The National Football League is not what usually comes to mind when someone thinks of the late Martin Luther King Junior. But on the celebration of what would be King’s 77th birthday, there are occurrences in the NFL that make you remember King’s sacrifice. Next week the AFC Championship game features the New England Patriots visiting the Indianapolis Colts. The NFL Championship game features the New Orleans Saints visiting the Chicago Bears. In both cases, the home team features a Black coach.

This was still hard to imagine back when King delivered his famed “I have a Dream” speech. Just after King’s assassination, the NFL had its first Black starting quarterback, never mind a head coach. (That QB, Marlin Briscoe set an NFL rookie record with 14 TD passes in 11 games, but never played QB again after that first season.)

We all want the best teams (coach included) to win next Sunday, but even seeing Blacks coaching in high profile games proves the racists wrong. They said Blacks could never play QB, but it happened. They said Blacks lacked the mental ability to play, never mind coach. Now Blacks are doing both. When King died in 1968, who would have thought you would see Blacks coaching NFL teams in less than 40 years? This proves that America has been blessed, to provide opportunities to all who work hard for them.

I hope you all have a great Martin Luther King Jr. day. It is a day for all of America to celebrate, that we are the greatest nation on God’s green earth! Because America provides the greatest opportunities for anyone to excel and King tried as best he knew how to make that a reality.

Related post: Random Thoughts on Martin Luther King Jr. and The MLK Holiday