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[commentator 1]
Coast to coast and around the world.
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It is Super Bowl LVII.
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[commentator 2] The first time,
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two African American quarterbacks
against each other in a Super Bowl.
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[Vick] History.
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Sometimes you don't realize you're
living through it as it's happening.
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Other times, it's obvious.
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Super Bowl LVII.
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For the first time,
two Black quarterbacks faced off
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on the biggest stage in sports.
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That moment hit me personally.
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Some might remember me most as
a quarterback who played in the NFL
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who left it all on the field.
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Others as a man who made mistakes,
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who knows firsthand
that evolution can be hard.
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Knowing the road was tough
for those who came before me.
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As I watched that game,
I asked myself, how did we get here?
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I knew I had to find out.
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[reporter 1] The Negro is proud of
the advancement his race is making.
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[commentator 1] That colored boy
is sure getting under their skin.
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{\an8}[commentator 2] Kenny Washington's
getting the ball, fakes the pass.
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{\an8}- He's going to run with it.
- [commentator 3] That's still a long run!
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[reporter 2] Government was
intended to be for the White man.
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[Malcolm X]
We didn't land on Plymouth Rock.
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The rock was landed on us.
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[reporter 3] Coaches seem to believe
that Blacks are inferior thinkers.
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[George Wallace] ...and segregation forever.
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I am a revolutionary.
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[commentator 4] Briscoe for the touchdown.
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[Jimmy Snyder]
The Black is a better athlete
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because he's been bred to be that way.
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[reporter 4]
I hope Doug Williams puts to bed
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about the Black athlete once and for all
in professional football.
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[Al Campanis] How many quarterbacks
do you have that are Black?
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They may not have the necessities...
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[commentator 5]
Falcons select Michael Vick.
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{\an8}[Obama] There is not
a Black America and a White America.
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{\an8}- There's the United States of America.
- [reporter 5] An unarmed African American...
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[reporter 6] There is an awakening...
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[reporter 7] The emergence of
the Black quarterback is not a myth.
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[commentator 6] And Patrick Mahomes's
revolution continues.
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[Vick] This story,
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I've experienced it up close.
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With the, uh, first selection,
the Atlanta Falcons select Michael Vick.
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- [crowd cheers]
- [Tagliabue] Quarterback.
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{\an8}[Vick] But to really
understand where we came from,
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I needed to take a journey...
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across America...
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across generations...
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to learn about the ones
who missed their chance.
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The ones who kept pushing
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and the ones who broke through.
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Learning a little
about myself along the way.
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Philadelphia is
the perfect place to start.
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Home of the Eagles.
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Home of so many great Black quarterbacks.
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[Vick] Looking good.
Looking good as always.
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Jalen, man, here in Philadelphia,
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Black quarterbacks like Rodney Peete,
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Randall Cunningham,
Donovan McNabb, myself,
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you joined the ranks of some great ones.
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What's the feeling of responsibility
you feel now continuing to move forward?
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{\an8}You don't understand the-the amount
of times where I could be working out
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and I turn on a highlight video
of Randall, yourself, McNabb.
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I never get too far ahead of myself,
just focus on getting better every day.
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{\an8}And I truly feel like if I-- if I continue
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{\an8}to just try to be the best that I can be,
it'll look great in the end.
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{\an8}Turn this **** up! Let's ******* go!
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[reporter 1] History at Super Bowl LVII.
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For the first time ever,
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two Black quarterbacks
will compete against each other.
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I know I was that kid that--
that turned on the TV
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and I-- I saw the position
being played a certain way.
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You turn that same
TV on now in a new time,
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you got the game being
played a totally different way.
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And that's a testament to yourself,
the guys that have come before you,
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guys that have come before me
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and obviously the guys
that are playing right now.
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So being able to play in the Super Bowl,
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it really just made history obviously
bigger than the game, but for the culture.
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Right.
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Yeah, that's cool. And it-it
really sets a new precedent
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for-for what kids can
look forward to and can expect.
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Jalen, when you hear names like
Doug Williams, Warren Moon, Shack Harris,
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guys who paved the way,
what comes to mind?
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They opened these doors for us to come
through and be able to do what we do.
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Yeah. That's a huge legacy.
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Those guys went through a lot.
I know you had an issue at the Combine.
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[reporter 2] Jalen,
I know you're a career quarterback,
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would you be willing to start your career
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in a role similar to Taysom Hill?
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They would ask if I was open to it.
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And I respectfully said,
you know, "I'm a team-first guy.
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I always have been and I always will be,
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- but I'm a quarterback."
- Yeah. It'd be a mistake.
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[Hurts] The-The stigmas that are placed
on us and that one may place on you
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- and trying to put you in a box.
- Right.
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I always worked to allow
my play to do the talking.
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[crowd cheers]
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- [commentator 1] Hurts...
- [commentator 2] Going deep.
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[commentator 1]
Touchdown! Hurts!
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- He is in for the touchdown!
- [commentator 2 laughs]
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You are part of this next generation,
carrying the torch.
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What responsibilities do you feel like
you have for the next generation
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who gonna be watching you
and idolizing you as time goes on?
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[Hurts] I just want to give
the game everything it deserves.
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For anyone that follows me, I just
want them to know that it's-it's not easy,
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and it comes with a certain type
of discipline and determination
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and ultimately a standard for yourself
and how you want to do it.
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And that's all I strive for every day.
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[Vick] What's good, baby?
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- What's up, Vinny Curry?
- What's up, baby? What's going on?
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- Hey, you! Bro, bro, and bro.
- [laughs]
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- [Vick] What's up? How you doing?
- How's it going? How are you doing?
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[Vick] I'm doing a story on
the evolution of the Black quarterback.
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[Goodell] The Super Bowl last year.
Definitely a big moment in our history.
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[Vick] Yeah. We go way back
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and you stood on the table for me
when you didn't have to.
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I thought you earned it.
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You said, "I made a mistake."
You paid a heavy price for it.
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And more importantly,
you went on another level and said,
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"I'm gonna make sure others
don't make a similar mistake."
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- What are you playing?
- Quarterback.
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[Vick] Hey, Quarterback,
keep holding it down.
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- [Goodell] Love you, man.
- Love you too.
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[Vick] Philly will always
be a special place to me.
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That's where I got a second
chance to show what I could do.
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And that's really
the story of the Black quarterback.
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Someone gets a chance
and that changes everything.
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{\an8}But to understand how we got here,
we have to take it back to the beginning.
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[Dr. Todd Boyd] You know, 1920,
the time at which the NFL begins,
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is a very different time
in American history.
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We're only 60 years removed from slavery.
That's not that much time.
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Segregation is legal
and Black people are marginalized.
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This was a long time ago,
very different than the way we live now.
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And I think the Black quarterback
is part of that discussion
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{\an8}as we move forward historically and
come to understand how society functioned
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and how a position on a football field
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would contain so much symbolism
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as it connected with issues of race
in our society.
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[Wyche] In 1920,
it was all about college football.
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{\an8}It was the Ivy League schools.
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{\an8}It was the military academies.
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{\an8}Notre Dame.
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{\an8}Getting the college football stars
into the NFL, it was hugely important.
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{\an8}Fritz Pollard was an
all-star college football player.
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Went to Brown University
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at a time when African Americans
didn't go to college as much.
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And as the league
was trying to be taken seriously,
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they needed players who fans knew
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{\an8}and who could help raise the profile
and the legitimacy of the league.
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{\an8}And Fritz Pollard was
a player who certainly did that.
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[Menefee] Fritz Pollard
played quarterback,
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tailback in the Wing-T offense.
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He was the guy that
the ball was always in his hands,
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always made decisions.
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The challenges for Fritz Pollard,
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as it was for the few Black players that
were in the National Football League,
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heard the racial slurs
whenever he would come into stadiums.
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He had to have separate places
that he dressed
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because he couldn't dress
in the same locker room.
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Black people simply weren't seen as equal.
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{\an8}And so it was more than just fighting
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{\an8}for his rights as a football player,
as an athlete.
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He was fighting for his rights as a man.
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[Jarrett Bell] Fritz Pollard
and the Black players in the '20s
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{\an8}helped lay the foundation because
they helped to establish the sport.
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{\an8}And now we look at the NFL as
the most popular sport in the land.
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Well, back then, the NFL was still
trying to prove itself as a viable entity
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that went beyond college football,
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that could attract people
on a regular basis.
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♪ You're broken down and tired ♪
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♪ Of living life on a merry-go-round ♪
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[Vick] We're here in Washington DC,
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spending some time with Coach Dungy,
who was a quarterback himself,
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played at the University of Minnesota.
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Had some success but didn't
get drafted as a quarterback.
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I kinda wanna talk about his journey,
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ask him about some of
his favorites growing up.
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Talking about those who came
before him and those who came after.
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♪ We will rise up
And we'll do it a thousand times again ♪
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- Coach! Been a long time.
- Michael Vick. What do you say, my man?
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- How are you?
- So good to see you.
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- Great, Coach. How about yourself?
- I'm doing well.
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- You look amazing.
- Well, thank you. You do too.
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Thank you. I'm glad that we, uh-- we got
the opportunity to spend some time today
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- and go through some history.
- Yeah, this is going to be unbelievable.
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♪ For you ♪
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♪ Ah ♪
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[music ends]
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{\an8}Coach, I wanted to come here
and explore this museum with you,
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{\an8}but at the same time,
dive into your journey
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and, uh, also the history of
the quarterback position,
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the Black quarterback,
and how far we've come to date.
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And you being a former quarterback.
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- It makes sense to want to...
- [Dungy] Did you know that, or did you--
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- No, I didn't know that.
- [laughs]
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I did not know that, Coach.
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- And I felt so bad, so...
- [sighs]
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[Dungy] My kids see
my old college film now
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- and they're like, "Damn, we didn't know."
- [Vick] Yeah.
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I know when you talking about sports,
racial prejudice played a part.
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{\an8}I would like to know from you
how you guys persevered.
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We had some guys
that paved the way for us.
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Guys who had to fight
through some barriers and, uh--
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Who was some of those guys, Coach?
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00:10:49,317 --> 00:10:50,944
I tell you, I... When I grew up,
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my dad was going
to school at Michigan State
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and Jimmy Raye was the quarterback.
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[commentator] The Spartan offense is
marshaled by junior quarterback, Jim Raye.
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[Dungy] They won
a national championship, 1966.
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[Vick] Okay.
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{\an8}[Dungy] He was a leader
and that's who I emulated.
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00:11:04,707 --> 00:11:09,546
{\an8}Eldridge Dickey might have been one of
the best athletes to ever play football,
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{\an8}- played at Tennessee State.
- Wow.
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{\an8}[Dungy] The Oakland Raiders
draft him in the first round.
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[Vick] Okay.
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In the second round,
they draft another quarterback,
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00:11:17,554 --> 00:11:18,596
- Ken Stabler...
- S-Stabler?
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00:11:18,596 --> 00:11:20,181
...who ends up going on to the Hall of Fame.
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But they drafted Eldridge Dickey first.
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00:11:23,518 --> 00:11:25,770
- So that tells you about that ability.
- Okay.
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[Dungy] Stabler goes on
to the Hall of Fame.
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Eldridge Dickey never gets a chance
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- to play quarterback in the NFL.
- [Vick] Right.
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This museum, Mike, has a-a special place
in my heart because my dad came here
227
00:11:40,076 --> 00:11:42,787
- and taught school, uh...
- Here?
228
00:11:42,787 --> 00:11:44,414
- [Dungy] Here in the DC area.
- Okay.
229
00:11:44,414 --> 00:11:46,791
[Dungy] Not too many miles from
right where we're standing.
230
00:11:46,791 --> 00:11:50,712
My dad had fought in World War II
as a Tuskegee airman
231
00:11:50,712 --> 00:11:53,590
and came here to DC
to teach his first teaching job...
232
00:11:53,590 --> 00:11:54,507
[Vick] Wow.
233
00:11:54,507 --> 00:11:56,509
[Dungy] ...and he couldn't teach
in an integrated school.
234
00:11:56,509 --> 00:11:58,928
- [Vick] Wow.
- He had to teach in an all-Black school.
235
00:11:59,596 --> 00:12:01,973
And he said the first time
he went to school,
236
00:12:01,973 --> 00:12:03,433
- he went to get on the bus...
- Mm-hmm.
237
00:12:03,433 --> 00:12:06,936
...and they said, "No,
you can't sit in this section of the bus."
238
00:12:07,604 --> 00:12:12,609
And so he said, "Well, if I can't sit
anywhere I want to, I'll walk."
239
00:12:12,609 --> 00:12:18,114
He said he walked to school every day to
make sure his kids in the all-Black school
240
00:12:18,114 --> 00:12:19,616
knew as much science as
241
00:12:19,616 --> 00:12:21,951
- the kids in the all-White school.
- Yeah. [chuckles]
242
00:12:21,951 --> 00:12:24,537
And I said, "Dad,
didn't that make you upset?
243
00:12:24,537 --> 00:12:26,998
You fought for the country
and you can't even teach."
244
00:12:26,998 --> 00:12:28,333
- Right.
- And he said,
245
00:12:28,333 --> 00:12:30,627
"I could be upset,
but that wasn't gonna help things.
246
00:12:30,627 --> 00:12:32,712
I had to figure out
a way to make things better."
