Omaha Legend Passes Away

Omaha Legend Passes Away
Marlin Briscoe, seen here in a photo taken at UNO’s Al F. Caniglia Field circa 1965-1967. Briscoe was an NAIA All-American quarterback at then-Omaha University before becoming the first black starting quarterback in American professional football and a two-time Super Bowl champion. Photo by UNO Libraries & Special Collections.
June 28th, 2022 | UNO Athletics

Former Omaha quarterback Marlin Briscoe has died of pneumonia, his daughter announced Monday afternoon. He was 76.
 
Briscoe, an Omaha native who starred at South High School, set nearly two dozen school records while playing for Omaha U (which became UNO in 1968). Drafted 14th overall by the Denver Broncos, he was initially used as a defensive back, but a series of injuries to the team’s quarterbacks gave him an opportunity to switch positions. Briscoe made the most of it and stepped in to become the first black starting quarterback in pro football history during his 1968 rookie season.
 
Briscoe played for Omaha U in 1963-67 helping the team to a 27-11 overall record during his tenure. Briscoe led Omaha to three conference championships and set 22 records, including 52 touchdown passes, 4,935 yards passing, a 55 percent completion record and a career total offense record of 6,253.
 
As a senior, Briscoe was named an NAIA All-American and also was named to the Michigan Chronicle’s All-American black team alongside LeRoy Keyes of Purdue and O.J. Simpson of Southern Cal.
 
In Denver, Briscoe took over for Steve Tensi in the middle of the 1968 season. He scored on a fourth-quarter 12-yard run against New England in a 20-17 loss and made pro football history. Against San Diego, he changed a play at the line and scored the winning touchdown on a 10- yard sneak with 1:55 left.
 
He finished the year with a Bronco rookie record 1,897 yards in total offense and 14 touchdown passes. Against Buffalo, he passed for 333 yards and four touchdowns, and several of his rookie records held until being surpassed by John Elway.
 
But at 5-10, Briscoe was considered by some to be too small to play quarterback in the NFL. He was released and landed in Buffalo, where he was converted to a receiver and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl after his second season in 1970. He was traded by the Bills to Miami after the 1971 season, joining the Dolphins in time to play a key role in their historic 17-0 season that culminated in a Super Bowl win.
 
Briscoe was one of the inaugural inductees into the UNO Athletic Hall of Fame in 1975. His personal life has sometimes been a roller coaster ride, which he detailed in his book The First Black Quarterback, which was released in 2002.

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