NFL Card Show - Marlin Briscoe

NFL CARD SHOW 

Marlin Briscoe

Writing my blog got me thinking about my roots as a fan of the NFL.  The first game I remember vividly was Super Bowl III played in 1969 between the Baltimore Colts of the NFL and the New York Jets of the AFL.   At about that same time I began to amass my football card collection.  I probably collected cards from grade one through grade seven.  Topps was the only card company at that time.  The cards came with the obligatory piece of cardboard style bubble gum.  

I am going to make each Wednesday show and tell for a card or two that I pull at random from my collection.  I hope you enjoy a trip down memory lane if this was your era, or a little history lesson if these cards are 10-20 

years older than you are.

The Denver Broncos drafted Marlin Briscoe in the 14th round of the 1968 draft.  In 1968 he became the first Black starting quarterback to start a professional game when he went 2-3 while starting five games for the then AFL Broncos.  The Broncos traded Briscoe to Buffalo after his rookie year.  Briscoe moved to wide receiver with the Bills and had his best year in 1970.  In that season he caught 57 passes for over 1000 yards and made the All Pro Team.  The Bills traded Briscoe to Miami after the 1971 Season.  While Briscoe caught fewer passes in Miami, he played on their 1972 and 1973 teams that won Super Bowls.  The 1972 Dolphins made history by going 14-0 in the regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs.  Briscoe was out of football by 1976 after playing for Detroit, San Diego, and New England.  He finished his career with 224 catches for 3500 yards and 30 touchdowns and made history twice along the way.