247
00:12:32,712 --> 00:12:34,130
- Wow.
-"So the way I could make it better
248
00:12:34,130 --> 00:12:36,382
was make sure I was
the best teacher I could be."
249
00:12:36,382 --> 00:12:38,468
- [Vick] Yeah.
- And that always stuck with me.
250
00:12:39,010 --> 00:12:41,888
I think what it put in me is
"Don't let anything stop you."
251
00:12:42,472 --> 00:12:46,809
And you know,
50 years later, we come back,
252
00:12:46,809 --> 00:12:48,811
- we win the Super Bowl...
- Mm-hmm.
253
00:12:48,811 --> 00:12:51,814
[Dungy] ...and President Bush
invites us to the White House.
254
00:12:51,814 --> 00:12:53,858
- Okay.
- I landed at this airport
255
00:12:53,858 --> 00:12:56,569
and I'm on the bus going
to the White House,
256
00:12:56,569 --> 00:12:58,071
where my dad couldn't ride the bus.
257
00:12:58,071 --> 00:13:01,741
I'm in the first seat in the first bus
going to meet the president.
258
00:13:02,325 --> 00:13:03,326
- And...
- 50 years later.
259
00:13:03,326 --> 00:13:05,286
- Yeah, but it falls back on those guys...
- Change.
260
00:13:05,286 --> 00:13:07,705
{\an8}- [Dungy] ...who changed things for us.
- Oh, man.
261
00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:16,297
- 1976.
- Okay.
262
00:13:16,297 --> 00:13:18,716
I'm quarterbacking
the University of Minnesota...
263
00:13:18,716 --> 00:13:20,760
- Mm-hmm.
- ...playing the University of Washington.
264
00:13:21,511 --> 00:13:23,096
Warren Moon's quarterbacking them.
265
00:13:23,096 --> 00:13:24,097
[Vick] Okay.
266
00:13:24,097 --> 00:13:25,848
[Dungy] I'm leading
the Big Ten in passing.
267
00:13:26,349 --> 00:13:28,393
Warren's leading the Pac-10 in passing.
268
00:13:28,393 --> 00:13:29,644
[commentator 1] Moon goes deep.
269
00:13:29,644 --> 00:13:32,689
There's Gaines. Got it! Touchdown!
270
00:13:32,689 --> 00:13:36,150
Come draft time,
neither one of us gets drafted.
271
00:13:36,651 --> 00:13:39,571
They say, "Hey, you gotta change positions
272
00:13:39,571 --> 00:13:40,947
- or go to Canada."
- Right.
273
00:13:41,864 --> 00:13:43,866
[Dungy] So I wanted to play in the NFL,
274
00:13:43,866 --> 00:13:46,494
I changed positions
and became a defensive back.
275
00:13:47,078 --> 00:13:49,747
Warren said, "I'm not changing positions.
276
00:13:49,747 --> 00:13:51,082
- I'm a quarterback."
- Yeah. Yeah.
277
00:13:51,082 --> 00:13:52,083
[Dungy] He goes to Canada,
278
00:13:52,667 --> 00:13:56,254
comes back and goes to
the Hall of Fame as a quarterback.
279
00:13:56,254 --> 00:13:59,173
That's how it was back then.
280
00:13:59,173 --> 00:14:01,384
- Yeah, you had to choose your fate.
- It wasn't the same.
281
00:14:02,051 --> 00:14:04,762
A couple of years before me,
there was a guy named Chuck Ealey.
282
00:14:04,762 --> 00:14:07,724
[commentator 2] Twenty-two-year-old
Chuck Ealey is a cool, young man
283
00:14:07,724 --> 00:14:10,476
- on the field under any kind of pressure.
- [Vick] Okay.
284
00:14:10,476 --> 00:14:12,979
[Dungy] Chuck Ealey was a
quarterback at University of Toledo.
285
00:14:12,979 --> 00:14:14,981
- [Vick] Right.
- He was one of my heroes.
286
00:14:14,981 --> 00:14:17,066
- Never lost a game in high school.
- Yeah.
287
00:14:17,066 --> 00:14:18,693
{\an8}[Dungy] Never lost a game in college
288
00:14:18,693 --> 00:14:20,695
{\an8}- in the University of Toledo.
- Okay.
289
00:14:20,695 --> 00:14:24,657
{\an8}[Dungy] Didn't get drafted
because didn't fit the mold.
290
00:14:24,657 --> 00:14:27,619
But Chuck Ealey, he had to go to Canada.
291
00:14:28,161 --> 00:14:29,912
Won the Grey Cup as a rookie.
292
00:14:29,912 --> 00:14:31,998
But you'd think
quarterback isn't about winning,
293
00:14:31,998 --> 00:14:36,961
and this man was undefeated
in seven years and didn't get drafted?
294
00:14:36,961 --> 00:14:38,713
That's how we had to battle.
295
00:14:41,633 --> 00:14:44,218
And it wasn't the-the type of thing
where people said,
296
00:14:44,218 --> 00:14:46,346
"We don't want Black quarterbacks,"
but it was always,
297
00:14:46,346 --> 00:14:47,805
"If your arm was a little stronger."
298
00:14:47,805 --> 00:14:49,557
"If you stayed in
the pocket a little more."
299
00:14:49,557 --> 00:14:51,643
"You don't fit our-our style."
300
00:15:00,109 --> 00:15:01,444
[Vick] Coach, and there you go.
301
00:15:01,444 --> 00:15:03,446
One of the greatest moments
in sports history.
302
00:15:03,446 --> 00:15:05,990
[commentator 3]
The Colts are world champions!
303
00:15:05,990 --> 00:15:08,326
World champions for the first time!
304
00:15:08,326 --> 00:15:09,827
[Dungy] Proud moment for me, Michael,
305
00:15:09,827 --> 00:15:13,790
because when I got my
first head coaching job in Tampa,
306
00:15:13,790 --> 00:15:16,959
one of my real goals, I said,
307
00:15:16,959 --> 00:15:19,379
"I've got to give
some more guys opportunities."
308
00:15:19,379 --> 00:15:20,296
[Vick] Okay.
309
00:15:20,296 --> 00:15:23,049
[Dungy] My first staff
was Lovie Smith and Herm Edwards
310
00:15:23,049 --> 00:15:26,761
and then Herm got the job
in New York and I hired Mike Tomlin.
311
00:15:26,761 --> 00:15:28,596
And those guys took it
312
00:15:28,596 --> 00:15:30,473
- and they showed what they could do.
- Yes, they did.
313
00:15:30,473 --> 00:15:33,518
[Dungy] And so to-to be able to play in
a Super Bowl against Lovie,
314
00:15:33,518 --> 00:15:35,687
that was an unbelievable thrill.
315
00:15:35,687 --> 00:15:40,566
Coach, I-I will say this,
I love Lovie but I was rooting for you.
316
00:15:40,566 --> 00:15:42,485
[Dungy laughs] It's so hard to believe.
317
00:15:42,485 --> 00:15:46,030
I remember that Super Bowl game
and-and the clock was running down.
318
00:15:46,030 --> 00:15:47,949
There's like a minute left
and I know we're gonna win.
319
00:15:47,949 --> 00:15:50,576
And I was on the sideline thinking,
320
00:15:50,576 --> 00:15:53,287
"How in the world did I get here?
How did this happen?"
321
00:15:53,287 --> 00:15:56,082
I thought about my dad.
I thought about Fritz Pollard.
322
00:15:56,082 --> 00:15:58,626
I thought about guys who sacrificed
323
00:15:58,626 --> 00:16:01,379
and just kept fighting
to give us an opportunity.
324
00:16:01,379 --> 00:16:04,549
And it was one of those great
feelings like, "Man, we did it."
325
00:16:04,549 --> 00:16:08,052
Thank you so much
for taking me on this tour
326
00:16:08,052 --> 00:16:11,639
and enlightening me on so many things
that I didn't know about.
327
00:16:11,639 --> 00:16:16,352
And I wanna take the time to thank you
for being such an inspiration in my life
328
00:16:16,352 --> 00:16:18,855
and always holding me accountable.
329
00:16:18,855 --> 00:16:20,982
So there's a lot of people
that I try to make proud.
330
00:16:20,982 --> 00:16:24,652
Parents, my wife, yourself, Andy.
331
00:16:24,652 --> 00:16:27,280
And thanks for always
holding me to a higher standard.
332
00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:28,197
Thank you so much.
333
00:16:28,197 --> 00:16:30,783
It's been awesome to go through
the museum with you, Mike.
334
00:16:35,455 --> 00:16:37,457
[Vick] It's great to celebrate history,
335
00:16:38,583 --> 00:16:40,626
but it's not just about the triumphs.
336
00:16:41,794 --> 00:16:43,880
{\an8}There's a story in the pain too.
337
00:16:45,590 --> 00:16:48,593
{\an8}[reporter] The great big spree,
the Jazz Age is over.
338
00:16:48,593 --> 00:16:49,594
{\an8}All over.
339
00:16:50,261 --> 00:16:53,723
{\an8}In the 1920s,
the great American word was prosperity.
340
00:16:53,723 --> 00:16:56,559
{\an8}Now the '30s have begun
and there is a new word.
341
00:16:57,143 --> 00:16:58,186
Depression.
342
00:16:59,270 --> 00:17:01,773
{\an8}During the Great Depression,
fans didn't want to see,
343
00:17:01,773 --> 00:17:05,109
{\an8}or at least owners didn't believe that
fans wanted to see Black men working
344
00:17:05,109 --> 00:17:08,196
{\an8}and getting paid while
White men were out of a job.
345
00:17:10,698 --> 00:17:12,784
{\an8}[Wyche] You have George Preston Marshall
346
00:17:12,784 --> 00:17:16,412
{\an8}and other owners collude to say,
347
00:17:16,412 --> 00:17:21,042
{\an8}"Black players, uh-uh, we're not
having them, we're not paying them."
348
00:17:21,834 --> 00:17:26,547
So for roughly 12 years,
there were no Black players in the NFL.
349
00:17:28,216 --> 00:17:34,680
{\an8}The NFL reintegrated in 1946
when Cleveland moved to Los Angeles.
350
00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,642
And they wanted to play in the Coliseum.
351
00:17:38,226 --> 00:17:43,105
But the Coliseum forbade them
from practicing segregation,
352
00:17:43,105 --> 00:17:46,692
so they had to have
African American players.
353
00:17:46,692 --> 00:17:49,445
And so they turned to a star player,
354
00:17:49,445 --> 00:17:56,327
Kenny Washington,
who had been a-an All-American at UCLA.
355
00:17:56,327 --> 00:17:58,246
[commentator] Kenny Washington
steps back to pass,
356
00:17:58,246 --> 00:18:01,207
throws a looper to Jackie Robinson
and it's complete for a first down.
357
00:18:01,207 --> 00:18:04,585
[Bell] And then they signed
his former UCLA teammate Woody Strode
358
00:18:04,585 --> 00:18:10,299
a few weeks later and there you had
the integration of the NFL.
359
00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:18,975
Even as football integrated,
and it's a major moment of progress,
360
00:18:18,975 --> 00:18:23,771
we also still have this
racial hierarchy in place.
361
00:18:23,771 --> 00:18:26,065
{\an8}Blacks were not allowed
to play quarterback,
362
00:18:26,065 --> 00:18:29,485
{\an8}center, middle linebacker, safety.
363
00:18:29,485 --> 00:18:32,613
The positions down the middle of the field
364
00:18:32,613 --> 00:18:36,993
that were deemed by football people
as the thinking positions.
365
00:18:37,702 --> 00:18:40,538
{\an8}1953, Willie Thrower,
366
00:18:40,538 --> 00:18:45,543
{\an8}the first Black quarterback that played
in the NFL, it lasted one game.
367
00:18:46,419 --> 00:18:49,672
{\an8}Choo Choo Brackins
played for the Green Bay Packers.
368
00:18:49,672 --> 00:18:52,675
{\an8}He got into a game, he threw two passes,
369
00:18:52,675 --> 00:18:56,345
two incompletions,
and the next week he was cut.
370
00:19:00,016 --> 00:19:05,688
[Bell] It wasn't until 1968,
when Marlin Briscoe got the opportunity
371
00:19:05,688 --> 00:19:09,483
to start multiple games as
a rookie for the Broncos.
372
00:19:09,483 --> 00:19:11,110
[teammate] Let's go, Marlin!
373
00:19:11,110 --> 00:19:13,779
Marlin Briscoe is
a significant figure in NFL history
374
00:19:13,779 --> 00:19:18,951
because he's officially the first Black
starting quarterback of the modern era.
375
00:19:18,951 --> 00:19:20,411
And he was able to do it in 1968
376
00:19:20,411 --> 00:19:22,830
with all the turmoil that was
going on around the country.
377
00:19:22,830 --> 00:19:25,291
And I think a lot of people
kind of looked at him
378
00:19:25,291 --> 00:19:27,043
and thought he was going to open the door
379
00:19:27,043 --> 00:19:30,546
and provide an avenue for
a lot of guys who'd come up
380
00:19:30,546 --> 00:19:36,052
through the college ranks at HBCUs
or at, you know, other major universities
381
00:19:36,052 --> 00:19:37,261
to try and get an opportunity
382
00:19:37,261 --> 00:19:39,263
to play quarterback in
the National Football League.
