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Joseph Wiley Gilliam, Jr. (December 29, 1950 – December 25, 2000) was a professional football player, a quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. Primarily a backup, he started the first six games of the 1974 season.
Dec 27, 2000 · Joe Gilliam, who was one of the first blacks to be a starting pro quarterback when he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers' 1974 Super Bowl champions but who later slid into drug addiction and...
Feb 9, 2023 · Joe Gilliam was a star quarterback for Tennessee State who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1972. He made history in 1974 as the first Black QB to start on opening day, but his career was cut short by poor performance and off-field issues.
Checkout the latest stats for Joe Gilliam. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, college, draft, and more on Pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference ®
- December 29, 1950
Jul 21, 2018 · Joe Gilliam was the first African American QB named as the starter going into week one. He replaced Terry Bradshaw in the 1974 season after outplaying him in the preseason. The Steelers...
- Dan Gilliam
Nov 2, 2017 · Playing under a coach, Merritt, who bestowed legendary nicknames on players such as Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Joe “747” Adams, Gilliam was bestowed one of his own: Joe “Jefferson Street” Gilliam.
May 27, 2021 · Joe Gilliam made history in 1974 when he became the first African American quarterback to start for any team in the post-AFL-NFL merger. However, his career ended after he became addicted to drugs and alcohol, and his legacy was overlooked by the NFL.
