Doug Williams, the first African American quarterback to start in a Super Bowl and be named MVP, was born on August 9, 1955 in Zachary, Louisiana. He was the sixth of eight children born to Robert and Laura Williams. Doug’s father, who was wounded in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, was a construction worker and a nightclub manager. His mother worked at a local school as a cook. Although they were poor, the Williams were a very close-knit family.

Doug began playing football at the age of seven. As a senior quarterback at Chaneyville High School, he threw for 1,180 yards and twenty-two touchdowns. Despite these impressive statistics, Southern University and Grambling State University were the only schools that recruited him. Because he was so impressed with Grambling coaching legend Eddie Robinson, Doug decided to become a Tiger.

During his sophomore year, after being red-shirted as a freshman, Doug began the season as the Tigers’ third string quarterback. He worked his way up the depth chart though and, following an injury to the team’s first-string quarterback, started every game for the remainder of the 1974 season. During the next three years of Doug’s college career, Grambling won 35 of 40 games and three straight Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships. In his senior year, Doug was named first-team All-American by the Associated Press and finished fourth in voting for the 1977 Heisman Trophy.

In the 1978 National Football League Draft, Doug was the first quarterback taken with the 17th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He won the starting quarterback job as a rookie and was named to the NFL’s All-Rookie team. In 1979, he led the Buccaneers to a 10-6 record and a trip to the NFC Championship game. Doug had his best season, statistically, in 1980 but the team missed the playoffs. The Buccaneers returned to postseason play however in 1981 and1982.

In 1983, tragedy struck. Doug’s wife, Janice Goss, whom he had married the year prior, began to experience severe headaches. A CAT scan revealed that she had a brain tumor. Surgery to remove the tumor was scheduled immediately but she died in the hospital one week later. Doug was shattered by the death of his wife and moved back to Zachary. During this time, his father also began to experience health problems and eventually had his legs amputated. In the midst of all this was an ongoing and difficult contract renegotiation, which ultimately led Doug to end his association with the Buccaneers.

Super Bowl Glory

The night before Super Bowl XXII, Doug experienced a severe toothache. He consulted the team dentist, who informed him that he needed a root canal immediately. He underwent the procedure and still took the field the next day in San Diego, CA, for the Washington Redskins. In the first quarter of the game, Doug badly twisted his knee but fought through the pain, leading the Redskins to a 42-10 trouncing of the Denver Broncos. Doug was named the Super Bowl MVP, setting Super Bowl records for yards passing (340), yards passing in a quarter (228), touchdown passes (4), and the longest completion (80 yards).

Doug retired from professional football in 1989, following a serious back injury. With his love for the game still strong, he coached high school football and taught physical education, before landing an assistant coaching position at the U.S. Naval Academy. Doug went on to serve as offensive coordinator for the Scottish Claymores of the World League and scouted for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. He also spent one year as the head football coach at Morehouse College.

In 1998, Doug took over for his mentor and legendary coach Eddie Robinson, being named just the second head football coach in the history of Grambling State University. After a highly successful six seasons as Tigers head coach, leading the team to an overall record of 52-18, Doug Williams returned to the NFL a player personnel executive for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he still works today. Doug was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001. He resides in Tampa, Florida with his wife Raunda and seven children: Ashley, Adrian, Doug, Jr., Jasmine, Laura, Temessia and Leta.