Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels’ ties to Ohio run deep. He was born in Barberton, and played his high school football at Canton McKinley High School in Canton. He played college football at John Carroll University, located in Cuyahoga County, in the northeast part of the state.
His father Thom is a legendary high school coach in the state, and was named the High School Coach of the Year back in 1997 by USA Today, when he led Canton McKinley to state and national titles.
Marion Motley was another son of Canton, who played for the Cleveland Browns after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was one of a handful of players, including Kenny Washington, Woody Strode and Bill Willis who integrated the NFL during the 1946 season.
Motley was voted into the Pro Football of Fame in 1968, thanks to his storied career as a fullback and linebacker on the field, and what he accomplished for the sport. Legendary writer Paul Zimmerman called him the greatest football player ever. However, after his playing career was over, Motley struggled finding a coaching job, continually being turned away despite his credentials while others were hired.
When Canton was looking to build a statue of Motley, McDaniels donated $90K to help make sure the statue was finished. McDaniels and the Raiders were at the unveiling of the Motley statue this week, prior to their appearance in this year’s Hall of Fame Game:
We know we went a day early, and we went a day early for a reason. We wanted to go see the unveiling of the Marion Motley statue there in front of the Hall of Fame, which I think our guys really appreciated that and the history behind it.
Local Ohio artist Spyro Spondyl created the concept for the statue, which depicts Motley running over derogatory signs in front of a brick wall displaying “1946,” the year Motley, Washington, Strode and Willis integrated professional football.