Mac Speedie
Encyclopedia
Mac Speedie was a football
player who starred as a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns
in both the All-America Football Conference
and National Football League
for seven years, and later served for two years as head coach of the American Football League
's Denver Broncos
.
, but attended high school in Utah
, playing two sports (football and track & field) at South High School
in Salt Lake City. Speedie lived up to his surname in the latter sport, tying a national high school record with a run in the 120-meter high hurdles of 14.7 seconds.
, Speedie again excelled at both sports, earning honorable mention All-America recognition for football in 1942 after having competed in the 1940 NCAA
Track & Field Championships. Years later, he would be honored by his induction into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame, as well as a berth on the Utah football centennial team.
, but first spent two years in the U.S. Army. While playing for the Fort Warren service team, he was spotted by Great Lakes Naval Station head coach Paul Brown
. When the war ended, Brown took over the helm of the fledgling Browns in the AAFC. Remembering Speedie's prowess on the gridiron, Brown offered him twice what the Lions had, and Speedie signed for US$7,000.
In each of the four seasons of the league's existence, the Browns captured the championship, with Speedie being on the receiving end of 211 passes for over 3,500 yards and 24 touchdowns. From 1947 to 1949, Speedie led the league in receiving, with arguably his most spectacular scoring effort coming on November 2, 1947. Catching Otto Graham's pass from the Browns' one-yard line, Speedie scored on a 99-yard pass play.
When the Browns moved to the NFL in 1950, the team's success continued, but Speedie and Brown continued on a collision course that would keep the wideout with the team for only three more years. Speedie's penchant for off-the-field celebrating was in direct contrast to the strait-laced Brown, and by 1952, Speedie showed his disdain for the coach by bringing a skunk to training camp and naming him "Paul". That year would be Speedie's most productive with 62 receptions and an award as team Most Valuable Player, but a knee injury in the final regular season game kept him out of the NFL title game against the Lions, a game the Browns lost, 17-7.
Frustrated by his low salary and sensing he was on the verge of being phased out, the 33-year-old Speedie shocked the Browns by signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders
of the Canadian Football League
on June 30, 1953. In each of his first two years, he earned All-CFL honors, but in August 1955, he suffered a broken leg, an injury that led to his retirement at the end of the season.
Speedie entered the investment business, seemingly leaving the world of football behind, but when former teammate Lou Rymkus
was named head coach of the new AFL's Houston Oilers
in 1960, Speedie signed on as an assistant. In the league's first year, the Oilers captured the inaugural championship, but when the team started slowly the following year, Rymkus was fired. Just days later, Speedie announced his resignation.
On March 2, 1962, he was hired by the Broncos as a receivers coach, working first under original head coach Frank Filchock
, followed by Jack Faulkner
early into that first season. By 1964, the Broncos had lost 13 straight games, resulting in Faulkner's dismissal and the ascension of Speedie to the head coaching position. In his first game leading the team, the Broncos ended their losing skein with a 33-27 upset victory over the Kansas City Chiefs
. However, the frustrations soon returned with Speedie suspending kicker Gene Mingo
and defensive back Willie West
two weeks later.
Despite going only 2-7-1 for the remainder of the season, Speedie was signed to a two-year contract on December 12, but 1965 would result in a 4-10 campaign. When the next season began with two losses, Speedie resigned in favor of assistant Ray Malavasi
, ending his brief coaching tenure with a 6-19-1 record. Speedie, who had been pelted with garbage by angry fans while leaving the field after that second contest, accepted a scouting position with the organization, a post he held until his retirement in 1981.
It was during his scouting days that he had a brief and cold reunion with Brown in 1977, nearly a quarter-century after his departure from the Browns. Seeing his former coach at the annual East-West Shrine all-star game, Speedie introduced himself, only to be told, "Yes, I know. You're the one who went to Canada
."
That animosity, in Speedie's eyes, was the basis for his exclusion from the Pro Football Hall of Fame
. Stating that Brown's influence (and bad-mouthing) helped dissuade voters, Speedie spent his remaining years justifying his case for induction to the shrine. In truth, Speedie's relatively short career (seven years) and the fact that more than half of his receptions came in the AAFC are the likely culprits in his fate.
in 1993.
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...
player who starred as a wide receiver for the 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...
in both the All-America Football Conference
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
and National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for seven years, and later served for two years as head coach of the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early life
Speedie was born in IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, but attended high school in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, playing two sports (football and track & field) at South High School
South High School (Salt Lake City)
South High School was a high school in Salt Lake City, Utah, which operated from 1931 to 1988. The school was located on the southern end of Salt Lake City proper, at 1575 S. State Street...
in Salt Lake City. Speedie lived up to his surname in the latter sport, tying a national high school record with a run in the 120-meter high hurdles of 14.7 seconds.
College
Moving on to the University of UtahUniversity of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, Speedie again excelled at both sports, earning honorable mention All-America recognition for football in 1942 after having competed in the 1940 NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Track & Field Championships. Years later, he would be honored by his induction into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame, as well as a berth on the Utah football centennial team.
