Evolution of the Black Quarterback

Coast to coast and around the world.

It is Super Bowl LVII.

The first time,

two African American quarterbacks against each other in a Super Bowl.

History.

Sometimes you don't realize you're living through it as it's happening.

Other times, it's obvious.

Super Bowl LVII.

For the first time, two Black quarterbacks faced off

on the biggest stage in sports.

That moment hit me personally.

Some might remember me most as a quarterback who played in the NFL

who left it all on the field.

Others as a man who made mistakes,

who knows firsthand that evolution can be hard.

Knowing the road was tough for those who came before me.

As I watched that game, I asked myself, how did we get here?

I knew I had to find out.

The Negro is proud of the advancement his race is making.

That colored boy is sure getting under their skin.

Kenny Washington's getting the ball, fakes the pass.

- He's going to run with it. - That's still a long run!

Government was intended to be for the White man.

We didn't land on Plymouth Rock.

The rock was landed on us.

Coaches seem to believe that Blacks are inferior thinkers.

...and segregation forever.

I am a revolutionary.

Briscoe for the touchdown.

The Black is a better athlete

because he's been bred to be that way.

I hope Doug Williams puts to bed

about the Black athlete once and for all in professional football.

How many quarterbacks do you have that are Black?

They may not have the necessities...

Falcons select Michael Vick.

There is not a Black America and a White America.

- There's the United States of America. - An unarmed African American...

There is an awakening...

The emergence of the Black quarterback is not a myth.

And Patrick Mahomes's revolution continues.

This story,

I've experienced it up close.

With the, uh, first selection, the Atlanta Falcons select Michael Vick.

- - Quarterback.

But to really understand where we came from,

I needed to take a journey...

across America...

across generations...

to learn about the ones who missed their chance.

The ones who kept pushing

and the ones who broke through.

Learning a little about myself along the way.

Philadelphia is the perfect place to start.

Home of the Eagles.

Home of so many great Black quarterbacks.

Looking good. Looking good as always.

Jalen, man, here in Philadelphia,

Black quarterbacks like Rodney Peete,

Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, myself,

you joined the ranks of some great ones.

What's the feeling of responsibility you feel now continuing to move forward?

You don't understand the-the amount of times where I could be working out

and I turn on a highlight video of Randall, yourself, McNabb.

I never get too far ahead of myself, just focus on getting better every day.

And I truly feel like if I... if I continue

to just try to be the best that I can be, it'll look great in the end.

Turn this **** up! Let's ******* go!

History at Super Bowl LVII.

For the first time ever,

two Black quarterbacks will compete against each other.

I know I was that kid that... that turned on the TV

and I... I saw the position being played a certain way.

You turn that same TV on now in a new time,

you got the game being played a totally different way.

And that's a testament to yourself, the guys that have come before you,

guys that have come before me

and obviously the guys that are playing right now.

So being able to play in the Super Bowl,

it really just made history obviously bigger than the game, but for the culture.

Right.

Yeah, that's cool. And it-it really sets a new precedent

for-for what kids can look forward to and can expect.

Jalen, when you hear names like Doug Williams, Warren Moon, Shack Harris,

guys who paved the way, what comes to mind?

They opened these doors for us to come through and be able to do what we do.

Yeah. That's a huge legacy.

Those guys went through a lot. I know you had an issue at the Combine.

Jalen, I know you're a career quarterback,

would you be willing to start your career

in a role similar to Taysom Hill?

They would ask if I was open to it.

And I respectfully said, you know, "I'm a team-first guy.

I always have been and I always will be,

-but I'm a quarterback." -Yeah. It'd be a mistake.

The-The stigmas that are placed on us and that one may place on you

-and trying to put you in a box. -Right.

I always worked to allow my play to do the talking.

- Hurts... - Going deep.

Touchdown! Hurts!

- He is in for the touchdown! -

You are part of this next generation, carrying the torch.

What responsibilities do you feel like you have for the next generation

who gonna be watching you and idolizing you as time goes on?

