Cliff Battles

No. 20

Position:

Halfback / Defensive back

Personal information

Date of birth:

May 1, 1910

Place of birth:

Akron, Ohio, U.S.

Date of death:

April 28, 1981 (aged 70)

Place of death:

Clearwater, Florida, U.S.

Height:

6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)

Weight:

195 lb (88 kg)

Career information

High school:

Akron (OH) Kenmore

College:

West Virginia Wesleyan

Career history

As player:

Boston Braves/Boston Redskins/Washington Redskins (1932–1937)

As coach:

Columbia University (asst.) (1938–1943)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1946–1947)

Career highlights and awards

3× UPI first-team All-Pro (1933, 1934, 1936)
UPI second-team All-Pro (1937)
2× NFL Rushing champion (1932, 1937)
NFL champion (1937)
NFL 1930s All-Decade Team
80 Greatest Redskins

Career NFL statistics

Rushing yards:	3,511
Rushing average:	4.2
Receiving yards:	546
Passing yards:	590
Total touchdowns:	31
Coaching record:	4-16
Player stats at NFL.com

Pro Football Hall of Fame

College Football Hall of Fame

Clifford Franklin Battles (May 1, 1910 – April 28, 1981) was an American football halfback in the National Football League (NFL). Battles was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.

Early life

Battles was born in Akron, Ohio, the son of Frank Battles, a saltworker for the BFGoodrich and Firestone tire companies, and Della Battles.^[1] He played high school football at Kenmore High School.^[1] Kenmore today honors athletes who carry on Battles' tradition, those who letter in three sports their senior year, with the Cliff Battles Award. Kenmore High School is at the corner of 13th Street and Battles Avenue, but the avenue is not named after Cliff. It was so named before he became famous.

College career

Battles attended and played college football at West Virginia Wesleyan College.^[2] His most prominent season was 1931, when he scored 15 touchdowns and had four extra points.^[2] The best game of his college career was also in 1931 in a game against Salem College, when he scored seven touchdowns and had 354 rushing yards, 91 kick return yards, and 24 receiving yards, totalling 469.^[2]

He acquired the nickname "Gip" (sometimes spelled "Gipp") because of his admiration for Notre Dame back George Gipp, the subject of Knute Rockne’s "win one for the Gipper" speech.^[3]

While at West Virginia Wesleyan, Battles won 15 letters in five sports – four each in football and track, three each in baseball and basketball, and one in tennis.^[2] While there, he was a Phi Beta Kappa scholar and Rhodes Scholarship candidate.^[1]

He was named to the West Virginia Hall of Fame in 1950 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955.^[2]

While at West Virginia Wesleyan, Battles also played semipro football for the South Akron Awnings under the name of Jones.^[1]

Professional career

After college, Battles got many offers from NFL teams including the New York Giants and Portsmouth Spartans, among other NFL teams. But he signed with the Boston Braves (now the Washington Redskins) in 1932, who offered him $175 per game, compared with a high of $150 from the other teams.^[3]

In 1932, Battles won the NFL's rushing title as a rookie.^[4] He also performed well during the 1933 season and on October 8, 1933, Battles, playing for the newly named Boston Redskins, became the first player to exceed 200 rushing yards in a game, finishing with 215 yards on 16 rushes and one touchdown against the Giants.^[4]

"He was the greatest open-field runner I ever saw.
He didn’t run but seemed to lope along. It was
his natural way of running. Whenever we broke him through
the line, it was almost certain to be a touchdown."

Teammate Art Bachtel in the Akron-Beacon Journal
on December 13, 1999, on Battles' running style and ability.^[3]

In 1937, the Redskins moved from Boston to Washington, D.C. and acquired quarterback Sammy Baugh. For the 1937, Baugh and Battles combined their talents just as everyone had anticipated. During their last regular-season game, Battles scored three touchdowns and the Redskins beat the Giants for the Eastern Division title.^[4] In the 1937 NFL Championship against the Chicago Bears a week later, Battles scored the first touchdown in a 28-21 victory that gave the Redskins their first NFL title.^[4]

In what would end up being his last regular-season game on December 5, 1937, Battles ran for 165 yards against the Giants at the Polo Grounds. This was the record for most rushing yards for a player in the final regular-season game of his NFL career until Tiki Barber broke the record on December 30, 2006 with 234 rushing yards.^[5]

In 1937, Battles was again the league’s leading rusher with 874 yards on 216 carries and won all-league honors for the fifth time in six years. In six seasons, Battles totaled 3,511 yards rushing.^[4] A two way threat, he also finished his career with 15 interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

After 1937, Battles hoped for a raise in salary. George Preston Marshall, the owner of the Redskins, refused to pay him more than $3,000 a year (the amount Battles had been paid since his rookie season).^[4] Battles chose retirement instead, and left the game as a player at the end of 1937.

