Quarterback Russell Wilson Sets A Milestone, And Everyone Shrugs : Code Switch : NPR: ...But a different, more interesting race-related thing happened last night: Russell Wilson became just the second black quarterback to ever win the Super Bowl. The knock on black signal-callers had always been that they were insufficiently cerebral and bad leaders — "natural athletes," the euphemism went, suggesting they got by on instinct rather than practiced skill. Lots of black kids who were standout quarterbacks in college were refashioned in the pros, moved to positions that were seen as better fits.
That was definitely the tenor back in 1988, when Washington's Doug Williams started in Super Bowl XXII in 1988 against the Broncos. Not too long before, Jimmy the Greek, a CBS sports commentator, had caused a firestorm when he argued that black people were more athletic than whites because of the way slave owners bred them. There were questions about whether a black quarterback could lead a team to victory. (Williams was also the first black quarterback ever selected in the
first round of the NFL draft.)
