In the beginning , She’s Mary Kay!, One of us, The man in her life, ESPN called, now what? , Respect is earned, She is a role model

Cleveland.com Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot shares her career story with students participating in the Cleveland Media Academy on Jan. 11, 2025.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Mary Kay Cabot had planned this trip for a long time.

“She and her girlfriends were in Jackson Hole (Wyoming),” said her husband, Bill Murman. “She was really looking forward to it. Then the Judkins thing hit.”

The “Judkins thing” was Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins being arrested in Florida and charged with domestic violence and battery to a woman.

“It started breaking just as I was about to board the second leg of my flight home from Jackson Hole,” said Cabot. “It was my four-day vacation with my high school girlfriends. By the time I landed, it had been confirmed that Judkins had been arrested for a domestic-violence incident. I jumped in on it as soon as I got home …

Part of covering the Browns means Mary Kay Cabot spends most of her time writing.

“That was the end of my little summer break,” she added.

Murman laughed as he talked about “the Judkins thing.”

That’s because something like that seems to happen every time they are on a family vacation.

“I’d end up at the beach with the three kids for a while,” he said. “She would be inside, working on the story and writing. It was no big deal. We were used to the chaos that comes with covering the Browns.”

Johnny Manziel once wrecked Easter for the family when word broke that the former Browns QB left a treatment center (substance abuse) and went golfing with friends and family. Mary Kay dutifully wrote it up, then went back to her family.

Mary Kay Cabot covered the old Cleveland Force before taking over the Browns beat,

Murman laughed again as he talked about his wife of 32 years “tapping away at her laptop at 1 a.m.” because another story broke.

It’s also what a Hall of Famer does.

“Something always is going on with the Browns,” said Murman.

In the beginning

When I first saw Mary Kay, she was an intern in The Plain Dealer sports department. I was the paper’s baseball writer.

This was in 1983.

I remember meeting her, thinking she was a pleasant young lady. I recall reading a few of her stories, thinking she had a nice touch with words. I also wondered if she’d last in the male-dominated business.

At that point, women were just entering the world of sports writing, and they were not exactly welcomed. Many quit or moved into other departments in the newspaper. I wondered if that would happen to Mary Kay.

Mary Kay stayed. She covered the old Cleveland Force indoor soccer team for a while. She wrote a little of everything, from high school sports to the pros.

In 1988, she became the backup writer on the Browns beat.

“Those were the great years,” said Mary Kay. “The AFC championship with Bernie (Kosar).”

In 1991, she became the Browns beat writer as Tony Grossi moved up to become the national NFL writer for The Plain Dealer. That also was the first year of Bill Belichick as coach.

That was when it was “like the Wild West for a woman covering sports,” Mary Kay said. “I put up with a lot of crude stuff. Even some of my colleagues were against a woman covering the Browns.”

Now, the Hall of Fame …

That’s the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where she will be honored as the 57th winner of the Bill Nunn Award on Friday night.

The only other Cleveland writer to win the award is the late Chuck Heaton. The only other woman to be so honored is Charean Williams, now a writer for Pro Football Talk, who was honored in 2018.

She’s Mary Kay!

For purposes of this story, Cabot is Mary Kay.

Some fans may remember how former Plain Dealer sports columnist Hal Lebovitz was simply “Hal” to the readers of Northeast Ohio. That’s how Mary Kay is to Browns fans of this era.

She’s Mary Kay because she has been covering the Browns since 1991.

Don’t ask me how anyone lasts that long … 35 years … covering a team that has won two playoff games in that span. The franchise also moved to Baltimore after the 1995 season and then returned as an expansion team in 1999.

She’s Mary Kay because she’s been writing about each of the 40 different starting quarterbacks since the Browns returned in 1999 – from No. 1 Ty Detmer to No. 40 Bailey Zappe. She’s Mary Kay, who has covered more Browns head coaches (13) than winning seasons (5).

She’s Mary Kay because she’s a constant presence not only on cleveland.com and in The Plain Dealer, but also on podcasts and local sports talk radio. She uses her background from Kent State in mass media, radio and television to cover the Browns across several platforms on cleveland.com in the digital age and has 226,000 followers on X. She has old-school news values in the modern era of media.

She’s Mary Kay because she’s a familiar voice. She’s Mary Kay because she truly cares about the fans, and most of them know it.

“About everywhere we go, she is recognized,” said Murman. “She meets people, asks their names and how long they’ve been Browns fans. She spends time with them. She’s been recognized all over the country because there are Browns fans everywhere.”

Browns fans know Mary Kay Cabot.

One of us

Mary Kay grew up in Lakewood, the daughter of Joe Cabot. He was a fireman and a Korean War veteran. He was a huge sports fan, especially of the Browns. Mary Kay covering his favorite team meant as much to him as if he had a son wearing an orange helmet and starting at quarterback for the Browns on Sunday.

Joe Cabot also once told Mary Kay that he would “punch Mike Trivisonno in the nose” for ripping his daughter on his old WTAM Sportsline show. Mary Kay knows her father would have done it if she had not stopped him. He died six years ago at the age of 87.

Mary Kay’s mother is Marge Cabot, now 93.

“She’s a huge Browns fan, watches every game,” said Mary Kay. “Every time I go on the road to cover a game, she tells me to ‘bring us home a winner.’ She is still as mentally sharp as she can be. I cherish my mom.”

Lakewood High. Kent State. First full-time job at The Plain Dealer and still there.

Mary Kay … a woman with a heart for Cleveland.

The man in her life

Bill Murman first met Mary Kay when she was at Kent State.

“She was dating a football player at the time,” said Murman.

He asked her out, but not much came of it.

