Otis Livingston, Sports Anchor
On Monday, Darlene asked me what the most memorable thing about the Giants Super Bowl experience was.
Of course going to Glendale, Ariz. and covering the events leading up to the game was great. There are not enough words to tell how exciting watching the game and the subsequent coverage was. The parade was impressive as well. We hadn’t had one in the Canyon of Heroes since the New York Yankees defeated the New York Mets in the 2000 Subway Series. We knew we would have one that year, just which team was the question.
I have to say the best part of the experience was doing a story on Doug Williams on the 20th anniversary of his winning the Super Bowl MVP. Williams had an up and down career in the NFL. His ability was never questioned. He was hampered by being on a terrible Tampa Bay Buccaneers team for a couple seasons but went on to lead them to the playoffs three times. That doesn’t sound like much, but they hadn’t gone to the playoffs before he arrived and didn’t go again until 17 years after he left. He would leave after a contract dispute with owner Hugh Culverhouse. The fans blamed the fact they had such a long playoff drought on Culverhouse’s stubbornness.
After five seasons in Tampa, he played in the USFL’s Oklahoma Outlaws putting up impressive numbers in his two years there.
That league disbanded in 1986 leaving Williams to return to the NFL and play for the Redskins and Joe Gibbs. He initially served as a backup to Jay Schroeder but because of injuries he would eventually become the starter. He led the Redskins to the Super Bowl against John Elway and the Broncos. All he did was put up 340 yards and 4 touchdown passes. The Redskins scored a record 5 touchdowns in the second quarter still a Super Bowl record. Williams was awarded the games MVP award. He became the first black quarterback to appear in the big game and obviously the first to win the MVP.
The most impressive part of meeting him was the class he showed. He talked about being happy to carry the mantle of being an African American quarterback. At that time blacks weren’t thought to be intelligent enough to handle the intricacies and pressures that go along with being the teams signal caller. Many who played the position in college were switched to running back, wide receiver, or defensive back. He played for the legendary Eddie Robinson at Grambling State University. Robinson made sure he was prepared physically and mentally for playing at the next level.
The fact that he struggled and persevered was a testament to his upbringing and the life lessons he was taught at Grambling. On that sunny afternoon in January 1987, he stood at the top of the football world. On that day he felt like standing on a soap box and telling the world how wrong they were about him and the other black quarterbacks, but as he told me his mother would’ve probably given him a beating. Instead he humbly accepted his award with class. The NFL saw fit to honor him by letting him give the Vince Lombardi trophy to the victorious Giants on Sunday. It was a tremendous honor in recognition of his outstanding feat.
Since Williams there have been only two other African American quarterbacks to appear in the Super Bowl (Steve McNair and Donovan McNabb). He told me the NFL has made tremendous strides in diversity. There are a number of black quarterbacks in the league. One out of every four teams in the league has a black starting quarterback. He also said there is a long way to go both at that position and in management.
The league is better off thanks to Williams’ exploits on the field and the way he carried himself off it. By the way he played that historic game a day after a 6-hour root canal surgery to repair an abscess under a dental bridge. Making his accomplishment even more impressive.
