Of all the thrills at the Browns' training camp this summer, the most touching was watching Karl Ertel.

During one practice, I decided to sit in the bleachers next to the practice fields at the Browns' training complex in Berea. I picked a seat near the top so I could see everything at once.

But one quiet figure kept drawing my eye. Two rows ahead of me sat Karl with his 6-year-old daughter, Mary. He kept leaning over to her, explaining what was happening on the field as she gazed through a pair of binoculars.

He offered her simple explanations to simple questions.

The guys in orange jerseys were the quarterbacks. The brown jerseys belonged to defensive players. The men in white were on offense. Tim Couch is the guy wearing No. 2. He wasn't throwing the ball as much as Ty Detmer because he wasn't the starter yet.

At first, I brushed off the scene. Then I saw Mary offer Karl the binoculars.

''That way you can see, Daddy,'' she innocently uttered.

''No, honey, I want you to be able to watch this,'' he replied. His emotions pumped through his eyes at that instant, so thrilled he could share these Browns with his daughter.

Just like his dad had shared the old Browns with him.

Karl's dad had taken him to Browns' camps when he was a kid, packing up the car and heading for Hiram College, where camps were once held.

There was no way Karl could miss this opportunity. His kids wouldn't let him. Mary and her 11-year-old brother, Tim, left notes on his pillow the night before to remind him.

And, at 7:30 a.m. on a day of summer vacation, Karl, Mary, Tim and Karl's sister, Sue Klein, packed up the car and went to see the Browns practice. And Karl savored every second of sharing this with his children.

When people talk about the Cleveland Browns' fans, images of the Dawg Pound, Big Dawg and beer-guzzling hooligans leap to the front of the brain.

But that's not a fan of the Cleveland Browns. They're regular people, just like you and me.

They're people who have a passion for football. And all they want to do is share it with those they love.

On my way out of the bleachers that morning, I introduced myself to Karl and said I'd like to write a column about him. He stared blankly back at me and asked, ''Why?''

You're a true Browns' fan, Karl. That's why.

Sports reporter David Trinko can be reached by phone at 993-2088 or e-mail at dtrinko@limanews.com.