The Super Bowl has been played 47 times and only one black quarterback has walked away as a champion. In 1988, Doug Williams led the Washington Redskins to a victory over the Denver Broncos. Williams earned MVP honors and it appeared as if more black quarterbacks would have an opportunity to lead an NFL team and play in the game.
But 11 years would pass before another black quarterback, Steve McNair, would play in the Super Bowl. The history of the black quarterback in the NFL was often marred by racism. Many coaches and GM’s wouldn’t allow black quarterbacks to lead their teams because of preconceived notions that black men weren’t natural leaders.
As a result, many great black college quarterbacks were forced to change positions by the time they made it to the NFL. But while there was a dearth of black quarterbacks in the late ’80s and early ’90s, more black quarterbacks gained opportunities in the 2000s.
All-Pro quarterbacks such as Donovan McNabb, Duante Culpepper and Michael Vick were able to add excitement to the position. However, McNabb was the only black quarterback to reach the Super Bowl from 2000-2012.
In 2013, Colin Kaepernick led the San Francisco 49ers to the Suer Bowl, but his team loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
As Russell Wilson takes on the Denver Broncos, he has a chance to make history on the second day of Black History Month. If he defeats the Denver Broncos, he will become just the second black quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
