FOOTBALL’S FIRST BLACK STARTING QUARTERBACK, BRISCOE, DIES AGED 76
As far as firsts go in the NFL, few are as memorable as Marlin “The Magician” Briscoe’s. Briscoe was the first starting African-American quarterback in Pro Football history, and his trailblazing exploits on the field mean so much to not only the game but also to the generations that came after him. That’s why when news broke on Monday via his daughter, Angela Marriott, confirming Briscoe’s passing, it sent ripples of sadness across the entire league.
Briscoe passed away Monday morning of pneumonia at a hospital in Norwalk, California after he had been hospitalized for circulation issues in his legs. He was 76 years old.
Standing only 5-foot-10, Briscoe played high school football at Omaha South High School and college football at Omaha University between 1963 and 1967. He had an impressive college career at quarterback with the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks where he led his team to a 27-11 record, and three conference titles, all while racking up 22 school records. A then 22-year-old Marlin Briscoe was drafted in the 14th round by the Denver Broncos as a defensive back. Unshaken by the Broncos’ decision to convert him to corner, Briscoe negotiated for a chance to compete for the quarterback position.
Speaking to Power Plays’ Lindsay Gibbs 6 years ago about Pro Football back then, Briscoe said: “They denied access to that position to the black man because it was held in such high esteem, because it was a position of power on the football field. I told the general manager of the Broncos that I would play cornerback, but only if they gave me a three-day trial at quarterback. They thought I was crazy – how is a 14th-round draft pick going to negotiate his own contract?”
Briscoe, however, had a plan and was aware via his college coach that Denver was the only team in the league that held their practices and training camps right in the city, in front of the media and fans. He believed in his ability to know that he would impress in a trial, and if this trial happened in public then he knew the Broncos would have a hard time ignoring it.
On September 29, 1968, with starting quarterback Steve Tensi out with a broken collarbone and backup Joe Divito spotty against the Boston Patriots, 3rd-string quarterback Marlin Briscoe was put into the game with 10 minutes remaining. According to Briscoe, while stepping out onto the field, he only had one thought on his mind: complete the first pass, which he did, for 22 yards.
Briscoe then orchestrated an 80-yard touchdown drive in his second series, completing a 21-yard pass, running for 38 more including carrying it the last 12 yards to the house. Just like that, the Broncos were back in the game and the crowd was electrified.
Briscoe’s offensive linemen – all white players from the south who had never even had a black teammate before coming to the league – were thrilled with the production and immediately developed a new team motto: “Don’t let them touch the magician.”
A week after that, on October 6, 1968, Briscoe became the first African-American quarterback to start in the American Football League. He ended up throwing 14 touchdown passes that year in just 5 starts including an incredible 4 touchdowns on November 24th against Buffalo; both are still Broncos rookie records. He also threw for 335 yards in that game against the Buffalo Bills, a rookie record that stood for 15 years until future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway broke it in 1983. It still is one of only three 300+ yard rookie games in franchise history. Briscoe would end up throwing for 1,589 yards and 14 touchdowns in his rookie season and rushing for 308 yards and three scores.
He then discovered that head coach Lou Saban was intending to use Pete Liske as the starter for the 1969 season, which led to Briscoe asking to be released. He went to Buffalo where he was converted to receiver. The Bills had a packed quarterback room with superstar Jack Kemp, former Pro Bowler Tom Flores, and James Harris, another black quarterback with a more prototypical build of 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. Briscoe ended up being Harris’ roommate and watched that season as Harris opened his hate mail, filled with death threats, which baffled him as he had played quarterback the season prior and had not received anything like that. He later came to find out decades later that one of his teammates on the Broncos would go through his mail and remove the death threats before Briscoe could see them.
“It was at that 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 teammate.” Harris would later go on to become the first black quarterback in the AFL to open a season as a starter and became the first black quarterback to win an NFL playoff game.
While he would go on to have an illustrious career at wide receiver that included winning two Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins after the NFL merger, Briscoe never played quarterback in the NFL ever again. He made stops with the San Diego Chargers and Detroit Lions, before calling time on his Pro Football career with the New England Patriots in 1976. News of his passing saw reactions from all NFL teams that he played for, current and past players, and legends alike.
Broncos starting quarterback, Russell Wilson said after the news of Briscoe’s passing: “Thanks to ‘The Magician’ for breaking down doors for me & many others! RIP Marlin Briscoe.”
Hall of Fame quarterback and nine-time Pro Bowler, Warren Moon said: “Today is a sad day for me. One of my idols growing up, Marlin Briscoe, has passed away. He was one of a few black QBs of the late 60s that gave me the inspiration that one day I could play QB as a professional. Marlin was the first black QB to start in the AFL. Started 5 games his rookie year and was runner-up for rookie of the year in 1968. We became very close friends during my career, and we worked at some QB clinics together. He will be missed! My thoughts and prayers go out to Marlin and his family. RIP Marlin.”
Briscoe’s exceptional college career led to an induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016, and the Denver Broncos named a diversity coaching fellowship in his honor before the 2021 season.
The Broncos said in a statement: “We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of former Broncos QB Marlin Briscoe. Marlin was a pioneer who shattered barriers, making history as the first black starting quarterback in the Super Bowl era. He paved the way for countless others and created an indelible legacy, including through our Marlin Briscoe Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Our deepest sympathies go out to Marlin’s family, friends and former teammates.”
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero