Sign-In
Cart
Breaking Through the Lines: The Marion Motley Story
Paperback
FictionFootball20th Century United States History
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
ISBN13: 9781634947534
Publisher: Press Box Books
Published: Aug 1 2023
Pages: 176
Weight: 0.20
Height: 0.50 Width: 5.20 Depth: 7.90
Language: English
Marion Motley was recognized as one of the gridiron's most outstanding players when he was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968 in his hometown of Canton, Ohio. His legacy off the field, as one of four Black players to reintegrate pro football in 1946, helped blaze a path for Black athletes in the highest echelons of professional sports, including baseball's Jackie Robinson. Yet, the story of one of the sport's greatest and most impactful players remains unknown to most Americans.
Black players once thrived during the early days of the NFL. Then a gentleman's agreement among NFL owners in 1933 kept those players out of the highest level of the sport for the next 12 years. That changed in 1946. Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown, a native of Massillon, Ohio, was putting together the inaugural Cleveland Browns roster and signed Black players Motley and Bill Willis to be a part of it. That same year, Kenny Washington and Woody Strode also signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
Years earlier, Brown had coached his high school team against Motley's. They formed a strong partnership first with a Navy team and then in Cleveland, where Motley twice led his league in rushing yards and helped the Browns win five championships. Motley's efforts to play a physically brutal game in the face of societal racism and state-sanctioned Jim Crow laws helped reintegrate American sports. Yet half a century after Motley's enshrinement to the Hall of Fame, the memory of Motley and his accomplishments on and off the field have begun to fade, including in the city where he first made his name.
This book tells Motley's story of adversity, personal tragedy, and triumphs using archival interviews and new interviews with historians, friends, and descendants.
Also from
Morgan Jr, David Lee
Also in
Football
The Playbook: The Hidden Forces Shaping Winners and Losers in the Modern NFL
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Hardcover
Why Can't This Team Just Find a Quarterback?: And Other Thoughts on Life in Browns Town
Pluto, Terry
Paperback
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream
Bissinger, H. G.
Paperback
We Did Not Care: How the Seattle Seahawks Silenced All Doubts and Became Champions
Nemhauser, Brian
Paperback
It's a Numbers Game! Football: The Math Behind the Perfect Punt, the Game-Changing Interception, and So Much More!
National Geographic Kids
Zweig, Eric
Hardcover
Just Give Me a Chance to Fail: The Life of NFL Hall of Fame Linebacker Sam Mills
Domowitch, Paul
Hardcover
Carlisle vs. Army: Jim Thorpe, Dwight Eisenhower, Pop Warner, and the Forgotten Story of Football'sgreatest Battle
Anderson, Lars
Paperback
Lambeau Ladies: The Boundary-Breaking Women Behind Lombardi's Packers
Kostelnik Biskupic, Laura
Paperback
The Spurrier Effect: How One Coach Transformed Gamecock Football
Silvia, Brent
Miller, Kevin
Hardcover
Remember This Titan: The Bill Yoast Story: Lessons Learned from a Celebrated Coach's Journey As Told to Steve Sullivan
Sullivan, Steve
Paperback
Lambeau: The Epic Life of Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau, the Man Who Invented the Green Bay Packers
Gould, Herb
Paperback
Bart's Heart: A Journey of Family, Friendship, Football and Faith
Lee, David T.
Burrell, Bart
Paperback
Buckeye Brotherhood: How Ohio State Navigated a New World to Win a National Championship
Rabinowitz, Bill
Paperback
Smarter about Sports: My Life Navigating Athletes, Agents, Media, and the Business of the NFL
Brandt, Andrew
Hardcover
Vintage Browns: A Warm Look Back at the Cleveland Browns of the 1970s, '80s, '90s and More
Pluto, Terry
Paperback
Da Bears!: How the 1985 Monsters of the Midway Became the Greatest Team in NFL History
Delsohn, Steve
Paperback
Weird Moments in Cleveland Sports: Bottlegate, Bedbugs, and Burying the Pennant
Guerrieri, Vince
Paperback
Take Your Eye Off the Ball 2.0: How to Watch Football by Knowing Where to Look
Seigerman, David
Kirwan, Pat
Paperback
Strike Season: The True Story of a Team That Played on When the Coaches Walked Out
Eck, Michael
Hardcover
Dixieland Delight: A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference
Travis, Clay
Paperback
So You Think You Know Football?: The Armchair Ref's Guide to the Official Rules
Austro, Ben
Paperback
Hail to the Redskins: Gibbs, the Diesel, the Hogs, and the Glory Days of D.C.'s Football Dynasty
Lazarus, Adam
Paperback
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Firsts: The Players, Moments, and Records That Were First in Team History
Heisler, John
Bourret, Timothy
Paperback
A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History
Fleming, David
Hardcover
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little
Zagorski, Joe
Paperback
That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory
Eisenberg, John
Paperback
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream
Bissinger, H. G.
