| Who was the first black NFL quarter-back? That | | | | James Harris and he played for the Los Angeles |
| is a very interesting question and the response | | | | Rams. It would be fourteen years before Doug |
| seems to depend greatly on who you ask. You | | | | Williams would be the first to start and win a |
| will hear names like Briscoe and Harris, Williams | | | | championship for the Washington Redskins in |
| and Thrower but were any of them really the | | | | 1988. |
| first black QB? Let's do a little research. | | | | What is the best and most accurate response? |
| Some are convinced that the correct answer is | | | | The correct answer would have to be none of |
| the one and only Willie Thrower. He played for the | | | | the above with the correct response dating back |
| Chicago bears in mid October of 1953. It was his | | | | much further than common misconception. |
| first and last game. He never appeared in another | | | | In fact, Fritz Pollard is the correct response. He |
| game and it would be 15 years before another | | | | played quarterback way back in the early 20s for |
| African-American would take a snap in a pro | | | | a team known as the Hammond Pros. Frederick |
| game. But is this historically correct? Others think | | | | Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was born in 1894 in Rogers |
| it was a man named Joe Guilliam, known as | | | | Park, Ill., a Chicago Suburb. He was one of eight |
| Jefferson Street Joe not until the early 70s. Joe | | | | children. Pollard graduated from Lane high School in |
| even has a web page dedicated to him with this | | | | Chicago where he ran track and later went on to |
| honor and both are often credited with the title of | | | | play college football at Brown University. In 1915 |
| the first black quarter back. But had there really | | | | as a freshman, he led Brown to the Rose Bowl |
| been no one before these players? | | | | vs. Washington State. He was also the first |
| Due to racial attitudes of the time it seems that | | | | African American to play in a Rose Bowl. Among |
| while black players were allowed to play not many | | | | other accomplishments in the spring of 1916, he |
| were given starting positions, and while all of the | | | | set a world record in low hurdles for the Brown |
| previous mentioned players do have their roles in | | | | University track team, qualifying for the Olympic |
| the history of black quarter backs, and it is | | | | team. Also in 1916 he led Brown to an 8-1 record |
| accurate to say that Briscoe was the first to | | | | with 12 touchdowns. He was the first African |
| start a game. He played for as a QB for the | | | | American head coach in the NFL. He also |
| Denver Broncos in 1968. Time lines and history tell | | | | organized the first inter-racial all-star game in |
| us that it would not be until 1974 for a black | | | | Chicago to showcase African American players. |
| player to start a playoff game. His name was | | | | "Frtiz" Pollard died in 1986 at the age of 92. |
