The Dolphins' receiving corps was pretty much there for the purpose of picking up key first downs and keeping the defense honest so Csonka, Morris, and Kiick could waltz through hapless defenders. But receiver Marlin Briscoe, not as flashy or quick as Paul Warfield, has himself a claim to fame that no man can ever take away: He was the first black quarterback to start in the AFL, calling signals for the Denver Broncos as a rookie in 1968, which you may recognize as a rather historically important year in race relations.
You see, in the '60s, things were much different from and even racist-er than today. AFL and NFL execs simply weren't convinced that a black guy could handle the QB position, until Briscoe kicked down the door for all the Williamses, Cunninghams, Moons, and Newtons who followed. After a rookie campaign with Denver, Briscoe was switched to the receiver position for all of his subsequent seasons, grabbing two rings with the Dolphins before finishing out his career at San Diego, Detroit, and New England. Despite playing for the fabled '72 Dolphins as a receiver, Briscoe always considered himself a quarterback first. Asked what he considered to be his greatest pro accomplishment, he said, "Playing quarterback for the Denver Broncos and proving that a black man could lead... I proved [everyone] wrong, all the way to the pros."
Prove it he did, and perhaps soon, his story will get just a bit more exposure. According to IMDb, a feature film based on his life, from "Remember the Titans" scribe Gregory Allen Howard, is currently in development, sporting as its title Briscoe's nickname during his playing days: "The Magician."
