View source for Cliff Battles

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1910–1981)}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name           = Cliff Battles
| image          = Cliff Battles 1935.jpg
| number         = 20
| position       = [[Halfback (American football)|Tailback]]
| birth_date     = {{Birth date|1910|5|1|mf=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Akron, Ohio]], U.S.
| death_date     = {{Death date and age|1981|4|28|1910|5|1|mf=y}}
| death_place    = [[Clearwater, Florida]], U.S.
| height_ft      = 6
| height_in      = 1
| weight_lb      = 195
| high_school    = [[Kenmore High School|Kenmore]] <br> (Akron, Ohio)
| college        = [[West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats football|West Virginia Wesleyan]] (1928–1931)
| pastteams      =
* [[Boston Braves (NFL)|Boston Braves / Redskins]] / [[Washington Redskins]] ({{NFL Year|1932|1937}})
| pastcoaching   =
* [[Columbia Lions football|Columbia]] (1938–1943) <br> Assistant coach
* [[El Toro Flying Marines football|El Toro]] (1944) <br> Assistant coach
* [[Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC)|Brooklyn Dodgers]] ([[1946 AAFC season|1946]]–[[1947 AAFC season|1947]]) <br> Head coach
| highlights     =
* [[List of NFL champions (1920–1969)|NFL champion]] ([[1937 NFL Championship Game|1937]])
* 3× First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1933 All-Pro Team|1933]], [[1936 All-Pro Team|1936]], [[1937 All-Pro Team|1937]])
* 2× Second-team All-Pro ([[1932 All-Pro Team|1932]], [[1934 All-Pro Team|1934]])
* 2× [[List of NFL annual rushing yards leaders|NFL rushing yards leader]] (1932, 1937)
* [[List of NFL annual rushing touchdowns leaders|NFL rushing touchdowns co-leader]] (1937)
* [[NFL 1930s All-Decade Team]]
* [[Washington Commanders#90 Greatest|Washington Commanders 90 Greatest]]
* [[Washington Commanders#Ring of Fame|Washington Commanders Ring of Fame]]
| statlabel1     = Rushing yards
| statvalue1     = 3,511
| statlabel2     = Rushing average
| statvalue2     = 4.2
| statlabel3     = Rushing [[touchdown]]s
| statvalue3     = 23
| statlabel4     = [[Reception (gridiron football)|Receptions]]
| statvalue4     = 38
| statlabel5     = Receiving yards
| statvalue5     = 546
| statlabel6     = Receiving touchdowns
| statvalue6     = 4
| overall_record = {{Winning percentage|4|16|1|record=y}}
| pfr            = B/BattCl20
| pfrcoach       = BattCl0
| HOF            = cliff-battles
| CollegeHOF     = 1595
}}

'''Clifford Franklin Battles''' (May 1, 1910 – April 28, 1981) was an American professional [[American football|football]] [[Halfback (American football)|tailback]] who played 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 and Rubber Company|Firestone]] tire companies, and Della Battles.<ref name=seaburn>{{cite web | work=Pro Football Researchers | url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/22-03-848.pdf | title=Cliff Battles | access-date=June 18, 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010194356/http://profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/22-03-848.pdf | archive-date=October 10, 2010 }}</ref>  He played [[high school football]] at [[Kenmore High School]].<ref name=seaburn />  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]].<ref name=collegefootballhof>{{College Football HoF|id=1595|name=Cliff Battles|accessdate=June 17, 2008}}</ref>  His most prominent season was 1931, when he scored 15 touchdowns and had four extra points.<ref name=collegefootballhof />  The best game of his college career was also in 1931 in a game against [[Salem University|Salem College]], when he scored seven touchdowns and had 354 rushing yards, 91 kick return yards, and 24 receiving yards, totalling 469.<ref name=collegefootballhof />

