“He would have been one of the top quarterbacks that they’d be talking about right now,” a former teammate predicted if the Oakland-born Briscoe had been allowed to continue at QB.
Marlin Briscoe, who became the first Black starting quarterback in the American Football League more than 50 years ago, died Monday.
“He’s made an immense contribution to the sport,” Marriott said. “I hope that he continues to get recognized for the contributions that he made. He was so proud of that achievement.” In a start against the Buffalo Bills, Briscoe passed for 335 yards and four touchdowns. Booker Edgerson, a Bills cornerback at the time, recalls getting burned for one of those touchdowns. The former AFL All-Star and member of the Bills’ Wall of Fame believes Briscoe could have been a Hall of Fame quarterback if not for racism.
Briscoe became Edgerson’s teammate in Buffalo the next year. James Harris was Briscoe’s roommate with the Bills in 1969, and Briscoe helped Harris become the first Black quarterback in the AFL to open a season as a starter.