Black History Month - 3 - Doug Williams

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35 years ago, Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to start a Super Bowl, then conquered the Denver Broncos with an MVP performance. In the buildup to Super Bowl 57, which pits two Black starting quarterbacks (Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes) against each other for the first time, that part of Williams' story has been recounted over and over.

To many, Williams' story is one of the American dream. The narrative of Williams' entire NFL career, however, is more one of America's shortcomings.

It is a story of a Black man entering a near-impossible situation with no modern precedent for success. It is one of that man achieving near-instant prominence and empowering a team and a region of the South that wasn't entirely prepared for him to do so. And, though it ended in triumph, it is a story of failure, perhaps on all sides, to fully understand one another. 

Though Williams had broken passing records at the HBCU, Eddie Robinson, his football coach at Grambling State University, knew his chances of winning college football's most prestigious award were minuscule. His chances of succeeding as a Black quarterback in the NFL seemed even smaller.

Doug Williams' deep throws were legendary. He could throw the ball 70 yards, or he could go intermediate and short, wherever his coach needed them.

"But he's got more than just talent," his coach said in November 1977. "He's a natural leader, he's intelligent, he's a real student of the game."

Robinson who would go on to win more than 400 games, had already sent 160 players to pro football in more than three decades as a coach. Coaching Williams, his quarterback, Robinson said, was one of the thrills of his career. 




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