COLUMBUS, Ohio — Canton McKinley High School Athletic Director Antonio Hall and Documentary Filmmaker Dave Jingo said it's only right that they pay tribute to modern-day NFL pioneer and fellow Bulldog, Marion Motley. 

What You Need To Know

  • While Jim Brown is widely considered the greatest and most familiar figures in Cleveland Brown's history, it's Marion Motley who broke down barriers and led the team to greatness

  • Motley was the second African American enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968

  • A group is raising money to build a bronze statue in Motley's honor near the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Some six decades have passed since Motley's playing days and students now aren't familiar with his legacy, which goes well beyond an NFL record of 5.7 yards per carry.

“So I said we as a community have to do something to make sure that every kid, every person in Canton knows who Marion Motley is and his significance not only to football, this area and the Hall of Fame but what he did to change the social dynamic of the world,” Hall said. 

At Canton McKinley, Motley was a star fullback who led the Bulldogs to a 25-3 record during his tenure and averaged an unheard of 17 yards per carry.

The only team that could stop him was McKinley's rival: the Massillon Tigers, led by his future coach, the great Paul Brown.

The two had parallel paths.

They were destined to meet and do something great and change the scope of the entire world.

In 1946, Motley and teammate Bill Willis would shatter the NFL color barrier with the Cleveland Browns. But they'd still experience the same injustices Jackie Robinson would a year later in Major League Baseball. 

“He was getting punched in the face, he was getting spiked in his hands, piling on, twisting him. He didn't complain, he didn't whine, he ran people over. And early on, players for the Browns began to respect him because of the player he was and the man he was,” Jingo said. 

After retiring in 1955, Motley continued to fight for social justice and tried to become the first black head coach in the NFL.

“Unfortunately to no avail that never materialized. But he was always trying to help other people in his situation or other situations progress. He was the president of the McKinley Booster Club after he retired from football. He was the president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Luncheon Club. He was heavily involved in Canton government. So I mean he was a man about the people,” Hall said. 

To do their part to keep No. 76's memory alive, Hall and Jingo created the Marion Motley Memorial Project.

They hope to raise $128,000 to build a life-size bronze statue to be placed at Stadium Park, just east of the I-77 underpass, leading to Tom Benson Stadium and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

 

 

 

A 30-minute documentary on Motley's life created by Jingo will air next month.

Motley is considered one of the NFL's top 100 Greatest Players.

He was just the second African American to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.

His bust and this life-size image are a tribute to his grit and ability to overcome barriers. 

Hall and Jingo said this statue helps his story come full-circle, and adds context for a new generation of football fans. 

“The more people that we talk to about this project, especially locally, they're jumping on board because they're saying it's way past time, way past due for this to be done,” Hall said.

“Not even Jackie Robinson went through the physical pain that he went through. So he needs to be celebrated and Canton, Ohio, we need a hero, and we need a hero like that, and Marion Motley is the guy,” Jingo said. 

Click here to donate to the Marion Motley Memorial Fund or contact the Greater Canton Amateur Sports Hall of Fame.

Hall said they hope to break ground on the statue in the spring and have it in place by the summer for the Hall of Fame Festival. 

Jingo’s documentary on Marion Motley is slated to air at 9:30 p.m. Feb. 5. on PBS.