Cleo Miller
Encyclopedia
Cleophus Miller is a former professional American football
running back
who played nine seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs
and Cleveland Browns
.
, signed a free agent
contract with the Kansas City Chiefs after not being taken in the 1974 NFL Draft
. Miller played well as rookie, rushing for 186 yards on 40 carries (4.7 avg.) and catching 14 passes for 149 yards (10.6 avg.)
Midway through his second season, Miller was traded to the Cleveland Browns, and finished the 1975 season with only 13 carries. Miller earned a starting role in Browns' backfield for the 1976 season, a job he would hold through 1979. In 1976 Miller ran for 613 yards and four touchdowns (4.0 avg.) as a fullback
blocking for All-Pro running back Greg Pruitt
. The Browns finished the season with a record of 9-5, but failed to make the playoffs despite ranking 9th in the league in rushing.
In 1977, Miller had the best season of his career. He rushed for 756 yards on 163 carries, career-highs in both categories, and scored four touchdowns. He also set a career-high with 41 receptions. The Browns were 8th in the league in rushing yards and had the 3rd best yards per carry (4.3), but they only managed a 6-8 record.
After starting nine games and rushing for 336 yards in 1978, Miller was relegated to a back-up role for the remainder of his career. In 1980, the Browns won the AFC Central Division
with an 11-5 record behind the efforts of All-Pros Mike Pruitt
, Ozzie Newsome
and Brian Sipe
, who was also named league MVP. Miller contributed in a reserve role, rushing for 139 yards on 28 carries (5.0 avg.) and one touchdown. In the divisional round
of the playoffs, the Browns lost to the eventual Super Bowl
champion Oakland Raiders
14-12. Miller appeared in the game, carrying the ball only one time for one yard.
In Miller's final NFL season he appeared in only five games during the strike-shortened 1982 season. He finished his NFL career with 2492 yards rushing (4.2 avg.) and 16 touchdowns. Miller also caught 140 passes for 1175 yards and one touchdown. He is ninth in Browns history in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
Uncle to current NFL player Frank Okam of the Houston Texans
of the United States Football League
. Playing as a fullback, Miller ran for 374 yards and helped the Panthers win the 1983 USFL championship. In 1984 Miller played on a Panthers team that finished with a 10-8 record. They made the playoffs, where they lost to the Los Angeles Express 37-31 in triple overtime, and Miller retired after the season. He later served as Director of Operations for the Spring Football League
in 1999-2000, and was inducted into the Southwestern Athletic Conference
Hall of Fame in 2002.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
who played nine seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
and Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
NFL Career
Miller, who played collegiately at the University of Arkansas at Pine BluffUniversity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is a historically black university located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States. Founded in 1873, it is the oldest HBCU and the second oldest public institution in the state of Arkansas . UAPB is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
, signed a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
contract with the Kansas City Chiefs after not being taken in the 1974 NFL Draft
1974 NFL Draft
The 1974 National Football League Draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams was granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks....
. Miller played well as rookie, rushing for 186 yards on 40 carries (4.7 avg.) and catching 14 passes for 149 yards (10.6 avg.)
Midway through his second season, Miller was traded to the Cleveland Browns, and finished the 1975 season with only 13 carries. Miller earned a starting role in Browns' backfield for the 1976 season, a job he would hold through 1979. In 1976 Miller ran for 613 yards and four touchdowns (4.0 avg.) as a fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
blocking for All-Pro running back Greg Pruitt
Greg Pruitt
Gregory Donald Pruitt is a former American football running back in the NFL from 1973 through 1984. He was selected to five Pro Bowls, four as a member of the Cleveland Browns and one as a member of the Los Angeles Raiders, the last one as a kick returner...
. The Browns finished the season with a record of 9-5, but failed to make the playoffs despite ranking 9th in the league in rushing.
In 1977, Miller had the best season of his career. He rushed for 756 yards on 163 carries, career-highs in both categories, and scored four touchdowns. He also set a career-high with 41 receptions. The Browns were 8th in the league in rushing yards and had the 3rd best yards per carry (4.3), but they only managed a 6-8 record.
After starting nine games and rushing for 336 yards in 1978, Miller was relegated to a back-up role for the remainder of his career. In 1980, the Browns won the AFC Central Division
AFC North
The American Football Conference North Division, or AFC North, is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created prior to the 1967 season as the NFL Century Division when the NFL split into four divisions...
with an 11-5 record behind the efforts of All-Pros Mike Pruitt
Mike Pruitt
Michael Pruitt is a former American football running back who played eleven seasons from 1976 to 1986 with the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs in the National Football League...
, Ozzie Newsome
Ozzie Newsome
Ozzie Newsome Jr. and a 1974 graduate of Colbert County High School in Leighton, Alabama, is a former American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns, an inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the current General Manager of the Baltimore Ravens.-College career:Before his NFL career,...
and Brian Sipe
Brian Sipe
Brian Winfield Sipe is a former professional American football quarterback who played in the National Football League from 1974 to 1983 and the United States Football League from 1984 to 1985....
, who was also named league MVP. Miller contributed in a reserve role, rushing for 139 yards on 28 carries (5.0 avg.) and one touchdown. In the divisional round
NFL playoffs, 1980-81
The NFL playoffs following the 1980 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XV.Note: As per the rules of the NFL playoffs prior to the 1990 season , the San Diego Chargers did not play the Oakland Raiders in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.-AFC: Oakland Raiders 27,...
of the playoffs, the Browns lost to the eventual Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
champion Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
14-12. Miller appeared in the game, carrying the ball only one time for one yard.
In Miller's final NFL season he appeared in only five games during the strike-shortened 1982 season. He finished his NFL career with 2492 yards rushing (4.2 avg.) and 16 touchdowns. Miller also caught 140 passes for 1175 yards and one touchdown. He is ninth in Browns history in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
Uncle to current NFL player Frank Okam of the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
USFL Career
In 1983, Miller signed a free-agent contract with the Michigan PanthersMichigan Panthers
The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-Team history:The Michigan Panthers were named as a charter member of the United States Football League on May 11, 1982....
of the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
. Playing as a fullback, Miller ran for 374 yards and helped the Panthers win the 1983 USFL championship. In 1984 Miller played on a Panthers team that finished with a 10-8 record. They made the playoffs, where they lost to the Los Angeles Express 37-31 in triple overtime, and Miller retired after the season. He later served as Director of Operations for the Spring Football League
Spring Football League
The Spring Football League was a professional American football that existed for only part of one mini-season in 2000. Founded by several ex-NFL players such as Eric Dickerson, Drew Pearson, Bo Jackson, and Tony Dorsett, the SFL planned to use the four game mini-season to test cities, fans,...
in 1999-2000, and was inducted into the Southwestern Athletic Conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
The Southwestern Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black universities in the Southern United States...
Hall of Fame in 2002.