1974 Topps football card of former player Marlin Briscoe. “Marlin The Magician” started his pro career in 1968 with the American Football League’s Denver Broncos, entering training camp as the eighth quarterback on the team’s depth chart. He made the team, which was the AFL’s worst at the time, and injuries knocked out 2 other QBs. That meant when Briscoe broke the huddle on October 6, 1968 in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he became the first black starting quarterback in pro football history. After being released by the Broncos he moved on to Buffalo, where he was converted to wide receiver, a move that was made routinely with black QBs at the time. Briscoe went on to have a fine 9 year career as a receiver, playing on 2 Miami Super Bowl winning teams.