Who Was The First Black Quarterback In Nfl?
The first black quarterback in NFL history was Marlin Briscoe, who played for the Denver Broncos in 1968. Briscoe was an undrafted rookie free agent from the University of Nebraska Omaha. He played in 14 games for the Broncos, starting seven of them.
George Taliaferro
George Taliaferro was the first black quarterback to be drafted in the NFL. He played college football at Indiana University, where he was a three-time All-American. Taliaferro was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 1949 NFL Draft, and he played six seasons in the NFL.
Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 13th round of the 1949 NFL Draft
George Taliaferro was an American football running back and quarterback in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Colts, New York Yanks and Dallas Texans. He played college football at Indiana University.
Taliaferro was drafted by the Bears in the 13th round of the 1949 NFL Draft. He was also drafted by the Indianapolis Steam Roller in the seventh round of the 1949 AAFC Draft.
Played for the Bears from 1949 to 1950
George Taliaferro was the first African American quarterback to be drafted by an NFL team. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 13th round of the 1949 NFL Draft. Taliaferro played college football at Indiana University, where he was a three-time All-American. He led the Hoosiers to an undefeated season in 1945 and was named the team’s MVP. Taliaferro also had a successful career as a running back, returning kicks and punts for touchdowns. He played for the Bears from 1949 to 1950, appearing in 14 games. Taliaferro later played for the New York Yanks and Dallas Texans. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
Played for the Los Angeles Rams in 1951
George Taliaferro was an all-around athlete who excelled in football, basketball and track at Indiana University, becoming the first black quarterback to be drafted in the NFL in 1949. He played for the Los Angeles Rams in 1951, but he was released before the season started. He then joined the York club of the Ontario Rugby Football Union, becoming one of the first black players in Canadian professional football. In 1952, he returned to the NFL and played running back and defensive back for the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He retired from professional football in 1955.
Played for the New York Yanks in 1952
George Taliaferro was an All-American football player at Indiana University in the 1940s. He was drafted in the 1949 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, but he elected to play for the Los Angeles Dons of the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC) instead. After one season in the AAFC, Taliaferro joined the New York Yanks of the NFL. He became the starting quarterback for the Yanks midway through the 1952 season, becoming the first black quarterback in NFL history. Taliaferro only played two seasons in the NFL before injuries forced him to retire.
Willie Thrower
Willie Thrower was the first black quarterback to play in the NFL. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1953. He was cut after one season.
Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 19th round of the 1953 NFL Draft
Willie James Thrower (October 23, 1930 – May 27, 2002) was an American football player, a quarterback in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears in 1953. He was drafted in the 19th round of the 1953 NFL Draft out of Michigan State University after starring on the 1952 Spartan team that went 9–1 and won a share of the national championship. He played one season for the Bears. He was the first African American quarterback to play in the NFL.
After his football career ended, Thrower joined the United States Marine Corps and served during the Vietnam War.
Played for the Bears in 1953
Willie Thrower (November 28, 1930 – May 15, 2002) was an American football quarterback who played one season in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears in 1953. He was the first black quarterback to play in the NFL.
Thrower grew up in New Castle, Pennsylvania. He played college football at Michigan State University from 1949 to 1952. In his senior year, he became the first black quarterback to start for a Big Ten Conference school. He was selected by the Bears in the 13th round of the 1953 NFL draft.
In his only NFL season, he appeared in three games and completed 12 of 27 passes for 229 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 31 yards on 11 carries. On October 18, 1953, he threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Harlon Hill, which was then the longest touchdown pass in Bears history.
After his career with the Bears, he played briefly with semiprofessional teams before returning to his home state of Pennsylvania, where he worked as a steamfitter and later as a salesman. In 1999, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
Played for the Green Bay Packers from 1954 to 1955
Willie Thrower (June 16, 1930 – May 8, 2002) was an American football player. He played quarterback for the Chicago Bears in 1953 and the Green Bay Packers from 1954 to 1955. He was the first African American quarterback in NFL history.
Marlin Briscoe
Marlin Briscoe was the first black quarterback in the NFL. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1968. He played for the Broncos for two seasons before being traded to the Buffalo Bills. He played for the Bills for four seasons.
Drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 14th round of the 1968 NFL Draft
Marlin Briscoe was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 14th round of the 1968 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Briscoe is best known for being the first black quarterback in NFL history, and for his pioneering role in diversifying the quarterback position.
Briscoe began his professional career as a wide receiver for the Broncos, but was moved to quarterback during his rookie season after an injury to starter Steve Tensi. He started five games for the Broncos that season, becoming the first black quarterback to start an NFL game. Briscoe would go on to play for several more teams during his career, including the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and San Diego Chargers.
Briscoe retired from football in 1976, but his legacy as a pioneer endures. He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2010, and his story is chronicled in the 2014 book The Kings of Springfield: Marlin Briscoe, Sterling Sharpe & The Untold Story of Black Quarterbacks by Andrew Celani and Joe Ziemba.
Played for the Broncos from 1968 to 1969
Marlin Briscoe played for the Broncos from 1968 to 1969, and is credited as being the first black quarterback in NFL history. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and played college football at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He was drafted by the Broncos in the 14th round of the 1968 NFL Draft, and became the starting quarterback for the team during the 1969 season. He played for two more teams during his NFL career, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, before retiring in 1976.
Played for the Buffalo Bills from 1970 to 1971
Marlin Eugene Briscoe (born September 30, 1945) is a former American football player, television director, and television producer. He was the first African American starting quarterback in the American Football League (AFL), and later played as both wide receiver and defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). After his football career ended he became a television director and producer.
Played for the Miami Dolphins from 1972 to 1974
Marlin Briscoe played for the Miami Dolphins from 1972 to 1974. He is best remembered for being the first black quarterback in the NFL. Briscoe played college football at the University of Nebraska, where he was a two-time All-American. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 14th round of the 1968 NFL Draft. Briscoe played wide receiver for his first three seasons in the NFL before being switched to quarterback in 1971. He started eight games for the Dolphins in 1972 and threw for 1,589 yards and 14 touchdowns. Briscoe’s career came to an end after he was injured in a car accident in 1975.