Marion Motley, who played eight seasons for the Cleveland Browns, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.
While fans will recognize his name, especially in Cleveland, not everyone may remember another important aspect of Motley’s career.
In 1946, Motley joined teammate Bill Willis, along with Kenny Washington and Woody Strode of the Los Angeles Rams, in breaking the NFL’s color barrier a full year before Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians did the same for Major League Baseball.