383
00:19:39,847 --> 00:19:41,223
And that didn't really happen.
384
00:19:52,985 --> 00:19:54,695
Rodney Peete!
385
00:19:54,695 --> 00:19:56,155
My brother. How are you, man?
386
00:19:56,155 --> 00:19:57,657
Where we at, Rodney?
387
00:19:57,657 --> 00:19:59,659
We are at Illusion Magic.
388
00:19:59,659 --> 00:20:00,660
- You know why?
- [Vick] Why?
389
00:20:00,660 --> 00:20:02,662
[Peete] We're gonna talk
a little Marlin Briscoe, right?
390
00:20:02,662 --> 00:20:04,705
- What's his nickname?
- The Magician.
391
00:20:04,705 --> 00:20:07,208
Plus, I got a little
something special for you in there, man.
392
00:20:07,208 --> 00:20:08,334
- I love surprises, baby.
- Yeah.
393
00:20:08,334 --> 00:20:09,251
[both] Let's do it.
394
00:20:15,841 --> 00:20:17,551
- Hey. What's going on, Rod?
- What's up, Larry?
395
00:20:17,551 --> 00:20:18,844
- What's going on?
- Good to see you.
396
00:20:18,844 --> 00:20:20,096
- Mike Vick.
- How you doing?
397
00:20:20,096 --> 00:20:21,472
- Good to see you.
- What's going on?
398
00:20:21,472 --> 00:20:23,683
- Good to have you fellas here.
- Yeah, got my-my buddy with me.
399
00:20:23,683 --> 00:20:25,184
Came here to talk about Marlin Briscoe.
400
00:20:25,184 --> 00:20:26,560
Before we talk about him,
401
00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:29,981
{\an8}I thought I would do a trick in honor
of him since he was called The Magician.
402
00:20:29,981 --> 00:20:32,316
{\an8}This is an ordinary deck of cards.
403
00:20:33,025 --> 00:20:35,027
Michael, just pull any card out.
Any card that you want.
404
00:20:35,027 --> 00:20:36,153
Make sure that's the one you want.
405
00:20:36,153 --> 00:20:37,488
- That's fair. Right?
- That's fair.
406
00:20:37,488 --> 00:20:40,324
Show it to the camera.
Place it right there.
407
00:20:40,324 --> 00:20:41,951
- [Vick] All right.
- [Wilmore] Don't forget it.
408
00:20:41,951 --> 00:20:43,411
We're gonna leave it right where it is.
409
00:20:43,411 --> 00:20:45,705
Do you know why Marlin Briscoe
was called The Magician?
410
00:20:46,497 --> 00:20:47,832
- He was an escape artist.
- No way.
411
00:20:47,832 --> 00:20:49,083
He could escape from any situation.
412
00:20:49,083 --> 00:20:51,502
So what we're gonna do
is rather than find your card,
413
00:20:51,502 --> 00:20:53,546
your card is gonna
escape from the deck, right?
414
00:20:53,546 --> 00:20:55,798
I'm just gonna tie the deck up to my hand.
415
00:20:55,798 --> 00:20:57,717
That way I can't manipulate it in any way.
416
00:20:57,717 --> 00:20:59,802
And on the count of three, when we say...
417
00:20:59,802 --> 00:21:01,804
I'm gonna say, "One, two, three,"
we'll say, "Marlin Briscoe,"
418
00:21:01,804 --> 00:21:04,849
the card is gonna escape from the deck in
the amount of time it takes to say that.
419
00:21:04,849 --> 00:21:07,476
- Ready? One, two, three.
- [Vick, Peete] Marlin Briscoe.
420
00:21:07,476 --> 00:21:09,020
- [Wilmore] Is that your card?
- [laughs]
421
00:21:09,020 --> 00:21:10,646
- [Vick] That was.
- [Wilmore] Ace of hearts?
422
00:21:10,646 --> 00:21:12,940
- That was the card.
- That was the card, everybody!
423
00:21:12,940 --> 00:21:16,068
- [Vick] That was the card. That was good.
- Marlin Briscoe, the Magician. Come on.
424
00:21:16,068 --> 00:21:17,570
Oh, man. That was big time right there.
425
00:21:17,570 --> 00:21:19,196
- We did it.
- I-I was watching close.
426
00:21:19,196 --> 00:21:21,198
- You got me with that one.
- [Wilmore] I got you, right?
427
00:21:21,198 --> 00:21:22,491
- I got you.
- [Peete] You got me too.
428
00:21:22,491 --> 00:21:24,285
Marlin was like that, man.
429
00:21:24,285 --> 00:21:25,619
He could get out of situations.
430
00:21:25,619 --> 00:21:27,788
- We owe so much to him.
- Yeah.
431
00:21:27,788 --> 00:21:31,375
[Peete] He was the first Black
quarterback to start a game in the NFL.
432
00:21:31,375 --> 00:21:34,587
[reporter] Marlin Briscoe, number 15,
was introduced into the quarterback slot.
433
00:21:34,587 --> 00:21:37,423
[Peete] Of that era,
people would've probably said,
434
00:21:37,423 --> 00:21:38,716
"Oh, he's Michael Vick."
435
00:21:38,716 --> 00:21:40,843
- Because he could move around...
- [laughs] That says a lot.
436
00:21:40,843 --> 00:21:42,636
...he could escape,
he can get out of trouble.
437
00:21:43,262 --> 00:21:44,847
[Wilmore]
Quarterbacks then were pocket passers,
438
00:21:44,847 --> 00:21:47,099
but he was unpredictable for his time.
439
00:21:47,099 --> 00:21:48,517
People didn't know what he was gonna do.
440
00:21:49,018 --> 00:21:51,437
They haven't seen this kind of
excitement with a quarterback.
441
00:21:51,437 --> 00:21:55,274
He really started a whole new thing,
but then it just stopped after that season
442
00:21:55,274 --> 00:21:56,776
when he didn't get
a chance to quarterback.
443
00:21:56,776 --> 00:21:58,486
[crowd cheering]
444
00:21:58,486 --> 00:22:00,488
Let's just stop right there.
You said it stopped?
445
00:22:00,488 --> 00:22:02,573
Times were just different, you know.
446
00:22:02,573 --> 00:22:06,243
In 1968, Dr. King
was assassinated early in the year.
447
00:22:06,243 --> 00:22:07,620
There were riots.
448
00:22:07,620 --> 00:22:08,788
There was so much unrest.
449
00:22:09,413 --> 00:22:13,584
So for a Black man to lead
a group of White men in 1968,
450
00:22:13,584 --> 00:22:15,419
that was not an easy proposition.
451
00:22:17,797 --> 00:22:19,215
[crowd cheering]
452
00:22:19,215 --> 00:22:21,634
[Wilmore] The racial
dynamic was the biggest thing.
453
00:22:21,634 --> 00:22:23,094
The way people judged Black quarterbacks.
454
00:22:23,094 --> 00:22:25,554
They didn't think they were as
smart as the White quarterbacks.
455
00:22:25,554 --> 00:22:28,516
A lot of quarterbacks called
their own plays back in those days.
456
00:22:28,516 --> 00:22:30,392
You know, can he be a real play caller?
457
00:22:31,519 --> 00:22:33,813
[Vick] Okay,
so it was just one year for-for Marlin.
458
00:22:33,813 --> 00:22:37,900
One year and done and then he
was on to playing wide receiver.
459
00:22:37,900 --> 00:22:40,277
They didn't wanna make him
quarterback again for the second season.
460
00:22:40,277 --> 00:22:41,862
So he said, "Fine,
I'll go somewhere else."
461
00:22:41,862 --> 00:22:44,782
Didn't get a chance to do it again, but he
reinvented himself as a wide receiver.
462
00:22:44,782 --> 00:22:46,575
He wasn't just a wide receiver,
he was a Pro Bowler.
463
00:22:46,575 --> 00:22:48,869
He won two rings for the Dolphins.
464
00:22:48,869 --> 00:22:50,746
He was on that undefeated team.
465
00:22:50,746 --> 00:22:55,209
Certain people would say, "See, we always
knew you were a wide receiver." [laughs]
466
00:22:55,209 --> 00:22:57,586
Yes, exactly! Right. [groans]
467
00:22:57,586 --> 00:23:02,007
So Marlin Briscoe in 2023 is a
full-fledged starter
468
00:23:02,007 --> 00:23:03,801
- in the National Football League.
- Exactly.
469
00:23:03,801 --> 00:23:05,094
- Thousand percent.
- Without question.
470
00:23:05,094 --> 00:23:07,346
He's on the cover of Madden. Easy.
471
00:23:13,936 --> 00:23:16,689
Marlin Briscoe just recently passed away.
472
00:23:16,689 --> 00:23:18,732
Never really got his just due.
473
00:23:18,732 --> 00:23:19,942
That's why it's important for us.
474
00:23:19,942 --> 00:23:22,069
We gotta keep it going, that legacy going...
475
00:23:22,069 --> 00:23:23,487
- Yeah.
- ...because he paved the way
476
00:23:23,487 --> 00:23:24,572
for so many of us.
477
00:23:24,572 --> 00:23:27,283
{\an8}Watching guys like me
and Randall and Warren.
478
00:23:27,283 --> 00:23:30,828
{\an8}- But knowing that he started in the NFL...
- Yeah.
479
00:23:30,828 --> 00:23:32,329
[Peete] ...you know,
he was the first one to do it.
480
00:23:34,165 --> 00:23:38,794
Rodney, I wanna take a moment
to just reflect on your career at USC.
481
00:23:38,794 --> 00:23:41,797
And that was a delicate time
for Black quarterbacks.
482
00:23:41,797 --> 00:23:44,175
Did you have to
deal with any-any stereotypes...
483
00:23:44,175 --> 00:23:45,885
- Oh, yeah.
- ...as you played the position?
484
00:23:45,885 --> 00:23:47,845
[Peete] When I was getting recruited,
485
00:23:47,845 --> 00:23:50,931
half the schools that recruited me
wanted me to play wide receiver.
486
00:23:51,849 --> 00:23:53,100
USC said I could play quarterback.
487
00:23:53,601 --> 00:23:55,436
Plus, they had
Black quarterbacks there before.
488
00:23:55,436 --> 00:23:58,230
You know, they had Jimmy Jones,
Vince Evans.
489
00:23:58,898 --> 00:24:02,276
When you see somebody
in your position that's doing it,
490
00:24:02,276 --> 00:24:04,570
then it gives you a feeling like,
"I can do it too."
491
00:24:04,570 --> 00:24:05,487
[crowd cheering]
492
00:24:05,487 --> 00:24:07,990
[commentator 1]
Rodney Peete turns it inside. Touchdown.
493
00:24:07,990 --> 00:24:09,033
Second of the day.
494
00:24:09,617 --> 00:24:12,536
[Peete] Had a good run at SC.
It was fun, man. We were winning.
495
00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:16,248
I always believed that the best
quarterbacks were the guys
496
00:24:16,248 --> 00:24:17,833
- that could do multiple things.
- Right.
497
00:24:17,833 --> 00:24:20,836
So I would move around,
I would run around.
498
00:24:20,836 --> 00:24:23,297
And then,
if you didn't allow me to do that,
499
00:24:23,297 --> 00:24:24,882
I would also sit in the pocket
500
00:24:24,882 --> 00:24:26,342
- and-and carve you up that way.
- Mmm.
501
00:24:26,967 --> 00:24:29,678
- [Peete] Overall, it was just leadership.
- Exactly. Yeah.
502
00:24:29,678 --> 00:24:31,180
- [Peete] That was what I brought...
- Yeah.
503
00:24:31,180 --> 00:24:32,765
[Peete] ...to the table
more than anything else.
504
00:24:32,765 --> 00:24:37,269
Now, were you cautious about not running
and being more of a pocket passer?
505
00:24:37,269 --> 00:24:39,980
- Or did-did it not matter?
- Man, I was.
506
00:24:39,980 --> 00:24:41,899
I probably missed out on
507
00:24:41,899 --> 00:24:44,360
- a lot of rushing touchdowns...
- [Vick] Right.
508
00:24:44,360 --> 00:24:47,655
...because I was trying to
make sure I did a passing touchdown.
509
00:24:47,655 --> 00:24:49,406
Because that's what
people were looking at.
510
00:24:49,406 --> 00:24:52,243
- Then get labeled a running quarterback.
- And get labeled a running quarterback.
511
00:24:52,243 --> 00:24:54,370
And all of a sudden,
you know how-- what happens after that.
512
00:24:54,370 --> 00:24:55,454
Absolutely.
513
00:24:58,791 --> 00:25:02,753
[commentator 2] Peete
down the middle. Touchdown.
514
00:25:03,921 --> 00:25:05,464
Rodney, I was a big fan of you growing up.
515
00:25:05,464 --> 00:25:09,885
And seeing a Black quarterback
on TV was amazing for me.
516
00:25:09,885 --> 00:25:11,136
Because the more I could see,
517
00:25:11,136 --> 00:25:13,472
the more guys that showed up
that looked like me,
518
00:25:13,472 --> 00:25:15,140
the more I could dream my dream.
519
00:25:15,140 --> 00:25:18,477
[Peete] To be able to play
quarterback at USC, all the tradition,
520
00:25:18,477 --> 00:25:23,023
all the history and those rival games
against UCLA and Troy Aikman.
