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Lines Broken: The Story of Marion Motley

Marion Motley (June 5, 1920 - June 27, 1999) was one of the first Black men to play professional football.
APT
Marion Motley (June 5, 1920 - June 27, 1999) was one of the first Black men to play professional football.

Stream now with KPBS+ / Watch Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 11:30 p.m. on KPBS TV

In 1946, Marion Motley was one of four African American men to break pro football's color barrier when he joined the Cleveland Browns. Those men's efforts to play a physically brutal game in the face of societal racism and state-sanctioned Jim Crow laws trailblazed a path for Black athletes in the highest echelons of professional sports, including baseball's Jackie Robinson.

In 1946, Marion Motley was one of four African American men to break pro football's color barrier when he joined the Cleveland Browns. Those men's efforts to play a physically brutal game in the face of societal racism and state-sanctioned Jim Crow laws trailblazed a path for Black athletes in the highest echelons of professional sports, including baseball's Jackie Robinson.

"Lines Broken: The Story of Marion Motley" tells a story of adversity, personal tragedy and triumphs using rarely heard archival interviews and new interviews with historians, sports writers, NFL alumni, friends and descendants.

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Marion Motley (June 5, 1920 - June 27, 1999) was one of the first Black men to play professional football.
American Public Television
Marion Motley (June 5, 1920 - June 27, 1999) was one of the first Black men to play professional football.

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