For Immediate Release: July 9, 2025
Contacts: Dave Eifert, 440-864-9147; Karen Misciagna
Engineer-turned-author creates an engrossing tale to explain why the Cleveland
Browns have been ‘so bad for so long’ in debut sports fiction book.
(Bay Village, OH) Grandpa, why do the Browns always lose? This is a question debut
author and Bay Village resident Dave Eifert heard his son, Christopher, ask his dad,
David Eifert, one too many times.
Frustrated and looking for an explanation for the Cleveland Browns’ losses, mishaps
and bad luck since winning the 1964 NFL Championship game, this lifelong Browns fan
put pen to paper to turn the unexplainable into an engrossing and entertaining work of
fiction about the Browns being cursed. Eifert’s debut novel Cleveland Curse releases
July 21, 2025 on Firewater Press. The book combines a suspenseful story with a
seamless blend of fact and fantasy in the sports literature genre. Eifert plans to pen
follow-up volumes to this inaugural issue.
A Synopsis
The journey begins on December 26, 1964, when Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell meets a
mysterious stranger smartly dressed in a suit and long, dark gray cashmere overcoat who
presents papers for Modell to sign. The contract ensures a Championship win for the Browns
the following day, but are Modell and coach Blanton Collier making a deal with the Devil that
would forever seal the team’s fate…and other Cleveland sports teams and the entire city of
Cleveland for generations?
On December 27, 1964, the Cleveland Browns football team embarrassed the Baltimore Colts
in the 32nd NFL Championship Game, shutting out the Colts 27-0. Little did fans know then it
would be the last time the Browns would win the big game. The closest they have come since
was losing three times to the Denver Broncos in 1986, 1987 and 1989, due to a combination of
player mishaps and bad luck. Then there was the time the team left for Baltimore in 1996, and
the pinnacle of the team’s misfortune in 2017, when the Browns finished the season 0-16.Introduction
Cleveland Curse is an engrossing tale that employs fiction to explain the inexplicable: How the
Cleveland Browns have been so bad for so long. A litany of faithfully reported real sports
moments (The Drive, The Fumble, Red Right 88 and The Shot) are intertwined with a dramatic
fictional storyline involving an inadvertent deal with the Devil. It’s all served up with deep
affection in what amounts to a love letter to Cleveland, and its fans and citizens.
About the Author
Dave Eifert showed promise as a writer in college but instead focused on his engineering
classes. After decades of working in technical sales, marketing and management, and
compelled by Cleveland Browns-induced frustration, he turned to writing as catharsis. Nearly a
decade later, he has produced his debut work.
Scheduled Events and Promotions
To celebrate the release of Cleveland Curse, Dave Eifert will embark on a book tour, with stops
at a variety of local bookshops (check website for updates), including Loganberry Books’ annual
Author Alley event on Saturday, August 2, 1-5 p.m. (Address: 13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker
Heights, OH.) Readers and fans will have the opportunity to meet the author, hear readings
from the book and participate in thought-provoking discussions about its themes. Signed copies
and merchandise will be available at select events.
Book Availability
Cleveland Curse – Volume One will be available in hard cover and eBook formats starting July
21, 2025 at Cleveland-area independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and The
Cleveland Curse Book website page. Pre-orders are currently being accepted on Amazon and
the author’s website.
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Cleveland Curse Book Jacket Image Link
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