Marlin Briscoe obit

Marlin Briscoe, first Black starting quarterback in AFL, dies at 76

 

 He was not on the list.

Marlin Briscoe, who became the first Black starting quarterback in the American Football League more than 50 years ago, died Monday.

His daughter, Angela Marriott, told The Associated Press that Briscoe, 76, died of pneumonia at a hospital in Norwalk, California. He had been hospitalized with circulation issues in his legs.

Briscoe, an Omaha, Nebraska, native, was a star quarterback at Omaha University before the Denver Broncos drafted him as a cornerback in the 14th round in 1968. Briscoe told the team he'd return home to become a teacher if he couldn't get a tryout at quarterback. Denver agreed to an audition, and the 5-foot-10 dynamo nicknamed "The Magician" made the starting lineup on October 6.

Briscoe started five games that season. He was runner-up for AFL rookie of the year after passing for 1,589 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushing for 308 yards and three scores.

Denver didn't give him a chance to compete for the quarterback job in 1969, so he asked to be released. He became a Pro Bowl receiver with the Buffalo Bills and won two Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins. He was a receiver on the 1972 Dolphins team that finished with a perfect season.

Briscoe was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

Briscoe was 5-foot-10 and 177 pounds when the AFL's Broncos took him in the 14th round of the 1968 draft at the age of 22. The Broncos intended to convert Briscoe to cornerback, but Briscoe had negotiated for a chance to compete for the quarterback position.

On September 29, 1968, starter Steve Tensi suffered a broken collarbone, and backup Joe DiVito was spotty. Head coach Lou Saban summoned Briscoe from the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the Boston Patriots to give him a try. Briscoe's first play was a 22-yard completion. On his second series he orchestrated an 80-yard touchdown drive. He completed a 21-yard pass and ran for 38 more himself, carrying it the last 12 yards for the score.

A week later, on October 6, he became the first starting African-American quarterback in the AFL. Briscoe threw 14 touchdown passes that year in just 5 starts, including 4 on Nov 24 against Buffalo; both are still Broncos rookie records. He also threw for 335 yards in that game, a rookie record that stood until John Elway broke it in 1983, and one of only three 300+ yard rookie games in franchise history. He completed 41.5 percent of his passes, and averaged 7.1 yards per attempt and his 17.1 yards per completion led the American Football League (and ranks 18th all-time). He also ran for 308 yards and three touchdowns

Before the 1969 season started, Briscoe, still determined to play quarterback, discovered that head coach Saban intended to use Pete Liske as the starter, so he asked to be released. He went to the AFL's Buffalo Bills where he was turned into a receiver, since the Bills already had superstar Jack Kemp, former Pro Bowler Tom Flores, and James Harris, another black quarterback with a more prototypical 6-foot-4 and 210-pound frame. Briscoe never played quarterback again, but he enjoyed a splendid career. He led Buffalo in touchdown catches in each of his three seasons there and in receptions twice. In 1970 he was in the top two in receptions and receiving yards and became an All-Pro.

After the AFL-NFL merger, he played in the National Football League from 1970 though 1976, mostly with American Football Conference teams. In 1971, the Bills traded Briscoe to the Miami Dolphins for the first-round draft pick used to take Joe Delamielleure, who developed as a Hall of Fame guard.

Briscoe went on to win a pair of Super Bowls. Briscoe led the undefeated 1972 team with four touchdown receptions and was the leading receiver on the Dolphins in 1973, catching more passes than future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Paul Warfield.

Briscoe made stops with the San Diego Chargers, and Detroit Lions before ending his career in 1976 with the New England Patriots. He had 10 receptions for 136 yards and 1 touchdown in 14 regular season games for the New England Patriots in 1976. He caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Steve Grogan in the Patriots 48–17 rout of the Oakland Raiders at Schaefer Stadium on October 3, 1976. Early in his career, Briscoe was intercepted by Boston Patriots AFL All Star Defensive Back Leroy Mitchell in Denver's 35–14 rout of the Patriots at Fenway Park on November 3, 1968. He is the only player to have been intercepted by a Patriot player and later to have caught a touchdown as a Patriot receiver.

A biopic film titled The Magician, based on Briscoe's life, has been under development for several years. Canadian actor Lyriq Bent has been approached to portray Briscoe in the film. In 2016, the University of Nebraska Omaha, Briscoe's alma mater, honored him by unveiling a statue.