Nw220 Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-top-ten/09000d5d81f32b0c/Top-Ten-Undrafted-Players-Marion-Motley One of the all time greats,not just on the field. What he went through is amazing to have played in a professional sport even before Jackie Robinson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted June 6, 2011 Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-top-ten/09000d5d81f32b0c/Top-Ten-Undrafted-Players-Marion-Motley One of the all time greats,not just on the field. What he went through is amazing to have played in a professional sport even before Jackie Robinson Yes, the George Preston Marshall types of the NFL imposed a color barrier. If you were black in the 30s and 40 you weren't allowed in the NFL. And of course Paul Brown would not allow the AAFC to have such a barrier. He brought in several black players like Motley, Bill Willis etc. to play on the Browns. This was just one reason the Browns and the AAFC were superior to the NFL in those years. No color barrier. Note that Otto Graham was drafted in the first round by the Detroit Lions in 1944, but he joined the military instead and was being coached by PB at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago. When the war ended, OG, instead of going with the Lions, went with his coach to the Browns in the new league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nw220 Posted June 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 Good points Gip its crazy to imange had Otto gone to Detriot instead of came to Cleveland,it would have made a huge difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted June 6, 2011 Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 For those who didn't explore this site, the Top Ten undrafted players they had on their list were as follows: 10. Wayne Chrebet 9. Tony Romo 8. Rod Smith 7. Antonio Gates 6. Warren Moon 5. John Randle 4. Adam Vinatieri 3. Marion Motley 2. Dick Night Train Lane 1. Kurt Warner Any others you can think of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted June 6, 2011 Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 Here are the other Hall of Fame players who went undrafted: Jim Langer C Larry Little OG Emmit Thomas DB Willie Brown DB Willie Wood DB Joe Perry FB Bill Willis DL Lou Groza OT-K Frank Gatski C Notice that most of them were OL or DBs. Perhaps the hardest positions to judge talent? Also Joe Perry had the same problem as Motley: He was a black RB who had to go play in the AAFC. Willis was the same. Another victim of racism. Groza and Gatski were both white and both OL. They were just the products of PBs eye for talent that others at the time did not have. (of the 14 undrafter HOFers, 4 of them were AAFC era Cleveland Browns). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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