"After that, there was nothing anyone could say, and still make sense," McCluskey says.

"The times are really changing," Glover says. "I think that stigma has been proven false. Now that some have been given a chance, that perception is falling rapidly."

McCluskey believes the reason there are few Blacks in the NFL is that they are not groomed in high school and college.

"Coaches would take a quick look and feel that Blacks did not have the knack to be drop-back passers," McCluskey says. "Consequently, they were switched to flanker or some other position once they got to college."

Clark says he has faced a similar stereotype.

"The only thing that bothers me is that when people see me play, they want to label me as a running quarterback," he says. "Everyone was saying before the year began that I couldn't throw the ball. In high school, I was a passing quarterback. I did your basic five-step drop."

Two weeks ago against Princeton, Clark had the best game of his collegiate career, completing 15 of 24 passes for 218 yards and throwing two touchdowns.

Testament

Clark's statistics--and his teammates--testify to his ability to throw well.

"He can throw, he definitely has an arm," defensive back Anthony Smith says. "When the ball comes to me when we are throwing the ball around, it looks like it's not coming that fast. But when it reaches me, it's a bullet. He reminds me of [Chicago Bears quarterback] Jim McMahon."

McCluskey says that while he believes that stereotypes of Black athletes have lost credibility, "Myths usually die a slow death."

"I would be surprised if things have changed in the backwoods of America," McCluskey says. "The stereotypes all go back to the doubts of whether or not Blacks can cut it intellectually. This hits at every stage, whether it's in the classroom or on the field."

Doubts about Blacks being intellectually capable of playing quarterback are just one of many stereotypes that Blacks have had to overcome. There has been a suspicion that whites on a football team might not listen to a Black in the huddle, McCluskey says.

"People did not believe that the other players on the team would respect a Black quarterback," says McCluskey. "Back when I played, there was the belief that Blacks lacked the ability to call plays, to make plays under pressure. A lot of it has to do with the culture."

Clark, who lives in Jackson, Mississippi, says he has never encountered that problem in high school or at Brown.