MARLIN BRISCOE
Class of 1963
Inducted in 1999 & 2001 |
Marlin is one of just a handful that have been inducted into both the Hall of Fame and the Packer Sports Greats. He was inducted into the SHSAA Hall of Fame in 1999 and into the SHSAA Packer Sports Greats in 2001.
Marlin was selected all-city for football and basketball, starred at Omaha University's football program, was the first black quarterback in the National Football League. A nine-year career in the National Football League followed a stellar collegiate career at UNO. Mr. Briscoe became the first black quarterback in the NFL, at the time when it was believed that African-Americans couldn't lead a team on the field. Mr. Briscoe did what no one had done before. His performance on and off the field paved the way for future minority quarterbacks. As a rookie quarterback with the Denver Broncos, Mr. Briscoe set a NFL record by throwing 14 touchdown passes in 11 games. However, he never played quarterback again. After a year playing ball in Canada, Marlin returned to the NFL where he was named All-Pro with the Buffalo Bills and won two Superbowl rings with the 1973-74 Miami Dolphins. He says, "Upon graduating from SHS, I went to have a storybook career in professional football. However, there were some dark and turbulent times that followed those successes. It was the basics that I learned in South Omaha and SHS that helped get me through those storms that life brings." Marlin Briscoe is Assistant Project Manager at the Watts-Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club in Los Angeles. He spends his life working with kids and teaching them the step-by-step persistence in life that has served him so well in his own life. He now spends his life working with kids and teaching them the step-by-step persistence in life that has served him so well in his own life. In 2014, a street in South Omaha was renamed Marlin Briscoe Way honoring Marlin Briscoe. Marlin passed away in June 2022 at the age of 76. |