Coaching career

After the 1937 season, the Battles accepted a $4,000 job as an assistant football coach at Columbia University coached there from 1938 to 1943.^[4] While at Columbia, Battles was also the head coach of the men's basketball team from 1942 to 1943. He then served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II.^[1] After the war, Battles became head coach of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1947.^[1]

After football

After the end of his coaching career, Battles became an associate with General Electric in the Washington Metropolitan Area before retiring in 1979.^[3] He died on April 28, 1981 in Clearwater, Florida, and is buried in Parklawn Memorial Park in Rockville, Maryland.^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Cliff Battles" (PDF). Pro Football Researchers. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
1 2 3 4 5 "Cliff Battles' College HOF Profile". College Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
1 2 3 4 "Cliff Battles" (PDF). Pro Football Researchers. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Cliff Battles' HOF Profile". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
↑ "Barber rushes for team-record 234 yards in Giants' win". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-06-17.

External links

Career statistics and player information from NFL.com • Pro-Football-Reference
Cliff Battles at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Columbia Lions men's basketball head coaches

No coach (1900–1906)
Harry A. Fisher (1906–1916)
Carl Merner (1916–1917)
John Murray (1917–1918)
Fred Dawson (1918–1919)
Claus Benson (1919–1920)
Joseph Deering (1920–1925)
Daniel Meehan (1925–1933)
Paul Mooney (1933–1942)
Cliff Battles (1942–1943)
Elmer Ripley (1943–1945)
Paul Mooney (1945–1946)
Gordon Ridings (1946–1950)
Lou Rossini (1950–1958)
Archie Oldham (1958–1961)
Kenneth Hunter # (1961)
Jack Rohan (1961–1974)
Tom Penders (1974–1978)
Buddy Mahar (1978–1984)
Wayne Szoke (1984–1987)
Wally Halas (1987–1990)
Jack Rohan (1990–1995)
Armond Hill (1995–2003)
Joe Jones (2003–2010)
Kyle Smith (2010– )

Pound sign (#) denotes interim head coach.

Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) head coaches

Cliff Battles, Tom Scott & Mal Stevens (1946) Cliff Battles (1947) Carl M. Voyles (1948)

Cliff Battles—awards and honors

Records
Preceded by First	NFL Career Rushing Yards Leader 1937–1941	Succeeded by Clarke Hinkle
Preceded by First	NFL single-game rushing record October 8, 1933 – November 12, 1950	Succeeded by Gene Roberts

Washington Redskins

Formerly the Boston Braves and the Boston Redskins
Founded in 1932
Based in Landover, Maryland
Headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia

Franchise

Stadiums

Culture

Lore

Rivalries

Division championships (14)

Super Bowl appearances (5)

VII
XVII
XVIII
XXII
XXVI

League championships (5)

Hall of Fame players

All-time leaders

Current league affiliations

League: National Football League
Conference: National Football Conference
Division: East Division

Seasons (84)

1930s	1930 * 1931 * 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939

1940s	1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949

1950s	1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959

1960s	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

1970s	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

1980s	1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

1990s	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

2000s	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

2010s	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Washington Redskins 1937 NFL Champions

Jim Barber Cliff Battles Sammy Baugh Chuck Bond Eddie Britt Vic Carroll Turk Edwards Dixie Howell Don Irwin Ed Justice Ed Kahn Jim Karcher Ed Kawal Henry Krause Max Krause Charley Malone Bob McChesney Ed Michaels Wayne Millner Les Olsson Nelson Peterson Erny Pinckert Ben Smith George Smith Riley Smith Bill Young Head coach: Ray Flaherty

