EAST RUTHERFORD – Sixty minutes away from a Super Bowl title, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has a chance to make a special kind of history.
Wilson, the 25-year-old former third-round pick out of Wisconsin—via North Carolina State—has the chance to become the second African-American starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl joining former Washington Redskins QB Doug Williams.
The 5’11, 206-pound native of Cincinnati, Ohio is a two-time Pro Bowler and 2012 Pepsi NFL Rookie of The Year, threw for 3,357 yards and 26 touchdowns while rushing 539 yards and one touchdown.
Wilson’s 24 wins are the most ever for a quarterback in his first two seasons and his 26 passing touchdowns as a rookie tied with his opponent on Sunday—Peyton Manning.
If Wilson is able to somehow befuddle an underrated—yet stout and formidable—Denver Broncos defense, Wilson will join the aforementioned Williams and two-time former Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Joe Gilliam as the only three black QB’s to have a Super Bowl ring.
Williams—who fittingly defeated John Elway’s Broncos—in Super Bowl XXII, thanks to a record-setting performance in throwing four touchdowns in one quarter in a 42-10 rout, has set the standard for all modern-day black NFL quarterbacks for championship excellence.
Other black QB’s such as Warren Moon, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair, Kordell Stewart, Daunte Culpepper and Randall Cunningham came close, but could never quite close the deal. Wilson, thanks to his unique dual-threat abilities, has the chance to change all of that.
With current black quarterbacks such as Robert Griffin IIICam Newton, Colin Kaepernick , Terrelle Pryor and incoming black quarterbacks such as Teddy Bridgewater, offer hope and a golden opportunity for future Super Bowl success.
With Williams setting the standard of the past, could Wilson set a new one?