Black Quarterback Pioneer: Remembering James Harris

I remember when I was a snot-nosed kid running around the streets of Philadelphia in the mid-1970s pretending to be either, former Miami Dolphins quarterback, Bob Griese or pulverizing fullback, Larry Csonka, while simultaneously cherishing my precious Topps football cards, many of which I still have to this very day.

At any rate, I distinctly remember looking at my card of former Los Angeles Rams quarterback, James Harris as if it were some sort of trophy to behold, because, back then, a black man playing quarterback in the NFL was a rarity of epic proportions.

Although the stigma of a black man not being competent enough to play the quarterback position has now been blown completely out of the water, I still remember Harris and his struggles to succeed against all odds as if it were only yesterday.
Unfortunately, I don't think many young African-Americans remember the sacrifices Harris made - or the injustices he had to put up with - for today's black quarterbacks to become as successful as they have been in recent years.

For those who do remember Harris and his struggles, I say kudos to you. For those who don't, here is everything you've ever wanted to know about the man who was one of the earliest African-American pioneers of the quarterback position in the NFL.

Born in 1947, Harris played college football at Grambling State University from 1965 to 1968 under the brilliant guidance of Hall of Fame head coach, Eddie Robinson (college football's winningest coach) and led Grambling to four consecutive outright or shared SWAC titles.

Harris was also named MVP of the 1967 Orange Blossum Classic and was drafted in the eighth round of the 1969 draft by the Buffalo Bills, joining fellow rookie, O.J. Simpson, in the starting backfield.

Harris was the first black player to start a season at quarterback and was also the second black player to start in any game as a quarterback in the modern era for a professional football team (Marlin Brisco of the Denver Broncos was the first in 1968).
Interestingly enough, a few of Harris's completions in 1969 went to Marlin Brisco, who had been traded to the Bills and was converted to wide receiver.

After three years with the Bills, Harris joined the Los Angeles Rams in 1972 and ended up splitting playing time with John Hadl, Ron Jaworski, and Pat Haden in head coach Chuck Knox's merry-go-round quarterback carousel.

After an up and down year in 1976 in which he had the highest passer rating in the NFL (89.8 percent) and the best individual performance of his career with 436 passing yards in a win against the Miami Dolphins, Harris ended the season on the bench after the Rams suffered their first regular season shut out in Los Angeles Coliseum history at the hands of the weak San Francisco 49ers.

In early 1977, Harris was traded to the San Diego Chargers to make room for Joe Namath - and to free up his #12 jersey for Namath as well. When Harris left the Rams, he had the highest career completion percentage of any quarterback in team history (55.4) and had been an integral part of four straight NFC West Championship teams.

Jolted by the trade and his confidence shot, Harris played three more years for the Chargers, without much success while his career unfortunately petered out at the end of the 1979 season.

Known by friends and family as "Shack", Harris is currently the vice president for player personnel for the Jacksonville Jaguars and has been inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame, the Grambling Athletic Hall of Fame, and Louisiana Sports Hall of fame. Harris also currently serves on the NFL subcommittee on college relations and remains one of the most influential (if not the most influential) black quarterback of all-time.

Simply put, were it not for the contributions of Harris, Doug Williams, the only black quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl title, may never have been given the chance to succeed in the NFL, which, in turn, may never have spawned many of today's current group of black quarterbacks.

Whether or not he ever gets the recognition he truly deserves, one thing is crystal clear, James Harris is a living legend who is in a cass all by himself.