In the work of fiction that accidentally got me into this business nine years ago, two modern-day college football players find themselves in 1960.
One of them is white, and the other is the product of a marriage between parents of different races.
The latter had been a quarterback. In 1960, however, he wasn’t permitted to play the position, despite his skills.
The passing of Steve McNair, a top-five draft pick during the days that I was cobbling the manuscript together on a machine with a 486 processor and ultra-sssslow dial-up Internet access, provides an opportunity to look at the manner in which the NFL has changed in the past 49 years, especially since McNair’s arrival to the league represents one of the ten most tangible developments that has eliminated, in most circles, the terms “white quarterback” and “black quarterback.”
Today, they’re all simply quarterbacks, and their successes and/or failures are determined by their performances on the field, not the color of their skin.
So here’s the list, as prepared for our friends at SportingNews.com.
