With this weekend’s Super Bowl taking place during Black History Month, The Root felt it was a good time to celebrate several “firsts” in Black excellence in the NFL. We will recognize a few prominent accolades earned by people who have made their marks in the football league at the country’s biggest sporting event.
Suggested Reading
Doug Williams: First Black Quarterback To Start AND Win A Super Bowl Game
At Super Bowl XXII, Williams led his team, the Washington Redskins (Now known as the Washington Commanders), to the title game in the 1987-1988 season. The team reached the championship game with an 11-4 record. Although Williams started the season as a backup and lost his first two games as the starter, he adjusted and led the Redskins to the Super Bowl.
The Redskins fell behind 10-0, but went on a history-making streak by scoring the game’s next 42 points as they defeated the Denver Broncos 42-10. When Williams led the charge, the team scored 35 points in the second quarter, setting a Super Bowl record. The quarterback became the first player in NFL history to pass for four touchdowns in a single quarter and four in one half. With those stats and the performance, of course, Williams also became the first Black quarterback to win the Super Bowl MVP (Most Valuable Player).
Williams’ play challenged the notion that a Black quarterback could not lead a successful football team.
Patrick Mahomes Becomes First Black Quarterback To Win Multiple Super Bowls
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes took what Williams did one step, well, actually, two steps further when he won the 2020 Super Bowl. But three years later, in 2023, he became the first Black quarterback to win two Super Bowls. However, he wasn’t satisfied with that accomplishment and set his sights on becoming the first Black quarterback to win back-to-back Super Bowls, which he did, bringing the total to three, when the Chiefs won in 2024.
As the Chiefs did not make the playoffs this season, it doesn’t mean Mahomes is finished; we can expect more records to be broken if he returns to the Super Bowl. He also holds the record for the most appearances by a Black quarterback, with five.
Super Bowl LVII Featured Two Black Starting Quarterbacks For The First Time: Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts
While Mahomes had already made history by taking the team to this Super Bowl in 2023, Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts had to place his name in the history books when he led the Eagles to this season’s championship. Mahomes won the battle, but two years later, in the second Super Bowl game to feature two opposing Black quarterbacks, Hurts avenged his 2023 loss.
Tony Dungy Becomes First Black Coach To Win A Super Bowl in 2007
Dungy, who was a head coach for the Indianapolis Colts, led the franchise to the big game and the victory when they beat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
Super Bowl XLI Had Two Black Head Coaches For the First Time in NFL History: Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith
When Tony Dungy led the Colts to Super Bowl XLI in 2007, there was bound to be a Black head coach to hoist the trophy at the end of the game, as the Bears were led by Lovie Smith.
BONUS: Autumn Lockwood Becomes First Black Woman To Coach In a Super Bowl
In 2023, when the Eagles took on the Chiefs, Lockwood was on the coaching staff as an assistant sports performance coach for the Eagles. Before that, there had never been a woman coach at the Super Bowl.
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