521
00:25:23,023 --> 00:25:27,236
And in fact, my senior year, we were one,
two, or three throughout the whole season.
522
00:25:27,236 --> 00:25:29,113
So everything came together.
523
00:25:29,113 --> 00:25:34,451
Heisman Trophy was on the line, Rose Bowl
on the line, national title on the line.
524
00:25:34,451 --> 00:25:37,871
And we ended up beating 'em in '87.
Then we got 'em again in '88.
525
00:25:45,838 --> 00:25:48,590
{\an8}[reporter] You are looking live
at the Marriott Marquis Ballroom
526
00:25:48,590 --> 00:25:52,761
{\an8}here in New York City as
the 1989 NFL draft is about to begin.
527
00:25:54,305 --> 00:25:56,098
{\an8}[Vick] The 1989 draft,
528
00:25:56,098 --> 00:25:58,600
- you was drafted in the sixth round?
- Sixth round. Sixth round.
529
00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:00,686
{\an8}- [Vick] Aikman went earlier.
- Yeah.
530
00:26:00,686 --> 00:26:01,812
{\an8}[Vick] What'd it make you feel like?
531
00:26:01,812 --> 00:26:06,567
{\an8}Man, it was probably one
of the darkest, hardest days in my life.
532
00:26:07,067 --> 00:26:08,527
You go through college, right?
533
00:26:08,527 --> 00:26:11,613
You're going toe to toe with the guy
who is going to be drafted number one
534
00:26:11,613 --> 00:26:13,198
and you beat him twice.
535
00:26:13,198 --> 00:26:14,450
- Runner-up to the Heisman.
- Yeah.
536
00:26:14,450 --> 00:26:17,411
May not be number-one pick,
but I'm-I'm gonna be close.
537
00:26:17,411 --> 00:26:19,163
- Early. Early.
- I'm gonna be somewhere around there.
538
00:26:19,163 --> 00:26:20,998
First round goes by. Nothing.
539
00:26:20,998 --> 00:26:21,915
Second round.
540
00:26:21,915 --> 00:26:25,002
- Then I'm seeing guys go off the board.
- Yeah.
541
00:26:25,002 --> 00:26:27,546
[Peete] Quarterbacks from different
schools start to go off the board.
542
00:26:28,297 --> 00:26:29,340
[Vick] They probably not even
543
00:26:29,340 --> 00:26:30,382
- as good as you.
- Yeah.
544
00:26:30,382 --> 00:26:33,802
The sixth round comes and Detroit calls
me, and I finally end up getting drafted.
545
00:26:35,471 --> 00:26:37,598
[Vick] You probably looked around the NFL
546
00:26:37,598 --> 00:26:40,601
and didn't see too many
other Black quarterbacks.
547
00:26:40,601 --> 00:26:43,479
You end up having
a long, sustainable career.
548
00:26:43,479 --> 00:26:45,689
You can't be just as good.
549
00:26:45,689 --> 00:26:47,483
- You gotta be twice as good...
- Yes.
550
00:26:47,483 --> 00:26:49,902
[Peete] ...as that White quarterback,
551
00:26:49,902 --> 00:26:51,779
otherwise you're not gonna get a shot.
552
00:26:51,779 --> 00:26:56,033
At that time, 'cause I played baseball,
all family and friends, like,
553
00:26:56,033 --> 00:26:58,285
-"Forget the NFL, go play baseball."
-"Go play baseball."
554
00:26:58,285 --> 00:27:00,454
-"Go play baseball." But I just couldn't.
- Yeah.
555
00:27:00,454 --> 00:27:03,457
I couldn't because there's
gonna be some other kids along the way.
556
00:27:03,457 --> 00:27:05,125
They gonna say,
"Why didn't you play football?"
557
00:27:05,125 --> 00:27:07,920
Like-Like me.
I was one of those kids watching you,
558
00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:12,007
watching Randall, trying to visualize
and trying to dream my dream.
559
00:27:12,007 --> 00:27:15,052
I just had to... I had to go show
them that I could play quarterback.
560
00:27:23,644 --> 00:27:25,396
[doorbell chimes]
561
00:27:27,398 --> 00:27:28,232
[Harris] Mike.
562
00:27:28,232 --> 00:27:29,900
- Mr. Shack Harris, how you doing?
- Come on in, man.
563
00:27:29,900 --> 00:27:31,026
All right. Welcome.
564
00:27:31,026 --> 00:27:32,945
- Thank you. Good to see you.
- Good to see you again.
565
00:27:32,945 --> 00:27:34,822
Shack, I told you
I was gonna come find you.
566
00:27:34,822 --> 00:27:37,032
{\an8}Now, I'm here to see you
and talk some history.
567
00:27:37,616 --> 00:27:38,450
Well, let's get to it.
568
00:27:40,536 --> 00:27:43,705
{\an8}Before we get started,
I want you to try this lemonade
569
00:27:43,705 --> 00:27:45,124
and tell me it's not some of the best.
570
00:27:45,124 --> 00:27:47,501
- Awesome. I thought you would never ask.
- [laughs]
571
00:27:48,836 --> 00:27:52,172
That's amazing. Miss Harris made that?
That-That wasn't you.
572
00:27:52,172 --> 00:27:56,093
- Help yourself. She's the best. [laughs]
- I'm taking that pitcher with me.
573
00:27:56,093 --> 00:27:57,219
Thanks for the visit.
574
00:27:57,219 --> 00:27:58,804
Good to talk a little football.
575
00:27:58,804 --> 00:28:03,434
{\an8}Absolutely. If you can give a scouting
report on yourself, what would it be?
576
00:28:03,434 --> 00:28:06,937
Well, simply put,
I would say I wanted to win.
577
00:28:08,605 --> 00:28:11,400
- [commentator 1] Tucks it in. Runs away.
- [commentator 2] Throws to the end zone.
578
00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:13,193
[commentator 3]
Going deep down the sideline.
579
00:28:13,193 --> 00:28:17,281
Played on some great teams
with some great players,
580
00:28:17,281 --> 00:28:21,910
but my role was always
to get the ball to the playmaker
581
00:28:21,910 --> 00:28:23,912
and make plays to win the game.
582
00:28:23,912 --> 00:28:29,293
Coming out of high school, I was player
of the year in the state of Louisiana
583
00:28:29,293 --> 00:28:32,212
and I fell in love
with Coach Eddie Robinson,
584
00:28:32,796 --> 00:28:36,175
who had been to New York
and talked with Howard Cosell.
585
00:28:37,009 --> 00:28:39,052
And Howard Cosell asked him,
586
00:28:39,052 --> 00:28:43,557
"You produce so many professional players,
why you can't produce a quarterback?"
587
00:28:44,224 --> 00:28:47,644
And that night, he came by my house
and he said,
588
00:28:47,644 --> 00:28:49,897
"James, Howard Cosell said
589
00:28:49,897 --> 00:28:53,817
right now, America is not ready
for a Black quarterback.
590
00:28:54,610 --> 00:28:59,740
But if you come to Grambling,
in four years, you will be able to play."
591
00:29:03,577 --> 00:29:06,663
What was it like growing up
in the Jim Crow South?
592
00:29:10,083 --> 00:29:12,252
[Harris] Well,
I drank out the colored water fountain.
593
00:29:13,170 --> 00:29:15,047
I rode on the back of the bus.
594
00:29:16,048 --> 00:29:20,844
We used hand-me-down books,
but we did get a good education.
595
00:29:21,637 --> 00:29:27,476
But our community was built
on hard work, credit and prayer.
596
00:29:27,976 --> 00:29:29,770
Tell me a little bit about, you know,
597
00:29:29,770 --> 00:29:32,231
just going through
the four years at Grambling
598
00:29:32,231 --> 00:29:36,151
and then getting ready for, you know,
what Eddie Robinson said
599
00:29:36,151 --> 00:29:38,987
the world would be ready for
in terms of a Black quarterback.
600
00:29:38,987 --> 00:29:41,949
[Harris] Coach said
that I would get drafted high,
601
00:29:43,075 --> 00:29:46,036
but they called me
and asked me to switch positions.
602
00:29:46,036 --> 00:29:50,457
I told them that I wanted to be
a quarterback and I kept my word.
603
00:29:50,457 --> 00:29:52,251
I was not switching.
604
00:29:52,251 --> 00:29:56,672
But as we proceeded in
the draft process and I got to Buffalo,
605
00:29:57,172 --> 00:30:00,092
I understood the reason why
we wasn't playing quarterback.
606
00:30:00,717 --> 00:30:02,052
They said we weren't smart enough.
607
00:30:02,052 --> 00:30:06,098
They said we couldn't lead
and they questioned our character.
608
00:30:06,098 --> 00:30:08,850
But when I got to Buffalo,
I put all that behind me.
609
00:30:08,850 --> 00:30:10,018
[crowd cheering]
610
00:30:11,061 --> 00:30:14,773
[Vick] Shack, you became the
first Black quarterback to start a season,
611
00:30:14,773 --> 00:30:17,526
but why do you think it took so long?
612
00:30:17,526 --> 00:30:19,987
I think it's all about opportunity.
613
00:30:19,987 --> 00:30:23,949
National Football League wasn't ready
for a Black quarterback
614
00:30:23,949 --> 00:30:25,701
but it pales in our society.
615
00:30:29,580 --> 00:30:33,208
It wasn't much I wasn't prepared for,
except for fan mail.
616
00:30:33,709 --> 00:30:35,627
- I never thought about fan mail.
- How was that?
617
00:30:35,627 --> 00:30:36,795
How was that, getting hate mail?
618
00:30:36,795 --> 00:30:40,257
It was a challenge because fan... hate mail,
619
00:30:40,257 --> 00:30:44,344
where they would draw a stick,
put a noose around my neck,
620
00:30:44,344 --> 00:30:48,056
put me on a tree,
different kinds of pictures.
621
00:30:48,807 --> 00:30:50,017
There were death threats.
622
00:30:50,851 --> 00:30:52,185
There'd be times at night
623
00:30:52,185 --> 00:30:57,649
and you wanna kinda look around to make
sure and be very cautious at where you go.
624
00:30:57,649 --> 00:31:01,820
I mean, that was the kind of conditions
that you had to kind of play through.
625
00:31:01,820 --> 00:31:07,451
The worst experience that
I had was in LA when I got a death threat.
626
00:31:07,451 --> 00:31:09,119
I've gotten them before,
627
00:31:09,661 --> 00:31:13,248
but this was the first time
that the security met me at the hotel.
628
00:31:14,291 --> 00:31:18,086
[Harris] And as I went to my room,
my roommate was Ron Jaworski.
629
00:31:18,086 --> 00:31:21,590
He came in and I told Ron
what was going on
630
00:31:21,590 --> 00:31:22,549
- because they had...
- Yeah.
631
00:31:22,549 --> 00:31:23,675
...security outside the door.
632
00:31:24,384 --> 00:31:28,096
And getting to the game that day
looking around while you warming up.
633
00:31:28,639 --> 00:31:30,098
That takes a little out of you.
634
00:31:31,350 --> 00:31:32,184
[crowd cheers]
635
00:31:32,184 --> 00:31:35,228
[Vick] How did that make you feel?
Knowing that you had to go through that?
636
00:31:35,228 --> 00:31:39,274
Because you're just trying to, like, be
the best football player that you can be
637
00:31:39,274 --> 00:31:42,361
but you dealing with
all these things outside of football.
638
00:31:42,361 --> 00:31:45,489
The most challenging thing
was trying to play perfect.
639
00:31:45,489 --> 00:31:47,115
- You can't make a mistake...
- [mutters] Yeah.
640
00:31:47,115 --> 00:31:48,158
[Harris] ...playing quarterback.
641
00:31:48,158 --> 00:31:49,743
You need to be relaxed.
642
00:31:49,743 --> 00:31:54,081
I know Marlin Briscoe came
and joined you guys for a while.
643
00:31:54,081 --> 00:31:56,083
Just talk about the ups and downs.
644
00:31:56,083 --> 00:32:00,337
How did you lean on Marlin,
his experience, to-to help you?
645
00:32:00,337 --> 00:32:02,214
[Harris] I had a lot of respect for Marlin
646
00:32:02,214 --> 00:32:04,508
because when I was a junior
in high school,
647
00:32:04,508 --> 00:32:07,386
he, Eldridge Dickey
and Jimmy Raye were seniors.
648
00:32:07,386 --> 00:32:10,847
I used to go every Monday
and look up their stats and follow them.
649
00:32:10,847 --> 00:32:14,101
It frustrated me
when he didn't get a chance to play,
650
00:32:14,893 --> 00:32:18,980
but Marlin understood
exactly what I was going through
651
00:32:18,980 --> 00:32:20,440
- and we were able to have...
- Mm-hmm.
652
00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:22,693
...some good conversations.
653
00:32:25,696 --> 00:32:27,739
I want to know
what you gonna do about having
654
00:32:27,739 --> 00:32:31,785
more Black brothers as quarterbacks
in the National Football Honky League.
655
00:32:32,869 --> 00:32:33,870
- Right on.
- Yes.
656
00:32:33,870 --> 00:32:36,581
I plan not only to have
lots of Black quarterbacks,
657
00:32:36,581 --> 00:32:39,042
but we're gonna have Black coaches
and Black owners of teams.
