Doug Williams and the Super Bowl That Changed the NFL
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 28 January 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, for decades, Black athletes were welcomed in nearly every position in professional football, except one. Quarterback was considered a “thinking man’s” role, and many coaches and owners believed Black players did not belong there.
That belief collapsed in 1988 when Doug Williams, a backup QB who had been out of the leauge for a few years, led Washington to a Super Bowl victory over the John Elway–led Denver Broncos, becoming the first Black quarterback to lift the Lombardi Trophy. Sports historian John Eisenberg, author of Rocket Men, shares the story of the barriers Williams faced, the racism he endured, and the performance that permanently changed the NFL.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.3 | Guaranteed human. |
| 0:14.1 | And we return to Our American Stories. |
| 0:17.0 | In 2020, Patrick Mahomes signed what was then the largest contract in sports history, |
| 0:23.7 | a 10-year $450 million extension, right after his first Super Bowl victory. |
| 0:29.9 | In 1990, Doug Williams of the Washington Redskins would be paid $1 million, or about $2 million, |
| 0:37.1 | adjusted for inflation. |
| 0:39.1 | After winning the 1989 Super Bowl against the John Elway led Denver Broncos, |
| 0:44.4 | a huge feat, not just because the Broncos were favored, |
| 0:48.0 | but because Doug Williams would become the first black quarterback |
| 0:50.9 | to lift the Lombardi trophy. |
| 0:53.7 | Here to tell the story of how black men being an NFL |
| 0:57.0 | quarterback went from being a laughable idea to the heights of sports success is John Eisenberg, |
| 1:05.0 | author of Rocket Man, the black quarterbacks who revolutionized pro football. Take it away, John. |
| 1:11.9 | Quarterback in the NFL is probably the most prominent position in all of sports. |
| 1:18.2 | The quarterback has been football's center of attention. |
| 1:22.7 | Everybody wants to be the quarterback, whether it be in business or whether it be in sports. |
| 1:30.3 | They want to be the guy that makes the decisions. Did he lead his team to victory? That's what the quarterback, he's the general. |
| 1:34.3 | He's the general out there. |
| 1:36.3 | This glamorous occupation requires part leadership, part charisma. |
| 1:41.3 | There's fame and fortune for those who master it. |
| 1:43.3 | And in all of sports, there isn't another position quite like NFL quarterback. |
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