Today in our History – January 31, 1988 - Doug Williams and the Washington Redskins defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.
GM – LIF – Today’s American Champion is an American football executive and former quarterback and coach. Williams is best known for his performance with the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXII against the Denver Broncos, being named Super Bowl MVP for his efforts.
He passed for 340 yards and four touchdowns, a single-quarter record which he set in the second quarter, to win the game, making him the first African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
Following his playing career, Williams began coaching after his playing career, most notably serving as the head coach of the Grambling State Tigers. In addition to being a coach, Williams has been a team executive for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Virginia Destroyers, and Redskins. ENJOY!
Remember – “Never give up, never give in, and when the upper hand is ours, may we have the ability to handle the win with the dignity that we absorbed the loss.” - Doug Williams
Today in our History – January 31, 1988 - Doug Williams and the Washington Redskins defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.
Super Bowl XXII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins and American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1987 season.
The Redskins defeated the Broncos by the score of 42–10, winning their second Super Bowl. The game was played on January 31, 1988 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, the first time that the Super Bowl was played in that city.
This Super Bowl came at the end of a season that was shortened by a players' strike. Each team only missed one regular season game due to the labor dispute, but three games were played mostly with replacement players until the dispute was settled.
The Broncos were making their second consecutive (and third overall) Super Bowl appearance, after posting a 10–4–1 regular season record, largely through the strength of their quarterback, John Elway. The Redskins, who were making their fourth Super Bowl appearance, posted an 11–4 regular season record. Washington was led by quarterback Doug Williams, who entered the season as a backup, and was 0-2 as a starter during the regular season.
He ended up leading Washington to their two playoff victories. In doing so, he became the first African American quarterback ever to start in an NFL league championship game, let alone a Super Bowl.
After trailing 10–0 at the end of the first quarter of Super Bowl XXII, the Redskins scored 42 unanswered points, including a record-breaking 35 points in the second quarter, and setting several other Super Bowl records.
Williams, who was named the Super Bowl MVP, completed 18 of 29 passes for a Super Bowl record 340 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception. He also became the first player in Super Bowl history to pass for four touchdowns in a single quarter, and four in a half. Williams became the first African American starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
In 2015, on the occasion of Super Bowl 50, Slate writer Justin Peters watched all the games over a two-month period. He considered Super Bowl XXII to be the best Super Bowl ever, declaring it was, "The most significant Super Bowl ever played.
The most unlikely comeback from the most unlikely quarterback, Doug Williams, who led his team to score 35 points in the second quarter: a single-quarter Super Bowl scoring record that still stands!" Research more about Black quarterbacks in the NFL and share it with your babies. Make it a champion day!