Marion Motley Biography

Marion Motley

explosive player who was one of pro football's best fullbacks, one of the NFL's first black players of the modern era and a Cleveland legend; discovered at McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio by future Browns founder and owner Paul Brown (who coached at the rival high school); played eight pro seasons with the Browns, half in the All-American Football Conference and half in the NFL, which absorbed the Browns in 1950; led the NFL in rushing that season, helping Cleveland win the NFL title; AAFC career rushing leader (3,024 yards); rushed for 4,720 and 31 touchdowns in his career on Brown's teams that emphasized the pass; knee troubles forced him to quit before the 1954 season; comeback with Pittsburgh as a linebacker failed a year later; no opportunities for black coaches in the NFL relegated him to coaching a women's team in 1967 and scouting duties with the Browns; in 1968 became the second black player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Motley died of prostate cancer.