80 Greatest Redskins

21 Terry Allen RB 1995–98
56 LaVar Arrington LB 2000–05
41 Mike Bass CB 1969–75
20 Cliff Battles B 1932–37
33 Sammy Baugh QB 1937–52
31 Don Bosseler FB 1957–64
53 Jeff Bostic C 1980–93
4 Mike Bragg P 1968–79
80 Gene Brito DE 1951–53, 1955–58
43 Larry Brown RB 1969–76
77 Bill Brundige DE 1970–77
65 Dave Butz DT 1975–88
21 Earnest Byner RB 1989–93
84 Gary Clark WR 1985–92
51 Monte Coleman LB 1979–94
53 Al DeMao C 1945–53
36 Chuck Drazenovich LB 1950–59
35 Bill Dudley RB 1950–51, 1953
17 Turk Edwards T 1932–40
44 Andy Farkas FB 1938–44
37 Pat Fischer CB 1968–77
28 Darrell Green CB 1983–2002
68 Russ Grimm G 1981–91
55 Chris Hanburger LB 1965–78
57 Ken Harvey LB 1994–98
56 Len Hauss C 1964–77
75 Terry Hermeling OT 1970–80
27 Ken Houston S 1973–80
70 Sam Huff LB 1964–67, 1969
66 Joe Jacoby T/G 1981–93
47 Dick James RB 1955–63
76 Jon Jansen OT 1999–08
80 Roy Jefferson WR 1971–76
9 Sonny Jurgensen QB 1964–74
22 Charlie Justice RB 1950, 1952–54
17 Billy Kilmer QB 1971–78
26 Paul Krause DB 1964–67
79 Jim Lachey T 1988–95
14 Eddie LeBaron QB 1952–53, 1955–59
72 Dexter Manley DE 1981–89
71 Charles Mann DE 1983–93
58 Wilber Marshall LB 1988–92
73 Mark May T 1981–89
79 Ron McDole DE 1971–78
63 Raleigh McKenzie G 1985–94
53 Harold McLinton LB 1969–78
40 Wayne Millner E 1936–41, 1945
49 Bobby Mitchell FL 1962–68
30 Brian Mitchell RB 1990–99
81 Art Monk WR 1980–93
3 Mark Moseley K 1974–86
29 Mark Murphy S 1977–84
21 Mike Nelms KR 1980–84
52 Neal Olkewicz LB 1979–89
23 Brig Owens LB 1966–77
26 Clinton Portis RB 2004–10
65 Vince Promuto G 1960–70
44 John Riggins RB 1976–79, 1981–85
11 Mark Rypien QB 1987–93
60 Chris Samuels OT 2000–09
83 Ricky Sanders WR 1986–93
76 Ed Simmons T 1987–93
87 Jerry Smith TE 1965–77
60 Dick Stanfel G 1956–58
74 George Starke T 1973–84
72 Diron Talbert DT 1971–80
42 Charley Taylor WR 1964–77
84 Hugh Taylor WR 1947–54
21 Sean Taylor S 2004–07
7 Joe Theismann QB 1974–85
67 Rusty Tillman LB 1970–77
85 Don Warren TE 1979–92
25 Joe Washington RB 1981–84
17 Doug Williams QB 1986–89

Administration

George Allen Head Coach 1971–77
Bobby Beathard General Manager 1978–89
Joe Bugel Offensive Line Coach 1981–89, 04–09
Ray Flaherty Head Coach 1936–42
Joe Gibbs Head Coach 1981–92
Richie Petitbon Defensive Coordinator 1978–92

Washington Redskins Ring of Fame

George Allen Head Coach 1971–77
Cliff Battles RB 1932–37
Sammy Baugh QB 1937–52
Gene Brito DE, 1951–53, 1955–58
Larry Brown RB 1969–76
Dave Butz DT 1975–88
Gary Clark WR 1985–92
Jack Kent Cooke Owner 1961–97
Bill Dudley RB, 1950–51, 1953
Wayne Curry Prince George's County Executive 1994–2002
Pat Fischer CB 1968–77
Joe Gibbs Head Coach, 1981–92, 2004–07
Darrell Green CB 1983–2002
Russ Grimm G 1981–91
Chris Hanburger LB 1965–78
Ken Harvey LB 1994–98
Len Hauss C 1964–77
Phil Hochberg PA Announcer 1963–2000
Ken Houston S 1973–80
Sam Huff LB, 1964–67, 1969
Joe Jacoby T/G 1981–93
Dick James RB 1956–63
Sonny Jurgensen QB 1964–74
Charlie Justice RB, 1950, 1952–54
Billy Kilmer QB 1971–78
Eddie LeBaron QB, 1952–53, 1955–59
Vince Lombardi Head Coach 1969
Dexter Manley DE 1981–89
Charles Mann DE 1983–93
George Preston Marshall Team Founder & Owner 1932–69
Wayne Millner End, 1936–41, 1945
Bobby Mitchell Flanker 1962–68
Brian Mitchell RB/KR 1990–99
Art Monk WR 1980–93
Mark Moseley PK 1974–86
Brig Owens DB 1966–77
Richie Petitbon S 1971-72, defensive coordinator 1981-92
Vince Promuto G 1960–70
John Riggins RB, 1976–79, 1981–85
Jerry Smith TE 1965–77
Charley Taylor WR 1964–77
Sean Taylor S 2004–07
Joe Theismann QB 1974–85
Lamar "Bubba" Tyer Head Athletic Trainer, 1971–2002, 2004–08
Doug Williams QB 1986–89