Start of Pro Football career
Speedie was drafted by the Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, but first spent two years in the U.S. Army. While playing for the Fort Warren service team, he was spotted by Great Lakes Naval Station head coach Paul Brown
Paul Brown
Paul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...
. When the war ended, Brown took over the helm of the fledgling Browns in the AAFC. Remembering Speedie's prowess on the gridiron, Brown offered him twice what the Lions had, and Speedie signed for US$7,000.
In each of the four seasons of the league's existence, the Browns captured the championship, with Speedie being on the receiving end of 211 passes for over 3,500 yards and 24 touchdowns. From 1947 to 1949, Speedie led the league in receiving, with arguably his most spectacular scoring effort coming on November 2, 1947. Catching Otto Graham's pass from the Browns' one-yard line, Speedie scored on a 99-yard pass play.
When the Browns moved to the NFL in 1950, the team's success continued, but Speedie and Brown continued on a collision course that would keep the wideout with the team for only three more years. Speedie's penchant for off-the-field celebrating was in direct contrast to the strait-laced Brown, and by 1952, Speedie showed his disdain for the coach by bringing a skunk to training camp and naming him "Paul". That year would be Speedie's most productive with 62 receptions and an award as team Most Valuable Player, but a knee injury in the final regular season game kept him out of the NFL title game against the Lions, a game the Browns lost, 17-7.
Frustrated by his low salary and sensing he was on the verge of being phased out, the 33-year-old Speedie shocked the Browns by signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
on June 30, 1953. In each of his first two years, he earned All-CFL honors, but in August 1955, he suffered a broken leg, an injury that led to his retirement at the end of the season.
Speedie entered the investment business, seemingly leaving the world of football behind, but when former teammate Lou Rymkus
Lou Rymkus
Louis Joseph Rymkus was a football player and coach in the National Football League who was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and also served as the first head coach of the American Football League's Houston Oilers for 1960, winning the league's first championship, but being...
was named head coach of the new AFL's Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
in 1960, Speedie signed on as an assistant. In the league's first year, the Oilers captured the inaugural championship, but when the team started slowly the following year, Rymkus was fired. Just days later, Speedie announced his resignation.
On March 2, 1962, he was hired by the Broncos as a receivers coach, working first under original head coach Frank Filchock
Frank Filchock
Frank Joseph Filchock was an American and Canadian football tailback/quarterback and coach. As a consequence of a famous scandal regarding the 1946 NFL Championship game, he was suspended by the National Football League from 1947 to 1950 for associating with gamblers.-Early career:Born in 1916 in...
, followed by Jack Faulkner
Jack Faulkner
Jack Faulkner was an American football coach and administrator who most prominently served as head coach of the American Football League's Denver Broncos from 1962 to 1964. He also has been an integral part of the St. Louis Rams organization, dating back to the team's days in Los Angeles.-Early...
early into that first season. By 1964, the Broncos had lost 13 straight games, resulting in Faulkner's dismissal and the ascension of Speedie to the head coaching position. In his first game leading the team, the Broncos ended their losing skein with a 33-27 upset victory over 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...
. However, the frustrations soon returned with Speedie suspending kicker Gene Mingo
Gene Mingo
Eugene L. Mingo is a former professional American football player who played several positions including halfback, placekicker, and return specialist...
and defensive back Willie West
Willie West
Willie Tennyson West was an American football defensive back. He played for nine seasons professionally: for the NFL St. Louis Cardinals; and for the American Football League's Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins. He was an AFL All-Star for the Bills in 1963, and for...
two weeks later.
Despite going only 2-7-1 for the remainder of the season, Speedie was signed to a two-year contract on December 12, but 1965 would result in a 4-10 campaign. When the next season began with two losses, Speedie resigned in favor of assistant Ray Malavasi
Ray Malavasi
Ray Malavasi was a former football coach who served as head coach of two National Football League teams: the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams....
, ending his brief coaching tenure with a 6-19-1 record. Speedie, who had been pelted with garbage by angry fans while leaving the field after that second contest, accepted a scouting position with the organization, a post he held until his retirement in 1981.
It was during his scouting days that he had a brief and cold reunion with Brown in 1977, nearly a quarter-century after his departure from the Browns. Seeing his former coach at the annual East-West Shrine all-star game, Speedie introduced himself, only to be told, "Yes, I know. You're the one who went to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
."
That animosity, in Speedie's eyes, was the basis for his exclusion from the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
. Stating that Brown's influence (and bad-mouthing) helped dissuade voters, Speedie spent his remaining years justifying his case for induction to the shrine. In truth, Speedie's relatively short career (seven years) and the fact that more than half of his receptions came in the AAFC are the likely culprits in his fate.
Death and burial
Speedie died of a heart attack at his home in Laguna Hills, CaliforniaLaguna Hills, California
Laguna Hills is a city located in southern Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby—Laguna Niguel and Laguna Woods—are similarly named.-Geography:...
in 1993.