658
00:32:39,042 --> 00:32:42,254
As long as there's gonna be football,
gonna be some Black in it somewhere.
659
00:32:42,254 --> 00:32:43,714
[Reid] Right on.
660
00:32:47,884 --> 00:32:50,345
[Vick] Shack,
you're the first Black quarterback
661
00:32:50,345 --> 00:32:52,305
to make the Pro Bowl, Pro Bowl MVP.
662
00:32:52,305 --> 00:32:54,891
You was paving the way
for guys like myself,
663
00:32:54,891 --> 00:32:57,394
Doug Williams, guys who was to come.
664
00:32:57,394 --> 00:33:00,230
I played on a good team in LA
and the Pro Bowl.
665
00:33:00,230 --> 00:33:02,441
Our staff was coaching it.
666
00:33:02,441 --> 00:33:05,527
And when I got there,
I found out a lot of the players
667
00:33:05,527 --> 00:33:07,320
didn't get serious
till the fourth quarter,
668
00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:08,655
but I went there to win.
669
00:33:08,655 --> 00:33:11,283
I ended up the most valuable player.
670
00:33:14,035 --> 00:33:17,080
[Vick] You had
an immaculate career at Grambling.
671
00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:18,415
Shack, last question.
672
00:33:18,415 --> 00:33:21,710
Can you have the evolution
of the Black quarterback
673
00:33:21,710 --> 00:33:26,506
without yourself, without HBCUs,
without Eddie Robinson?
674
00:33:27,257 --> 00:33:28,592
No.
675
00:33:28,592 --> 00:33:29,801
Walter Payton,
676
00:33:30,469 --> 00:33:34,473
who was one of the top three rushers
in the history of the game,
677
00:33:34,473 --> 00:33:35,557
is from a HBCU.
678
00:33:35,557 --> 00:33:36,516
Yeah.
679
00:33:36,516 --> 00:33:40,687
Jerry Rice, some say the best receiver...
680
00:33:40,687 --> 00:33:42,814
- The best. The best.
- ...that ever played the game.
681
00:33:42,814 --> 00:33:44,357
HBCU.
682
00:33:44,357 --> 00:33:47,444
Michael Strahan, HBCU.
683
00:33:47,444 --> 00:33:48,487
Deacon Jones
684
00:33:48,487 --> 00:33:49,738
- some people say...
- Deacon Jones.
685
00:33:49,738 --> 00:33:54,618
[Harris] ...is the best pass rusher
to ever play the game. HBCU.
686
00:33:54,618 --> 00:33:59,831
Doug Williams, Art Shell,
Bob Hayes, Mel Blount.
687
00:33:59,831 --> 00:34:01,208
HBCU.
688
00:34:01,792 --> 00:34:06,963
{\an8}You can't have an evolution
of football, period, without HBCUs.
689
00:34:10,801 --> 00:34:14,930
{\an8}Despite what some people in the country
might tell you,
690
00:34:15,555 --> 00:34:18,934
{\an8}America has a problematic racial history.
691
00:34:19,684 --> 00:34:23,772
There was this big industry, way back
in the day, and it was called slavery.
692
00:34:23,772 --> 00:34:25,398
I know that some people are gonna tell you
693
00:34:25,398 --> 00:34:27,442
that it never happened
or that it was awesome.
694
00:34:27,442 --> 00:34:29,194
It was actually pretty bad.
695
00:34:32,155 --> 00:34:35,033
And one of the things
that slavery encompassed
696
00:34:35,033 --> 00:34:39,871
was rules against
teaching slaves, uh, how to read
697
00:34:39,871 --> 00:34:42,249
and against educating slaves.
698
00:34:48,964 --> 00:34:52,551
{\an8}Historically Black colleges
and universities
699
00:34:52,551 --> 00:34:56,888
were founded just after the Civil War
to help educate freed slaves.
700
00:34:57,973 --> 00:35:01,226
[Lathan] We wanted,
as Black people, to be educated.
701
00:35:01,226 --> 00:35:04,980
We wanted to be equal parts
a-and equal participants
702
00:35:04,980 --> 00:35:07,941
in the American dream
and the American experience.
703
00:35:07,941 --> 00:35:12,612
And there was no way to do that
without having high-level education.
704
00:35:12,612 --> 00:35:14,614
We couldn't go to some of
the other schools
705
00:35:14,614 --> 00:35:16,741
that were educating
the rest of the minds in America.
706
00:35:16,741 --> 00:35:18,743
They weren't gonna let you in there.
707
00:35:22,789 --> 00:35:28,128
[Boyd] Schools in the South were
segregated and didn't sign Black athletes.
708
00:35:28,128 --> 00:35:30,922
{\an8}For this reason,
many of the great Black athletes
709
00:35:30,922 --> 00:35:34,509
{\an8}of a particular era went to HBCUs
710
00:35:34,509 --> 00:35:38,096
because that was, perhaps,
the only option they had.
711
00:35:38,096 --> 00:35:42,601
Shortly thereafter the-the foundation
of these institutions came athletics.
712
00:35:43,226 --> 00:35:46,938
{\an8}With the HBCU, the Black athlete
had a chance to not just play football,
713
00:35:46,938 --> 00:35:50,984
{\an8}but to play whatever position
they were skilled and prepared to play.
714
00:35:50,984 --> 00:35:53,320
And that included quarterback.
715
00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:55,447
["Watch Out Now" playing]
716
00:36:04,122 --> 00:36:05,248
Common, what's up, baby?
717
00:36:05,248 --> 00:36:07,751
- What's up, brother? How are you, man?
- I'm good, man. How about you?
718
00:36:07,751 --> 00:36:08,835
I'm excellent.
719
00:36:08,835 --> 00:36:10,962
{\an8}- You look good. Thanks for joining me.
- Great to see you, man.
720
00:36:10,962 --> 00:36:13,006
{\an8}Man, it's an honor, bro. For real, man.
721
00:36:13,006 --> 00:36:15,175
You mean a lot to me, to our culture.
722
00:36:15,175 --> 00:36:17,010
[Vick] And that's what
we're gonna talk about
723
00:36:17,010 --> 00:36:19,888
from an entertainment standpoint,
sports standpoint.
724
00:36:19,888 --> 00:36:21,681
- And get your take on it.
- All right. Let's do it.
725
00:36:21,681 --> 00:36:23,141
♪ Watch out now ♪
726
00:36:27,604 --> 00:36:30,148
[Vick] I know you attended a HBCU, FAMU.
727
00:36:30,148 --> 00:36:32,067
Yes, sir. FAMU was everything
728
00:36:32,067 --> 00:36:33,735
because the Black college experience
729
00:36:33,735 --> 00:36:35,570
is just something
that gives you self-empowerment.
730
00:36:35,570 --> 00:36:37,113
Yeah. I was gonna ask you about that.
731
00:36:37,113 --> 00:36:40,533
[Common] It gives you a sense
of who you are on another level.
732
00:36:40,533 --> 00:36:42,369
My mother went to a HBCU.
733
00:36:42,369 --> 00:36:46,831
She went to Central State University
and my father went to Wilberforce.
734
00:36:46,831 --> 00:36:48,166
How was the sports there?
735
00:36:48,166 --> 00:36:52,128
How was football and the culture
ingrained into the student body?
736
00:36:52,128 --> 00:36:54,631
You know, coming from Chicago,
I-I love hooping.
737
00:36:54,631 --> 00:36:59,594
But when I went down South, the culture
at Black colleges was football.
738
00:37:00,387 --> 00:37:02,138
- Saturdays meant something.
- [Vick] Yeah.
739
00:37:02,138 --> 00:37:04,307
[Common] The whole culture of the bands,
the food.
740
00:37:04,307 --> 00:37:05,308
[Vick] Crazy.
741
00:37:05,308 --> 00:37:08,645
I really got, uh,
immersed in-in-into football too.
742
00:37:08,645 --> 00:37:11,773
And learned more about Black colleges,
743
00:37:11,773 --> 00:37:12,983
culture and-and
744
00:37:12,983 --> 00:37:14,859
- the connection of football with that.
- Yeah.
745
00:37:16,736 --> 00:37:19,239
[Vick] HBCUs had some amazing quarterbacks
746
00:37:19,239 --> 00:37:22,283
from Steve McNair
to Shack Harris to Doug Williams.
747
00:37:22,867 --> 00:37:26,579
When I say Doug Williams, like,
what-what comes to your mind?
748
00:37:28,164 --> 00:37:30,291
{\an8}[Common] I hope this don't sound too much,
749
00:37:30,291 --> 00:37:34,087
{\an8}but I almost look at it like
the first Black president.
750
00:37:34,087 --> 00:37:37,298
Doug Williams felt like
the first Black quarterback.
751
00:37:37,298 --> 00:37:41,344
When I hear the term Black quarterback,
I think of revolution.
752
00:37:41,928 --> 00:37:43,513
I think of progress.
753
00:37:43,513 --> 00:37:47,100
And I think of-of change
like it's Black power in a way
754
00:37:47,100 --> 00:37:49,269
from a representation of Black leadership.
755
00:37:50,061 --> 00:37:53,690
And I say progress
because the NFL, much like America,
756
00:37:53,690 --> 00:37:58,486
didn't see Black men as being the leaders
that it takes to be a quarterback
757
00:37:58,486 --> 00:38:02,282
and-and America never saw Black men
as being leaders
758
00:38:02,282 --> 00:38:04,909
in society and just in communities.
759
00:38:04,909 --> 00:38:06,494
That's been the change.
760
00:38:06,494 --> 00:38:08,663
That's been the-the example,
761
00:38:08,663 --> 00:38:11,666
that we've been able to see
change in society,
762
00:38:11,666 --> 00:38:13,835
to set an example for people to understand
763
00:38:13,835 --> 00:38:16,212
that Black men
can be leaders and great leaders.
764
00:38:16,212 --> 00:38:17,380
- Yeah.
- Like... [chuckles]
765
00:38:17,380 --> 00:38:20,175
...because some of the greatest quarterbacks
are Black quarterbacks.
766
00:38:20,175 --> 00:38:22,343
{\an8}Doug Williams broke down the barriers.
767
00:38:22,343 --> 00:38:25,597
{\an8}He broke down those barriers by example.
768
00:38:27,140 --> 00:38:28,933
["Kingdom" playing]
769
00:38:28,933 --> 00:38:30,769
I feel like we gotta
have more conversation, man,
770
00:38:30,769 --> 00:38:32,437
and more dialogue on different levels.
771
00:38:32,437 --> 00:38:33,772
But I got one question.
772
00:38:33,772 --> 00:38:36,941
Common, I was one of the best freestylers
on the field when it came to...
773
00:38:36,941 --> 00:38:39,110
You draw a play out for me,
but then I can freestyle.
774
00:38:39,110 --> 00:38:41,196
♪ Second row of the church
With my hood on ♪
775
00:38:41,196 --> 00:38:44,365
♪ My homie used to rap
He was about to get put on ♪
776
00:38:44,365 --> 00:38:46,576
You're a hell of a freestyler.
Hell of an artist.
777
00:38:46,576 --> 00:38:48,328
Like, when you putting
those lyrics together...
778
00:38:48,328 --> 00:38:50,205
I know when I was doing
my thing on the field, like...
779
00:38:50,205 --> 00:38:52,123
How you come up
with the things to say, man,
780
00:38:52,123 --> 00:38:53,917
that just really resonate with people?
781
00:38:53,917 --> 00:38:56,377
♪ My money ain't straight
My fam ain't straight ♪
782
00:38:56,377 --> 00:38:59,631
♪ Ain't wanna push keys
Heaven couldn't wait ♪
783
00:38:59,631 --> 00:39:00,840
That's a great question.
784
00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:02,550
And I never thought about it.
785
00:39:02,550 --> 00:39:05,178
- You were freestyling out there. We-We...
- Yeah... [stammers]
786
00:39:05,178 --> 00:39:07,597
[Common] You prepared.
You worked at the craft.
787
00:39:07,597 --> 00:39:09,557
- This is what you love.
- Right.
788
00:39:09,557 --> 00:39:13,603
God has blessed you with a gift,
like, and you develop that gift.
789
00:39:13,603 --> 00:39:17,190
But then you're able
to be free enough in the mind
790
00:39:17,190 --> 00:39:21,402
and in-in your spirit
and-and confident enough to be like...
791
00:39:21,402 --> 00:39:24,656
if something don't go this way,
then I know how to make it go...
792
00:39:24,656 --> 00:39:26,366
- Yeah.
- ...this way and get there.
793
00:39:26,366 --> 00:39:30,787
Obviously watching you, you brought,
like, a whole lot of excitement.
794
00:39:30,787 --> 00:39:34,624
To watch you freestyle
and have those talents to do it,
795
00:39:34,624 --> 00:39:36,793
that made the game more
exciting for all of us, man.
796
00:39:36,793 --> 00:39:38,503
R-Right. That was more recognizable. Yeah.
797
00:39:38,503 --> 00:39:43,007
And it's funny because I've been in
situations where the system then went out,
798
00:39:43,007 --> 00:39:44,467
- I just got a rhyme.
- Yeah.
799
00:39:44,467 --> 00:39:47,262
And, man, one thing
with Black quarterbacks,
800
00:39:47,262 --> 00:39:49,430
man, that's a gift
to do what you're doing.
