SCOTTSDALE, AZ (December 12, 2024) – The National Quarterback Club (NQBC) announced today that Marlin Briscoe, Carson Palmer and Steve Spurrier will be inducted into the National Quarterback Club Hall of Fame at the 2024 NQBC Awards Dinner and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony presented by Fiesta Bowl on February 28, 2025. NQBC will also name the National Quarterback of the Year in professional, college, and high school ranks. The reception will begin at 5 p.m. at The Caesars Republic Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona, with the awards dinner and induction ceremony commencing at 6:30 p.m.
 
The National Quarterback Club honors uniquely courageous actions and believes that telling the stories of those who act with leadership and courage inspires future generations to follow that example.
 
"These awards represent not just great quarterbacks for performances on the field, but great men who have made a difference in their communities off the field since retiring from the game," said Don Kile, NQBC President. "For as long as we have known them, these men have demonstrated unstoppable determination in every aspect of their lives. They teach us, every day, that kindness is the most admirable of human qualities, and, in their own way, that success has no expiration date and success is no accident... that perseverance and courage matter."
 
For more information about the National Quarterback Club, the awards dinner, and the Hall of Fame induction ceremony visit www.nationalqbclub.com or www.fiestabowl.org/NQBC. A limited number of media credentials can be reserved by emailing info@nationalqbclub.com.

About the Class of 2024 Hall of Fame Inductees
 
Marlin Briscoe, nicknamed "The Magician", played nine seasons as a quarterback and wide receiver in the American Football League and National Football League. In October 1968, after being drafted in the 14^th round by the AFL's Denver Broncos, he became the first black starting quarterback in professional football.
 
He attended Omaha South High School, where he starred in several sports and played at running back for a football team and lead the Packers to a state championship.
 
After graduating from high school, Briscoe attended college at Omaha University (currently, University of Nebraska at Omaha) from 1963 to 1967. Playing quarterback, Briscoe led his team to a 27–11 record and three consecutive conference titles. He left with 22 school records, including completion percentage (55%), passing yards (4,935), touchdown passes (52), and total offensive yards (6,253). Briscoe was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
 
Briscoe was 5 ft 10 in and 177 pounds when the AFL's Denver Broncos took him in the fourteenth round of the 1968 draft. The Broncos intended to convert him to cornerback, but Briscoe had negotiated for a chance to compete for the quarterback position.
 
On September 29, 1968, Broncos starting quarterback, Steve Tensi, suffered a broken collarbone. Head coach Lou Saban summoned Briscoe from the sidelines in the fourth quarter. 
 
A week later, on October 6, Briscoe became professional football's first starting black quarterback. On November 24, Briscoe would throw for 335 yards and four TDs against Buffalo posting two Bronco rookie records that stood until John Elway broke them in 1983. He would log five starts that year and 14 touchdowns that season.
 
Before the 1969 season started, Briscoe, still determined to play quarterback, discovered that head coach Saban intended to use Pete Liske as the starter, so he asked to be released. He went to the AFL's Buffalo Bills where he was turned into a receiver, since the Bills already had superstar Jack Kemp, former Pro Bowler Tom Flores, and James "Shack" Harris. Briscoe led Buffalo in touchdown catches in each of his three seasons there and in receptions twice. In 1970, he was in the league's top two in receptions and receiving yards and became an All-Pro.
 
Briscoe would go on to win two Super Bowls during his career. Briscoe led the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins team with four touchdown receptions and was the leading receiver on the Dolphins in 1973.
 
Briscoe made stops with the San Diego Chargers and Detroit Lions, before ending his career in 1976 with the New England Patriots.
 
Briscoe died on June 27, 2022. His two daughters, Angela and Rebecca will be accepting the National Quarterback Hall of Fame honors on his behalf at a ceremony in Scottsdale, Arizona in February 2025.
 
Carson Palmer played 14 years of professional football in the National Football League, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals. He played college football for the USC Trojans, being named National Collegiate Quarterback of the Year by the National Quarterback Club as a senior in 2002.
 
At USC, Palmer was the Trojans starting quarterback for fourth consecutive seasons and proved himself to be the nation's top college quarterback during his senior year. After five years at USC, he finished his college career with 72 passing touchdowns, 49 interceptions, 927 completions, 1,569 attempts, and 11,818 passing yards. He was voted the winner of the 2002 Heisman Award, outpacing Iowa's Brad Banks and Penn State's Larry Johnson. Palmer was the fifth player and first quarterback from USC to win the award. Palmer was also the recipient of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and numerous other conference and national awards following his 2002 collegiate season. He played his last collegiate game in the 2003 Orange Bowl against #3 Iowa, finishing with 21 of 31 completions, 303 passing yards, and a touchdown, while also being named the game's MVP.
 
Following his senior season at USC, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Palmer first overall in the 2003 NFL draft. Unlike most quarterbacks drafted first overall, Palmer did not play at all during his rookie season; instead, he learned the position during games and in practice under head coach Marvin Lewis, quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese, and veteran quarterback Jon Kitna, who signed with the Bengals as an unrestricted free agent in 2001. After learning the position during his rookie season, Palmer was given the starting quarterback position for the 2004 season and started 13 games. Palmer would play eight seasons with the team. During his tenure in Cincinnati, he helped lead the team to its first winning season and playoff appearance in 15 years and was named to two Pro Bowls.
 
