Another Chance For Black Quarterbacks

When the play-by-play crew during the NFC championship game said only one African-American quarterback had won a Super Bowl ring, I just about spilled my beer. I honestly couldn't believe my ears. What an amazing statistic. I wouldn't have thought twice about it if this were 1964, but today? With all the amazing black quarterbacks out there, only one has ever won a Super Bowl? They play this thing every year right?

I decided to do some research on the topic and found that, unbelievably, Doug Williams of the 1987 Washington Redskins is the only black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. I vaguely remember watching that game. As a nine-year old, the significance of the event was completely lost on me, but I do remember the announcers making a big deal of it. I imagine they would have laughed in your face if you had told them it wouldn't happen again for the next 18 years...at least.

Think about all the great black quarterbacks today. Daunte Culpepper, the second-best in the game, Michael Vick, the most exciting player in football, and Donavan McNabb, who will now take a shot at becoming the second black quarterback to win a ring (as a side note, at least three other black quarterbacks have Super Bowl rings, they just didn't play in the game). They are everywhere.

Or maybe it just feels that way because we have a black quarterback here in Minnesota. Every time we watch a game on Sunday, it's Daunte Culpepper under center. He's been here for six years and before that, Randall Cunningham took us to the NFC championship game, throwing for more than 3,700 yards and 34 touchdowns that season. So it just seems like there should be as many black quarterbacks winning Super Bowls as white ones.

But the fact remains, Doug Williams is in exclusive company. You better believe Donavan McNabb knows this. And he has every intention of joining the club.