It was 35 years ago when Doug Williams made history by becoming the first Black quarterback to start in and win a Super Bowl, throwing for 340 yards and four touchdowns as Washington routed Denver, 42-10.
On Sunday, history will be made again as Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes square off in the first Super Bowl to feature two Black starting quarterbacks.
"I think it's something that's worthy of being noted and it is history," Hurts said. "I think it's come a long way. I think there's only been seven African American quarterbacks to play in the Super Bowl. To be the first for something is pretty cool. It'll be a good one."
It should not come as a surprise that the Eagles are involved in history regarding Black quarterbacks. The Eagles have reached the playoffs with five Black starting quarterbacks since 1988, starting with Randall Cunningham. Four of those five quarterbacks, including Hurts, earned Pro Bowl honors. When he arrived at Lincoln Financial Field for the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers, Hurts said that he felt "like royalty." Hurts is well aware of his place in the lineage of Black quarterbacks in Philadelphia.
"I've had a great example in front of me to come out here and remain steadfast and go attack. I truly try to stay in the moment," Hurts said in a roundtable interview with ESPN that featured two of the other esteemed Black quarterback to wear midnight green – Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick. "It's a true motivation in me watching them and then seeing how they played the game."
• Randall Cunningham – Cunningham graced the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline touting him as the "Ultimate Weapon." A player who was truly ahead of his time, Cunningham was a three-time Pro Bowl selection during his 11-year career in Philadelphia, throwing for nearly 23,000 yards and 150 touchdowns, while rushing for 4,482 yards and 22 more scores. For several years, Cunningham was the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback, until another former Eagle surpassed him.
• Rodney Peete – Peete took over for Cunningham in 1995 and guided the Eagles to the postseason after throwing for 2,326 yards and eight touchdowns. Once in the playoffs, Peete tied an Eagles single-game playoff record with three touchdown passes in the Wild Card win over the Lions. McNabb, in the interview with ESPN, said that Peete deserved to be recognized for his "game-changing role," showing that Black quarterbacks could operate as passers out of the pocket.
• Donovan McNabb – The franchise's all-time leader in a multitude of statistical categories, including passing yards, touchdowns, and completions, guided the Eagles to their second Super Bowl appearance in the 2004 season and won a total of nine playoff games – more than any quarterback in Eagles history. He was a six-time Pro Bowl selection, including five straight appearances from 2000-04. He was the runner-up for the MVP Award in his second season. He continued to thrive even after pundit Rush Limbaugh appeared on ESPN in the 2003 season and stated that McNabb was propped up because of the media's desire for a Black quarterback to succeed. McNabb led the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game that year and one year later was in the Super Bowl. After McNabb left following the 2009 season, the team didn't win another playoff game until the run to the Super Bowl eight years later.
• Michael Vick – Vick took over as the starter for McNabb and was the AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2010, throwing for 3,018 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for another 676 yards and nine scores. The Eagles won the NFC East in that season as well. During his five years with the Eagles, Vick surpassed Cunningham for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history.
• Jalen Hurts – And now the present. In only his second season as a starter, Hurts is a finalist for the MVP Award and an All-Pro after posting career highs in passing yards (3,701), passing touchdowns (22), and rushing touchdowns (13). Hurts is 16-1 as a starter this year, including playoffs. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for 10+ touchdowns in consecutive seasons. A year after becoming the youngest quarterback to start a playoff game in Eagles history, Hurts will join Mahomes as the youngest starting quarterback duo in Super Bowl history.
"I feel like I truly haven't done anything yet," Hurts said. "I've experienced a ton of different emotions playing the position and playing the game … if I want to accomplish something, I gotta work for it. I learned the importance of character, learned the importance of respecting and treating people right."
Hurts prides himself in being a "triple threat" with the ability to make plays with his arm, his legs, and his mind.
"You gotta be poised, but you gotta know what you are doing. You got to understand what you're seeing and that's the third threat. I feel like that's the most important threat, to be honest," Hurts said.
Hurts' predecessors are hoping that he can do the only thing that they were unable to do during their illustrious careers – win the Super Bowl.
"You're going to prove a lot of people wrong because people didn't believe you could get to this point," Vick said. "We always supported you from afar. We'll continue to do that. I've seen the potential. I'll just say that."
