As we celebrate Black History Month, it is fitting to recognize and pay homage to some of the exceptional black athletes in the league. These pioneers have left a lasting impression and established a foundation for black athletes to continue their legacy in the future.

The representation of black athletes at the quarterback position has grown over time, with Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts becoming the first ever black QBs in the NFL to face each other in a Super Bowl.

Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts made history in Super Bowl LVII, marking a significant milestone for a more diverse league. Waves are being made to support minority athletes and coaches, but there is still plenty more work to be done.

One of the most crucial aspects is to motivate young black men who are witnessing two iconic players compete at the highest level. This instills in them the belief that they too have equal opportunities to reach their full potential and achieve their aspirations in all aspects of life.

Who was the first Black Quarterback in the NFL?

Fritz Pollard, who had already become the first black coach in the NFL, also went on to be the first black quarterback in the league, prior to the modern-day era. Pollard was named a co-coach in 1921 while playing for Akron Pros, which made him the first black coach in history, but he didn’t switch to the single wing tailback position until 1923.

The single wing position was regarded as being the closest equivalent to the quarterback position during that time period. As a result, Pollard became the first black quarterback to play the position. He faced unsettling amounts of racism during his playing days in a very similar fashion to Jackie Robinson when he broke the barrier for black athletes in baseball.

The New York Sun wrote that Pollard was badly ‘racially antagonized’, and that opposition players were going after him and trying to knock him out cold. ‘No white man would have to take the punishment that Pollard did’, wrote the paper in 1928.

Pollard didn’t have it easy. His safety both on and off the field was regularly at risk, with fans throwing bottles and chanting racist songs towards him. His commitment to playing the game and continuing to break down the barriers for future athletes is inspiring. Rightly so, Fritz Pollard was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

In the modern era, Marlin Briscoe became the first black NFL quarterback while playing for the Denver Broncos in 1968. At the time, the Broncos were a member of the AFL, and the merger came two years later to form the NFL as it is recognized today.

How many Black Quarterbacks are in the NFL 2022-2023 season?

There were 12 current black NFL quarterbacks starting for their respective teams in the NFL in the 2022 season. They are Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Geno Smith, Jacoby Brissett, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields, Desmond Ridder and Trey Lance.

Jacoby Brissett had started the year for the Cleveland Browns before Deshaun Watson returned and took over as the team's quarterback. Desmond Ridder only took over for the Atlanta Falcons late in the year. However, he is still considered a part of the starting black quarterbacks in the NFL in 2022 list, having taken over from Marcus Mariota towards the end of the regular season campaign.

Other black quarterbacks include Tyler Huntley, who played several games this season in place of the injured Lamar Jackson, as did Malik Willis in Tennessee, and Teddy Bridgewater in Miami. There are then several other black QBs in back up/third string roles, including Jameis Winston, Tyrod Taylor, Josh Dobbs and Jordan Love.

How many Black Quarterbacks have played in the Super Bowl?

There have currently been eight black quarterbacks in NFL history who have made it to the Super Bowl. They are Doug Williams, Steve McNair, Donovan McNabb, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Patrick Mahomes, and most recently Jalen Hurts at Super Bowl LVII.

Doug Williams, Russell Wilson, and Patrick Mahomes are the only three black QB’s to win a Super Bowl. The latter two are unique in the sense that they are the only black quarterbacks to have made multiple Super Bowl appearances, and Mahomes is now the only black QB in NFL history to have won multiple Super Bowls.

In no particular order, here are ten of the greatest black quarterbacks in the history of the NFL.

Celebrating 10 Black Quarterbacks in NFL History

1. Doug Williams

Years Active: 1978-1989
Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins
Awards & Achievements: Super Bowl Champion, Super Bowl MVP

There would be no such list without Doug Williams, who became the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl in the 1988 season with the Washington Redskins.

Williams was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1978, but after falling out with the franchise over their refusal to pay him an honest wage, he moved on. Following a brief stint in the USFL with the Oklahoma Outlaws, Williams returned to the NFL with the Washington Redskins.

