Two Browns -- Leroy Kelly and Marion Motley -- are among the 35 nominees for the second class of the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
View full sizeMarion Motley, who starred as fullback for the Browns during their AAFC heyday, is among the 35 nominees in the sophomore class of the Black College Football Hall of Fame. Also among the 35, from whom 11 will be chosen, is Browns running back Leroy Kelly.A pair of Cleveland Browns who already are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame are among the 35 nominees for the Black College Hall of Fame: Marion Motley, a ferocious fullback who ran roughshod of AAFC and NFL opponents from 1946 to 1953, and Leroy Kelly, an eighth-round draft choice who amassed 12,330 total yards in a career that lasted from 1964 to 1973 are up for consideration.
"Monday Night Football'' analyst Jon Gruden will emcee the enshrinement ceremonies on Feb. 19, 2011, in Atlanta, Ga., in which 11 of the 35 nominees will take their place in the hall.
The Black College Football Hall of Fame was established in October 2009 "to honor the greatest football players and coaches from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The first class of 11 was inducted earlier this year. It included Junious "Buck" Buchanan of Grambling, who starred for the Kansas City Chiefs; Willie Galimore, Florida A&M; David "Deacon" Jones, South Carolina State and Mississippi Valley State, Los Angeles Rams; Willie Lanier, Morgan State, Kansas City Chiefs; Walter Payton, Jackson State, Chicago Bears; Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State, San Francisco 49ers; Ben Stevenson, Tuskegee; Paul "Tank" Younger, Grambling, Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers; Eddie Robinson, Grambling coach; Jake Gaither, Florida A&M coach; and Bill Nunn, Pittsburgh Courier and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Eleven of the 35 nominees will be enshrined in the ceremonies.
In addition to Motley and Kelly, who attended South Carolina State and Morgan State, respectively, player nominees and their schools are:
Lem Barney, Jackson State; Elvin Bethea, North Carolina A&T; Emerson Boozer, Maryland Eastern Shore; Mel Blount, Southern; Robert Brazile, Jackson State; Rosevelt Brown, Morgan State; Willie Brown, Grambling; Harry Carson, South Carolina State; Willie Davis, Grambling; Eldridge Dickey, Tennessee State; Bob Hayes, Florida A&M; Kenny Houston, Prairie View A&M; Charles Humphrey, Tennesse State; Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Tennessee State; Joe Kendall, Kentucky State; Larry Little, Kentucky State; Steve McNair, Alcorn State; Willie Richardson, Jackson State; Art Shell, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore; Donnie Shell, South Carolina State; John Stallworth, Alabama A&M; Willie Totten, Mississippi Valley State; and Doug Williams, Grambling.
Coach finalists are Cleve Abbot, Tuskegee; Earl Banks, Morgan State; Marino Casem, Alcorn State; W.C. Gorden, Jackson State; Willie Jeffries, South Carolina State; John Merritt, Tennessee State; and Ace Mumford, Southern.
Contributor finalists are Ralph Waldon Emerson Jones, president of Grambling; Collie J. Nicholson, sports information director of Grambling; and Howell Hornsby, football operations at North Carolina A&T.