Akron Reporter

Cliff Battles died on April 28, 1981. He was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1910. His father worked at BFGoodrich and Firestone. He played football at Kenmore High School. He attended West Virginia Wesleyan. There, he lettered in five sports and scored 15 touchdowns in 1931.

He played semipro football in Akron while in college. He joined the NFL in 1932 with the Boston Braves, later renamed the Redskins. He led the league in rushing that year. In 1933, he became the first NFL player to rush for over 200 yards in a game.

The team moved to Washington in 1937. That year, Battles and quarterback Sammy Baugh led the team to an NFL championship. Battles scored the first touchdown in the title game. He retired after that season due to a contract dispute. He had rushed for over 3,500 yards in six seasons.

He later coached at Columbia University and served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. He also coached in the All-America Football Conference. After coaching, he worked for General Electric until retirement.

Battles was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968. Kenmore High School honors his legacy with the Cliff Battles Award. He is buried in Maryland. He is remembered as one of the early great runners in NFL history and as a significant figure from Akron's sports past.