakfasts, lunches and dinners are cooked, and shared with anyone who is attracted by the aroma of what he is cooking, which include everything from corned beef Ruebens to crab legs to white chicken chili. Crab legs in the Muni Lot, what a beautiful time to be alive.

It’s hard not to get sucked into the positive energy of this group, which started in 1999 by two co-workers who shared a small grill. Today, they encompass three parking spaces of the muni lot where they cook and eat while catching up on the events in one another’s lives.

The Browns Forever – No Matter What! group values “family, friendship, good food – and, of course, the Browns!”

Wander in and you can be sure you will be welcomed, well fed, and not allowed to leave without multiple hugs from new friends, and perhaps a doggie bag for that walk over to FirstEnergy Stadium.

No. 3: The Elf Pack

One of the hallmarks is a fan base that spans generations of family members who celebrate the highs and commiserate the lows of Browns football together.

The Elf Pack sets up each Sunday home game behind the stadium, in the shadow of the Mather.

Three generations of Jay Neglin’s family are there, along with friends who have joined over the years, some of them members of the Pro Football Ultimate Fan Association.

The Elf Pack’s motto is “Respect the fans, hate the team,” a signal that all will find a comfortable place to relax before the game, a good meal and charging stations to assure your phone is ready for a long day in the Dawg Pound.

When they travel with the team, they see themselves as ambassadors of Cleveland and work to create a positive image of the city, the team and its fans.

Committed to service, The Elf Pack serves as headquarters for the Toys for Tots campaign each season – last year donating 16 bins of new toys and $1,600 to the Marines to help assure Santa pays visits to as many Cleveland-area kids as possible.

No. 4: Top Dawg Tailgate

Eric Barr and Steve Bailey used to tailgate together at the Muni Lot and at Burke. They prided themselves on restaurant quality food.

Enter Dan and Diane Brezovec. Dan had bought an ambulance five years ago with the intent of turning it into a food truck. Diane is a lifelong Browns supporter and tailgater -- something she inherited from her father.

The groups met and decided to merge after meeting at Burke. This season they’re celebrating their third year under the bridges along West 4th Street.

They see themselves as the “best bar party” and a “Cleveland Block Party” and most importantly, consider their group all about family. They said their tailgate is safe and responsible, things they’re very proud of.

They have a DJ on hand to provide entertainment. During the home opener, 250 people show up in support of their tailgate, they say.

They have different food themes weekly. The day we visited they conducted a “Mac for Mutts” fundraiser with a mac and cheese contest featuring 25 options. The proceeds benefited Division City Dog Shelter.

They’ve also had groups from opposing teams reach out when visiting and they’re welcome to join their tailgate. They also center themes around opponents, such as brats and cheese when the Browns play the Packers and BBQ for Kansas City Chiefs games.

No. 5: Grassy Knoll Airport Tailgate Society (GNATS)

Walk toward the entrance of the Burke Lakefront Airport terminal and you’ll find a man dressed as an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, DJ-ing one of the largest tailgates on any given Sunday.

Brian “DJ Pharaoh” Kozzieracki is so dedicated to the Browns, he drives from his Connecticut home every weekend the team plays in Cleveland.

Started in 2007 at the Muni Lot with 20 members, they found they wanted a more family-oriented, laid-back space for their get togethers, so they made the move across Route 2 to the Burke parking lot where they have taken over the highest spot of the property (hence the name “Grassy Knoll”).

This season, they welcome upwards of 250 members at each home game. When the team travels, a large contingent travels with them and partners with other Browns Backers groups in opposing cities.

To be a member of GNATS, you must be a season ticket holder.

The organization now has officers in charge of coordinating the food and bar supplies each week and their social media presence.

No. 6: West 4th Tailgate

If you are looking for the West 4th Tailgate, they occupy 17 spaces in the parking lot near West 4th Street and the bridge.

Founder Dave Schafer’s family has held season tickets since 1965. A veteran tailgater, he arrives every Sunday at 5:45 a.m. to get his desired spot in the lot.

He and two partners are now out every home game, hosting as many as 200 regulars who stop by for the food and the camaraderie.

Schafer foots most of the bills in the beginning of the season, saying he spent $2,400 on the home opener alone, and collects donations to keep the club fed for the balance of the season, as well as proceeds from the shot wheel.

Each week there is a different theme and menu, as well as a variety of mixed drinks available.

For Thanksgiving weekend, Schafer will put out a full Thanksgiving dinner for his crew.

No. 7: Hold the Pigskin

Ever heard of a tailgate that focuses on sustainability and veganism? Meet Adam Rosen.

Rosen left his hometown for college, but returned in 2010. “The team stunk, but I figured 'why not have a reason to party?’” So, he bought a van, painted it orange and brown and started tailgating in the Muni Lot with friends.

That’s also about the time Rosen discovered his other passion: the environment.

“When we leave the Muni Lot, it is a wasteland of plastic and spent beer cans” he said. “We are just a few hundred feet from one of the largest sources of fresh water in our country and I felt like we should be an example.”

Rosen doesn’t allow paper or disposable plastics at his tailgate. Members utilize reusable drinking glasses, plates and silverware, and they provide recycling containers for other revelers it the Muni Lot. They limit themselves to one bag of refuse per tailgate.

But his commitment doesn’t stop there. To do his part to eliminate greenhouse gasses, Rosen has become a vegan and as such, his menu contains no animal or animal by-products.

No. 8: The Browns Bunch

This tailgate is easily identifiable by the large flag flown from a light standard marking the border of the Muni Lot and the Shoreway.

The Browns Bunch is known for their games and theme celebrations at each game. The weekly themes often are based on the opposing team.

Within The Browns Bunch tailgate, emphasis is placed on socializing and raising glasses. They even have a traditional chant when downing a shot before leaving for the stadium.

No. 9: We Bleed Orange & Brown

Billed as “the only tailgate with a dance floor,” Zack Zelman explained that his Muni Lot We Bleed Orange & Brown tailgating group, which enjoys cutting a rug prior to the game, was getting run over by passers-by, so he built a raised dance floor to define the space.

One of three regular DJs work each home game, for tips, and keep the tunes blasting right up until kickoff.

“It makes us a little more unique,” he said of the dance floor. Be prepared to be invited to the dance floor when you walk by.

The group started with friends and neighbors of Zelman, but membership grew by word of mouth over the years.

No. 10: The Troatsmen

Proud of their sponsorship (Miller Lite and Truly) and having been named “Best Cleveland Tailgate 2018,” The Troatsmen is the quintessential party one expects to find when they enter the Muni Lot for the first time.

This group -- located as close to the center of the Muni Lot as possible -- is almost overwhelming in size, as well as the decibels escaping their sound system.

Free and open to anyone wandering by, they are happy to quench your thirst in exchange for a donation to the weekly 50/50 raffle they sponsor. At the season home opener, one lucky fan walked away with $1,000.

Be sure to be nearby at 11:45 a.m. when a crowd begins to gather for the noon dance “show” atop the tailgate bus by Dave Romano, one of the group’s organizers who is usually dressed in an Octoberfest costume and wearing a pretzel necklace.

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