The Cleveland Browns today named Ray Farmer as the club’s Assistant General Manager. In addition, Michael Lombardi, who had been named Vice President–Player Personnel on January 18, 2013, will now become the team’s General Manager. In his role, Farmer will work closely with Lombardi, where he will help manage both the pro and college scouting departments. “Ray is highly regarded in league circles as an outstanding evaluator of talent,” said Browns CEO Joe Banner. “We had the opportunity to meet with Ray in our initial search for a general manager and came away extremely impressed. I have known Ray since he played with us in Philadelphia, and I am familiar with the type of person he is, his work ethic and his knowledge of the game. We are very fortunate that we were able to add someone of Ray’s caliber to our personnel staff.” Farmer joins the Browns after spending the previous seven seasons (2006-12) as the Kansas City Chiefs’ Director of Pro Personnel. During his tenure with the Chiefs, Farmer was responsible for scouting all players with professional experience, evaluating current players in the NFL, Canadian Football League and all other pro leagues. Prior to joining the Chiefs, Farmer spent four seasons (2002-05) as a pro scout with the Atlanta Falcons. A fourth-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1996 NFL Draft, Farmer played three seasons (1996-98) at linebacker for the Eagles, appearing in 32 games with 16 starts before a knee injury ended his career. A four-year letterman at Duke (1992-95) as a safety, Farmer was a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and was named to the ACC All-Academic Team in 1994. During his collegiate career, he set an NCAA record by blocking eight PATs. Farmer returned to his alma mater after his playing career, serving as the Academic Coordinator for Football, where he assisted in football recruiting until joining the Falcons staff. A native of White Plains, New York, he and his wife, Vernet, have two children, Boyd and Kennedy.