At the conclusion of the 2010 season, Palmer was traded to the Oakland Raiders, where he played two seasons before joining the Arizona Cardinals and head coach, Bruce Arians.
 
During his first year with the Cardinals, Palmer led the 2013 team to a 10–6 record and was ranked 8th in the NFL in passing yards with 4,274 yards, the most of his career. He also became the first player in NFL history to top 4,000 single season passing yards for three different teams. Palmer enjoyed his most successful year in 2015 when he led the Cardinals to a division title and an NFC Championship Game appearance. Palmer was also named to his third Pro Bowl and received second-team All-Pro honors.
 
In January 2018, Palmer announced his retirement from the NFL. At the time of his retirement, he was 12th all-time in both passing yards and passing touchdowns with 46,247 and 294, respectively. Palmer was inducted into the Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor in 2019 as the club's 18th inductee.
 
Upon his retirement following his 2017 season, Carson Palmer devoted time to his family, including his wife, Shaelyn and four children. The family shares a passionate dedication to giving children diagnosed with cancer and their families a chance to adventure and heal in nature by joining forces with Camp Rainbow Gold and the development of Hidden Paradise camp near his home in Sun Valley, Idaho.
 
Steve Spurrier played 10 years of professional football in the National Football League before coaching for 38 years. He is known widely as "Head Ball Coach." He played college football as a quarterback for the Florida Gators, where he won the 1966 Heisman Trophy. The San Francisco 49ers selected him in the first round of the 1967 NFL draft, and he spent a decade playing in the National Football League (NFL) mainly as a backup quarterback and punter. Spurrier was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986 and as a coach in 2017.
 
Spurrier attended Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee, where he played football, basketball and baseball for the Science Hill Hilltoppers. He received all-state selection honors in all three sports. Spurrier had an undefeated record in three years as a high school starting pitcher, averaged 22 points per game on the basketball court, and received High School All-American honors as the Hilltoppers' starting quarterback.
 
In the 1960s, NCAA Rules forbade college freshmen from playing in varsity competitions. Spurrier, therefore, spent his first year at Florida practicing with the varsity team and playing on the freshman team. As a sophomore, Spurrier shared the quarterback duties with returning senior starter, Tommy Shannon until late in the 1974 season, when Coach Ray Graves named Spurrier as the starter, here he remained the Gator's quarterback for the 1965 and 1966 seasons. As a senior, he was awarded many national recognitions, including the 1966 Heisman Trophy, the Walter Camp Memorial Trophy and consensus All-American honors.
 
Following his senior season at Florida, USC, the San Francisco 49ers selected Spurrier in the first round of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft, where he would spend five seasons backing up 49ers veteran, John Brodie. He would get his first start in 1973 and would play in SF until he was traded to the expansion franchise, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for the 1976 season. He would make stops at Denver and Miami before retiring his playing career.
 
After retiring as a player, Spurrier began a 38-year coaching career with jobs at six college and three professional programs. At each stop, Spurrier's teams were known for winning with aggressive and high-scoring offenses. Spurrier's 1989 Duke squad won the program's only ACC championship since 1962. He is the winningest coach in both Florida and South Carolina program history, making him the only coach to hold the record for most wins at two different SEC schools. Florida's streak of four consecutive SEC championships in the mid-1990s is the second-longest in conference history behind Bear Bryant's 1970s Alabama teams. And, when Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman Trophy during the Gators 1996 national championship season, Spurrier became the only Heisman Trophy winner to coach another Heisman Trophy winner.
 
The 1996 Gators captured their first-ever National Championship with a 52–20 win over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, avenging the Gators' sole regular-season loss to Florida State in Tallahassee.
 
Steve married his college sweetheart, Jerri, in September 1966, during his senior year at the University of Florida. He and Jerri remain staunch supporters Florida academics and athletics, including support for the Steve and Jerri Spurrier Endowment for Women's Athletics.
 
About the National Quarterback Club
The National Quarterback Club is guided by a comprehensive mission, a clear vision, and consistent values. Through its various award programs, the club recognizes outstanding athletes for their qualities and achievements on and off the playing field and serves as a model for comprehensive excellence in athletic achievement, academic success, and greater social affinity. In 1985, the National Quarterback Club began a tradition of hosting annual fundraising events to honor the National Quarterback of the Year in professional, collegiate, and high school ranks. Annual awards dinners have been hosted in great sports cities such as Washington D.C., Miami, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Charlotte, Green Bay, Denver, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Houston, and now makes its permanent home in Scottsdale, Arizona.
 
About the Fiesta Sports Foundation
Since 1971, the Fiesta Sports Foundation is a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans during and outside of college football bowl season. As a nonprofit organization, it is driven by its vision for the importance of community outreach and service. Through the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Rate Bowl and its year-round events, such as the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe, corporate partnerships and numerous community events throughout the year, the organization provides charitable giving to enhance Arizona nonprofit organizations that serve communities through youth, sports and education.