Marlin Briscoe, 1st Black starting QB in AFL, dies at 76

Marlin Briscoe, who became the first Black starting quarterback in the American Football League more than 50 years ago, died Monday. He was 76.

His daughter, Angela Marriott, told The Associated Press that Briscoe 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 for 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 gave him a chance, and the 5-foot-10 dynamo nicknamed “The Magician” nearly rallied the Broncos to victory as a reserve against the Boston Patriots on Sept. 29. He earned the historic first start a week later.

“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.”

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 Briscoe a chance to compete for the quarterback job in 1969 and did not offer an explanation, so Briscoe asked to be released.

Booker Edgerson, a Buffalo Bills cornerback in 1968, recalls Briscoe passing for 335 yards and four touchdowns in a 3432 Denver win. Edgerson, a 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. Edgerson recalls Briscoe telling him he didn’t feel the Broncos were ready to fully commit to a Black quarterback.

“He would have been one of the top quarterbacks that they’d be talking about right now,” Edgerson said. “He would’ve been another ... he would have been in there before Warren Moon.”

Briscoe switched to receiver and 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.

“It was at the time when Black quarterbacks were being denied, so you tried to make sure you were best prepared for the opportunity when it came,” Harris said. “I was a lot better off because Briscoe was my roommate.”