Berea, Ohio ? Romeo Crennel’s long wait is over. An assistant coach for 35 years, he’s finally in charge.

Fresh from winning a third Super Bowl title as New England’s defensive coordinator, Crennel was introduced Tuesday as coach of the Cleveland Browns, a team with far more imperfections than the one he left.

“I’ve been somewhat successful as a position coach. Now being able to take the reins of a team and try to run a whole team, that’s special,” Crennel said at a news conference.

“I’m excited about it. I want to be successful, and I want to win and that’s what I want to try to bring to Cleveland, a winning football team.”

The 57-year-old Crennel is the 11th full-time coach in Browns history and the team’s first black coach. He’s the NFL’s sixth minority coach, but the only one with a Super Bowl ring for each finger of one hand.

Crennel received a five-year, $11 million contract from the Browns, who are coming off a disastrous 4-12 season that was scuttled by major injuries and highlighted by the resignation of Butch Davis on Nov. 30.

In hiring Crennel, the Browns, who are just 30-66 with one playoff appearance since returning to the league in 1999, selected an older, more experienced coach instead of going for an up-and-coming college candidate, as they did in 2001 when they plucked Davis from the University of Miami.

Crennel joins Tony Dungy of Indianapolis, Marvin Lewis of Cincinnati, Dennis Green of Arizona, Herman Edwards of the New York Jets and Lovie Smith of Chicago among the league’s black head coaches.

As the Browns introduced Crennel, the Patriots celebrated in a parade through the streets of Boston. But Crennel knew he was in the right place.

“Considering the alternative, this is a good one to be at,” said Crennel, who was joined at the news conference by his wife, Rosemary, and two of his three daughters.