801
00:39:49,430 --> 00:39:51,224
- Right.
- You know, as much as it was like saying
802
00:39:51,224 --> 00:39:53,726
that we want a quarterback
to stay in the pocket.
803
00:39:53,726 --> 00:39:56,479
It's like, no, the-the goal is to win.
804
00:39:56,479 --> 00:39:58,189
- Yeah, exactly.
- The goal is to move forward...
805
00:39:58,189 --> 00:40:00,024
- Yeah. For sure.
- ...and if you're moving forward,
806
00:40:00,024 --> 00:40:02,152
- like... and getting it done...
- That's all that matters.
807
00:40:02,152 --> 00:40:03,194
...that's what matters.
808
00:40:03,194 --> 00:40:05,238
[music continues]
809
00:40:07,115 --> 00:40:08,741
[music ends]
810
00:40:24,716 --> 00:40:26,634
{\an8}- Coach, how you doing?
- Hey, Michael.
811
00:40:26,634 --> 00:40:28,094
{\an8}- Thank you for coming.
- Good to see you.
812
00:40:28,094 --> 00:40:29,220
{\an8}- Thanks for having me.
- Yeah.
813
00:40:29,220 --> 00:40:32,557
[Vick] Amazing compound you got here.
I look forward to learning more about it
814
00:40:32,557 --> 00:40:34,601
and, you know, spending some time
talking about Doug.
815
00:40:34,601 --> 00:40:36,436
Doug Williams kept me in a job.
816
00:40:37,061 --> 00:40:39,772
Welcome to Joe Gibbs Racing.
817
00:40:39,772 --> 00:40:43,776
Any fans that visit, we tried to design it
so they could see a lot.
818
00:40:44,485 --> 00:40:46,112
What's going on, baby? How y'all doing?
819
00:40:46,112 --> 00:40:48,907
Oh, man.
You gotta be an athlete to get in here.
820
00:40:48,907 --> 00:40:51,576
Well, whoever's driving this car
is way smaller than me.
821
00:40:51,576 --> 00:40:53,036
[crew members laugh]
822
00:40:53,036 --> 00:40:54,537
This car hard though. I like it.
823
00:40:57,290 --> 00:41:00,126
I wanna take it back
to when you first met Doug
824
00:41:00,126 --> 00:41:02,378
and when you arrived
on campus at Grambling.
825
00:41:02,378 --> 00:41:04,839
What did you see?
And what was your first impression?
826
00:41:07,258 --> 00:41:08,843
[Gibbs] It was very unusual.
827
00:41:08,843 --> 00:41:12,263
I don't think I'd ever
done that before or after,
828
00:41:12,263 --> 00:41:16,392
but Coach McKay said,
"Look, there's a quarterback at Grambling.
829
00:41:16,392 --> 00:41:18,728
We got a first-round pick.
830
00:41:18,728 --> 00:41:21,522
Go find out everything
you can about Doug."
831
00:41:22,398 --> 00:41:25,652
And so I go over there
not knowing what's gonna happen.
832
00:41:25,652 --> 00:41:27,946
- Yeah.
- And I spent three days with him,
833
00:41:27,946 --> 00:41:29,989
- he was teaching classes.
- Okay.
834
00:41:29,989 --> 00:41:32,116
I was sat in the back
of the room. [chuckles]
835
00:41:32,784 --> 00:41:34,535
And then afterwards we go to McDonald's
836
00:41:34,535 --> 00:41:38,373
and then we would get on the board
and talk football.
837
00:41:38,373 --> 00:41:42,043
And I think I had
a real good feeling for Doug,
838
00:41:42,043 --> 00:41:46,881
what kind of person he was and,
you know, football smarts.
839
00:41:47,507 --> 00:41:52,053
So I go back to Coach and I said,
"Hey, Coach, this guy is really..."
840
00:41:52,053 --> 00:41:55,014
- He got it.
-"And I think if you do take him,
841
00:41:55,014 --> 00:41:58,434
I think we got a solid guy
that could really do something special."
842
00:41:58,434 --> 00:42:03,273
So, Coach, prior to you guys taking Doug,
843
00:42:03,273 --> 00:42:07,235
why do you think there wasn't
a lot of Black quarterbacks in the league?
844
00:42:07,235 --> 00:42:08,653
I have no idea.
845
00:42:09,696 --> 00:42:12,865
I don't know how
something like that takes place
846
00:42:12,865 --> 00:42:16,286
where people just were
hesitant or whatever.
847
00:42:16,286 --> 00:42:21,165
I'm just glad that I was a part
of something that was totally different.
848
00:42:21,165 --> 00:42:27,630
{\an8}And you got Coach McKay who was a--
really a person that just looked at talent
849
00:42:27,630 --> 00:42:29,632
and was willing to say,
850
00:42:29,632 --> 00:42:31,926
-"Hey, go look at this guy."
-"I don't see color." Yes.
851
00:42:31,926 --> 00:42:33,428
And then have enough guts to take him.
852
00:42:34,387 --> 00:42:36,639
Coach McKay stepped out and said,
"We're doing this."
853
00:42:36,639 --> 00:42:39,183
You could immediately see the talent.
854
00:42:39,767 --> 00:42:42,895
We would be in practice,
he would throw balls
855
00:42:42,895 --> 00:42:46,607
and the players would go like this,
they would go, "Did you see that?"
856
00:42:46,607 --> 00:42:49,235
- [chuckles] Yeah.
- I mean, this guy could throw it.
857
00:42:49,235 --> 00:42:50,695
- I mean, it was...
- He had a missile.
858
00:42:50,695 --> 00:42:53,323
Immediately had a great presence
and everything.
859
00:42:53,323 --> 00:42:56,367
I left after that year
and then Doug went on
860
00:42:56,367 --> 00:42:57,618
- with Coach McKay...
- Mm-hmm.
861
00:42:57,618 --> 00:42:59,787
- Yeah. Did some good things.
- ...and they did some great things.
862
00:42:59,787 --> 00:43:02,498
[crowd cheering]
863
00:43:02,498 --> 00:43:04,667
[Vick] Speaking of that, you move on
864
00:43:04,667 --> 00:43:06,836
and, uh-- and get the job in Washington.
865
00:43:06,836 --> 00:43:10,631
And Doug moves on, go to the USFL,
866
00:43:11,132 --> 00:43:14,093
but he'd find his way
back to you in Washington.
867
00:43:15,803 --> 00:43:18,681
[Gibbs]
I love to have, uh, veteran backup.
868
00:43:18,681 --> 00:43:22,852
I always wanted somebody there that
if you're in the playoffs or something,
869
00:43:22,852 --> 00:43:24,062
you get a quarterback hurt,
870
00:43:24,062 --> 00:43:26,898
you want somebody
that could take over and take it.
871
00:43:26,898 --> 00:43:31,235
So that's how we got to Doug,
thinking he's gonna be a backup
872
00:43:31,235 --> 00:43:34,947
and we go through that first year
and he didn't play much.
873
00:43:34,947 --> 00:43:40,495
And then we got in a situation where
the Raiders started talking about a trade.
874
00:43:41,204 --> 00:43:44,040
Doug. He wanted that,
you know what I mean?
875
00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:46,292
- He wanted to play and I said...
- Right.
876
00:43:46,292 --> 00:43:50,421
..."Doug, I really think you're gonna do
something great for us."
877
00:43:50,922 --> 00:43:53,800
That wound up being the fantastic year.
878
00:43:53,800 --> 00:43:57,678
[commentator] Loads it up,
a home run ball. He's there! Touchdown!
879
00:43:58,930 --> 00:44:01,933
What prompted the decision
to-to go with Doug
880
00:44:01,933 --> 00:44:04,060
late in the season f-for the playoffs?
881
00:44:04,060 --> 00:44:06,312
You know, those things are always...
882
00:44:06,312 --> 00:44:09,315
I think it's got to be a real feeling,
a gut feeling.
883
00:44:09,315 --> 00:44:15,321
We came down towards the end of the year
and Jay was a little off at times.
884
00:44:15,321 --> 00:44:19,117
We put Doug in,
kind of a little bit back and forth.
885
00:44:19,117 --> 00:44:22,370
And then for the last game of the season,
we put Doug in.
886
00:44:22,370 --> 00:44:25,665
And after that game,
we all sat down as a staff and everything
887
00:44:25,665 --> 00:44:28,084
and said we need to go
with Doug in the playoffs.
888
00:44:28,084 --> 00:44:31,462
- He's gonna guide us to the promised land.
- [fan] Yes. Moses.
889
00:44:31,462 --> 00:44:33,047
Super Bowl XXII.
890
00:44:35,716 --> 00:44:37,510
[Menefee] Well,
it was a big deal for Doug Williams
891
00:44:37,510 --> 00:44:40,638
to not only play in the Super Bowl,
but just to get there.
892
00:44:40,638 --> 00:44:44,976
I mean, until he was drafted in the
first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
893
00:44:44,976 --> 00:44:47,478
not only had there never been
a Black quarterback
894
00:44:47,478 --> 00:44:49,814
drafted in the first round
by the National Football League,
895
00:44:49,814 --> 00:44:51,983
there hadn't been one drafted
above the sixth round.
896
00:44:51,983 --> 00:44:57,071
So for the Bucs to draft him 17th overall
in the first round, it was a big deal.
897
00:44:57,864 --> 00:44:59,240
And that Buccaneers team started off,
898
00:44:59,240 --> 00:45:01,492
they lost their first 26 games
but he turned them around.
899
00:45:01,492 --> 00:45:04,036
And in their third year,
NFC championship game.
900
00:45:04,036 --> 00:45:07,582
Then he found himself
out of the National Football League.
901
00:45:08,499 --> 00:45:10,126
[Bell] Contract time.
902
00:45:10,126 --> 00:45:13,754
There was a major, major stalemate.
903
00:45:14,255 --> 00:45:17,133
{\an8}And Doug Williams ends up leaving Tampa
904
00:45:17,133 --> 00:45:22,680
and has to go to the USFL
to continue his football career.
905
00:45:23,347 --> 00:45:24,474
You had the race factor
906
00:45:24,474 --> 00:45:30,229
where someone was not willing
to pay a Black man his market value.
907
00:45:31,397 --> 00:45:36,194
There was no guarantee that Doug Williams
was ever going to get back to the NFL.
908
00:45:36,694 --> 00:45:40,156
Just leading up to that week,
I don't know if you can explain to people
909
00:45:40,656 --> 00:45:43,493
the feeling was palpable
no matter where you were in the country.
910
00:45:44,619 --> 00:45:49,165
Just the excitement and the feeling
of people wanting to see Doug Williams
911
00:45:49,165 --> 00:45:51,584
not only play in the Super Bowl
but succeed.
912
00:45:51,584 --> 00:45:53,211
Particularly Black people.
913
00:45:54,629 --> 00:45:58,090
{\an8}That week, the hype around Doug
was the first Black quarterback
914
00:45:58,090 --> 00:46:00,218
{\an8}to play in the Super Bowl.
915
00:46:00,218 --> 00:46:03,012
Some reporter asked Doug,
916
00:46:03,513 --> 00:46:06,349
"Have you always been
a Black quarterback?"
917
00:46:06,349 --> 00:46:08,726
[reporter] Have you always been
a Black quarterback, uh, Doug?
918
00:46:10,269 --> 00:46:13,689
[Boyd] So, to ask Doug Williams
how long he had been a Black quarterback,
919
00:46:14,273 --> 00:46:16,776
{\an8}to me is sort of comical in its stupidity.
920
00:46:17,568 --> 00:46:22,031
But it also speaks to how unusual
it was to have a Black quarterback
921
00:46:22,031 --> 00:46:25,326
starting for a team
competing in the Super Bowl.
922
00:46:25,326 --> 00:46:26,744
And the Denver Broncos, by the way,
923
00:46:26,744 --> 00:46:29,413
were favored to win
that game with John Elway.
924
00:46:29,914 --> 00:46:33,000
John Elway is significant
in sports history for a lot of reasons.
925
00:46:33,000 --> 00:46:36,254
He's significant
because of his prodigious talent.
926
00:46:36,254 --> 00:46:39,048
Maybe the greatest sporting prospect
at that time ever.
927
00:46:39,048 --> 00:46:41,801
Probably could have gone on and been
a Hall of Famer in major league baseball,
928
00:46:41,801 --> 00:46:44,971
but he was also
the quintessential golden boy.
929
00:46:46,180 --> 00:46:47,974
California kid. That matters.
930
00:46:47,974 --> 00:46:51,227
Handsome, blond kid. That matters.
931
00:46:51,227 --> 00:46:54,105
The talent and the game to back it up.
932
00:46:54,105 --> 00:46:55,690
That matters.
933
00:46:56,190 --> 00:46:59,569
{\an8}So what you essentially have
in that Super Bowl game
934
00:46:59,569 --> 00:47:03,030
is Doug Williams playing the disruptor,
935
00:47:03,030 --> 00:47:05,658
not only to
the Broncos' Super Bowl chances,
936
00:47:05,658 --> 00:47:11,247
he's playing the disruptor
to the idea of the golden boy.
937
00:47:11,247 --> 00:47:14,542
And here is somebody who is
decidedly not golden,
938
00:47:14,542 --> 00:47:19,005
we're talking about from Louisiana,
from an HBCU.
