How big a deal was it when Doug Williams won the Super Bowl?

[redskins55]

I'm curious, I was pretty young at the time and didn't really understand the significance of a black QB winning a Super Bowl. Was it overhyped, do you think, did it feel like a historic event to see him win it? What were your thoughts that night? How special was it to you?

It was a very big momment in the NFL, but an even bigger momment in the black community. So big in fact that Die Hard Cowboy fans were cheering for the Redskins to beat the Broncos. Even some Tampa Bay fans were converted into Redskins after they saw their former star QB win the SuperBowl with another team. Similar to the modern day Mark Brunell story, there will be alot of Redskin fans in Jacksonville if Mark takes us to the Super Bowl.

But I can remember watching that game and was amazed when he kept throwing beautiful arching passes to Clark and Sanders. I knew right then that I wanted to be a Washington Redskins fan.

The previous post by FranklinNoble is correct in noting that alot of people never backed the skins after they wouldnt intergrate the team. Thats a big reason why there are so many Dallas Cowboy fans in D.C now!

But, the impact of that momment would be revealed in later years as teams now view black QB's as proven winners and viable athletes at the Quarterback position.

[LeesburgSkinFan]

Who remembers the SNL the night before that Super Bowl? Carl Weathers portrayed Doug Williams a skit with Kevin Nealon as Brent Musberger and Phil Hartman as Jimmy the Greek.

[cyfar]

It was not until he was FORCED to integrate that he signed the team's first black player (quiz - who was it?)

Bobby Mitchell?

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I remember that game vividly. It was my 8th birthday and that was the first year I followed the Skins(or NFL football) from preseason to finish. I do remember looking around the league(of all the teams the Skins played that year) and noticing that we were the only team that had a black QB. When he won the bowl it was a really big deal to me and my friends in DC. I remember everyone sporting those white sweatshirts with Doug on the front. It was a big deal in DC, but I don't remember it getting a lot of press on the local media circuit.

[FunBunch7]

I think it was also very signifigant that Joe Gibbs "turned" over the team to Doug Williams at the end of the season. I rememebr it like it was yesterday...

In the season finale at Minnesota, Jay Schroder was struggling and Joe Gibbs gave him the hook and Doug cane in and led us to an overtime win. Then, Joe Gibbs announced that DW would be the starter for the playoffs.

We cam from 14-0 down to win in Chicago...(Darrell Green jumping over Cap Bosso on the 52 yard punt return for a TD highlighted the game)...then we beat the Vikings 17-10.

Then we go to San Diego to play Denver and all the hype was on them having lost the year before and I think we were 3 points under dogs. The rest is history.

But it's not like we started the season with a black starting QB and he led us the whole way...It was a great leap of faith for Gibbs to hand the keys to the cadilac to DW.

[DCMONEY]

It was big because the Skins won the Superbowl and because a black QB had never had the oppurtunity. The feat woulda been accomplished long ago had people of color been given the oppurtunity. Great day though. I remember Cowbum fans in my family talking smack in that 1st quarter. But when that 2nd quarter was started. It was on.