The Black Quarterback Bonanza

After three years in Buffalo, Harris joined the Los Angeles Rams and led them to post-season play from 1974 to 1976. Along the way, he became the MVP in the Pro Bowl, making him the first Black quarterback to earn that distinction.

Even with Harris' success, racial stereotypes and physical prototypes prevailed, preventing many other Blacks from getting a chance to show what they could do at quarterback in the NFL. If they didn't switch positions, many Blacks decided to switch leagues--joining the Canadian Football League, which embraced their versatility. That was the road Warren Moon traveled to the NFL. Even after he successfully engineered the University of Washington's pro-style offense and later led them to an upset Rose Bowl victory over Michigan, one NFL team after another suggested that he would do better at another position. Moon promptly took his talents to Canada, where he led the Edmonton Eskimos to five championships before returning to the U.S. to become the highest-paid player in the NFL after he signed a deal with the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) in 1984.

Perhaps this year's historic draft is an indication that fewer Black quarterbacks will have to travel the road Moon did to get a chance in the NFL. And McNabb, Smith and Culpepper are in the position to open more doors with their performances. "These guys have to go out and play without worrying about the color of their skin because the football isn't going to change and the size of the field isn't going to change," says Doug Williams, now head coach at Grambling State. "If they play the way they have during the past few years, they won't have any problem. But they have to have someone to play with them. You can't expect them to do it all."

African-American Quarterbacks In the NFL

TONY BANKS, Baltimore Ravens
CHARLIE BATCH, Detroit Lions(*)
MICHAEL BISHOP, New England Patriots
JEFF BLAKE, Cincinnati Bengals(*)
AARON BROOKS, Green Bay Packers
DAMEYUNE CRAIG, Carolina Panthers
CULPEPPER, Minnesota Vikings
RANDALL CUNNINGHAM, Minnesota Vikings(*)
DUANTE HAUN KING, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
RAY LUCAS, New York Jets
DONOVAN McNABB, Philadelphia Eagles
STEVE McNAIR, Tennessee Titans(*)
WARREN MOON, Kansas City Chiefs
RODNEY PEETE, Washington Redskins
AKILI SMITH, Cincinnati Bengals
KORDELL STEWART, Pittsburgh Steelers(*)
ANTHONY WRIGHT, Pittsburgh Steelers

(*) Indicates starting quarterback3