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The first-ever black starting QB passed away today...

Published June 27, 2022 at 4:44 PM
BY V. CARBONNEAU

Marlin Briscoe, who became the first Black starting quarterback in the American Football League more than 50 years ago, died Monday.

His daughter, Angela Marriott, told The Associated Press that Briscoe, 76, died of pneumonia at a hospital in Norwalk, California. He had been hospitalized with circulation issues in his legs.

«He's made an immense contribution to the sport,» Briscoe's daughter, Angela Marriott, said. «I hope that he continues to get recognized for the contributions that he made. He was so proud of that achievement.»

Briscoe was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016 following three consecutive conference titles for Omaha University where he sent 22 school records, including completion percentage, passing yards and total touchdowns.


Denver didn't give him a chance to compete for the quarterback job in 1969, so he asked to be released. He became a Pro Bowl receiver with the Buffalo Bills.

James Harris was Briscoe's roommate with the Bills in 1969, and Briscoe helped Harris become the first Black quarterback in the AFL to open a season as a starter.

«It was at the time when Black quarterbacks were being denied, so you tried to make sure you were best prepared for the opportunity when it came," Harris said. "I was a lot better off because Briscoe was my roommate.»

In 1974, Harris played for the Los Angeles Rams and became the first Black quarterback to win an NFL playoff game. He also was Pro Bowl MVP that season.

Well after his playing days were over, Briscoe remained very vocal about racial injustice. He was proud to have moved the needle in 1968, but he told The Associated Press in 2018 that he was disappointed that the multiple strides he made in his days had been lost.

«I grew up in the '50s and the '60s when all that stuff was rampant, but you knew where you stood,» Briscoe said. «Today, you thought that all those attitudes were nonexistent or filtered away to some degree, but with the Trump-isms, his philosophy has brought out of the woodwork that old-time thought process. That's scary — it really is.»


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