Mac Speedie played his final football game with the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 14, 1952, capping an illustrious seven-year career where he led the league in receptions three times, receiving yards twice and helped propel the Browns from the All-America Football Conference to the NFL.
Sixty-eight years, seven months and 26 days later, Speedie, who passed away on March 5, 1993, was finally honored for his legacy in the sport.
Speedie, who was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020, was recognized Saturday evening as a Hall of Famer in Canton as inductees of the Centennial Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 took the stage at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Speedie was honored for the five consecutive titles — four in the AAFC and one in the NFL — he helped bring to Cleveland and praised for his deceptive route running, outstanding catching abilities and, of course, his speed that helped a new Browns franchise quickly rise to the top of the football world. Speedie also overcame Perthes Disease, a rare childhood hip disorder where blood flow to the hip joint is disrupted, and became a dominant receiver despite living most of his life with one leg shorter than the other. He finished his career with every major receiving record in AAFC history and amassed 349 receptions for 5,602 yards and 33 touchdowns.
Speedie's Bronzed Bust was previously unveiled April 28. He became the 17th Browns Hall of Famer in February 2020 and was the first to be inducted since Gene Hickerson in 2007.
