Marion Motley

High school

McKinley High School

College

University of Nevada

Pro team(s)

Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers

Hall of Fame

⭐ Pro Football Hall of Fame

Marion Motley was born in Leipsic, Ohio, and grew up in Canton, where he attended McKinley High School. In 1946, Motley and Bill Willis became two of the first Black players to integrate professional football in the modern era when Paul Brown signed them to the Cleveland Browns of the newly formed AAFC — two years before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier. A powerful fullback at 6'1", 240 lbs., Motley could run through tacklers or catch the ball out of the backfield, and he led the AAFC in rushing in 1948. He won four AAFC and NFL championships with the Browns and helped lay the foundation for the racial integration of professional sports. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.