Marion Motley facts for kids
Marion Motley on a 1950 Bowman football card
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| No. 76, 36 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Halfback, Linebacker |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | June 5, 1920 Leesburg, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Died: | June 27, 1999 (aged 79) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 232 lb (105 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| High school: | Canton McKinley (Canton, Ohio) |
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| College: | Nevada | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1946 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Pro Football Hall of Fame
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Marion Motley (born June 5, 1920 – died June 27, 1999) was an American professional football player. He played as a halfback and linebacker for the Cleveland Browns. He played in both the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL).
Motley was known for his strong blocking and powerful running. He set a record for running backs with an average of 5.7 yards per carry during his career. He was a very versatile player, meaning he was good at many different things on the field. He had both speed and size. Another famous player, Joe Perry, once called Motley "the greatest all-around football player there ever was."
Marion Motley was also one of the first two African-American players to play professional football in the modern era. He and his teammate Bill Willis broke the color barrier in September 1946. This was a very important moment in sports history.
Contents
Early Life and Football Journey
Marion Motley was born in Leesburg, Georgia. His family moved to Canton, Ohio, when he was three years old. He went to Canton McKinley High School and played football and basketball there. He was an excellent fullback. His high school team had a great record of 25 wins and only 3 losses. All three losses were against a rival team coached by Paul Brown.
After high school, Motley went to South Carolina State College in 1939. He then transferred to the University of Nevada in 1941. He became a star player for the Wolf Pack football team. In 1943, he hurt his knee and left college to work in Canton.
Military Service and Meeting Paul Brown
In 1944, during World War II, Motley joined the U.S. Navy. He was sent to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. There, he played football for the Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets. This team was coached by Paul Brown, the same coach from his high school rival team. Brown was serving in the Navy at the time.
Motley played both fullback and linebacker for the Navy team. He was a key player in their offense and defense. A big highlight was their 39–7 win over Notre Dame in 1945. Motley stayed to play in this important game, even though he could have left the Navy.
Professional Football Career
After the war, Motley returned to Canton and worked in a steel mill. He planned to go back to college. But then, Paul Brown invited him to try out for his new team, the Cleveland Browns. This team was part of a new league called the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). Brown had first invited Bill Willis, another African-American player. Ten days later, Motley also got an invitation.
Motley and Willis both made the team in 1946. They became two of the first African-Americans to play professional football in the modern era. Two other black players, Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, had signed with the Los Angeles Rams earlier that year. These players broke football's color barrier before Jackie Robinson joined Major League Baseball in 1947. Motley felt this was his big chance to have a career outside the steel mill.
Success with the Cleveland Browns
Motley joined a powerful Cleveland Browns offense. It included quarterback Otto Graham, kicker Lou Groza, and receivers Dante Lavelli and Mac Speedie. Motley was a strong force in the AAFC. He helped the Browns win every championship in the league's four years, from 1946 to 1949. He was known for his speed and power, weighing 238 pounds. He was also a good blocker and played defense as a linebacker.
In his first season, Motley averaged an amazing 8.2 yards per carry. He led the AAFC in rushing in 1948. That year, the Browns had a perfect season, winning all 15 games. When the AAFC ended after the 1949 season, Motley was the league's all-time rushing leader. The Browns then joined the more established National Football League (NFL).
Facing Challenges and Racism
Like other black players in the 1940s and 1950s, Motley faced racism. This happened both during games and in his daily life. Paul Brown, the coach, did not allow discrimination within the team. He wanted to win and would not let anything stop him.
However, Motley and Willis sometimes faced insults and unfair treatment from opposing players. Motley said that officials often ignored these actions. There were times when Motley and Willis did not travel to games because they received threats. Once, in Miami, a hotel refused to let them stay. Coach Brown threatened to move the entire team, and the hotel changed its mind.
After World War II, attitudes about race in America slowly began to change. By 1950, the color barrier was broken in all major sports. Many of Motley's teammates had played with black players in college. The presence of Motley and Willis also brought many new fans to Browns games, especially from the black community.
NFL Championship and Later Seasons
With Motley's speed and size, the Browns won the NFL championship in their first year in the league (1950). In October 1950, Motley set an NFL record. He averaged over 17 yards per rush against the Pittsburgh Steelers, gaining 188 yards on 11 carries. This record stood for over 52 years. He also scored long rushing and receiving touchdowns in that game. Motley led the NFL in rushing in 1950 with 810 yards. He was chosen as a first-team All-Pro player.
By the 1951 season, Motley started to feel the effects of his tough running style. He hurt his knee in training camp and was getting older, at 31. His rushing yards dropped that year. Despite his injuries, the Browns reached the championship game again but lost.
Motley's knees continued to bother him in 1952 and 1953. He still showed flashes of his old skill, but he was no longer in his prime. The Browns continued to reach the championship game in these years, but they lost both times to the Detroit Lions. Motley did not play in the 1953 championship game.
In 1954, Motley tried to play a ninth season. But Paul Brown felt his knee was too weak. Motley decided to retire from the Browns. Brown said Motley was "one of the truly fine fullbacks in his prime."
Motley took a year off in 1954. He tried to come back in 1955 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing as a linebacker. But the Steelers released him before the season ended. In his eight years in the AAFC and NFL, Motley rushed for 4,720 yards. His career average of 5.7 yards per carry is still an all-time record for running backs.
Life After Football
After his playing career, Motley wanted to become a coach. He asked Paul Brown for a coaching job with the Browns, but Brown told him to look for work in a steel mill instead. Motley could not find coaching jobs in the NFL. He believed this was due to racial discrimination, wondering if teams were ready to hire a black coach.
He worked as a whisky salesman in the 1960s. He also got some scouting jobs for the Browns. In 1965, he spoke out about being denied coaching positions. He applied for a job in 1964 but was told there were no openings, even though the Browns later hired another assistant coach. Motley questioned if teams were ready for a black coach. The Browns' owner, Art Modell, said the team hired based on skill, not race.
Motley also tried to get a job with the Washington Redskins when Otto Graham was their coach, but he was turned down again. Later in his life, Motley worked for the U.S. postal service and other organizations. He died in 1999, at age 79, from prostate cancer.
Honors and Legacy
In 1968, Marion Motley became the second black player to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is in his hometown of Canton, Ohio. He is seen as one of the best all-around players in football history. He was great as a fullback, a blocker, and a linebacker.
Blanton Collier, a former Browns assistant coach, said Motley "had no equal as a blocker." He also said Motley "could run with anybody for 30 yards or so. And this man was a great, great linebacker."
Even though Jim Brown later broke Motley's rushing records, many coaches and players thought Motley was the better all-around player. Otto Graham said, "Motley was the greatest all-around fullback."
Football writer Paul Zimmerman called Motley the best player in the history of the sport in his books. Motley was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994. In 2019, he was also selected for the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
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