“If you come to Grambling,” Robinson advised Harris, “in four years, America will be ready for a Black quarterback.”
During these 4 years, Harris intently adopted the progress of different Black quarterbacks, usually heading to the library on Monday mornings to analysis how they’d performed that weekend. Harris stood 6-foot-4 and labored since highschool to customise his recreation because the pocket passer professional groups wished. But as he watched the careers of his contemporaries hit useless ends, he almost walked away from the game.
Harris made it clear to groups earlier than the 1969 draft that he wouldn’t change positions. When he was not drafted till the eighth spherical, he took it as his cue to as an alternative start a instructing and teaching profession.
“I just thought it wasn’t worth it,” Harris, 75, stated. “I had no chance.”
Robinson satisfied Harris to stick with soccer. If he didn’t, Robinson advised him, it could be even longer earlier than Black quarterbacks acquired a good alternative.
Harris reported to camp with the Buffalo Bills and was quickly throwing passes to Briscoe, who made historical past the earlier 12 months as the primary Black beginning quarterback. But after throwing for 14 touchdowns that season, a Denver Broncos rookie report, Briscoe was relegated to a backup function and finally signed with the Bills — as a receiver.
‘Joe Wouldn’t Have Done That’
After being drafted by the Patriots, Jackson appeared primed to catch on as a beginning quarterback. The league appeared to need this, too, as a result of Commissioner Pete Rozelle despatched an assistant to Boston as soon as every week to test in with Jackson and ask him how he was being handled. But the Patriots had employed a brand new coach, Clive Rush, after Jackson was drafted. No matter how he carried out in follow, Jackson stated, Rush would inform him, “Joe wouldn’t have done that,” referring to Joe Namath, whom he’d coached with the Jets.
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