It was then that he’d make a serious impact on the NFL, taking Washington to the playoffs three times in four seasons, and driving them all the way to Super Bowl XXII. They faced the high-flying Denver Broncos, led by star quarterback John Elway, and overcame them to win the title.

The victory made Doug Williams the first black QB to ever play in and win the Super Bowl, and he also became the first black Super Bowl MVP that same day.

Williams has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, owing to his illustrious career at Grambling State, where he went on to become the head coach after his playing days were over.

2. Warren Moon

Years Active: 1984-2000
Teams: Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs
Awards & Achievements: NFL Offensive Player of the Year, NFL Man of the Year, 9x Pro Bowls, 2x NFL Passing Yardage Leader, 1x NFL Passing Touchdowns Leader

Amidst concerns that Warren Moon might not be selected in the 1978 NFL draft, the young QB signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League weeks before the draft took place. He spent six seasons with the Eskimos, which was enough to see him inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

In 1984, Moon chose to embark on a career in the NFL, creating a flurry of excitement among franchises throughout the league. After careful consideration, he ultimately joined the Houston Oilers, who had recently appointed Hugh Campbell as their head coach. Campbell had previously served as Moon's coach for his initial five years in the CFL.

Over the course of the next several years, Warren Moon established himself as one of the league's most prominent quarterbacks, making his way to nine Pro Bowl selections which included an eight year stretch from 1988 to 1995.

Warren Moon was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year in 1990, leading the league in passing yards and touchdowns, and would go on to have his jersey number retired by the Tennessee Titans, formerly the Houston Oilers.

The talented quarterback was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, a significant selection as he became the first black quarterback to be recognized in Canton. He is one of the greatest black quarterbacks in the history of the league.

3. Michael Vick

Years Active: 2001-2015
Teams: Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers
Awards & Achievements: NFL Comeback Player of the Year, 4x Pro Bowls

Michael Vick was selected first overall in the 2001 draft by the Atlanta Falcons, having been one of college football's most outstanding athletes while playing for Virginia Tech.

Vick's athletic prowess made him one of the most distinctive players in NFL history. He possessed the rare combination of a strong arm and exceptional rushing ability, setting records for quarterback rushing yards that remain unmatched to this day.

He quickly became one of the most popular players in the NFL, he was different, and the NFL fans loved him. In 2006, Michael Vick became the first quarterback ever to rush for over 1,000 yards, a feat that has only been accomplished three times since, by Lamar Jackson twice, and Justin Fields in 2022.

Vick was selected to three Pro Bowls while playing for the Atlanta Falcons before he received a suspension from commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Philadelphia Eagles offered Vick a second chance, with head coach Andy Reid taking him in after his suspension was lifted. With determination and hard work, Vick was able to revive his career and was even named the Comeback Player of the Year in Philadelphia.

Michael Vick finished his pro career with 22,464 passing yards and 6,109 rushing yards, the latter of which is the current NFL record amongst any quarterback in the history of the league.

4. Daunte Culpepper

Years Active: 1999-2009
Teams: Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions
Awards & Achievements: 3x Pro Bowls, 1x NFL Passing Yards Leader, 1x NFL Passing Touchdowns Leader

Daunte Culpepper was drafted 11th overall in the 1999 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He was athletic, but he also had a cannon for an arm, which made him a unique prospect in the draft.

Culpepper went on to set multiple records as a young quarterback, including the most passing yards and touchdowns in a single season by a quarterback under the age of 25. His early success would be the highlight of his career, after a knee injury derailed his Vikings career. Culpepper would then struggle to replicate the years he spent in Minnesota with any other team, despite spells in Miami, Oakland and Detroit.

The former Vikings QB led the league in passing touchdowns in 2000, just his second year in the league. He would then also claim the passing yardage title in 2004, throwing for 4,717 yards and 39 touchdowns, both career highs. He found immediate success with the Vikings, and despite having his career with the franchise cut short, he is still highly regarded as one of the greatest Vikings players of all time.

