Mac Speedie, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Mac Speedie

Player of American and Canadian football

Date of Birth: 12-Jan-1920

Place of Birth: Illinois, United States

Date of Death: 05-Mar-1993

Profession: American football player, Canadian football player

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn


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About Mac Speedie

  • Mac Curtis Speedie (January 12, 1920 – March 5, 1993) was an American football end who played for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL) for seven years, and later served for two years as head coach of the American Football League's Denver Broncos.
  • A tall and quick runner whose awkward gait helped him deceive defenders and get open, Speedie led his league in receptions four times during his career and was selected as a first-team All-Pro six times.
  • His career average of 800 yards per season was not surpassed until two decades after his retirement, and his per-game average of 50 yards went unequalled for 20 years after he left the game. Speedie grew up in Utah, where he overcame Perthes Disease to become a standout as a hurdler on his high school track team and a halfback on the football team.
  • He attended the University of Utah, where he continued to excel at track and football before entering the military in 1942 during World War II.
  • He spent four years in the service before joining the Browns in 1946, where he played as an end opposite quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley and fellow receiver Dante Lavelli.
  • The Browns, a new team in the AAFC, won the league championship every year between 1946 and 1949.
  • The Browns merged into the NFL in 1950 after the AAFC disbanded, and Speedie continued to succeed as the team won another league championship.
  • After two more years with the Browns, however, Speedie left the team for the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU) amid a conflict with Paul Brown, Cleveland's head coach.
  • He played two full seasons in the WIFU and one game in a third season before leaving professional football. Speedie was hired in 1960 as an end coach for the Houston Oilers in the American Football League (AFL).
  • The Oilers won the AFL championship that year, but Speedie left in 1961 after the head coach, former teammate Lou Rymkus, was fired.
  • He then took a job as an assistant for the AFL's Denver Broncos and was promoted to head coach in 1964.
  • His two-year run with the team was unsuccessful, however.
  • After his resignation in 1966, Speedie became a scout for the Broncos, a job he kept until his retirement in 1982.
  • Despite lobbying by friends and former teammates, Speedie was not selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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