He acquired the nickname "Gip" (sometimes spelled "Gipp") because of his admiration for [[University of Notre Dame|Notre Dame]] back [[George Gipp]], the subject of [[Knute Rockne]]'s "win one for the Gipper" speech.<ref name=richman>{{cite web | work=Pro Football Researchers | url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/26-02-1019.pdf | title=Cliff Battles | access-date=June 18, 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011122604/http://profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/26-02-1019.pdf | archive-date=October 11, 2010 }}</ref>

While at West Virginia Wesleyan, Battles won 15 letters in five sports – four each in football and [[Track and field|track]], three each in baseball and basketball, and one in tennis.<ref name=collegefootballhof />  While there, he was a [[Phi Beta Kappa]] scholar and [[Rhodes Scholarship]] candidate.<ref name=seaburn />

He was named to the West Virginia Hall of Fame in 1950 and the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 1955.<ref name=collegefootballhof />

While at West Virginia Wesleyan, Battles also played semipro football for the South Akron Awnings under the name of Jones.<ref name=seaburn />

==Professional career==
[[File:361213-Packers-Redskins-program.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Battles was featured on the cover of the program for the 1936 NFL Championship Game.]]

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 Commanders]]) in [[1932 NFL season|1932]], who offered him $175 per game, compared with a high of $150 from the other teams.<ref name=richman />

In 1932, Battles won the [[National Football League|NFL's]] rushing title as a rookie.<ref name=profootballhof>{{cite web | work=Pro Football Hall of Fame | url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=20 | title=Cliff Battles' HOF Profile | access-date=June 17, 2008}}</ref>  He also performed well during the [[1933 NFL season|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.<ref name=profootballhof />
{{Quote box
 | quote  =''"He was the greatest open-field runner I ever saw.<br />He didn’t run but seemed to lope along.  It was<br />his natural way of running.  Whenever we broke him through<br />the line, it was almost certain to be a touchdown."''
 | source =Teammate Art Bachtel in the ''Akron-Beacon Journal''<br />on December 13, 1999, on Battles' running style and ability.<ref name=richman />
 | width  =200
 | align  =left
}}
In [[1937 Washington Redskins season|1937]], the Redskins moved from Boston to Washington, D.C., and acquired [[quarterback]] [[Sammy Baugh]].  For the [[1937 NFL season|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.<ref name=profootballhof />  In the [[1937 NFL Championship Game|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.<ref name=profootballhof />

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.<ref>{{cite web | work=ESPN | url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=261230028 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427184024/http://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=261230028 | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 27, 2018 | title=Barber rushes for team-record 234 yards in Giants' win | access-date=February 2, 2022}}</ref>

In the [[1937 NFL season]], 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.<ref name=profootballhof /> 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).<ref name=profootballhof />  Battles chose retirement instead, and left the game as a player at the end of 1937.

==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="2"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#ffe6bd; width:3em;"|
| Won the [[History of the National Football League championship|NFL championship]]
|-
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league
|-
| style="width:3em;"| '''Bold'''
| Career high
|-
| style="width:3em;"| <u>Underline</u>
| Incomplete data
|}