Seven years later, Murman spotted Mary Kay at a meeting at St. Christopher Catholic Church in Rocky River. This time, he found two empty chairs and set up things so they’d sit next to each other.

Murman said he wanted kids “ever since you can even think about having kids.”

Mary Kay was the same way. That’s why she stayed on the Browns beat, as opposed to the Cavs or Tribe/Guardians. Baseball and basketball meant a lot of travel. The NFL was more structured, “more compatible with family life.”

Murman said he nearly messed up his proposal to Mary Kay. They were having dinner with his parents. His mother said, “You both must be getting close (to getting married).”

Murman mumbled something about it being “out there,” as if it might happen a long time in the future.

“And I already had a ring,” Murman said. “Mary Kay was upset. I think she was getting ready to look up some of her old boyfriends.”

Realizing he needed a fourth-quarter comeback, he went to a hurry-up offense. He took her to the Cleveland Yacht Club. He went down on one knee and proposed. The strategy worked.

“I love being married to Mary Kay and I love that she covers the Browns,” he said.

What do his friends say?

“Most like it, too,” he said. “But a few have called me ‘Billy Cabot.’ ”

It was not always meant as a term of endearment, but Murman doesn’t care.

ESPN called, now what?

Bill and Mary Kay tried to have children for years. Mary Kay had three miscarriages. Then came three children.

Murman is a senior vice president for UBS Wealth Management. After their youngest child Camryn was born, ESPN offered Mary Kay a three-year contract.

“I talked to another woman who had worked there,” said Mary Kay. “She had one child. She said it would be crazy to try and do it with three kids. One day, they’d want you in Miami, the next in L.A.”

Murman kept telling Mary Kay, “We’ll find a way to make it work if you want to go to ESPN.”

Mary Kay thought about her family and what she really wanted in life. She turned down the offer.

“Our family life was church and the Browns,” she said. “We went to lacrosse, basketball games and gymnastics – things with our kids. Staying on the Browns beat allowed me to be the mom I wanted to be.”

Mary Kay raves about her husband.

“I can’t overstate the importance of my husband,” said Mary Kay. “His unwavering support is unbelievable. He and my kids are so resilient and understanding. At times, they had to learn how to fend for themselves.”

Chris Murman is 28 and a CPA. Celeste Murman is 26 and a professional aerialist and acrobatic performer who has toured much of the world with a company out of Quebec. Camryn Murman is 24 and works for a marketing firm in New York.

Mary Kay and Bill Murman have been married 32 years. Along with the miscarriages, the pressure of the Browns beat and life in the public eye, they have dealt with Bill’s major heart surgery 15 years ago. He also dealt with significant vertigo problems about three years ago that took a long time to subside.

They truly have done life together – the good and bad, through sickness and health.

Respect is earned

Andrew Berry is in his sixth season as the Browns general manager. He’s the 10th GM that Mary Kay has covered.

“Mary Kay is a true pioneer,” texted Berry. “Don’t be fooled by her stature … she’s a tough-minded, truth-focused journalist in a male-dominated sport. She breaks news and delivers content with the sole goal of informing her audience authentically and covering the team fairly.”

Mary Kay says she’s 5-foot-2. That could be true, depending upon the kind of shoes she’s wearing.

“I have a lot of respect for her work ethic, ability to develop relationships and her integrity,” added Berry.

“She has put together an amazing career while covering high-profile topics around the Browns. She lives in the public light even if she has an unpopular take with her audience (or with the team for that matter!). She has navigated this career — which has no off days — while being a great spouse and mother. It is great to see her getting the recognition she deserves.”

“Football people talk about how much they admire players who never take a play off, and that’s who Mary Kay is,” said cleveland.com Sports Director David Campbell.

“She’s spent decades breaking news and writing memorable feature stories, but every day, she can’t wait to wake up and go find the next one. It’s like she has a gift, one she can’t wait to share with Browns fans.”

She is a role model

Marla Ridenour was the first woman to cover pro football and the Browns. She did it for the Dayton Daily News, Columbus Dispatch and Akron Beacon Journal. Mary Kay is quick to mention Ridenour when others talk about her blazing the Browns journalistic trail.

At times, they did it together in the early days, often supporting each other when it seemed so much was against them. Ridenour retired in 2022.

Mary Kay has no plans to quit. She relentlessly chases the news and breaks stories. She doesn’t become bored and cynical as the Browns seemingly stumble through one decade after another of futility.

“I’m always looking for the next story and the follow-up to that story,” said Mary Kay. “Covering the Browns is special. No matter what they do … good … bad … it moves the needle. There’s always interest in the team.”

Her husband marvels at how Mary Kay has withstood some of the very ugly criticism, especially in the era of social media.

“She gets blasted from a lot of different directions,” he said. “It’s so unfair, and it’s like character assassination. I know there were times when she went to bed drained, probably feeling like quitting, but then got up the next day and was back at it.”

Mary Kay had to tolerate a lot of mean four-letter words fired at her, but one she refuses to accept is “quit.”

“She says they’re going to have to take it (the job) out of her cold, stiff hands,” said Murman. “She’s not ready to retire, and I don’t want her to retire.”

Mary Kay often says she never wanted to be the story, she just wants to tell stories.

But her story is an inspiration to girls and young women who want to go into fields such as sports media – or even pro sports.

“I wanted to show my kids and others that you can do something others said you can’t do,” she said. “At times, I had to overcome the odds and people saying it can’t be done. I had to play strong and be tough. When I started there were very few women in this business.”

Now, that is changing.

“One of the things that make me feel the best is when I hear someone say, ‘I went into this (sports media) ‘because of you,’” said Mary Kay. “That means a lot to me.”