Sometimes I wish we could have seen more of the great quarterback, with his tremendous success seeming to come and go all too quickly. He is undoubtedly a case of “what if", as a knee injury prematurely ended what could have been a long and illustrious career, much to the disappointment of Vikings and NFL fans alike.

5. Cam Newton

Years Active: 2011-2021
Teams: Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots
Awards & Achievements: NFL MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, 1x First Team All Pro, 3x Pro Bowls

Cam Newton came into the NFL having won the FBS College Football National Championship as the quarterback of the Auburn Tigers. He was unstoppable that year, winning the Heisman trophy and propelling himself into the conversation as the best college player going into the NFL draft.

The Carolina Panthers made him the first overall pick, and he quickly established himself as a dominant force in the NFL. Newton threw for 4,051 yards and 21 touchdowns in his rookie year, while rushing for another 706 yards and 14 TDs. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

The hype around Cam grew quickly, and his career peaked in 2015 when he led the Panthers to a 15-1 record and an appearance in Super Bowl 50. Although Cam was named the NFL MVP that year, his team fell short of a Super Bowl victory, facing off against one of the greatest defenses in recent history, led by Von Miller and Demarcus Ware, on the Denver Broncos.

Cam's career was plagued by injuries, making it difficult for him to regain the form that earned him MVP honors. Nonetheless, in his prime, Cam Newton was one of the most thrilling quarterbacks to watch in the NFL. With his size, strength, physicality, and exceptional athletic abilities, combined with a powerful arm, he was a force to be reckoned with. His MVP season highlights remain a testament to his greatness.

6. Russell Wilson

Years Active: 2012-Present
Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos
Awards & Achievements: Super Bowl Champion, 9x Pro Bowls, 1x NFL Passing Touchdown Leader

Russell Wilson came into the league as a third-round pick and led the Seattle Seahawks to nine straight winning seasons from his rookie year in 2012 all the way through to 2021.

Wilson has always been a playmaker. His ability to extend plays and make things happen when the original play had broken down make him one of the great improvisers in the modern game.

In ten seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson helped the franchise to the playoffs seven times, including two Super Bowl appearances in back-to-back years. The Seattle Seahawks clinched the Super Bowl XLVIII title and came back the next year with the goal of winning their second championship in consecutive seasons. However, they fell just one yard short of achieving this feat.

The former Seahawks and now current Broncos QB has been selected to the Pro Bowl nine times and has 9 wins in 16 playoff appearances. He also holds the record for the most wins by any quarterback in their first eight seasons in the league.

Russell Wilson's Super Bowl win with the Seahawks made him just the second black QB to win a Super Bowl.

7. Steve McNair

Years Active: 1995-2007
Teams: Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens
Awards & Achievements: NFL MVP, 4x Pro Bowls

Steve McNair was another very talented quarterback with all the tools to be great in the NFL. He didn’t take over as the starter for Tennessee until his third season but would then spend the next nine seasons as the franchise quarterback.

The former Titans QB led the franchise to the postseason three times during his career, including an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV, where the Titans would lose to the St. Louis Rams in a heartbreaking defeat.

Steve McNair was widely regarded as one of the most gifted quarterbacks of his era, as evidenced by co-winning the NFL MVP award in 2003. That year, he was also honored as a Second Team All Pro and selected to play in the Pro Bowl.

His MVP season made him the first black quarterback to win the award, and he remains to be one of just four black NFL quarterbacks to have won the prestigious accolade, along with Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Cam Newton.

When he retired, Steve McNair had thrown 174 touchdowns and 31,304 passing yards, while rushing for another 37 touchdowns on the ground.

8. Randall Cunningham

Years Active: 1985-2001
Teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens
Awards & Achievements: 1x NFL All-Pro, 4x Pro Bowls, NFL Comeback of the Year

Randall Cunningham turned into a star in 1988, and very quickly became one of the most exciting players in the NFL. He threw for 3,808 passing yards and 24 touchdowns with 624 rushing yards in the 1988 season, and was named an All Pro.

The talented Eagles quarterback led the Eagles to the playoffs for three straight seasons from 1988 to 1990, and in 1990 he threw for 30 touchdowns while achieving a career high 942 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground.

