Why so few black punters in NFL history?

Marquette King knows some people consider punter a white man’s position.

“I’ve been told that,’’ said King, who plays for the Oakland Raiders and is the only African-American punter in the NFL. “I tried to stay away from the color part.’’

But King said he now takes pride in being a part of the small fraternity of African American punters in NFL history, and he has found a brother in Greg Coleman, who in 1977 became the NFL’s first black punter.

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“I am so proud of him,’’ Coleman told USA TODAY Sports of King. “It’s almost like a surrogate son because it’s been so long that another African-American punter has come along.’’

Only a handful of African Americans have established themselves as successful punters in the league and King is the first to do so since Reggie Roby retired in 1998. Through a mutual acquaintance, King met Coleman in 2011 when he was a senior at Fort Valley (Ga.) State and he asked Coleman for feedback.

Coleman, who played for the Minnesota Vikings during the majority of his 12-year NFL career that spanned 1977-88, said he offered limited advice on the physical aspects of King’s punting.

“He wasn’t as consistent as he needed to be, so we talked more about the mental aspect of punting,’’ Coleman said. “There was nothing I could do with his physical ability. I mean, he was already hitting the ball 50 yards and five-second hang times and all that stuff. I wasn’t going to screw with that.''

So why has it taken so long for another African American to emerge as a top-flight NFL punter? Coleman said the drought stems from economics.

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Most NFL punters, he said, fail to break into the league for at least a year or two after they’ve left from college. Without adequate financial support, some African-American NFL prospects must take a 9-to-5 job that leads them to give up on football, according to Coleman.

By contrast, Coleman said, punters who have financial help can afford to pay for trainers, nutritionists and other resources that increase the chances of making it the NFL.

“The other thing is, you’ve got to want to be a punter,’’ Coleman said. “You can have the physical ability, but you’ve got to want to be a punter. Because in my neighborhood (growing up), everybody wanted to be a running back, a wide receiver.’’

In that respect, King had two things going for him. First, in high school, he fell in love with punting.

“I wanted to kick the ball so high and far and basically kick the ball like nobody else can,’’ King said. “Shoot, man, I don’t care how hot or cold it is outside. Sometimes when it rained I would go out there and I would punt.’’

And after King’s senior year at Fort Valley State, he immediately went to work — in the NFL, after signing the Oakland Raiders.

Now five years into his pro career, he has joined Coleman and Roby as one of the few stellar African-American punters in NFL history.

Said Coleman: “He will certainly make people remember the name Marquette King."