939
00:47:19,005 --> 00:47:23,676
Someone whose career
had tremendous ups and downs,
940
00:47:23,676 --> 00:47:25,553
be coming off the bench to do this.
941
00:47:25,553 --> 00:47:29,807
Elway went on to submit
his golden boy status,
942
00:47:29,807 --> 00:47:31,976
but he didn't get it done that Sunday.
943
00:47:43,529 --> 00:47:44,739
[Vick] What's up, baby?
944
00:47:44,739 --> 00:47:48,618
[chuckles] Mike, what's happening, man?
945
00:47:48,618 --> 00:47:51,537
The house that Doug and Eddie built.
946
00:47:51,537 --> 00:47:54,206
[Williams] Hey, I-I-I was a layman.
I just rolled the seat in there.
947
00:47:57,043 --> 00:47:59,378
You know, when you talk about
this house, all Eddie Robinson.
948
00:47:59,378 --> 00:48:01,130
This is Eddie Robinson's vision.
949
00:48:01,130 --> 00:48:03,049
Unbelievable, man.
950
00:48:03,049 --> 00:48:05,885
So let me ask you this.
What prompted you to play quarterback?
951
00:48:05,885 --> 00:48:06,927
You know, throw the pill?
952
00:48:08,471 --> 00:48:10,306
[Williams] When I was ninth grade,
I was a little guy.
953
00:48:10,306 --> 00:48:12,683
- I was 5'5" in ninth grade.
- That's little. I was bigger than you.
954
00:48:12,683 --> 00:48:14,935
- Yeah, in ninth-- [laughs]
- [chuckles]
955
00:48:14,935 --> 00:48:19,482
Then going into my tenth-grade year,
you know, I went up to 6 feet tall.
956
00:48:19,482 --> 00:48:22,610
By junior year,
Coach put me in as quarterback that year.
957
00:48:22,610 --> 00:48:26,280
And I stayed there, and, you know, I was
small in school. Wasn't recruited a lot.
958
00:48:26,280 --> 00:48:29,617
{\an8}The SEC was not playing
a Black quarterback.
959
00:48:29,617 --> 00:48:30,534
[Vick] Okay.
960
00:48:30,534 --> 00:48:32,912
[Williams] The only guy that had played
in the SEC was Condredge Holloway,
961
00:48:32,912 --> 00:48:34,455
- who had played with Tennessee.
- Right.
962
00:48:34,455 --> 00:48:36,499
[Williams]
So schools like that didn't recruit me.
963
00:48:36,499 --> 00:48:38,167
But Jackson State, Tennessee State,
964
00:48:38,167 --> 00:48:41,671
Mississippi Valley, uh,
Southern University, and Grambling.
965
00:48:41,671 --> 00:48:44,340
And, you know, every Sunday,
Coach Rob was on TV.
966
00:48:44,340 --> 00:48:46,759
- [Vick] Right. Couldn't beat that.
- All they did was win.
967
00:48:46,759 --> 00:48:48,511
And my mom, to be honest with you,
968
00:48:48,511 --> 00:48:51,055
is the reason why I ended up at Grambling.
969
00:48:51,055 --> 00:48:52,390
Mom like, "You gotta go."
970
00:48:52,390 --> 00:48:56,060
And Coach Rob, bless his soul,
called my mom,
971
00:48:56,602 --> 00:48:58,104
- uh, late one night...
- Yeah.
972
00:48:58,104 --> 00:49:00,606
...and my mom came in
and shook me and woke me up.
973
00:49:00,606 --> 00:49:02,942
She said, "Hey, you going to Grambling."
974
00:49:03,693 --> 00:49:04,694
- I said, "What?"
-"What?"
975
00:49:04,694 --> 00:49:07,279
[Williams] She said, "I just got
off the phone with Coach Robinson.
976
00:49:07,279 --> 00:49:09,240
- He said you're going to class..."
- Mm-hmm.
977
00:49:09,240 --> 00:49:11,575
[Williams] "...you gonna graduate,
and you're gonna go to church."
978
00:49:11,575 --> 00:49:13,828
- [Vick] Mmm.
- That's all they had to say.
979
00:49:13,828 --> 00:49:16,914
[Vick] And so, you-you going
through this time playing quarterback,
980
00:49:16,914 --> 00:49:19,375
and you're starting to like it,
and then you're looking around
981
00:49:19,375 --> 00:49:21,877
and you don't see nobody
that look like you.
982
00:49:21,877 --> 00:49:25,297
So who was some of the quarterbacks
that you idolized growing up?
983
00:49:25,297 --> 00:49:29,802
The guy that-that resonated with me more
than anything is James "Shack" Harris.
984
00:49:29,802 --> 00:49:32,263
[commentator] Loads it up,
throws down deep.
985
00:49:32,263 --> 00:49:33,305
Got it! Touchdown.
986
00:49:33,305 --> 00:49:35,057
[Williams] He had played here before me,
987
00:49:35,057 --> 00:49:37,309
and Shack Harris used to always come back.
988
00:49:37,309 --> 00:49:39,729
[Vick] Wow. So Shack was a big influence.
989
00:49:39,729 --> 00:49:42,940
I was lucky, you know. I got
an older brother who I call my mentor.
990
00:49:42,940 --> 00:49:45,609
- But I got another brother, Shack Harris...
- Yeah.
991
00:49:45,609 --> 00:49:46,861
- [Williams] ...who was my mentor.
- Yeah.
992
00:49:46,861 --> 00:49:48,654
And that's why I'm going on this journey
993
00:49:48,654 --> 00:49:52,324
to talk about
the evolution of the position.
994
00:49:52,324 --> 00:49:54,910
A lot of people come up
to me and-and they say,
995
00:49:54,910 --> 00:49:57,455
"You changed the game." I'm like,
"It wasn't me that changed the game.
996
00:49:57,455 --> 00:49:59,415
It was Moon, it was Donovan, it was Doug."
997
00:49:59,415 --> 00:50:03,127
And so, it-it's an opportunity
for me to pay homage.
998
00:50:03,127 --> 00:50:06,255
But also to enlighten people
on how we got to where we are today.
999
00:50:06,255 --> 00:50:08,466
[Williams] Right.
Look around this league now.
1000
00:50:08,466 --> 00:50:13,095
I could be wrong,
but the next five to six, seven years,
1001
00:50:13,095 --> 00:50:16,015
half of the quarterbacks
in this league gonna be Black.
1002
00:50:16,015 --> 00:50:17,600
I like Brady.
1003
00:50:17,600 --> 00:50:19,310
- I like Aaron Rodgers.
- Yes.
1004
00:50:19,310 --> 00:50:22,354
But do the Black quarterback
give me a special interest? Yeah.
1005
00:50:22,354 --> 00:50:23,856
- That's being honest.
- Yeah. That's fair.
1006
00:50:23,856 --> 00:50:25,566
- There's a reason why though.
- Right.
1007
00:50:25,566 --> 00:50:28,778
Because a long, long time ago, we all
didn't have that opportunity to play.
1008
00:50:33,115 --> 00:50:35,075
When you watch the game today
1009
00:50:35,075 --> 00:50:38,954
and the quarterbacks, the Lamar Jacksons,
the Jalen Hurtses, the Kyler Murrays,
1010
00:50:38,954 --> 00:50:40,247
what do you say to yourself
1011
00:50:40,247 --> 00:50:44,043
knowing that it's a totally different era
than where you started?
1012
00:50:44,043 --> 00:50:46,545
[reporter] Coaches,
most of whom are White,
1013
00:50:46,545 --> 00:50:51,509
seem to believe that Blacks are
superior athletes but inferior thinkers.
1014
00:50:51,509 --> 00:50:54,053
[Williams] At the end of the day,
when I came in,
1015
00:50:54,053 --> 00:50:59,725
every article that was written was always
either Tampa's Black quarterback,
1016
00:50:59,725 --> 00:51:02,770
or Doug Williams,
the Black quarterback of Tampa.
1017
00:51:02,770 --> 00:51:05,064
- That-That-That is just not involved now...
- Right.
1018
00:51:05,064 --> 00:51:10,152
...and when you see Jalen and Lamar
and Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson,
1019
00:51:10,152 --> 00:51:13,322
now you got a chance.
Just watch them play, man,
1020
00:51:13,322 --> 00:51:14,865
and see how they play.
1021
00:51:14,865 --> 00:51:17,952
It tells you that the old myth
that there used to be,
1022
00:51:17,952 --> 00:51:19,954
we wasn't smart enough
to play that position.
1023
00:51:19,954 --> 00:51:20,996
[Vick] Yeah.
1024
00:51:20,996 --> 00:51:24,250
These guys doing the same thing that
anybody else has been doing for years.
1025
00:51:24,250 --> 00:51:28,254
It's just a matter of giving them
an opportunity to get it done.
1026
00:51:28,254 --> 00:51:32,174
And so you was drafted
in the first round to Tampa Bay.
1027
00:51:32,174 --> 00:51:34,593
A lot of people don't know,
but that's history within itself.
1028
00:51:35,594 --> 00:51:38,764
[Williams] When I came out, I was
the first... 17th pick in the first round,
1029
00:51:38,764 --> 00:51:40,349
but Tampa had the first pick.
1030
00:51:40,349 --> 00:51:42,768
- They traded to Houston...
- Ah.
1031
00:51:42,768 --> 00:51:46,272
[Williams] ...'cause they knew,
back in 1978, they knew.
1032
00:51:46,272 --> 00:51:48,941
Nobody was going to draft
a Black quarterback in the first round.
1033
00:51:48,941 --> 00:51:51,610
So they took their chances,
and I was sitting there when they picked,
1034
00:51:51,610 --> 00:51:53,487
which was all right with me.
1035
00:51:53,487 --> 00:51:54,780
Man asked Coach Robinson,
1036
00:51:54,780 --> 00:51:59,451
"What do you think it's gonna take
for Doug Williams to succeed in the NFL?"
1037
00:51:59,451 --> 00:52:01,453
An opportunity to play.
1038
00:52:01,453 --> 00:52:02,371
Just a chance.
1039
00:52:02,371 --> 00:52:03,622
And didn't say nothing else.
1040
00:52:03,622 --> 00:52:05,291
- That was it. That resonated.
- [chuckling]
1041
00:52:05,291 --> 00:52:06,584
[both chuckling]
1042
00:52:07,251 --> 00:52:10,254
[Williams] Joe Gibbs, well,
he was working at Tampa at that time
1043
00:52:10,254 --> 00:52:13,424
and told John McKay that
if we wanted a franchise quarterback,
1044
00:52:13,424 --> 00:52:14,967
we gotta draft the kid out of Grambling.
1045
00:52:14,967 --> 00:52:16,343
Let me say this.
1046
00:52:16,343 --> 00:52:19,972
John McKay didn't c-care anything about
the color of your skin.
1047
00:52:19,972 --> 00:52:21,682
It was about the athlete.
1048
00:52:21,682 --> 00:52:23,559
["Old Landmark" playing]
1049
00:52:25,144 --> 00:52:26,896
- ♪ Now let us all ♪
- ♪ All go back ♪
1050
00:52:26,896 --> 00:52:28,606
- ♪ Back to the old ♪
- ♪ Old landmark ♪
1051
00:52:28,606 --> 00:52:29,940
[commentator 1] Can you believe it?
1052
00:52:29,940 --> 00:52:32,026
- ♪ Go back to the old ♪
- ♪ Old landmark ♪
1053
00:52:32,026 --> 00:52:33,068
Could you play?
1054
00:52:33,652 --> 00:52:35,404
- ♪ Go back to the old landmark ♪
- ♪ Old landmark ♪
1055
00:52:35,404 --> 00:52:38,532
♪ Then we'll stay
In the service of the lord ♪
1056
00:52:38,532 --> 00:52:40,284
- ♪ Now let us kneel ♪
- ♪ Kneel and pray ♪
1057
00:52:40,284 --> 00:52:42,328
- ♪ Kneel in the old ♪
- ♪ Old time way ♪
1058
00:52:42,328 --> 00:52:46,165
Five years that I spent with
John McKay was five great years.
1059
00:52:46,165 --> 00:52:47,291
♪ Kneel and pray ♪
1060
00:52:47,291 --> 00:52:49,043
- ♪ In the old time way ♪
- ♪ Old time way ♪
1061
00:52:49,043 --> 00:52:50,502
- ♪ He will hear us and be ♪
- ♪ Hear us ♪
1062
00:52:50,502 --> 00:52:52,087
♪ We'll be given bread from heaven ♪
1063
00:52:52,087 --> 00:52:55,090
♪ He will feed us until we want no more ♪
1064
00:52:55,090 --> 00:52:56,300
♪ Preachers preach ♪
1065
00:52:56,300 --> 00:52:58,844
[commentator 2] He's got some room.
Gets a good block and in!
1066
00:52:58,844 --> 00:53:00,179
Dougie!
1067
00:53:00,179 --> 00:53:02,973
[commentator 2] Threw a bullet into
the end zone. Caught! Touchdown!
1068
00:53:02,973 --> 00:53:05,225
Holy moly.
