Trailblazing quarterback, wide receiver Marlin Briscoe dies at age 76

Former AFL and NFL player Marlin Briscoe, who was the first Black starting quarterback in the AFL, died Monday at age 76, his daughter told the Associated Press.

Briscoe starred at Nebraska-Omaha (then Omaha University) where he broke 22 school records and eventually earned a place in the College Football Hall of Fame. Briscoe was drafted by the Denver Broncos, who planned to move him to defensive back. But he impressed in camp and earned the starting quarterback job during his rookie season.

"The thing I remember is the support I got from my teammates and fans ... that was amazing," Briscoe told ESPN's Jason Reid in 2016. "Fans came up to me after the game. They were great. Back in those days, the fear was that white players wouldn't follow a Black quarterback and fans would be [angry]. That didn't happen.

"I understood the significance. I knew that I was the first and what that meant. If I did well, it would make it easier on other guys. But you have to understand: I had always been a quarterback. It's what I was meant to do. It wasn't a surprise to me. I just wanted to keep doing it."

That didn't come to fruition, and Briscoe was eventually forced to convert to wide receiver to continue his career. In 1970, the first season after the AFL-NFL merger, Briscoe earned Pro Bowl honors with the Buffalo Bills after finishing second in the league in both receptions (57) and receiving yards (1,036). 

Briscoe later won two Super Bowls as a member of the Miami Dolphins.

His daughter, Angela Marriott, said he died from pneumonia after he was hospitalized due to circulation issues in his legs.