NFL's segregationist policies, after the league merged with the more tolerant AFL in 1970, more than 30% of the merged league's players were African American. The American Football League had the first Black placekicker in U.S. professional football, Gene Mingo of the Denver Broncos (Mingo's primary claim to fame, however, was as a running back, and was only secondarily a placekicker); and the first Black regular starting quarterback of the modern era, Marlin Briscoe of the Denver Broncos. Willie Thrower was a back-up quarterback who saw some action in the 1950s for the Chicago Bears. In 1954, running back Joe Perry of the San Francisco 49ers became the first Black player to be recognized as NFL Most Valuable Player, when United Press International named him pro football's player of the year. 21st century At the start of the 2014 season, NFL surveys revealed that the league was 68.7% African-American and 28.6% non-Hispanic white, with the remaining 2.7% comprising Asian/Pacific Islander, non-white Hispanics, and those preferring an other category. In the 21st century, the percentage of non-Hispanic white players has decreased slightly, falling from 29.0% in 2003 to 26.8% in 2019. The 2019 racial and gender report card included for the first time a two or more races option to which 9.6% of players reported themselves, thus resulting in a lower African American percentage at 58.9%. Scout.com national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins said: "I honestly think it’s harder for a white wide receiver than it is a black quarterback to get recruited at a high level in this day and age," Biggins said. "Unless you have an extreme skill set that jumps out." In recent decades the cornerback position has been played almost exclusively by black players, and the halfback/tailback position overwhelmingly so. From the time New York Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn played his final season for the team in 2002 until Troy Apke switched from free safety to cornerback in 2021, there were no white cornerbacks in the NFL. No white running back rushed for 1,000 rushing yards in a season between Craig James in 1985 and Peyton Hillis in 2010. Toby Gerhart alleged race was a factor in why four running backs were drafted ahead of him in the 2010 NFL Draft. There are also allegations that racial profiling exists at the lower levels of the game that discourages white players from playing halfback. Since the phaseout of the