1069
00:53:05,225 --> 00:53:06,894
♪ Sons and daughters buried in the water ♪
1070
00:53:06,894 --> 00:53:08,562
♪ Coming up shouting
Nobody doubting ♪
1071
00:53:08,562 --> 00:53:11,941
- ♪ Everybody ♪
- ♪ Happy in the service of the lord ♪
1072
00:53:11,941 --> 00:53:13,943
- [vocalizes]
- ♪ All go back ♪
1073
00:53:13,943 --> 00:53:15,277
[music ends]
1074
00:53:16,403 --> 00:53:20,324
[Vick] Still, going through those times,
you got hate mail.
1075
00:53:20,950 --> 00:53:23,327
[Williams] It wasn't easy.
When you're young, you don't know.
1076
00:53:23,327 --> 00:53:25,746
You open them and no address on it.
1077
00:53:25,746 --> 00:53:27,623
They say all types of things.
1078
00:53:27,623 --> 00:53:30,751
And there was a box that was,
I mean, nicely wrapped.
1079
00:53:30,751 --> 00:53:33,545
I don't know who would spend
that kind of time wrapping this box, man.
1080
00:53:33,545 --> 00:53:35,965
And I opened it, and-and lo and behold,
1081
00:53:35,965 --> 00:53:40,010
I opened this box, a rotten watermelon
and a note that say,
1082
00:53:40,010 --> 00:53:43,722
"Throw this to these N's."
[stammers] "They should catch this."
1083
00:53:43,722 --> 00:53:47,142
And that was the-the thing that took--
broke the camel's back.
1084
00:53:47,142 --> 00:53:51,146
From then on, if it was a no address,
no return address, I didn't even open it.
1085
00:53:51,146 --> 00:53:52,272
I threw it in the trash can.
1086
00:53:52,272 --> 00:53:53,691
My dad always told me,
1087
00:53:53,691 --> 00:53:58,278
"You got to be a couple of steps ahead
of the other guy to get a chance to play."
1088
00:53:58,278 --> 00:54:00,364
- Yeah.
- So I felt like everywhere I've been,
1089
00:54:00,364 --> 00:54:03,117
I was probably twice better
than the other guy,
1090
00:54:03,117 --> 00:54:04,660
I got a chance to shine.
1091
00:54:04,660 --> 00:54:05,911
John McKay was that guy.
1092
00:54:05,911 --> 00:54:09,456
[stammers] Joe Gibbs was that guy,
and I appreciate both of those guys
1093
00:54:09,456 --> 00:54:13,252
for-for looking at it and understanding
that he's the best talent.
1094
00:54:13,252 --> 00:54:15,295
- That he needs to play.
- [Vick] Right.
1095
00:54:17,881 --> 00:54:18,924
You mentioned Coach Gibbs.
1096
00:54:18,924 --> 00:54:21,593
So I just wanna know a little bit more
about that relationship.
1097
00:54:21,593 --> 00:54:24,555
The reason why I ended up in Washington
was because of Joe Gibbs.
1098
00:54:25,389 --> 00:54:30,144
I went to the USFL. When the USFL folded,
I got one phone call.
1099
00:54:30,144 --> 00:54:31,770
- Yeah. That was Joe.
- Joe Gibbs.
1100
00:54:31,770 --> 00:54:35,816
He asked me, could I come to-to Washington
to be the backup quarterback?
1101
00:54:35,816 --> 00:54:38,986
So I ended up in Washington in 1986.
1102
00:54:38,986 --> 00:54:40,571
- [stammers]
- That's it.
1103
00:54:40,571 --> 00:54:43,991
And you get to Washington in 1986.
Jay Schroeder's the starter.
1104
00:54:43,991 --> 00:54:45,868
You come in with a mind-set.
1105
00:54:45,868 --> 00:54:50,289
How did you end up on the field
and ultimately in the Super Bowl?
1106
00:54:50,289 --> 00:54:53,792
[Williams] I played one game in 1986.
I threw one pass.
1107
00:54:53,792 --> 00:54:56,962
That was another game. In the championship
game against the New York Giants,
1108
00:54:56,962 --> 00:54:59,548
Lawrence Taylor came off the edge,
and hit Jay Schroeder.
1109
00:55:00,132 --> 00:55:03,385
[commentator 1]
Schroeder down on one knee.
1110
00:55:03,385 --> 00:55:05,137
Coach Gibbs was gonna put me in the game.
1111
00:55:05,137 --> 00:55:07,723
So I ran halfway out on the field.
1112
00:55:07,723 --> 00:55:11,060
I'll never forget this, and I looked up,
Jay Schroeder waved me off,
1113
00:55:11,060 --> 00:55:12,019
- told me to get back...
- [sighs]
1114
00:55:12,019 --> 00:55:13,812
- ...and I did a U-turn.
- One of those.
1115
00:55:13,812 --> 00:55:17,357
[commentator 1] Schroeder waved him off
and said, "Get out of here. I'm okay."
1116
00:55:17,858 --> 00:55:20,778
[Williams] That was the worst moment
of my whole football career.
1117
00:55:20,778 --> 00:55:22,946
'87, the next season came up.
1118
00:55:22,946 --> 00:55:25,699
The first game of the year, he got hurt.
1119
00:55:25,699 --> 00:55:28,077
And I came off the bench,
and we beat Philadelphia,
1120
00:55:28,077 --> 00:55:30,162
- like, 34-24.
- [Vick] Yeah.
1121
00:55:30,162 --> 00:55:31,872
[commentator 2]
Touchdown, Washington Redskins.
1122
00:55:31,872 --> 00:55:33,999
[commentator 3] Oh,
he threaded the needle right there.
1123
00:55:33,999 --> 00:55:37,836
[Williams] And I guess the legend
of Doug Williams was beginning to be born.
1124
00:55:38,545 --> 00:55:40,047
We played up at Minnesota.
1125
00:55:40,047 --> 00:55:43,509
The last game of the year,
December 26th, and we was behind.
1126
00:55:43,509 --> 00:55:44,718
Coach Gibbs put me in.
1127
00:55:44,718 --> 00:55:46,220
I hit Ricky Sanders,
1128
00:55:46,220 --> 00:55:49,056
and we ended up kicking a field goal
and winning that game.
1129
00:55:49,056 --> 00:55:50,015
[teammates cheering]
1130
00:55:50,015 --> 00:55:51,350
[Gibbs] Way to go, man.
1131
00:55:51,350 --> 00:55:52,601
Way to go, Douglas.
1132
00:55:52,601 --> 00:55:55,270
And after the game,
Coach Gibbs's press conference,
1133
00:55:55,270 --> 00:55:58,440
nobody had an idea, and he said that
1134
00:55:58,440 --> 00:56:01,151
his starting quarterback for the playoffs
was going to be Doug Williams.
1135
00:56:01,151 --> 00:56:02,736
- So everybody was shocked.
- Statement.
1136
00:56:02,736 --> 00:56:04,738
[Williams] Everybody was shocked.
1137
00:56:05,572 --> 00:56:07,908
[Vick] And so,
you're going through this time,
1138
00:56:07,908 --> 00:56:09,409
you get to the Super Bowl.
1139
00:56:09,409 --> 00:56:10,828
Take us through that week.
1140
00:56:10,828 --> 00:56:12,704
What's going through your head, Doug?
1141
00:56:12,704 --> 00:56:15,124
'Cause now this is a big moment.
You making history.
1142
00:56:15,124 --> 00:56:16,834
Very big moment, man.
1143
00:56:16,834 --> 00:56:19,837
That whole week was
a week where everybody, these reporters,
1144
00:56:19,837 --> 00:56:22,005
- everybody camping out to get a story.
- Right.
1145
00:56:22,005 --> 00:56:24,383
And the story that week
was the Black quarterback...
1146
00:56:24,383 --> 00:56:25,843
- [Vick] Right.
- ...Doug Williams.
1147
00:56:27,386 --> 00:56:29,054
I wouldn't even come out of my room.
1148
00:56:29,054 --> 00:56:32,432
Jimmie Giles, my teammate in Tampa,
called me one night.
1149
00:56:32,432 --> 00:56:34,852
He said, "Hey, let's go to dinner."
I said, "Man, I ain't coming out there.
1150
00:56:34,852 --> 00:56:36,436
I don't want to be dealing
with the media."
1151
00:56:36,436 --> 00:56:37,896
- Right, right, right.
- Saturday morning,
1152
00:56:37,896 --> 00:56:41,066
I woke up, and I had a toothache
and I couldn't go, man.
1153
00:56:41,066 --> 00:56:43,652
He said, "Hey, you gotta do a root canal."
1154
00:56:43,652 --> 00:56:47,072
- [groans] So the day before the game?
- Saturday, the day before the game, man.
1155
00:56:47,072 --> 00:56:50,117
I sat in the... sat in the seat for
four hours and had a four-hour root canal.
1156
00:56:50,117 --> 00:56:53,745
I woke up the next morning, felt no pain.
1157
00:56:53,745 --> 00:56:54,830
- Wow.
- None.
1158
00:56:55,497 --> 00:56:56,999
Man, I-I could not believe it.
1159
00:56:56,999 --> 00:57:00,043
I got on that bus
and going into San Diego,
1160
00:57:00,043 --> 00:57:02,087
going out to Jack Murphy Stadium, man.
1161
00:57:03,005 --> 00:57:06,383
And so many things was going through
my mind as to how did I get here?
1162
00:57:06,383 --> 00:57:07,509
The people that I had to thank
1163
00:57:07,509 --> 00:57:08,719
- for getting me here...
- I can only imagine.
1164
00:57:08,719 --> 00:57:11,388
...and the people I had to tell
which way to go.
1165
00:57:11,388 --> 00:57:12,890
- Right. Right. Right.
- [laughs]
1166
00:57:13,807 --> 00:57:17,186
[reporter] Doug Williams,
he is a man about to step solidly
1167
00:57:17,186 --> 00:57:20,606
into the pages of social history today.
1168
00:57:20,606 --> 00:57:22,357
[Vick] Man,
that had to have been an exciting moment.
1169
00:57:22,357 --> 00:57:24,026
I'm seven years old, I watched the game.
1170
00:57:24,026 --> 00:57:25,110
You light it up.
1171
00:57:25,110 --> 00:57:27,821
[commentator 1] Williams going up top,
got Sanders on the fly at midfield.
1172
00:57:27,821 --> 00:57:30,949
He's gone. Touchdown, Washington Redskins!
1173
00:57:30,949 --> 00:57:34,745
[Vick] Went down ten,
came back and scored maybe 45 unanswered.
1174
00:57:34,745 --> 00:57:37,915
- [commentator 1] He's got it. Touchdown!
- [commentator 2] In the clear at the ten.
1175
00:57:37,915 --> 00:57:40,542
Touchdown, Washington Redskins!
1176
00:57:40,542 --> 00:57:43,337
[commentator 3] We are seeing
a virtuoso performance.
1177
00:57:43,337 --> 00:57:46,465
Doug Williams, he is having
a dream day for a quarterback.
1178
00:57:46,465 --> 00:57:48,675
This is history in the making.
1179
00:57:48,675 --> 00:57:51,261
[commentator 4] The first
Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
1180
00:57:51,261 --> 00:57:54,181
I hope he puts to bed once and for all
1181
00:57:54,181 --> 00:57:57,559
about the Black athlete
in professional football.
1182
00:57:57,559 --> 00:58:00,520
- When it was over, to walk off that field...
- Yeah.
1183
00:58:00,520 --> 00:58:03,523
- ...with my hand held high in the air...
- Yeah.
1184
00:58:03,523 --> 00:58:06,485
[Williams] ...man,
so many things was going across my mind.
1185
00:58:07,277 --> 00:58:10,656
You talk about the Super Bowl.
It ain't about me and my family.
1186
00:58:10,656 --> 00:58:12,991
It's about everywhere I go,
people always say,
1187
00:58:12,991 --> 00:58:14,618
- [Vick] Yeah.
-"Man, I remember that day."
1188
00:58:15,953 --> 00:58:18,288
[Vick] Doug,
why is winning the Super Bowl,
1189
00:58:18,288 --> 00:58:21,375
to this day, still so important for you?
1190
00:58:21,375 --> 00:58:26,213
Well, not only for me, but I think
for the National Football League.
1191
00:58:26,213 --> 00:58:31,468
The impact of a Black man getting a chance
to start in the Super Bowl,
1192
00:58:31,468 --> 00:58:34,429
win the Super Bowl and MVP.
1193
00:58:34,429 --> 00:58:37,933
If they write a story
on the National Football League,
1194
00:58:37,933 --> 00:58:39,726
could they leave you out of it?
1195
00:58:40,477 --> 00:58:42,312
- No.
- That's the impact.
1196
00:58:42,312 --> 00:58:44,106
- Wow.
- That's the impact.
1197
00:58:44,106 --> 00:58:45,816
- That sums it up right there.
- Yeah.
1198
00:58:45,816 --> 00:58:48,068
Wow, that sums it up. That's amazing.
1199
00:58:49,027 --> 00:58:52,114
[Vick] Sometimes a myth sticks
until it gets shattered.
1200
00:58:52,781 --> 00:58:57,452
The fact is, you can break the history
of the NFL down into two eras.
1201
00:58:57,953 --> 00:59:01,540
Before Doug Williams, many thought
Black men couldn't play quarterback.
1202
00:59:02,541 --> 00:59:06,461
After Doug Williams,
things would never be the same.
1203
00:59:06,461 --> 00:59:08,463
[crowd chanting]
We want Doug! We want Doug!