How Al Davis' 1968 shopping spree changed Eldridge Dickey's life

In the 1968 draft, the Raiders drafted two quarterbacks: Tennessee A&I quarterback Eldridge Dickey and Alabama’s Ken Stabler.  Dickey, the first black quarterback to be taken in the first round ever, was an exceptional athlete who dreamed of making history as the first black QB in the NFL.

The reasons behind Al Davis’ decision to draft Dickey are unclear.  According to some, he was indulging his maverick’s reputation.  Others say that he must have been impressed with the speed and athleticism of the ambidextrous quarterback.  There were also rumors that Al simply wanted to keep Dickey away from Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach Hank Stram.  Asked how he felt about drafting Dickey, a black player who hoped to become the first “Negro QB” in either pro league, Al Davis responded in a typical Al fashion: "I don't care if he's polka-dot."  

Even less clear is Al’s motivation to draft not one but two young QBs in addition to the veterans he already had at the time (Darryl Lamonica and George Blanda).   The Raiders QB spot certainly became crowded.

Upon arrival, Dickey was told that for the time being he was to play as WR, but if he wanted, he could also practice with the QBs in training camp.  In camp and pre-season, Dickey outperformed Stabler; nevertheless, the Raiders decided that he should play permanently as WR, not QB.

Dickey performed badly in his first year with the Raiders: he made just one catch for 34 yards and 6 punt returns for 48 yards in 11 games.  According to Marlin Briscoe (another black QB taken by the Broncos in the 14th round of the 1968 draft), “you could see from his body language that the position change was not sitting well with him.” After the 1968 season, Dickey hung around on injured reserve as a backup wide receiver and occasional training camp thrower.  He did not play in another game until 1971 where he made 4 catches for 78 yards with 1 touchdown.  Seven games into that season, he dropped a pass against the Chiefs that could have been a touchdown.  As a result, he was cut from the team.

There are those who speculate that the decision to start Dickey as WR instead of QB was influenced by the perception at the time that blacks are intellectually limited and therefore incapable of playing at QB.  I am not sure this is the case.  My own speculation is that Al went on a shopping spree that year (15 draftees!) and had a buyer’s regrets afterwards.  Whatever the reason, Eldridge Dickey could not cope with the disappointment. In 1984 he signed but never played for Denver Gold of the US Football League.  He resorted to drugs. 

Before dying on May 22, 2000 (stroke), Dickey had mended his ways and become a minister. In 2005, he was honored as the quarterback of the All-Time HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) football team.

Sources:

www.eldridgedickey.com

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1080833/index.htm

http://www.bqb-site.com/dickey2.htm

Wikipedia