Marion Motley

  • Pro Bowl selection ( 1950)
  • 5 × All-Pro selection ( 1946-1950 ) 1 2 team
  • Cleveland Browns Honor Roll
  • NFL Champion (1950 )
  • 4 × AAFC Champion ( 1946-1949 )
  • NFL 1940s All- Decade Team
  • NFL 75th Anniversary All- Time Team
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame (1968 )

Marion Motley ( born June 5, 1920 in Leesburg, Georgia, USA, † June 27, 1999 in Cleveland, Ohio) was an US- American football player. He has played fullback in the National Football League ( NFL) for the Cleveland Browns.

Origin

Marion Motley was born in Georgia, the son of Shakeful and Blanche Motley, however, grew in Canton, Ohio, where his family hingezog, when he was three years old. Even as a high school football player, he fell upon his later coach of the Cleveland Browns, Paul Brown, on. Brown coached at this time an opposing team. Motley studied after finishing school in 1939 at South Carolina State University and later at the University of Nevada, Reno. In 1943, Motley broke due to a knee injury from his studies without completion and returned to Ohio. In Canton, he married and worked in a steel factory. During the Second World War he did his military service with the U.S. Navy in 1945 and played for a Navy team whose coach Paul Brown was American football.

Playing career

In 1946, Motley was taken by the Cleveland Browns, who were based in the newly formed All-America Football Conference ( AAFC ), under contract. Coach his new team was again Paul Brown. Motley and his teammate Bill Willis in the AAFC, and the two NFL players Woody Strode and Kenny Washington were the only dark-skinned players, performing as a professional player under contract. Motley received in his first game year a salary of 4500 U.S. dollars.

The Browns were the dominant team in the AAFC. In its ranks several later members played in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so the quarterback Otto Graham, the player of the defensive line Bill Willis and the player of the offensive line Lou Groza. In 1946 she won the final against the New York Yankees with 14:9. Marion Motley, which ran aground fullback and as a linebacker for the Browns, scored in the final 98 yards and a touchdown space gain by running game. 1947, the Yankees were defeated with 14:3 in the final. Again Motley made ​​a good game and latched on to an area gain of 109 yards. 1948 Motley won his third championship, the Browns defeated the Buffalo Bills in the final with 49:7. Motley played outstanding. He succeeded in attaining three touchdowns and an extra space of 133 yards. Even with his fourth title win to Motley could enter the record books of the AAFC. When 21:7 victory of his Browns over the San Francisco 49ers in 1949, he scored his fifth touchdown in a playoff.

The AAFC had to stop the operation of gambling due to financial difficulties after the 1949 season. The Browns were included in the NFL. Your triumph continued in the NFL. In the NFL playoff in 1950 they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 30:28. 1951 then ended the winning streak of the Browns. For the first time they lost in a playoff. The Rams were able to prevail with 24:17 against the Browns.

Marion Motley was set up in 1948 and 1950 respectively the season records for achieved by running clearance profit. Because of injuries his performance to be after 1950 significantly. He was seldom used as a starter. The Browns were one of the best teams in the NFL and moved in 1953 with the injury- prone Motley in the NFL final one, subject to there but the Detroit Lions with 17:16. In 1954, Motley, who received an annual income of 15,000 U.S. dollars in his last match interrupted year (according to other sources 11,500 U.S. dollars), due to its numerous injuries his career. In 1955 he returned again back to the NFL and ran for the Pittsburgh Steelers. More injuries forced him to but after seven games in Pittsburgh to end his career for good.

Motley was during his career as an excellent runner, but was also strong enough the opposing player of Defense to block. Also known as Linebacker he showed above-average performance in the Defense of the Browns.

After the NFL

The dark-skinned Marion Motley wanted to be active as a coach after his playing career. However, racial prejudice could fail his plan. To his disappointment, the Browns were not ready to commit to him as a coach. He therefore temporarily worked as a scout for the Browns and held various casual work and worked for the State of Ohio Lottery. Motley died in Cleveland on prostate cancer, leaving three sons. His burial place is unknown.

Honors

Marion Motley played in a Pro Bowl, the final game of the best players of the season. He was five times voted All- Pro. The Browns honor him in the Cleveland Browns Honor Roll. He is a member of the NFL 1940s All- Decade team in the NFL 75th Anniversary All- Time Team in 1968 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is after Emlen Tunnell of the second dark-skinned player who was bestowed this honor. The magazine The Sporting News selected him as one of the 100 best football players of all time.

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