Browns Will Have Own Rooting Section Sunday

The largest block of tickets ever sold by the Raiders in Los Angeles has gone to a group of Cleveland Browns fans--more than 1,200 of them--who will fill Section 26 of the Coliseum Sunday.

Finding the right spot for their pregame party proved more of a challenge.

The purchase was engineered through the Southern California Browns Backers Assn., a group of more than 600 dues-paying fans of the Browns, mostly Ohio expatriates, who gather at five bars or restaurants around the Southland each Sunday to watch Brown games on satellite TV. The block of tickets is nearly double the previous record number of tickets sold--to a group of San Diego Chargers fans.

Browns Backers, who have been planning their Coliseum outing since the NFL schedule was announced, bought the tickets with the help of the Raider marketing staff.

But where does so large a group hold its pregame gathering?

Jeff Wagner, a Covina loan officer who is president of the Browns Backers, worked on that problem for a month and thought he had all the approval necessary from state, city and county agencies to rope off an area near the Coliseum for his group.

“Everyone, Glenn Mon of the Coliseum Commission, even the Raiders, seemed enthusiastic about what we wanted, which was just a roped-off area,” Wagner said. “We weren’t asking for anything special. They provide areas for lots of groups, corporate sponsors and the like.

“At the last moment, I was called by Glenn Mon and told the Coliseum people had changed their minds. When I questioned as to why, I was simply told, ‘The Raiders organization would not be pleased.’ ”

Mon told The Times: “At first, I was supportive. But I didn’t think that giving them an area in the park would be appropriate. The Raiders are our tenants, and their fans are important customers. To give this group space would displace Raider fans.

“And do you think that if a group of Raider fans went to Cleveland, Art Modell (Brown owner) would give them a place to picnic? I don’t think so.

“But the area around the Coliseum is public property. And they are welcome to pick any spot for their pregame party. On a first-come basis, of course.”

That is precisely what the small army of Brown fans intends to do.

Apparently, the battle for turf, both inside the Coliseum and outside, is just a game.