A thirteen-year gap, twice over, brought NFL change. Here’s how.
Decades ago, there was only a handful of African American quarterbacks in the NFL, including both starters and backups. That portrait changed over twenty-six years–thirteen years at a time.
The first transition occurred when backup QB, Doug Williams, led the Washington Redskins to the 1987 NFL championship. Williams also won Super Bowl MVP honors that year in a blowout win, 42-10, against John Elway and the Denver Broncos. In the victory, Williams threw for 340 yards and tossed four touchdown passes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf2x3GI9y-g
Thirteen years later, the league took another big stride when the Atlanta Falcons drafted Michael Vick with the first overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft. It was the first time that a #1 pick was used to draft a black quarterback.
In 2013–another thirteen years forward–the NFL had a record-breaking 9 African American QBs start for their teams on opening day.
Why did change take so long?
The stigma against black QBs was the ridiculous notion that ‘they weren’t smart enough.” “They,” the thinking went, ” just want to run with the ball.” “They don’t know how to play the position from the pocket.” “They can’t read defenses.” “They can’t lead a team in a big game.” The list was long and tedious.
The truth was that exclusion had many excuses. Then–starting in the late 80s–play on the field began speaking for itself. Warren Moon and Randall Cunningham showed how.
Moon dominated the Canadian Football League before joining the NFL, where he became one of the league’s best passers, and eventually ended up on the NFL Hall of Fame. Although Cunningham didn’t receive the same accolades, he was super-talented–traits that weren’t fully appreciated until he moved from an Eagles’ team with limited, overall talent to the Minnesota Vikings. There, he led the team to a 15-1 mark during the ’99 season.
Williams, Moon, and Cunningham paved the way for other talented black QBs, including the late Steve McNair, who led his Tennessee Titans to the Super Bowl, falling just a yard short of winning the Lombardi Trophy. McNair shared the league’s MVP honors that year (2003) with Peyton Manning.
Add Donovan McNabb to that list. A QB sensation for the Syracuse Orange (and the 2nd pick of the 1999 Draft), McNabb took his Eagles to five NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl matchup against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Fans who booed Donovan when he was selected on NFL Draft Day ended up cheering as he took their team to one NFC East title after another.
Then there was Vick. The league had never seen anything like Vick, who drove defensive coordinators nuts trying to defend him. Vick’s watershed moment came when he led his team to a playoff victory against the Packers at Lambeau Field.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrZsiIM6Qlc
The story of Robert Griffin III is different. The recipient of tremendous hype coming out of Baylor University and winning the Heisman Trophy, the Redskins drafted RGIII with the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 draft. He went on to win NFL Rookie of the Year honors that year. As a rookie, RGIII had a 14-0 lead over the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round of the playoffs that season when his fortunes turned–not just in that game, but for his career. The QB was injured. Washington never recovered and Wilson’s late-game heroics spelled the difference.
Since 2013, three black QBs have reached the Super Bowl–Wilson (two appearances), Cam Newton, and Colin Kaepernick. And the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes led his team to the AFC Championship Game in his first year as a starter.
And as for the barrier that Vick broke nearly twenty years ago (as the first #1 black QB Draft pick taken in NFL history), that achievement isn’t even worth talking about these days. That’s because it happens so frequently.
Yes, by 2013, the league had a record-breaking nine African American QBs start on Opening Day. The list included the aforementioned Vick, Wilson, Kaepernick, RGIII, and Newton, as well as Josh Freeman, Terrelle Pryor, E.J. Manuel, and Geno Smith. And we could match that number this year. Projected to start are:
Ravens: Lamar Jackson
Texans: DeShaun Watson
Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes
Cowboys: Dak Prescott
Redskins: Dwayne Haskins
Panthers: Cam Newton
Bucs: Jameis Winston
Seahawks: Russell Wilson
Cardinals: Kyler Murray
The NFL has come a long way in a significant area of the game.
Excellent! Very thoroughly researched and well written. The historical evolution story needed to be told to today’s fans. I would like to read (or write) about some early quarterbacks who were forced to transform into defensive backs like Brig Owens. Sandy Stephens was one of the Canadian imports.Well done.
Thank you Samuel I appreciate that! Yes more history needs to be told and you’re right it goes back much further. Clearly you know your stuff. I appreciate the comment.
Here’s one more QB, Jason. Willie Wood was the first African American Quarterback at USC and also in the entire league. Reportedly, in his rookie preseason he asked the Green Bay Packers to switch him to safety. Anyway, he starred in their defensive backfield for the next nine years or so.
I enjoy writing articles for THE SPORTS COLUMN, mostly nostalgia pieces.
Keep up your great work.
Excellent job sir. Great call. And as a safety he was excellent. He should be in the Hall of Fame. Maybe cause he was 5’10 is why he asked to positions. Very impressive Samuel.