Marion Motley
Teams
Cleveland Browns (1946-1953)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1955)
Playoffs
Appearances - 8 (1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953)
Conf Champ Games - 8 (1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953)
Champ Games - 8 (1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953)
Championships - 5 (1946,1947,1948,1949,1950)
Awards and Honors
All-Pro First Team - 2 (1948,1950)
All-Pro Second Team - 2 (1946,1947)
Pro Bowl - 1 (1950)
Hall of Fame - 1968
All-Time Ranks
Yards per Rush - #4
League Leads
Rushing Yards (#1-1948,1950, #3-1947,1949, #4-1946, #6-1952)
Rushing Touchdowns (#1-1949, #4-1947, #5-1946, #10-1948)
Yards per Rush (#1-1950, #2-1948, #4-1947, #5-1949,1952)
Rushing Yards per Game (#1-1948, #2-1950, #3-1947,1949, #4-1946, #7-1952)
Total Touchdowns (#3-1949, #4-1947, #9-1946)
Scrimmage Yards (#4-1946,1948, #5-1949,1950, #7-1947)
Yards per Touch (#4-1948, #7-1947, #8-1949, #9-1952)
During his senior season at Nevada, Marion Motley injured his knee, which ended his career early and forced him to drop out of school. He joined the Navy for two years, then before he had the chance to return to college, he received a contract offer from the Cleveland Browns of the new AAFC, who made him the first black player to ever appear in a pro football game, seven months before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball.
As a rookie, Motley rushed for 601 yards and 5 touchdowns on an incredible 8.2 yards per carry, but did not qualify for the league lead in that category before he had only 73 carries on the season. It was still enough to get him onto the All-Pro Second Team, and he carried the Browns to the league championship, gaining 98 yards and scoring a touchdown in a 14-9 win over the Yankees.
In his second season, he upped his production to 889 yards and 8 touchdowns, got another appearance on the All-Pro Second Team, and led the Browns to a championship rematch with the Yankees, which they won again, this time 14-3 behind 109 yards from Motley.
He led the league in rushing yards for the first time in his third season, gaining 964 on the ground, with an average of 6.1 yards per carry. That earned him a spot on the All-Pro First Team for the first time, and he also finished with 1156 scrimmage yards, the best of his career. He led the Browns to a 14-0 regular season, which they capped off with a blowout win over the Bills in the championship game, 49-7, behind 133 yards and 3 touchdowns from Motley.
He led the league in rushing touchdowns in his 4th season, despite missing a few games due to injury for the first time in his career. That season ended the same way as the previous 3, with Cleveland winning a league championship, and Motley performing well in the title game, with 75 yards and a touchdown. The AAFC folded after that season, and the Browns were absorbed into the NFL.
In his first season in the NFL, Motley led the league with 810 rushing yards and 5.8 yards per carry, and was named to the All-Pro First Team once again, showing that the change in leagues didn't affect his production. They reached the championship game again, this time beating the Rams 30-28, though Motley only contributed 9 yards on the ground in the victory.
He hurt his knee in training camp in 1951, but still powered through the season, though it definitely slowed him down. He had the worst season of his career to that point, gaining only 273 yards. He was slightly healthier in 1952, and led the Browns to the championship game for the 7th straight year, but they lost to Detroit in that one, despite his 95 yards.
By 1953, it was clear that he wouldn't get back to full health, and he rushed for only 161 yards all year. He didn't play in the team's championship appearance that year, the third year in a row in which they lost, all coinciding his Motley's unhealthy seasons. He retired before the 1954 season, but briefly unretired in 1955 to play linebacker for Pittsburgh in 6 games before leaving the game for good.
In all 8 seasons in which Motley played for the Browns, they played in the championship game, and in all 5 seasons in which he was healthy, they won the championship. He led the league in rushing twice, and he has the highest career yards per carry of any running back in history, despite being retired for 70 years. He was truly one of the best to ever play the game.
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