History will be made on Sunday at Super Bowl LVII when Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles take the field at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ.
It will be the first time in the history of the Super Bowl that there will be two black starting quarterbacks. Hurts is trying to become the fourth black quarterback to lead a team to a Super Bowl victory. Mahomes is trying to become the first to lead his team to two Super Bowl championships. He joined Doug Williams and Russell Wilson when he led the Chiefs to a victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
For Hurts, he is joining a very special fraternity in Philly. He is following in a tradition of successful black quarterbacks to don the Eagles’ uniform. During Black History Month, if one wants to study the history of black quarterbacks in the National Football League, a whole separate chapter can be reserved for the Philadelphia Eagles. For decades, the Eagles have consistently employed black starting quarterbacks and they have thrived with Pro Bowls, playoff appearances and Super Bowls. Since 1988, the Eagles have had five black quarterbacks who have led them to the playoffs, with four earning All-Pro honors.
The first was Randall Cunningham, an electrifying athlete from UNLV who made three Pro Bowls with his big throwing arm and great running ability. Cunningham was one the forerunners to the great dual-threat quarterbacks that we see all over the league today. He held the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback for many years. Cunningham was replaced by Rodney Peete, who led the Eagles to a playoff berth in 1995.
Next on the list was Donovan McNabb, who was the subject of boos from Eagles fans on draft day when he was picked out of Syracuse. McNabb went on to become one of the most successful players in the history of the Eagles franchise. A six-time Pro-Bowl selection, McNabb led the Eagles to five NFC championship games and a berth in the Super Bowl in 2004.
Taking over for McNabb under center for Philadelphia was Michael Vick, who was a star for the Atlanta Falcons before his off-the-field troubles took him out of the game. Vick was able to resurrect his career and Philadelphia as he was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2010 after leading the Eagles to a NFC East title.
Nearly a decade after Vick’s departure from Philly, the Eagles are now in the capable hands of Hurts, who is an All-Pro selection and a finalist for the Most Valuable Player award this season. He has also proven to be a tremendous leader despite being such a young player in just his second season.
