Possibly the most coveted position in all of football is the quarterback. For years, to play QB, you needed the throwing arm of a pitcher, the intelligence of a architect, and the poise of a ballet dancer. Beyond this however, and perhaps most importantly, you needed to be white .
The colour line – at least for the QB – has been breached and times are changing. It is a new era in American football as we finally begin to see the rise of the Quarterblack.
Marlin “The Magic” Briscoe was the first professional Quaterblack. Not only did Marlin play QB throughout high school, he spent his college years at the University of Omaha making All-American for his impressive career as a QB in college. The following year he was drafted to the NFL as a defensive back. Without any disrespect to the DB position, but this is equivalent with graduating with a medical degree and being hired as a nurse’s aide.
Unimpressed with his demotion, Marlin finagled a try-out as QB with the Denver Broncos. His superior athleticism and strong throwing arm won him the backup QB position. That season, the Broncos began 0-2. In the 3rd game, they trailed the Patriots 20-3 and coach Lou Saban gave Marlin his shot.
This is when Marlin began to earn his nickname. In the first play, Marlin completed a pass (significant for any rookie QB) and, just a few short plays later, he scrambled into the end zone for a touchdown. The Broncos lost that game 20-17, but the Magic was undeniable. On 6 October 1968, against the Cincinnati Bengals, Marlin Briscoe became the first black man to ever start in the NFL as a QB. It was an incredible season for the rookie, with Marlin ending as statistically the best quarterback on the roster.
As it turned out, statistics are meaningless when seen through the lens of xenophobia and Marlin was released from Broncos (replaced with Pete Liske, a mediocre QB from the CFL). 1960s America may not have been ready for a black QB to start a full season, but the damage had been done: the Quarterblack was born.
History maker number two, Doug Williams, was drafted in the first round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1978. Before Williams was added to the roster, the Bucs had never made the playoffs. As a starter, Williams brought them to the playoffs three times in four years, playing in the 1979 NFC Championship game.
Although Williams was one of the best starting QBs in the league, he was one of the lowest paid. Confirming how little had changed, even twelve back up QBs made more money than Williams during his tenure as first string QB. A brother can carry a team to a championship game, but he’s still expected to carry his teammates’ bags. Williams eventually quit the Bucs who, in their following season, went 2-14 (the lesson being once you go black you’re welcome to go back to losing).
Williams spent the next few seasons playing in the USFL, a short-lived professional football league. When the USFL went belly-up, the Washington Redskins picked up Williams. In his first season back, Williams made NFL history by becoming the first Quarterblack to play in the Superbowl, defeating QB John Elway (a legend in his own right) and the Broncos 42-10.
Marlin Briscoe and Doug Williams paved the way for QBs like Warren Moon and Donavan Mcnabb. In fact, in the 2012 NFL season there are more Quarterblacks to ever play the game at any one time. QBs like RG3 (Robert Griffin III), Cam Newton, Josh Freeman and Russell Wilson are bringing a new exciting dimension to the position. Colin Kaepernick will be the first Quarterblack to play in a Super Bowl since Doug Williams. You may be thinking that Colin Kaepernick is biracial. Barack Obama, who is also biracial and was raised by white grandparents, is regarded as the first black President, so Colin Kaepernick might as well be Kunta Kinte.
We’ve approaching a time where athletes are judged not by the colour of their skin but by their performance on the field. Who knows, maybe one day gender barriers will be broken in the NFL and we’ll see Tom Brady sacked by Hope Solo (if there’s a woman who knows something about taking NFL hits, it’s her). Until then, I’m satisfied to sit back and watch the evolution of the Quarterblack. {w}
by Rodney Ramsey