Boston Braves (NFL) 1932 inaugural season roster

Head Coach: Lud Wray

NFL season rushing yards leaders

1932: Battles
1933: Musick
1934: Feathers
1935: Russell
1936: Leemans
1937: Battles
1938: B. White
1939: Osmanski
1940: B. White
1941: Manders
1942: Dudley
1943: Paschal
1944: Paschal
1945: Van Buren
1946: Dudley
1947: Van Buren
1948: Van Buren
1949: Van Buren
1950: Motley
1951: Price
1952: Towler
1953: Perry
1954: Perry
1955: Ameche
1956: Casares
1957: J. Brown
1958: J. Brown
1959: J. Brown
1960: J. Brown
1961: J. Brown
1962: Taylor
1963: J. Brown
1964: J. Brown
1965: J. Brown
1966: Sayers
1967: Kelly
1968: Kelly
1969: Sayers
1970: L. Brown
1971: Little
1972: Simpson
1973: Simpson
1974: Armstrong
1975: Simpson
1976: Simpson
1977: Payton
1978: Campbell
1979: Campbell
1980: Campbell
1981: Rogers
1982: McNeil
1983: Dickerson
1984: Dickerson
1985: Allen
1986: Dickerson
1987: C. White
1988: Dickerson
1989: Okoye
1990: Sanders
1991: Smith
1992: Smith
1993: Smith
1994: Sanders
1995: Smith
1996: Sanders
1997: Sanders
1998: Davis
1999: James
2000: James
2001: Holmes
2002: Williams
2003: Lewis
2004: Martin
2005: Alexander
2006: Tomlinson
2007: Tomlinson
2008: Peterson
2009: Johnson
2010: Foster
2011: Jones-Drew
2012: Peterson
2013: McCoy
2014: Murray
2015: Peterson

NFL's 1930s All-Decade Team

Dutch Clark Arnie Herber Cecil Isbell Cliff Battles John McNally Beattie Feathers Tuffy Leemans Ken Strong Clarke Hinkle Bronko Nagurski Bill Hewitt Don Hutson Wayne Millner Gaynell Tinsley George Christensen Frank Cope Turk Edwards Bill Lee Joe Stydahar Ox Emerson Dan Fortmann Charles Goldenberg Russ Letlow Mel Hein George Svendsen

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1968

Cliff Battles Art Donovan Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch Wayne Millner Marion Motley Charley Trippi Alex Wojciechowicz

Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Players

Pre-modern era	Badgro Battles Baugh Canadeo Chamberlin Clark Conzelman Driscoll Dudley Edwards Flaherty Fortmann Friedman Grange Guyon Halas Healey Hein Henry Herber Hewitt Hinkle Hubbard Hutson Kiesling Lambeau Leemans Luckman Lyman McAfee McNally Michalske Millner Musso Nagurski Nevers Owen A. Parker Pollard Strong Stydahar Thorpe Trafton Turner Van Buren Wojciechowicz

Modern era	Adderley Aikman L. Allen M. Allen Alworth Atkins Barney Bednarik Bo. Bell Berry Bethea Bettis Biletnikoff Blanda Blount Bradshaw Brooks B. Brown J. Brown R. Brown T. Brown W. Brown Buchanan Buoniconti Butkus Butler Campbell Carson Carter Casper Christiansen Connor Creekmur Csonka Culp W. Davis D. Dawson L. Dawson Dean DeLamielleure Dent Dickerson Dierdorf Ditka Doleman Donovan Dorsett Eller Elway Favre Faulk Fears Ford Fouts Gatski George Gifford Graham Green J. Greene K. Greene Gregg Griese Grimm Groza Guy Haley Ham Hampton Hanburger Hannah Harris Harrison Hayes Haynes Hendricks Hickerson Hirsch Hornung Houston Huff Humphrey Irvin Jackson J. Johnson J. H. Johnson Joiner W. Jones D. Jones S. Jones Jordan Jurgensen J. Kelly L. Kelly Kennedy Kinard Krause Lambert Lane Langer Lanier Largent Lary Lavelli Layne LeBeau Lilly F. Little L. Little Lofton Long Lott Mack Mackey Marchetti Marino Martin Matson Matthews Maynard McCormack McDaniel McDonald McElhenny Mitchell Mix Monk Montana Moon Moore Motley Munchak Muñoz Namath Newsome Nitschke Nomellini Ogden Olsen Otto Pace Page J. Parker Payton Perry Pihos Randle Reed Renfro Rice Richter Riggins Ringo Roaf Robinson Robustelli B. Sanders C. Sanders D. Sanders Sapp Sayers Schmidt Seau Selmon Sharpe Shaw Shell Shields Simpson Singletary Slater B. Smith E. Smith J. Smith St. Clair Stabler Stallworth Stanfel Starr Staubach Stautner Stenerud Stephenson Strahan Swann Tarkenton C. Taylor J. Taylor L. Taylor D. Thomas E. Thomas T. Thomas Tingelhoff Tippett Tittle Trippi Tunnell Unitas Upshaw Van Brocklin Walker Warfield Waterfield Webster Wehrli Weinmeister Ra. White Re. White Wilcox Williams Willis L. Wilson Winslow Wood Woodson Wright Yary Young Youngblood Zimmerman

Coaches

Contributors

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