CLEVELAND BROWNS: BONE LADY

According to Debra Darnell, Bone Lady is what happens when you drink beer and own a glue gun. She reps Cleveland as a superfan every time she has to "Bone up" for the game. Which is every time.

How did you fall in love with your team? What is your first memory around your NFL team?

I was born this way. In Cleveland, Browns football runs through our veins. Sports in this town, especially football, weave throughout our lives and each "defining sports moment" is intertwined with our own personal life story. It connects families, friends, co-workers, and even strangers throughout the course of a day, whether we are at a game, watching it on TV, or discussing it during the off-season. It's the lifeblood of our city - win or lose.

Favorite NFL or team moment?

Sports are how we feel about ourselves in this city. When I grew up, others referred to us as, "The Mistake on the Lake." But when we watched our Browns play on a Sunday, there was such a sense of pride that they were ours and they belonged to us. We were a city with a self-esteem problem, but now with Cleveland finally winning a championship (thank you Cavs!) and with our city on the rise, we are proud of where we come from and who we are.

What distinguishes you from other fans of your team?

I never said I was the best Browns fan; there are so many great fans, young and old. I'm just recognizable. Well, it's kind of hard to miss a woman in a two-foot high orange beehive!

How did you develop your costume / get your nickname / develop your superfan persona?

Bone Lady is what happens when you drink too much beer and own a glue gun!

I created the Bone Lady out of my passion for football and the Browns. I did it for fun never thinking it would change my life, but it did. Being The Bone Lady for the past seventeen years has been like a wild rollercoaster ride that no one told me I would be on! There wasn't an ultimate fan handbook except for meeting fans from the other teams who came before and learn from them. I didn't try to make Bone Lady happen, it just sort of happened to me. She was meant to be.

In 2001 when I was honored in the Hall of Fans exhibit at the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the Cleveland Browns fan of the year. I was quite humbled especially being a woman. Representing my Browns fan family was a huge responsibility that I took seriously. I realized that I could do good things in the world through this character.

My motto from day one of her creation was and still is, "BE WHO YOU ARE!"

If you want to wear a beehive wig and go to a football game, DO it! Because if I would've listened to all of those negative people who thought I was crazy and said, "What are you doing that for?" I would've missed out on a great adventure of my life and meeting friends who I only know 'cause I "BONED UP" (that's what I say when I put my outfit on).

So I go out and encourage others to find what they are passionate about, cheering them on, and telling them that there is no one on the whole planet quite like you, so use your gifts, love yourself, the Earth needs you!

Over the years I have been fortunate not only to meet many of the players that I grew up loving, but I also have gotten to know many of them by doing appearances and working with them. I have the utmost respect for the Browns Alumni. Many have stayed here in the community and continue to love and support our city. I have a lot of Browns memorabilia from over the years, but for me as far as Bone Lady is concerned, my most cherished keepsake is not only my signature beehive wig, but also a pin of a picture of my beloved dog Molly that used to adorn that wig.

Since her passing a few years ago I took it off so as not to lose it. Things do tend to fall off of the Bone Lady! She taught me what unconditional love really is and she was with me along this Bone Lady ride. I remember the first time I left my hoop skirt with milk bones glued on it on the floor, she ate all of them off! And when I would have my glue gun out gluing new bones on before a game she would look up at me as if there was a cartoon bubble over her head thinking, "Total waste of biscuits!"

What is your game day ritual? How do you prefer to watch the game?

My game day ritual has changed over the years. I took a hiatus for a couple of years. When I returned four years ago, I started doing live remotes on a Browns pregame show on our local CBS station where I have freelanced for the past twelve years. This year I won't be doing that, but will be hosting watch parties and doing Browns Backer appearances. I also have a secret project in the works.

All images by Shaniqwa Jarvis.

See more of the Hall of Fandom here.

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