https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/18873/archive/files/ed58e9f8129aff41aac305e0118de6d4.pdf?Expires=1784764800&Signature=MzdIwz6VFaffpxGAm7SZ8e-OmLh4bSDDMuRLgR4iHuP%7ElW0-slWgf27TchIHOghi0%7E-9F0aRSy3E6xq-oOyTgg3qKpU993I9bq315JdY9eN55cYGog-Dh2r5E7KAHSUzOev4mxWQ9mm05Boz4jMUi3rSqcAZZOhJINYA955Sg1jsinhScYWP7W578gxcEkVWXSIOvyL4ubtr8sgucRMKl4CUDsATWZopE%7EKlU-iQPe9dK86lYyBqHQNE8-hEEUOIwazt61fmz72%7ENwDrPZhz-h4QPOKXqXP6GoRd7k6sDVtqZ3pGO%7EQweSypAjJ3HokemE0px9Cwf5z97uznLvRDZA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM c9bf8bc0a14404e47a88f59dc9830dfe PDF Text Text Marlin The Magician' Briscoe Is Happy Pro by Herb Vermaas Marlin "The Magician" Bris­ coe, who gave O maha U. fans many thrills with his scramb­ ling and pinpoint passing, says he once had doubts about his pro career; but is glad he stuck it out. Briscoe, in a telephone inter­ view from Miami, said he soug ht offers from pro clubs upon his graduation from then OU, wish­ ing to tryout at quarterb ack, but was turned down. Lot of Talent rived. They were in sad shape, particularly at quarterback." "Coach Lou Saban, (nowwith Buffalo,) had ten quarterbacks in training camp, including my­ self. It was like a big playpen." Good Arm Briscoe notes that Saban fin­ ally dec ided to make Tensi the starter. "He felt Tensi had a good arm, and the size to be a pro quarterback. Besides, the Broncos paid a lot of mo ney to acquire him from San Diego." Being a benchwarmer was frustrating for Briscoe, but he was glad for having made the team. "Considering all the frustrations I had gonethrough, it felt great just to be a part of a pro team." "I was really frustrated," said Briscoe. "I know I had a lot of talent, but no one in the NFL or the old AFL knew much about me." Briscoe continued to work out, hoping for an offer some­ It was not until the ninth game where during the summer of of the '68 season Briscoe saw 1968. "I felt like giving up at any action. Steve Tensi got hurt, times, but I decided to keep try­ and Marlin go t his chance. ing. I figured if I kept at it long "We played Buffalo and t hey enough, someone would give were a so -so team at that time. I me a call, and I was right. came in and started scramb­ "The Denver Broncos were ling around. I hit some hard up for a quarterback at the passes,and as the game went time. They had Steve Tensi, but along I gained confidence." they weren't sold on him. "We won the game when I hit Floyd Littl e with a 66 yard scor­ Cellar-dweller ing strike." "They told me they were Not Conviced willing to give me a tryout at Unfortunately for Briscoe, quarterback. And I gla dly ac­ cepted it. I was really thrilled. It Tensi recovered and Saban wasn't convinced he had found was like a dream come true." According to the "Magician," a sure quarterback. "He (Saban) told Tensi and I life in Denver was notrosy. "The Broncos were a perennial that both of u s would be given an equal chance to win the job. cellar-dwellar club when I ar­ But as it turned out, that was a lot of talk." "He always talked to Tensi and left me out in the darkabout things. So I played o ut my op­ tion during the 1969 season. I was thoroughly disgusted." Wide Receiver Briscoe then signed with Buf­ falo as a free agent. The Bills made him a wide receiver, d e­ spite his desire to be a quarter­ back. "I was really disappointed that the Bills did no t give me a shot at quarterback, but I was just glad to make the squad." If Marlin was disappointed, he didn't show it. He led the Amer­ ican Football Conference in pass receiving in 1970 with 57 catches for 857 yards and six touchdowns. "O. J. Simpson couldn't be­ lieve it when I told him I was not a receiver in coll ege. He really thought I was kidding." Laughing Stock But the Bills, like the Bron­ cos, were the laughing stock of the NFL when he was there. And he played out his option again. Briscoe said it wasn't be­ cause Lou Saban came to Buf­ falo from Denver, but he made it no secret he has never been an admirer of Saban since his Den­ ver days. "I was in disp ute with my contract," said Briscoe, "and that was the main r eason I left Buffalo." Traded to Maimi "But adding Lou Saban certainly did not persuade meto stay. So the Bills trad ed me to Miami w here I have been ever since." "When I cam to Miami I was faced with an other battle. This time I knew I would never havea shot at quarterback. The Dol­ phins had Bob Greise,who then was emerging into a star and has been one since." "They wanted me to be strictly a receiver. I k new the competition would be fierce, but I was determined to make the grade." Twilley Ahead "During my first season, Howard Twilley was ahead of me most of t he time. But I got a break, Twilley got hurt during the 1972 season, and I saw extensive action." Marlin, who has playedexten­ sively since, says teaming with Paul Warfield, the Dolphins AllPro receiver, has been a thrill. "He's so smooth ancf has made things so easy for our oth re­ er ceivers." Hopeful Briscoe, who has been in­ jured lately, is hopeful of re­ turning. "I'd like to get back into the lineup soon. Coach Shula still thinks I have a bright future in the NFL." Shula isn't t he only coach in the NFL who thinks Briscoe is a fine receiver. He certainly has given many defensive backs trouble. Briscoe says besides playing for Miami, th e biggest thrill for him is having played on two Super Bowl championship clubs. "Believe me , w hen I left col­ lege I wondered whether I would ever play in th e NFL, let alone play for a world cham­ pionship squad." � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gateway Newspaper Archive Description An account of the resource The Gateway Newspaper Archive was launched in 2007 as a UNO Centennial Project. UNO student newspaper The Gateway offers readers a glimpse into campus life. Articles, photos, advertisements, and specific dates can be searched in issues dating back to 1922 with more recent issues added on a regular schedule after the conclusion of the academic year. Relation A related resource The Gateway Newspaper Archive available at <a href="https://repository.unomaha.edu/islandora/object/unomaha%3Agateway">https://repository.unomaha.edu/islandora/object/unomaha%3Agateway</a> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Marlin 'The Magician' Briscoe is Happy Pro Subject The topic of the resource Briscoe, Marlin, 1945- Description An account of the resource Five years after Marlin Briscoe moved on from OU, the Gateway did a feature on his early pro career. After a frustrating year with the Denver Broncos, Briscoe signed with the Buffalo Bills, where he played as a wide receiver, though he would have preferred to be a quarterback. After that, he went to the Miami Dolphins, where he played on two Super Bowl championship squads. At the time the article was written, he was temporarily out of service due to an injury. Just days after this article was published, Briscoe would be deactivated by the Dolphins, squelching the optimism he expressed here. <br /><br />Source: Vermaas, Herb. "Marlin 'The Magician' Briscoe is Happy Pro." <em>Gateway</em>. November 13, 1974. Page 7. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Herb Vermaas Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Gateway Newspaper Archive, University of Nebraska at Omaha Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 13, 1974 Relation A related resource Gateway Newspaper Archive: <a href="https://repository.unomaha.edu/islandora/object/unomaha%3Agateway">https://repository.unomaha.edu/islandora/object/unomaha%3Agateway</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource clippings (information artifacts) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LH1O59G259_Briscoe_articles-027 African Americans Alumni Athletics Football Marlin Briscoe Municipal University of Omaha