The Redskin Report

Jump to Comments

Many legends have showcased their talents for the Redskins. Guys like Sammy Baugh, Sonny Jorgensen and John Riggins have deservedly been celebrated for years by the Redskins faithful as the best of the best of this franchise. This series hopes to shed some light on those players and some of the lesser known Redskin superstars. This is the inaugural essay and appropriately features the 1st superstar to suit up for the Redskins, Cliff Battles.

It came down to one game. The Washington Redskins and the New York Giants season finale would decide the Eastern Division. The winner would head to the NFL Championship and the loser would head home. The Redskins had captured the heart of the Washington area in their 1st season and over 10,000 fans, included the team’s 150 man marching band, had boarded the train and accompanied the team to New York. Cliff Battles made sure they all came home happy.

In the first big game in Washington Redskins history, fittingly the 1st superstar in Redskins history dominated. In the 1st quarter alone he had a 75 yard run and scored 2 touchdowns. Later in the game, he salted away the Redskin victory and division title with a huge interception. Battles picked off a deep pass at the Washington twenty, broke some tackles, reversed his field twice and returned the ball 80 yards for a touchdown (note 1).

The Redskins would head to Chicago and win the 1937 NFL championship with a 28-21 victory. But besides the few fans who made the trek to Chicago, the New York game was the last chance for the Redskins fans to see Battles. At the top of his game and after only six seasons in the NFL, Cliff Battles retired.

Clifford Franklin Battles was born on May 1st, 1910 in Akron, Ohio. He went to college at tiny West Virginia Wesleyan. He played and lettered in 5 sports – football, track, baseball, basketball and tennis. Academically he was a Phi Beta Kappa scholar. His college football career was defined by his big play ability. In 1930 he returned a punt for 90 yards and a kick-off for 93 yards in the same game against Waynesburg. His 1931 game against Salem was the stuff legends are made of: He had 7 touchdowns, 354 yards rushing, 91 yards on kick returns and 24 receiving yards for a total of 469 yards from scrimmage in a 51-6 victory.

Despite his huge numbers (he ended 1931 with 15 touchdowns including 5 of more than 40 yards), he never received any All-American accolades. His only national award was being named to Navy’s all-opponent team in 1930. Without any recognition, Battles career came dangerously close to ending after college. Luckily, future Boston Braves owner George Preston Marshall had seen Battles play while scouting players from powerhouse Georgetown. While the exact game is unknown, Battles did have a 90 yard punt return against Georgetown in 1930.

Marshall signed Battles in 1932 to join the Braves in their inaugural season. His talents were immediately obvious. He led the NFL in rushing in his rookie season with 537 yards rushing. He scored scored 4 touchdowns, including 1 receiving. In 1933, the Braves became the Boston Redskins and Battles had an even better year. He had 737 yards rushing and a career high 5.4 yard per carry and was named to his second consecutive All-NFL team, a mark he achieved in all but one of his 6 seasons. In a game against the hated Giants in October, Battles became the 1st NFL player to have over 200 yards rushing in a single game with 215 yards on only 16 carries for a 13.4 yard per carry average. The team didn’t achieve the same level of success as Battles however, in both their 1st 2 seasons, the team finished with a .500 record.

1934 was more of the same for Battles and the Redskins. Battles had a career high 7 touchdowns, but the team was again 6-6. The continued mediocrity meant the end for head coach Lone Star Dietz, a firing which led to a disastrous season for the Redskins and Battles. New head coach Eddie Casey didn’t use Battles as often as Dietz, which led to career low numbers for Battles. He had only 67 carries for 230 yards and a single touchdown. The Redskins stumbled to a 2-8-1 record. Marshall quickly got rid of Casey and signed Ray Flaherty as head coach, a move that would set the Redskins and Battles on a championship path.

In his 1st season as coach (1936), Flaherty wisely leaned heavily on Battles. Battles had over 100 carries more than the previous season and responded with over 700 yards from scrimmage (614 rushing) and 6 touchdowns. The Redskins had their 1st taste of success, as their 7-5 record was good enough to win the East Division and earn them a berth in the NFL championship game. The Redskins were actually supposed to have home-field advantage in the championship game but due to poor fan support, Marshall moved the game to New York and the Redskins were hammered 21-6 by Green Bay. Due to low attendance in Boston, after the season Marshall moved the franchise to Washington and the Washington Redskins were born.

Besides the move to D.C., the biggest off-season news for the Redskins 1937 was the signing of rookie quarterback Sammy Baugh. One would think the addition of a passing game would have hindered Battles, but 1937 was actually his best season as a pro. He has 874 yards rushing, which led the league and scored 6 touchdowns.

Battles best game came on October 17th against the Pittsburgh Pirates (who would become the Steelers). Battles scored 3 touchdowns in the game of an average distance of 65 yards. His 1st TD came on defense, Battles picked off a short pass and returned in 65 yards for the score. Battles then scored on two long runs – one on a sweep around the end for 60 yards and the other on an off-tackle run for 71 yards. Shirley Povich, the Washington Post reporter covering the team, said Battles “had a fair day.”

After the 1937 championship, Redskins fans had huge expectations for future championships. The team had the league’s best passer in Baugh and the best rusher in Battles. The sky was the limit for this team, but sadly it wasn’t to be. Despite being an all-pro for 5 of his 6 seasons, Battles had never received a raise from his inital salary of $3,000/season. With the move to Washington and the large increase in attendance Marshall was flush in money and Battles asked for a well deserved raise.

Marshall would have none of it. He felt that with Baugh, Battles was expendable and didn’t want to pay for two superstars. It was a shortsighted move. Battles was a star player and a fan favorite. Baugh won only one more championship during his decorated Redskin career. Marshall’s cheap ways more than likely cost the Redskins a few more titles.

Battles was unwillingly to come back without a raise and accepted a job to be an assistant coach with Columbia University for $4000/year. Battles held the job until 1943 when he joined the marines to fight in World War II. After the war Battles briefly returned to coaching, leading the Brooklyn Dodgers of the All-American Conference in the 1947 and 1948 seasons.

After leaving the Dodgers, Battles faded from the football scene but accolades continue to come his way. In 1950 he was elected to the West Virginia Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame followed suit in 1955. In 1968 he joined Baugh and Marshall in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Battles died on April 28, 1981 of a heart condition (New York Times Obituary). He had 2 daughters and 6 grandchildren who all lived in Ohio at the time of his death.

The best modern comparison for Battles may be Barry Sanders. Like Sanders, Battles had explosive big play abilities and was a threat to score whenever he touched the ball. Battles and Saunders struggled with coaches who wouldn’t give them the ball in certain situations and they both retired while in their prime. Battles had more responsibilities on the football field (playing both ways, lining up as a QB a lot of the time) than Sanders did, but that more of a reflection of the times than anything.

Since he only played one season in Washington, Battles is often overlooked when the legend of the franchise are mentioned but he was the 1st Redskins superstar. After that memorable 1937 game in New York, the Washington fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts. One has to think that if they marched back to the train station, Cliff Battles was the man leading the parade home.

Note 1 – There are differing accounts of whether or not Battles scored on this interception return. The Pro Football Hall of Fame page says he did score, while Rich Tandler’s The Redskins from A to Z says he was stopped at the one yard line, and the ball was then punched in by Riley Smith.

Resources Used:
The Redskins from A to Z by Rich Tandler – Available for purchase through the link.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Website
College Football Hall of Fame Website
HickokSports.com
New York Times Website
Washington Post Website
Redskins.com History Section

Photos: Pro Football Hall of Fame Profile shot, College Football Hall of Fame profile shot