The Great Black Hope Doug Williams, Vince Evans, and The Making of The Black Quarterback

From a leading scholar of sports and race, a story of two pioneering Black quarterbacks--one who became the first to win a Super Bowl, and one who couldn't make it in the racist world of the NFL. The story of two pioneering Black quarterbacks--one who became the first to win a Super Bowl, and one who couldn't make it in the racist world of the NFL—and how they changed the face of America’s game for generations to come. There is no position in pro sports more recognizable, lucrative, and important than an NFL quarterback. But while the league itself has always been integrated, quarterbacking was the exclusive domain of white players for many years. When Doug Williams and Vince Evans arrived in the league in the late 1970s, Black players were often dismissed as lacking the skills of a QB. They got death threats, faced racist questions, and knew that a single mistake could end their careers.The Great Black Hope tells the twin stories of Vince Evans,an electrifying dual-threat quarterback ahead of his time,and of Doug Williams, the star of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins and the first Black quarterback to become a champion. Moore shows how easily Williams' triumphant story could have gone wrong and how his success changed the game and the country. A skillful blend of game-time drama and social commentary, this book captures unheralded heroes of the NFL and all that they meant, both on the field and off.