Later Life and Death
Speedie had a brief and cold reunion with Brown in 1977, when the two met at the annual East–West Shrine Game, a college all-star game. Speedie introduced himself to Brown, only to be told, "Yes, I know. You're the one who went to Canada." Speedie's friends and former teammates lobbied repeatedly for his inclusion in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but Speedie believed that his conflict with Brown was keeping him out even as numerous former teammates, including Otto Graham, Dante Lavelli and Marion Motley were inducted. He was placed on an old-timers' list of nominees for induction into the hall in the mid-1980s, but ultimately was passed over. "Quite honestly, I think Paul Brown is the reason" for Speedie's exclusion, Graham said in 1991. "Paul wasn't the type of guy you crossed. He would never forget it."
While was passed over for professional football's hall of fame, Speedie was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 1972 and the University of Utah's Crimson Club hall of fame in 1986. He died in California in 1993.
Read more about this topic: Mac Speedie
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