Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts Make History as First Two Opposing Black Starting Quarterbacks in Super Bowl


Super Bowl LVII, taking place in Glendale, AZ, will be played on February 12. When the whistle blows, for the first time in NFL history, the opposing quarterbacks – Kansas City Chiefs Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts – will be Black.

According to CNN, one of two achievements can happen once the game is over. Mahomes, who became the third Black quarterback to take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy, is looking to become the only one to do it more than once. Meanwhile, winning the Super Bowl would make Hurts the fourth Black Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

Sportscasting reported last year that Washington Redskins (now known as the Commanders) quarterback, Doug Williams lifted his team back in 1988 when they beat the Denver Broncos by a score of 42-10. After 21 Super Bowls had been played, he made history by breaking the racial barrier of a Black quarterback winning the NFL championship.

More than 25 years after that feat, current Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, in his second year of playing in the NFL (2014), became the second Black man to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. Coincidentally, Wilson, who was playing for the Seattle Seahawks back then, defeated the Denver Broncos. The Broncos have the distinction of being the first team to lose to two Black quarterbacks in the Super Bowl. And that result was also a blowout as the Seahawks beat them 43-8.

In 2020, Mahomes became the third Black quarterback to win the championship when the Chiefs won 31-20 against the San Francisco 49ers. At 24, he also has the distinction of being the youngest quarterback to win the Super Bowl.


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