Like Doug Williams, Coach Eddie Robinson’s words are valid today for Jalen Hurts: “All he needs is an opportunity.”
Robinson spoke those words in response to a reporter questioning whether or not Doug Williams’ would succeed in the National Football League before the 1978 NFL Draft. Coach Rob knew Williams would positively impact the league, just as his other disciple from Grambling, James “Shack” Harris, did when given the chance to lead a team.
Today, Williams and Harris are the founders of the HBCU Legacy Bowl, an event that allows NFL and other professional league representatives to meet and engage with 100 all-star football players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). One of the game’s MVPs, Xavier Smith from Florida A&M, caught the attention of the Los Angeles Rams and subsequently signed as an undrafted free agent.
I recall Williams telling me the legendary head coach wept at the stadium as he led Washington to victory in Super Bowl XXII. Coach Robinson was emotional for many reasons. Tears of joy for his pupil. Tears of joy for breaking down another barrier in football.
Williams won in 1987. It took 13 years for another HBCU legend, Steve McNair, to guide the Tennessee Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV. Unfortunately, a late rally by the Titans came up one yard short of winning the contest against the Rams.
On Sunday, Jalen Hurts once again battled Patrick Mahomes in a Super Bowl matchup of two black starting quarterbacks. This time, in the historic meeting, Hurts reached the pinnacle of professional football as the fourth black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl title. Also, Hurts, like Williams and Mahomes, became the game’s Most Valuable Player.
It wasn’t a mistake that an HBCU quarterback led a team to win a Lombardi Trophy. Coach Eddie Robinson prepared his mentees — James “Shack” Harris and Doug Williams — for the moment, but eventually, The Bayou Bullet brought home the hardware and the glory.
Knowing Williams, he was proud of the second matchup between Hurts and Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX. More so, the fact that Hurts became the fourth black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl title and MVP trophy.
After the HBCU legends Doug Williams (Grambling State) and Steve McNair (Alcorn State) started as the first two black quarterbacks in the NFL premier game, six others have followed.
Here’s a look at the eight black signal-callers starting in fifty-nine Super Bowls:
- Super Bowl XXII: Doug Williams – Washington, 1987 (MVP)
- Super Bowl XXXIV: Steve McNair – Tennessee Titans, 2000
- Super Bowl XXXIX: Donovan McNabb – Philadelphia Eagles, 2005
- Super Bowl XLVII: Colin Kaepernick – San Francisco 49ers, 2013
- Super Bowls XLVIII and XLIX: Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks, 2014 & 2015
- Super Bowl 50: Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers, 2016 *
- Super Bowls LIV, LV, LVII, LVIII, and LIX: Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, & 2025 (3x MVP)
- Super Bowls LVII and LIX: Jalen Hurts – Philadelphia Eagles – 2023 & 2025 (MVP)
(*NFL chose not to use Roman numerals for this game)
