Position | Tailback
Born | Akron, Ohio
Date-of-Birth | May 1, 1910
Died | April 28, 1981 (age 70)
Height | 6’1″
Weight | 195 lbs
College | West Virginia Wesleyan
NFL Career | 6 seasons Teams | Boston Braves 1932, Boston Redskins 1933-1936, Washington Redskins 1937
Career Highlights
- First player in NFL history to rush for more than 200 yards in a single game (215 yards on just 16 carries, October 8, 1933, vs. the New York Giants)
- 2x NFL rushing yards leader (1932, as a rookie, and 1937)
- NFL Champion (1937) â the first championship in franchise history
- Scored the game’s opening touchdown in the 1937 NFL Championship Game
- NFL 1930s All-Decade Team
- Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee (1968)
- College Football Hall of Fame inductee
- Washington Redskins Ring of Fame
- 90 Greatest Redskins/Commanders
Awards
- 3x First-team All-Pro (1933, 1936, 1937)
- 2x Second-team All-Pro (1932, 1934)
- All-league honors in five of his six NFL seasons
Cliff Battles Set the NFL Rushing Record, Then Walked Away From Football Entirely
Cliff Battles played only six NFL seasons. In that short window, he set an NFL rushing record. He led the league in rushing twice. He helped deliver the franchise’s first-ever championship. Then, at the height of his powers, he simply quit.
A Five-Sport Star From Akron
Battles grew up in Akron, Ohio. He enrolled at West Virginia Wesleyan, where his talent bordered on absurd. He earned 15 varsity letters across five sports. That included four each in football and track. He added three each in baseball and basketball, plus one in tennis.
His college highlight came against archrival Salem in 1931. Trailing 12-6 at halftime, Battles took over. He finished with 354 rushing yards. His total offense reached 469 yards. Wesleyan won 51-6.
An Instant NFL Star
Battles signed with the Boston Braves in 1932. It was the franchise’s very first NFL season. He led the entire league in rushing as a rookie.
The team became the Redskins the next year. On October 8, 1933, Battles faced the New York Giants. He carried the ball just 16 times. He gained 215 yards and scored a touchdown. It was the first 200-yard rushing game in NFL history. No one had ever done it before.
Following Marshall to Washington
In 1937, owner George Preston Marshall moved the franchise to Washington. He brought Battles with him. He also added a promising rookie passer named Sammy Baugh.
The pairing lived up to the hype immediately. Washington closed the season with a 49-14 rout of the Giants. That win clinched the Eastern Division. Battles scored three touchdowns.
Both men played defense as well as they played offense. Battles had 15 career interceptions – Baugh had 31.
THat Giants game would ultimately be the answer to an NFL trivia question for 70 years. That was a record for most rushing yards in a player’s final career regular season game. Tiki Barber broke it in 2006.
1937 Championship
A week after that game, Washington faced the Chicago Bears for the NFL Championship. Battles scored the game’s opening touchdown. Baugh added three more scores.
Washington won 28-21, capturing the franchise’s first league title.
Battles led the NFL in rushing again that season with 874 yards on 216 carries. Keep in mind that is in an 8-game season. That would put him on pace for around an 1800 yard season in modern football.
He earned all-league honors for the fifth time in his six seasons.
And then he quit.
Walking Away at His Peak
What happened next remains one of the strangest endings in franchise history. Marshall had paid Battles $3,000 a year since his rookie season. He refused to give Battles a raise. This came right after Battles led the league in rushing and won a championship.
Battles wouldn’t accept the same salary for a seventh season. Instead, he walked away from professional football entirely. He took a $4,000 assistant coaching job at Columbia University. It paid more money for a smaller stage.
The story echoes Marshall’s broader reputation as an owner. Marshall’s frugality often cost the franchise talent it couldn’t replace.
Life After Playing
Battles coached at Columbia for six seasons. In 1943, he joined the United States Marine Corps. He served as an athletic and recreation officer. His posts included Camp Lejeune, Camp Pendleton, and Quantico during World War II.
After his military service, Battles returned to football. He became head coach of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the All-America Football Conference. He coached two seasons, compiling a 4-16-1 record. Then he stepped away from the game for good.
He died in 1981 in Clearwater, Florida, at age 70.
Legacy
The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted Battles in 1968. He holds a place on the NFL’s 1930s All-Decade Team. He’s also in Washington’s Ring of Fame and the franchise’s 90 Greatest.
Nearly a century later, his record still resonates. Although 200-yard games are not quite the rarefied air they used to be.
Career Statistics
| Team | Year | G | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec Yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 1932 | 8 | 148 | 576 | 3.9 | 3 | 60 |
| Boston | 1933 | 12 | 136 | 737 | 5.4 | 3 | 185 |
| Boston | 1934 | 12 | 96 | 480 | 5.0 | 6 | 95 |
| Boston | 1935 | 7 | 67 | 230 | 3.4 | 1 | 22 |
| Boston | 1936 | 11 | 176 | 614 | 3.5 | 5 | 103 |
| Washington | 1937 | 10 | 216 | 874 | 4.0 | 5 | 81 |
| Career Total | 6 seasons | 60 | 839 | 3,511 | 4.2 | 23 | 546 |
G = Games played, Att = Rushing attempts, Yds = Rushing yards, Avg = Yards per carry, TD = Rushing touchdowns, Rec Yds = Receiving yards. Battles also scored 4 receiving touchdowns over his career (38 receptions). He led the NFL in rushing yards in both 1932 and 1937. Stats via Pro Football Reference.
Notes:
Derrick Henry has seven 200-yard plus games. Adrian Peterson and OJ Simpson both had six.
The 2000 season alone had 10 different 200-yard games, breaking the previous record of 7 set in 1997