===Regular season===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="2"| Games
! colspan="5"| Rushing
! colspan="4"| Receiving
! colspan="9"| Passing
! rowspan="2"| {{abbr|AllTD|Total touchdowns scored}}
|-
! {{abbr|GP|Games played}} !! {{abbr|GS|Games started}} !! {{abbr|Att|Rushing attempts}} !! {{abbr|Yds|Rushing yards}} !! {{abbr|Y/A|Yards per rushing attempt}} !! {{abbr|Lng|Longest rushing attempt}} !! {{abbr|TD|Rushing touchdowns}} !! {{abbr|Rec|Receptions}} !! {{abbr|Yds|Receiving yards}} !! {{abbr|Y/R|Yards per reception}} !! {{abbr|TD|Receiving touchdowns}} !! {{abbr|Cmp|Passes completed}} !! {{abbr|Att|Passes attempted}} !! {{abbr|Pct|Completion percentage}} !! {{abbr|Yds|Passing yards}} !! {{abbr|Y/A|Yards per passing attempt}} !! {{abbr|Lng|Longest passing completion}} !! {{abbr|TD|Passing touchdowns}} !! {{abbr|Int|Interceptions thrown}} !! {{abbr|Rtg|Passer rating}}
|-
! [[1932 NFL season|1932]] !! [[1932 Boston Braves season|BOS]]
| 8 || 8 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 148 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 576 || 3.9 || — || 3 || 4 || 60 || 15.0 || '''1''' || 2 || 20 || 10.0 || 42 || 2.1 || — || 0 || 2 || 0.0 || 4
|-
! [[1933 NFL season|1933]] !! [[1933 Boston Redskins season|BOS]]
| '''12''' || '''11''' || 136 || 737 || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''5.4''' || — || 3 || '''11''' || '''185''' || 16.8 || 0 || 5 || 21 || 23.8 || 65 || 3.1 || — || 0 || 3 || 0.4 || 4
|-
! [[1934 NFL season|1934]] !! [[1934 Boston Redskins season|BOS]]
| '''12''' || 10 || 96 || 480 || 5.0 || — || '''6''' || 5 || 95 || '''19.0''' || '''1''' || 1 || 9 || 11.1 || 7 || 0.8 || '''7''' || 0 || 0 || '''39.6''' || '''7'''
|-
! [[1935 NFL season|1935]] !! [[1935 Boston Redskins season|BOS]]
| 7 || 6 || 67 || 230 || 3.4 || — || 1 || 3 || 22 || 7.3 || 0 || 5 || 22 || 22.7 || 92 || 4.2 || — || 0 || 1 || 25.6 || 2
|-
! [[1936 NFL season|1936]] !! [[1936 Boston Redskins season|BOS]]
| 11 || '''11''' || 176 || 614 || 3.5 || — || 5 || 6 || 103 || 17.2 || '''1''' || '''18''' || '''52''' || 34.6 || '''242''' || '''4.7''' || — || '''1''' || '''6''' || 17.1 || '''7'''
|-
! [[1937 NFL season|1937]] !! style="background:#ffe6bd;"|[[1937 Washington Redskins season|WAS]]
| 10 || 8 || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''216''' || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''874''' || 4.0 || style="background:#cfecec;"| '''75''' || style="background:#cfecec;"| 5 || 9 || 81 || 9.0 || '''1''' || 13 || 33 || '''39.4''' || 142 || 4.3 || — || 0 || 3 || 15.0 || '''7'''
|-
! colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BattCl20.htm Career] !! 60 !! <u>54</u> !! <u>839</u> !! 3,511 !! <u>4.2</u> !! 75 !! 23 !! 38 !! 546 !! 14.4 !! 4 !! 44 !! 157 !! 28.0 !! 590 !! 3.8 !! <u>7</u> !! 1 !! 15 !! 5.3 !! 31
|}

