Growing up with a father like Patrick Lavon Mahomes, who played in the MLB from 1992-2003 with teams like the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and New York Mets, Patrick Mahomes’ first love was baseball.
Advertisement
Now, Tony Dungy, former Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts, explained that had Mahomes been born three decades prior, there were slim chances of him playing in the quarterback position, saying on the Hey Now pod:
“Patrick Mahomes would be playing baseball if he had been born 30 years ago.”
Having spent the majority of his time in MLB clubhouses, Mahomes had embraced the sport and was even drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2014. However, it was the Chiefs QB’s football skills that caught the eye of ex-Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, eventually leading him to choose football and the rest is history!
According to Dungy, the star QB never would’ve got the chance to realize his football prowess all thanks to the narrow vision of the league when they needed the QBs to be 6’5″, 240-pound drop-back passers with powerful arms, and most disgracefully, a white chap.
Thus, looking back, the three-time Super Bowl champion would have been well off pursuing baseball and becoming an MLB star.
As the conversation progressed, Dungy who led the Colts to glory in Super Bowl XLI recalled a turning point in the league’s history when the Buccaneers picked Grambling State University alum, Doug Williams in the 1978 NFL Draft–the first Black QB ever drafted in the first round.
The decision by Tampa Bay’s ex-offensive coordinator, Joe Gibbs paid off when the team punched the tickets to playoffs in three out of five seasons while Williams was playing in the team and also won Super Bowl XXII.
Williams’ start was the beginning of the much-needed gradual shift in the league’s attitude and legacy.
Keeping up with the story of evolution, Prime Video has dropped a trailer for “Evolution of the Black QB” which perfectly captures the story of how far the NFL has come in the last four decades.
Michael Vick reflects on his NFL journey
The eight-part docuseries will premiere on September 24 and will narrate the impact of Black QBs in the NFL after Doug Williams was drafted. The series will feature four-time Pro Bowler Michael Vick, who became the first African-American quarterback to be the first overall pick.
Sharing his excitement for the project, Vick reminisced his childhood dream of making his name in the NFL saying:
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be the first African American quarterback drafted No. 1. I was always told that I revolutionized the quarterback position, but I also like to give credit to the ones who I idolized as a kid and who paved the way like Randall Cunningham, Steve McNair and Donovan McNabb.”
Moreover, the “Evolution of the Black QB” also portrays insights from Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Dak Prescott, alongside legends such as Donovan McNabb and Cam Newton.
Despite all the hurdles against African-American players, fighting for the change has ultimately bore fruits–with notable achievements like Ravens star, Lamar Jackson’s MVP awards and the 2023 Super Bowl featuring two Black starting quarterbacks, Mahomes and Hurts.
