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Fansided

10 greatest Cleveland Browns of all time

By Russell S. Baxter

American professional football player Jim Brown #32 of the Cleveland Browns runs with the ball towards the defensive line of the New York Giants, Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, September 16, 1962. The Browns won 17 to 7. (Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images)
American professional football player Jim Brown #32 of the Cleveland Browns runs with the ball towards the defensive line of the New York Giants, Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, September 16, 1962. The Browns won 17 to 7. (Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame fullback Marion Motley (76) on a carry in a 24-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in a League Championship game on December 23, 1951 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vic Stein/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame fullback Marion Motley (76) on a carry in a 24-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in a League Championship game on December 23, 1951 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vic Stein/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

8. RB Marion Motley

There have been plenty of “big men” to run the football in NFL history and some of them very successfully. To name just a few, burly Jerome Bettis – the former Rams’ and Steelers’ workhorse and the eighth-leading rusher (13,662 yards) in league annals – is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Massive Pete Johnson had his moments with the Bengals, Chargers and Dolphins to the tune of 5,626 yards on the ground, to go along with 76 rushing TDs.

At 6’1”, 232 pounds, Marion Motley would not be considered huge by today’s standards. But try telling that to the players of his era and the various defenders who attempted to bring him down. “I was as big as the linemen I ran against, so I didn’t worry about them,” explained the physical Motley (via the Pro Football Hall of Fame). “And once I ran over a back twice, I didn’t have to run over him a third time. He had reservations by then.”

He joined the Cleveland Browns during the franchise’s inaugural season in 1946 in the All-America Football Conference and played for the club for eight seasons. His somewhat-modest total of 5,819 yards from scrimmage and 38 scores includes leading the AAFC in rushing yardage in 1948 (964) and the NFL in the same category (810) in 1950. And he was a five-time pro football champion from 1946-50.

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