===Postseason===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="2"| Games
! colspan="5"| Rushing
! colspan="5"| Receiving
! colspan="9"| Passing
! rowspan="2"| {{abbr|Fum|Fumbles}}
! rowspan="2"| {{abbr|AllTD|Total touchdowns scored}}
|-
! {{abbr|GP|Games played}} !! {{abbr|GS|Games started}} !! {{abbr|Att|Rushing attempts}} !! {{abbr|Yds|Rushing yards}} !! {{abbr|Y/A|Yards per rushing attempt}} !! {{abbr|Lng|Longest rushing attempt}} !! {{abbr|TD|Rushing touchdowns}} !! {{abbr|Rec|Receptions}} !! {{abbr|Yds|Receiving yards}} !! {{abbr|Y/R|Yards per reception}} !! {{abbr|Lng|Longest reception}} !! {{abbr|TD|Receiving touchdowns}} !! {{abbr|Cmp|Passes completed}} !! {{abbr|Att|Passes attempted}} !! {{abbr|Pct|Completion percentage}} !! {{abbr|Yds|Passing yards}} !! {{abbr|Y/A|Yards per passing attempt}} !! {{abbr|Lng|Longest passing completion}} !! {{abbr|TD|Passing touchdowns}} !! {{abbr|Int|Interceptions thrown}} !! {{abbr|Rtg|Passer rating}}
|-
! [[1936 NFL Championship Game|1936]] !! [[1936 Boston Redskins season|BOS]]
| 1 || 1 || 2 || 8 || '''4.0''' || '''13''' || 0 || 0 || 0 || — || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || — || 0 || — || 0 || 0 || 0 || — || — || 0
|-
! [[1937 NFL Championship Game|1937]] !! style="background:#ffe6bd;"|[[1937 Washington Redskins season|WAS]]
| 1 || 1 || '''17''' || '''53''' || 3.1 || 9 || '''1''' || '''3''' || '''80''' || '''26.7''' || '''42''' || 0 || '''3''' || '''5''' || '''60.0''' || '''20''' || '''4.0''' || '''13''' || 0 || '''1''' || '''29.2''' || '''2''' || '''1'''
|-
! colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BattCl20/gamelog/post/ Career] !! 2 !! <u>2</u> !! <u>19</u> !! 61 !! <u>3.2</u> !! 13 !! 1 !! 3 !! 80 !! 26.7 !! 42 !! 0 !! 3 !! 5 !! 60.0 !! 20 !! 4.0 !! 13 !! 0 !! 1 !! 29.2 !! <u>2</u> !! 1
|}

==Coaching career==
After the 1937 season, Cliff Battles accepted a $4,000 job as an assistant football coach at [[Columbia University]] coached there from 1938 to 1943.<ref name=profootballhof />  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.<ref name=seaburn />  After the war, Battles became head coach of the [[Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC)|Brooklyn Dodgers]] of the [[All-America Football Conference]] from 1946 to 1947.<ref name=seaburn />

==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.<ref name=richman />  He died on April 28, 1981, in [[Clearwater, Florida]], and is buried in [[Parklawn Memorial Park]] in [[Rockville, Maryland]].<ref name=seaburn />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==

* Bob Curran, '' Pro Football's Rag Days.'' Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1969; pp. 125–136.
* George Sullivan, ''The Great Running Backs.'' New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1972; pp. 49–53.

==External links==
{{Footballstats |nfl=cliff-battles |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=B/BattCl20 }}
* {{ProFootballHOF|20}}
* {{College Football HoF|1595}}
* {{Find a Grave}}

{{Columbia Lions men's basketball coach navbox}}
{{Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) coach navbox}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Cliff Battles—awards and honors
| list1 =
{{Washington Commanders}}
{{1937 Washington Redskins}}
{{Washington Commanders greatest players}}
{{Washington Commanders Ring of Fame}}
{{1932 Boston Braves (NFL)}}
{{NFL rushing yards leaders}}
{{NFL rushing touchdowns leaders}}
{{NFL1930s}}
{{1968 Football HOF}}
{{Pro Football Hall of Fame members}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battles, Cliff}}
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:Basketball coaches from Ohio]]
[[Category:American football halfbacks]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Boston Braves (NFL) players]]
[[Category:Boston Redskins players]]
[[Category:Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) coaches]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Columbia Lions football coaches]]
[[Category:Columbia Lions men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:El Toro Flying Marines football coaches]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins players]]
[[Category:West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats baseball players]]
[[Category:West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats basketball players]]
[[Category:West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats football players]]
[[Category:West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats tennis players]]
[[Category:West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Clearwater, Florida]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Akron, Ohio]]
[[Category:Burials at Parklawn Memorial Park]]
[[Category:Coaches of American football from Ohio]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]