Hardcover
The Best of Philly Sports: Amazing Moments and Stories in Philadelphia Sports History
Decamara, Joe
Hardcover
Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History
Murphy, Cait N.
Paperback
Men of Troy: The Epic Afternoons, Wild Nights, and Enduring Legacy of Pete Carroll's Usc Trojans
Burke, Monte
Hardcover
Unbreakable: How I Turned My Depression and Anxiety Into Motivation and You Can Too
Glazer, Jay
Paperback
Brain Games - To Go - Facts & Fun: Football: Info, Stats, Puzzles, Quizzes & More
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
From Bulldog to Bengal: The Joe Burrow Story Through the Eyes of His Hometown
Burson, Scott
Smathers, Sam
Paperback
The Everyone's a Coach: Five Business Secrets for High-Performance Coaching
Blanchard, Ken
Shula, Don
Paperback
A Home on the Field: How One Championship Team Inspires Hope for the Revival of Small Town America
Cuadros, Paul
Paperback
Still Growing, Still Learning, Still Me: A Journey of Protest, Healing, and Personal Transformation
Stills, Kenny
Hardcover
A Football Symphony: Four Championship Seasons of Curtis Viking Football
Lichty, Don T.
Lucey, Bob
Paperback
Pep Guardiola Attacking Tactics - Tactical Analysis and Sessions from Manchester City's 4-3-3
Terzis, Athanasios
Paperback
Brain Games - Football Goats (Greatest of All Time) Word Search: Players, Coaches, Games, Mascots, & More!
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
The Lions Finally Roar: The Detroit Lions and the Road to Redemption in the NFL
Morris, Bill
Paperback
Iron in the Blood: How the Alabama vs. Auburn Rivalry Shaped the Soul of the South
Busbee, Jay
Hardcover
Jurgen Klopp - 102 Passing, Counter-pressing Possession Games, Speed & Warm-ups Direct from Klopp's Training Sessions
Soccertutor Com
Paperback
The Great Game: A Tale of Two Footballs and America's Quest to Conquer Global Sport
Martinez, Andrés
Hardcover
Bo's Lasting Lessons: The Legendary Coach Teaches the Timeless Fundamentals of Leadership
Schembechler, Bo
Paperback
Unthinkable to Unstoppable: How Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers Stunned College Football
Osterman, Zach
Niziolek, Mike
Hardcover
Runs in the Family: An Incredible True Story of Football, Fatherhood, and Belonging
McCullough, Deland
Spain, Sarah
Hardcover
Win Forever: Live, Work, and Play Like a Champion
Roth, Yogi
Garin, Kristoffer A.
Carroll, Pete
Paperback
Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry
Gendell, David
Paperback
If These Walls Could Talk: Pittsburgh Steelers: Stories from the Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box
Wexell, Jim
Wolfley, Craig
Paperback
A Love Letter to the American Fullback: The Rise, Reign, and Eternal Legacy of Football's Guardian Warrior
Hughes, Matthew Patrick
Paperback
Coaching Positional Play - ''Expansive Football'' Attacking Tactics & Practices
Basile, Pasquale Casà
Paperback
The Complete Book of Football Trivia: Test Your Knowledge with 750 Questions
Holloway, Jerrett
Paperback
The Eagles of Heart Mountain: A True Story of Football, Incarceration, and Resistance in World War II America
Pearson, Bradford
Paperback
Jail Blazers: How the Portland Trail Blazers Became the Bad Boys of Basketball
Eggers, Kerry
Paperback
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little
Zagorski, Joe
Hardcover
Bart's Heart: A Journey of Family, Friendship, Football and Faith
Lee, David T.
Burrell, Bart
Hardcover
Pep Guardiola - Coaching High Pressing Tactics & Sessions Against Different Formations
Terzis, Athanasios
Paperback
Bam!: John Madden, the NFL Explosion, and the Video Game That Changed Sports
Howard-Cooper, Scott
Hardcover
Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football
Dent, Jim
Paperback
Ara: The Life and Legacy of a Notre Dame Legend--The Authorized Biography of Coach Ara Parseghian
Hubbard, Mark O.
Hardcover
Brazil to Broad St: Philadelphia Eagles: Super Bowl LIX Champions
Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia
Hardcover