Marion Motley

Marion Motley (June 5, 1920 – June 27, 1999) was an American professional football fullback and linebacker who played for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL). A leading pass-blocker and rusher in the late 1940s and early 1950s, he was a versatile player who possessed both quickness and size and was a force on both offense and defense. He ended his career with an average of 5.7 yards per carry, a record for running backs that still stands. Fellow Hall of Fame fullback Joe Perry once called Motley "the greatest all-around football player there ever was."

Motley was also one of the first two African-Americans to play professional football in the modern era, breaking the color barrier along with teammate Bill Willis in September 1946, when the two played their first game for the Browns.

Motley grew up in Canton, Ohio. He played football through high school and at Nevada from 1940 to 1942 before enlisting in the military during World War II. While training in the U.S. Navy in 1944, he played for a service team coached by Paul Brown. Following the war, he returned to work in Canton before Paul Brown invited him to join the Browns.