Sports: As a black quarterback, Steve McNair was a pioneer in the NFL
- He paved a path many QBs have gone down since. Vince Young? Donovan McNabb? Michael Vick? All three of them owe much to their success of Steve McNair, a black quarterback in an era where most of them were white. The 13-year NFL star, who retired last year, was an icon to many. Former Baltimore Ravens teammate Derrick Mason had this to say about his thrower last year: “When he came out in ’95, not many people were taking a chance on a lot of quarterbacks that played at small schools, much less a black quarterback back when there were so many stereotypes about African-American quarterbacks.” source