Motley was born on March 18, 1921, in
Alabama. He grew up in
Anniston, and attended
Cobb High School under coach
Dyke Smith, graduating in 1940. Motley joined
Alabama A&M University in 1941, playing for their
football team that was coached by Smith. When Smith left for
Delaware State College in 1942, he took along Motley and 32 other players. That year, Motley ran a 9.9 second 100-yard dash for Delaware State. In the 1945 Copper Bowl, he scored the game winning touchdown after stealing the ball from the quarterback in the final seconds. "The coach told me to get the ball," he later said, "and back then you did what the coach said." He returned in
1946, and graduated following the
1947 season. ==Later life and death==