African American QB

Marlin Briscoe

Today, we see Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, and others that are African American quarterbacks. Older generations used to watch Randall Cunningham and Warren Moon at quarterback, but the pioneer for black QBs was Marlin Briscoe. 

Marlin Briscoe was a 5'11 178 lb quarterback and wide receiver from Oakland, CA that played high school and college football in Omaha, NE. Briscoe was nicknamed "Marlin the Magician" because he could make incredible plays on the field when his team needed them. He played in the AFL and NFL from 1968 to 1976. Briscoe played for the Broncos, Bills, Dolphins, Chargers, Lions, and Patriots. 

Briscoe was drafted by the Broncos in the 14th round of the 1968 draft. He started out eighth on the depth chart for quarterbacks, but was switched to the other side of the ball to play defensive back. An injury to the Broncos starting signal caller forced Briscoe to go back to his natural position. He excelled as he accounted for 17 total touchdowns and rushed for over 300 yards. His 14 passing touchdowns is still a rookie record for the Denver Broncos. However, his success was short lived as the team had no intentions of letting him start at QB in the next season. As a result, he asked to be released and as he signed with the Buffalo Bills. Ironically, he did not play QB for the Bills as they had a star in Jack Kemp. Briscoe decided to play receiver as he led the team in receptions twice and receiving touchdowns three times. Also, he was named to the All-Pro team and was selected to the Pro Bowl during 1970. Briscoe was traded to the Miami Dolphins where he won back-to-back Super Bowls and was a part of the only undefeated team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl in 1972. Following the 1974 season, he bounced around the league for the remainder of his career as he played for San Diego, Detroit, and New England.