His sensational performances were brought to a halt in the opening game of the 1991 season, when an extensive knee injury meant he would miss the entire season.

Upon his return to the NFL in 1992, Cunningham demonstrated that he was still a dominant force, earning the title of NFL Comeback Player of the Year. However, his career was hampered by subsequent injuries which prevented him from being as mobile and running as frequently as he had in the past.

After his injury, Randall Cunningham spent another ten seasons in the NFL, but was only able to play more than six games in a season three times. If he had not been plagued by injuries, he could have potentially had one of the most impressive careers of any NFL quarterback.

Despite the setbacks, Cunningham is still recognized as one of the greatest QBs of his generation, and one of the greatest Philadelphia Eagles of all time.

9. Donovan McNabb

Years Active: 1999-2011
Teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings
Awards & Achievements: 6x Pro Bowls

Donovan McNabb was a better player than his list of accolades suggests. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles the same year that Andy Reid arrived as the head coach. Together they went on to become one of the league's greatest duos for years to come.

In his first year as the Eagles starter, McNabb finished second in MVP voting behind running back Marshall Faulk, leading the Eagles to an 11-5 finish.

The Eagles went to four straight NFC Championship games with McNabb as the quarterback, one of which led to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX, where they would suffer a loss in a close 24-21 game against the New England Patriots.

McNabb went to four straight Pro Bowls during those successful early years in Philadelphia. He went on to lead the Eagles to the playoffs nine times during his 11-year career with the team. During his tenure as the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, he established himself as the franchise leader in various categories including games played, passing yards, passing attempts, and passing touchdowns. He played a crucial role in establishing the Eagles as one of the NFL's strongest teams.

The former QB became the fourth quarterback of all time to reach the combined milestones of 30,000 passing yards, 200 passing touchdowns, 3,000 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns in their career. A feat only previously achieved by Fran Tarkenton, John Elway and Steve Young until McNabb joined the elite group.

10. Patrick Mahomes

Years Active: 2017-Present
Teams: Kansas City Chiefs
Awards & Achievements: 2x Super Bowl Champion, 2x Super Bowl MVP, 2x NFL MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, 2x First Team All Pro, 5x Pro Bowl, 2x NFL Passing Touchdowns Leader, NFL Passing Yards Leader

Patrick Mahomes is just five years into his NFL career, and already has one of the most impressive lists of accolades and awards of any quarterback in the history of the NFL.

Since becoming the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018, Patrick Mahomes has not missed an AFC Championship Game. He has established himself as one of the most dominant players in the NFL, with a plethora of accolades to his name at the age of just 27.

He now has two Super Bowl titles under his belt at the age of 27, as well as a long list of accolades. Mahomes has been named the Super Bowl MVP on both of his Super Bowl wins, as well as 2x NFL MVP, and NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He boasts over 24,000 passing yards and 192 touchdowns and led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl championship in 50 years in 2019, cementing his place among the elite group of black quarterbacks who have won a Super Bowl.

When he won his second against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, Patrick Mahomes became the first black quarterback to win multiple Super Bowl titles. The Chiefs offense was one again extremely difficult to stop in the game, with the combination of Mahomes abilities and the genius of head coach Andy Reid making for one of the league’s best combinations in recent history.

Despite the loss of All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Patrick Mahomes continued to break new ground in 2022. Many thought the Chiefs' offense would suffer without Hill, but Mahomes responded by setting a new NFL record for most passing yards in a single season with a career-high of 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns. At such a young age, Mahomes is proving himself to be a dominant force in the league and a constant out-performer of his own previous accomplishments.

Patrick Mahomes also holds records for career passer rating, touchdown passes in a single postseason and total touchdowns by a quarterback in a single postseason with 12, which he has done twice.

The generational talent has already achieved outrageous things for a player who’s only been starting in the NFL for five seasons. By the time he’s finished playing we might have one of the greatest players of all time standing before us. Mahomes is undoubtedly one of the best black quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL and is doing incredible things for the future of black athletes in the league.

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