SALT LAKE CITY — Former Utah football All-American Mac Speedie is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
The news was announced Wednesday afternoon on the NFL Network, namely that Speedie, who lettered at Utah from 1939-41 and also competed in track and field and basketball, is one of 15 members of the Centennial Slate for the class of 2020,
The 2020 class consists of 10 seniors (players who last played more than 25 years ago), three contributors (an individual other than a player or coach) and two coaches. The class was elected by a special Blue-Ribbon panel during a meeting at the Hall of Fame last week. It marks the first time that a group of enshrines was selected during a meeting held at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, done to coincide with the NFL’s 100th season.
Speedie was a native of Odell, Illinois, raised in Salt Lake City and a graduate from South High School. At Utah, he earned all-conference honors for three straight seasons and was All-America honorable mention in his final football season.
He was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the No. 135 pick overall in 1942, but enlisted in the Army and served in World War II before joining the Cleveland Browns for their first season in the All-American Football Conference.
Speedie played with the Browns from 1946-52, helping Cleveland to a 83-13-3 record that included four AAFC Championships and an NFL Championship.
He was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s all-1940s team and was honored as a Browns Legend in 2002. Speedie finished his career with 349 receptions for 5,602 yards and 33 touchdowns.
After his playing career, Speedie went on to become a coach and scout. He was assistant coach for the Houston Oilers in the first year of the American Football League in 1960, and in 1962 joined the Denver Broncos coaching staff. He served as an assistant coach from 1962-64 and as head coach and general manager for a portion of the 1964 season through the middle of the 1966 season. He compiled a record of 6-19-1 as head coach before transitioning into a scouting role that he would fulfill until retirement in 1982.