(1920-01-12)January 12, 1920 Odell, Illinois, U.S.
Died:
March 5, 1993(1993-03-05) (aged 73) Laguna Hills, California, U.S.
Height:
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:
203 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school:
South (Salt Lake City, Utah)
College:
Utah
NFL draft:
1942 / Round: 15 / Pick: 135
Career history
As a player:
Cleveland Browns (1946–1952)
Saskatchewan Roughriders (1953–1954)
BC Lions (1955)
As a coach:
Houston Oilers (1960–1961) Ends coach
Denver Broncos (1964–1966) Head coach
Career highlights and awards
As a player
NFL champion (1950)
4× AAFC champion (1946–1949)
3× First-team All-Pro (1947–1949)
2× Second-team All-Pro (1950, 1952)
2× Pro Bowl (1950, 1952)
3× AAFC receptions leader (1947–1949)
AAFC receiving yards leader (1947, 1949)
NFL 1940s All-Decade Team
Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor
As a coach
AFL champion (1960)
AAFC record
Most receiving yards in a season: 1,146 (1947)
Career AAFC/NFL statistics
Receptions:
349
Receiving yards:
5,602
Receiving touchdowns:
33
Head coaching record
Career:
6–19–1 (.250)
Player stats at PFR
Coaching stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Mac Curtis Speedie (January 12, 1920 – March 5, 1993) was an American professional football end who played for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL) for seven years before joining the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Canada. He 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. On January 15, 2020, Speedie was announced to have been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2020.
Mac Curtis Speedie (January 12, 1920 – March 5, 1993) was an American professional football end who played for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America...
Filchock, Faulkner, MacSpeedie, Jerry Smith, Ralston, and Miller spent their entire coaching careers with the Broncos. Speedie, Ray Malavasi, Miller...
Dudley, the first overall selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and MacSpeedie, 135th overall selection by the Detroit Lions. Additionally, one member...
quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley and ends Dante Lavelli and MacSpeedie, the team won the first AAFC championship game against the New York Yankees...
attack that featured fullback Marion Motley, ends Dante Lavelli, and MacSpeedie. After a number of coaching changes and roster moves in the offseason...
Bills. Led by quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley and ends MacSpeedie and Dante Lavelli, the Browns followed with a string of victories leading...
Graham, fullback Marion Motley, kicker Lou Groza and fellow receiver MacSpeedie, Lavelli was an integral part of a Browns team that won seven championships...
Five of these players—Fred Biletnikoff, Otto Graham, Johnny Robinson, MacSpeedie, and Y. A. Tittle—chose not to play for the Lions and instead signed...
64 Joe DeLamielleure 1980–1984 OG 2007 66 Gene Hickerson 1958–1960 1962–1973 OG 2020 58, 88 MacSpeedie 1946–1952 End 2023 73 Joe Thomas 2007–2017 OT...
Broncos head coaches Frank Filchock (1960–1961) Jack Faulkner (1962–1964) MacSpeedie (1964–1966) Ray Malavasi (1966) Lou Saban (1967–1971) Jerry Smith (1971)...
Broncos head coaches Frank Filchock (1960–1961) Jack Faulkner (1962–1964) MacSpeedie (1964–1966) Ray Malavasi (1966) Lou Saban (1967–1971) Jerry Smith (1971)...
Broncos head coaches Frank Filchock (1960–1961) Jack Faulkner (1962–1964) MacSpeedie (1964–1966) Ray Malavasi (1966) Lou Saban (1967–1971) Jerry Smith (1971)...
football with Utah. Jack Johnson (1930–1932) — Pro Bowl offensive tackle MacSpeedie (1939–1941) — Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Wilson (1957–1959)...
Malavasi, an assistant who took over after Saban's former Browns teammate, MacSpeedie, resigned from the post after the first two games of the season. Saban...
Broncos head coaches Frank Filchock (1960–1961) Jack Faulkner (1962–1964) MacSpeedie (1964–1966) Ray Malavasi (1966) Lou Saban (1967–1971) Jerry Smith (1971)...
quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley, and ends Dante Lavelli and MacSpeedie. Cleveland began the season with a win against the Philadelphia Eagles...
that featured quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley and ends MacSpeedie and Dante Lavelli and a defense that featured linebacker Bill Willis...
Alex Karras, Bobby Dillon, Donnie Shell, George Young, Cliff Harris, MacSpeedie, and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. They were enshrined in 2021...
AAFC teams would cease to exist. Browns quarterback Otto Graham, end MacSpeedie, and linebacker Lou Saban were named to sportswriters' All-Pro lists...
Broncos head coaches Frank Filchock (1960–1961) Jack Faulkner (1962–1964) MacSpeedie (1964–1966) Ray Malavasi (1966) Lou Saban (1967–1971) Jerry Smith (1971)...
(Marion Motley), halfbacks in the 80-89 range, ends in the 50-59 range (MacSpeedie), tackles in the 40-49 range (Lou Groza), guards in the 30-39 range,...
Broncos head coaches Frank Filchock (1960–1961) Jack Faulkner (1962–1964) MacSpeedie (1964–1966) Ray Malavasi (1966) Lou Saban (1967–1971) Jerry Smith (1971)...
Oilers moved from Jeppensen Stadium to Rice Stadium Denver Broncos: MacSpeedie began his first full season. He replaced Jack Faulkner after four games...
Broncos head coaches Frank Filchock (1960–1961) Jack Faulkner (1962–1964) MacSpeedie (1964–1966) Ray Malavasi (1966) Lou Saban (1967–1971) Jerry Smith (1971)...
Broncos head coaches Frank Filchock (1960–1961) Jack Faulkner (1962–1964) MacSpeedie (1964–1966) Ray Malavasi (1966) Lou Saban (1967–1971) Jerry Smith (1971)...
Global Information