Source: Montgomery Advertiser, Ala.儲存Jan. 05---- Jameis Winston was five days from being born, and Nick Marshall was a toddler when Charlie Ward and Tommie Frazier faced each other with a national title on the line.Twenty years ago, Ward led top-ranked Florida State against Frazier's No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 1994 Orange Bowl. The Seminoles won a classic, 18-16, but what Frazier and Ward did that night was inspire the next generation of black quarterbacks to believe they too could play for and win a ring.Since that 1994 title game, Tee Martin, Michael Vick, Vince Young, Troy Smith, Chris Leak, Cam Newton, Jordan Jefferson and Everett Golson have started in national title games.Frazier won back-to-back championships after falling to Ward and Seminoles. Martin (1998 Tennessee), Young (2005 Texas), Leak (2006 Florida) and Newton (2011 Auburn) won it all, too. Leak, who shared time with Tim Tebow, led the Gators past Smith and the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2007 title game.Monday will make the fourth straight year a black quarterback has started in the BCS title game. Jefferson (LSU 2012) and Golson (2013 Notre Dame) followed Newton and both lost to Alabama."It's amazing to see where the country has come in putting the best players behind the center," Florida State passing game coordinator Lawrence Dawsey said. "Look at them as players and not the color of their skin."There were black college quarterbacks decades before, but when you see someone who looks like you doing something you want to do, it makes you believe you can do it, too.It's not racial. It's reality. It's no different than Tom Brady wanting to be like Joe Montana.So when the likes of Young, Vick and Newton were making it happen on the biggest stage in college football, Winston and Marshall were watching.Young, who put on the one of the greatest shows in college football history in leading Texas over USC in the Rose Bowl, made Winston want to play for the Longhorns. Young rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns, threw for 267 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown with 19 seconds left."Texas was my favorite team," Winston said.Marshall looked up to Vick, who ironically lost to Florida State in the 2000 Sugar Bowl. Vick was a one-man show for Virginia Tech as he passed for 237 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 97 yards as a redshirt freshman."I don't remember too much about that game because I was kind of young, but I watched him," Marshall said. "When he came out of Virginia Tech and went to the Atlanta Falcons, the way he handled himself on the field? The things that he did, I tried to put that in my game. We're similar. He's just left handed. I'm right handed. We basically do the same things that I do."Those success stories made coaches realize it could sign a black quarterback build their offense around his strengths whether he's a passer like Winston or a runner with throwing ability like Marshall.Auburn's top three quarterbacks -- Marshall, Jeremy Johnson and Jonathan Wallace -- are black.The irony of Winston and Marshall being in Monday night's game is they were both recruited by a former black quarterback -- Auburn wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig.Craig pl迷你倉yed at Auburn where he set a single-season school record for passing yards with 3,277 in 1997."Those guys have done a great job of leading their teams," Craig said. "Nick was the first quarterback I recruited when I was at Florida State. I recruited Jameis to Florida State."It may be hard for our young generation to believe there was a time people thought African-Americans couldn't play quarterback. Blacks weren't considered smart enough.They couldn't handle pressure and weren't leaders, people said. They had poor throwing mechanics and were better off playing wide receiver, cornerback or running back.Those days are over. Now a player like Winston can have a wobble in his throw and not have that be a reason a coach determine he should play another position."All I know is that he throws the ball where he wants it to go," Florida State quarterback coach Randy Sanders said. "You watch Peyton (Manning), Peyton doesn't throw many spirals, either."Sometimes all of that is overrated. I always tell people there is a difference between being a thrower and a passer. A thrower always throws spirals and it looks pretty. A passer gets completions."The numerous quarterback camps with the 7-on-7 drills change things for the better for the black quarterbacks because they're getting more reps to get better and playing the position year round.Coaches have a great desire to find that special athlete who has the intangibles and skill set to play the position. They're looking for the dual-threat quarterback like Marshall who can take it to the house from 50 yards, scramble and complete passes under pressure, has a cannon arm and can execute the offense.Beyond all of that, black quarterbacks have competed and won championships. Winning precedes everything. When told about the historical ties of him and Marshall to when Ward and Frazier met in Miami, Winston said, "At the end of the day, whoever had the best football team won that game."When looking back at Ward and Frazier, they are eerily similar to Winston and Marshall.Ward came into that 1994 game as the Heisman Trophy winner. He was the thrower with an ability to pick up first downs with his feet. Frazier was considered the running quarterback who executed the option with precision and poise. He wasn't the best passer, but could make tough throws.Winston won the Heisman for Florida State this season. He can make all the throws, but is mobile enough to escape pressure and pick up yards on the ground. Marshall runs the read-option better than anyone in the country and can change the game in a hiccup with arm or legs.Above everything else, the two were winners. Winston and Marshall have proven they are winners, which will motivate the next generation of black quarterbacks to hoist that crystal ball one day.Marshall or Winston will do just that Monday night.(Reach Duane Rankin, an Advertiser sports writer and columnist at dmrankin@gannett.com" alt="" title=""> dmrankin@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @DuaneRankin).Copyright: ___ (c)2014 the Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.) 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