Following his MVP performance in his final game in a Colorado Buffaloes uniform, Kordell Stewart knew he was a quarterback.
 
"My position is quarterback and if they try to put me at something else, they'll be cheating themselves because I have a lot to offer," Stewart said in the moments following the 1995 Fiesta Bowl. "I can pass the ball. I can run the ball and I can read defenses. I feel I'm an all-around quarterback and capable of getting the job done."
 
His numbers in Colorado's 41-24 win over Notre Dame on January 2, 1995, spoke for themselves. Stewart took home Offensive Player of the Game honors after throwing for 205 yards, rushing for 143 more – on just seven attempts – and accounting for two touchdowns, one each through the air and on the ground. He became the first quarterback in Fiesta Bowl history to rush for 100-plus yards in a game and it took 24 more years before another quarterback (Clemson's Trevor Lawrence in 2019) threw for at least 200 yards and rushed for 100 yards in the same game.
 
"Kordell Stewart played in his last game and I think that he showed everybody that he's a top notch quarterback," said legendary Colorado Head Coach Bill McCartney in 1995. "I've always felt that he was."


 
The 1994-95 Colorado team was littered with future NFL Draft picks, including Michael Westbrook, the fourth overall pick in the 1995 Draft, Rashaan Salaam, the 1994 Heisman Trophy winner, and Shannon Clavelle, the 1995 Fiesta Bowl Defensive Player of the Game. With that roster, it was no surprise that the Buffaloes posted a school-record tying 11 wins and ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll. In the near three decades since, Colorado has yet to match that win total or finished a season ranked as high.
 
At the helm of the "mini pro team" as Stewart refers to them today, was the multi-faceted Stewart, who left quite a legacy in Boulder. Originally from New Orleans, Stewart finished his career as the Big Eight Conference's all-time leader in total offense (7,770 yards) and Colorado's career leader in passing yards (6,481). Stewart posted a 27-5-1 record as a starter (.833 winning percentage), the best of any Colorado quarterback in school history.
 
Despite the records and the accolades, including AP All-American, Stewart still faced doubts. A Black quarterback who could sling the ball 70 yards down the field and run a 4.4 40-yard dash, Stewart was in many ways, ahead of his time.
 
None of his numbers were enough to erase the perception that an athletic Black football player could not ultimately be an NFL franchise quarterback.
 
"Going back to the combine, I was asked the question: 'if we needed you to play another position, would you?' I say of course. What do you think I'm going to say? I understood when that question was asked, what I was in for," Stewart said. "Because we – as an organization – see his abilities in this player, which is something outside of a quarterback." 
 
While Doug Williams notably became the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl in 1988, the NFL had just three Black starting quarterbacks (Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, Jeff Blake) when Stewart entered the league as a second-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1995.
 
Unlike Cunningham, who like Stewart could be considered a pioneer of the modern day dual-threat quarterback, Stewart was not immediately afforded the opportunity to showcase himself as an NFL QB.
 
Sitting fourth on the Steelers' quarterback depth chart, Stewart did not see the field in Pittsburgh's first six games. However, something was brewing on the practice field.
 
"I remember getting out there at wide receiver (at practice), just running around to run routes," Stewart said. "(Starting quarterback) Neil (O'Donnell) sees me catching the ball, I throw it back to him and then I run a route at the top for him and I catch it with my hands. That's when Slash was born, but it was a voluntary thing."
 
Soon after, Slash was born because of his versatility (QB/WR/RB) to play multiple positions. With Slash in the fold, the Steelers took off.
 
Once Stewart received his first NFL touches, the Steelers reeled off an eight-game winning streak and advance to the Super Bowl against Dallas.
 
Ultimately placing fourth in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, Stewart finished his debut season with one passing, one rushing and one receiving touchdown while averaging 5.7 yards per rush and 16.8 yards per reception. Yet, Stewart remained steadfast in being a quarterback long-term.
 
Stewart played the Slash role for one more season before finally earning his chance as Pittsburgh's full-time quarterback during his third training camp. Becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 20 touchdowns and rush for at least 10 scores in the same season, Stewart guided the Steelers to the 1997 AFC Championship Game.
 
After temporarily losing his starting job at the start of the 2000 season, Stewart posted his best season in 2001, placing fourth in the MVP voting and making his only Pro Bowl. Stewart registered career-highs in passing yards (3,109) and rushing yards (537) and once again led the Steelers to the AFC Championship Game.
 
Stewart's style of play was an inspiration and the start of a trend for the likes of Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper and Michael Vick. Many others including Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson have since followed on the path Stewart paved.
 
"When you put it in perspective on what I was able to accomplish, and Doug Williams and Randall Cunningham, that road traveled was always uphill," Stewart said. "It was never a comfort zone, it's almost like you either had to win and win a certain way. Be perfect in what you do, or resort to having to be a wide receiver."
 
Stewart stands as the only player in NFL history with 75 passing, 35 rushing and five receiving touchdowns. Simply put, Stewart was a trailblazer.
 
Last year, three of the top four draft picks (Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson) were Black quarterbacks. Jackson and Hurts both threw for more than 3,500 yards and rushed for more than 600, with Justin Fields also throwing for 2,500+ yards and rushing for 600+ despite missing four games with an injury.
 
His impact was even apparent in the recent Vrbo Fiesta Bowl with Liberty's Kaidon Salter as one of only two quarterbacks, along with Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, to rush for 1,000 yards this season.
 
It may be easier for Black quarterbacks today, but ask Stewart, and he would not have it any other way.
 
"Let me do it again. I'd do it exactly the same way again. I would probably enjoy it a little bit more because of the perspective I have on it now. It's more appreciated now than it was then and even more because it's going full circle as we speak today."