As the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrate the 50th anniversary of their 1974 Super Bowl-winning team, one story from that season is getting a little glossed over. That year, “Jefferson Street” Joe Gilliam became the first black quarterback of the modern era to earn a team’s starting job before the season began. Gilliam led the Steelers to a 4-1-1 start. But despite his winning ways, head coach Chuck Noll replaced Gilliam with Terry Bradshaw on the road to Pittsburgh’s first championship. For over a decade, documentary filmmaker Dexter Rogers has been spreading the word about Gilliam’s groundbreaking season.
Joe Gilliam filmmaker: “The NFL doesn’t want this story getting out”