I just want to give the game everything it deserves.

For anyone that follows me, I just want them to know that it's-it's not easy,

and it comes with a certain type of discipline and determination

and ultimately a standard for yourself and how you want to do it.

And that's all I strive for every day.

What's good, baby?

-What's up, Vinny Curry? -What's up, baby? What's going on?

-Hey, you! Bro, bro, and bro. -

- What's up? How you doing? -How's it going? How are you doing?

I'm doing a story on the evolution of the Black quarterback.

The Super Bowl last year. Definitely a big moment in our history.

Yeah. We go way back

and you stood on the table for me when you didn't have to.

I thought you earned it.

You said, "I made a mistake." You paid a heavy price for it.

And more importantly, you went on another level and said,

"I'm gonna make sure others don't make a similar mistake."

-What are you playing? -Quarterback.

Hey, Quarterback, keep holding it down.

- Love you, man. -Love you too.

Philly will always be a special place to me.

That's where I got a second chance to show what I could do.

And that's really the story of the Black quarterback.

Someone gets a chance and that changes everything.

But to understand how we got here, we have to take it back to the beginning.

You know, 1920, the time at which the NFL begins,

is a very different time in American history.

We're only 60 years removed from slavery. That's not that much time.

Segregation is legal and Black people are marginalized.

This was a long time ago, very different than the way we live now.

And I think the Black quarterback is part of that discussion

as we move forward historically and come to understand how society functioned

and how a position on a football field

would contain so much symbolism

as it connected with issues of race in our society.

In 1920, it was all about college football.

It was the Ivy League schools.

It was the military academies.

Notre Dame.

Getting the college football stars into the NFL, it was hugely important.

Fritz Pollard was an all-star college football player.

Went to Brown University

at a time when African Americans didn't go to college as much.

And as the league was trying to be taken seriously,

they needed players who fans knew

and who could help raise the profile and the legitimacy of the league.

And Fritz Pollard was a player who certainly did that.

Fritz Pollard played quarterback,

tailback in the Wing-T offense.

He was the guy that the ball was always in his hands,

always made decisions.

The challenges for Fritz Pollard,

as it was for the few Black players that were in the National Football League,

heard the racial slurs whenever he would come into stadiums.

He had to have separate places that he dressed

because he couldn't dress in the same locker room.

Black people simply weren't seen as equal.

And so it was more than just fighting

for his rights as a football player, as an athlete.

He was fighting for his rights as a man.

Fritz Pollard and the Black players in the '20s

helped lay the foundation because they helped to establish the sport.

And now we look at the NFL as the most popular sport in the land.

Well, back then, the NFL was still trying to prove itself as a viable entity

that went beyond college football,

that could attract people on a regular basis.

We're here in Washington DC,

spending some time with Coach Dungy, who was a quarterback himself,

played at the University of Minnesota.

Had some success but didn't get drafted as a quarterback.

I kinda wanna talk about his journey,

ask him about some of his favorites growing up.

Talking about those who came before him and those who came after.

-Coach! Been a long time. -Michael Vick. What do you say, my man?

-How are you? -So good to see you.

-Great, Coach. How about yourself? -I'm doing well.

-You look amazing. -Well, thank you. You do too.

Thank you. I'm glad that we, uh... we got the opportunity to spend some time today

-and go through some history. -Yeah, this is going to be unbelievable.

Coach, I wanted to come here and explore this museum with you,

but at the same time, dive into your journey

and, uh, also the history of the quarterback position,

the Black quarterback, and how far we've come to date.

And you being a former quarterback.

-It makes sense to want to... - Did you know that, or did you...

-No, I didn't know that. -

I did not know that, Coach.

-And I felt so bad, so... -

My kids see my old college film now

-and they're like, "Damn, we didn't know." - Yeah.

I know when you talking about sports, racial prejudice played a part.

I would like to know from you how you guys persevered.

We had some guys that paved the way for us.

Guys who had to fight through some barriers and, uh...

Who was some of those guys, Coach?

I tell you, I... When I grew up,