Up front, I fully agree with those who say that black men got a raw deal for many years when NFL teams were hiring coaches. It’s disgraceful that so many qualified black men never got a chance, while numerous unqualified white men got chance after chance after chance.
The situation in college football (where there are still just two black coaches in NCAA division 1 football) is still disgraceful.
But right now, the NFL has five black head coaches (Herman Edwards, Dennis Green, Lovie Smith, Marvin Lewis & Tony Dungy), and will shortly have its sixth (Romeo Crennell is headed to Cleveland).
Six black coaches out of thirty-two teams means that 18.75% of the NFL’s coaches will be black. In almost any OTHER business, that would be regarded as a large percentage (certainly, it’s higher thanm the percentage of blacks in America’s overall population).
So… does this mean the problem is, if not solved, close to solved? Is it STILL necessary to require teams to given token interviews to a black candidate for every opening?
Or will the perceived “problem” only be solved when 75% of the head coaches (like 75% of the NFL’s players) are black?
I think the NFL bears watching, becauser racism doesn’t disappear overnight, but I’m inclined to say “Things are good and getting better.” I don’t see any reason that to make teams jump through hoops (wasting their time AND the time of the black men given token interviews) to give the appearance of fairness when the numbers (18.75%) indicate that the hiring process is already becoming very fair.
Art Shell interviewed for the Miami job a few weeks ago, even though they had already decided that they wanted Nick Saban. I think it’s demeaning to be the token black guy they interview, but if they don’t the team gets fined and possibly even loses draft picks.
If a team already knows who they want, why should they put anyone through a token interview? It’s kind of like if I had a job opening to fill and I wanted to hire a guy from an old job because I know him and I know we work well together, but then HR says I have to interview at least three for the job. If I already know who I’m going to hire, why should I waste my and the other two applicants’ time?
I’m not sure what the spur for the OP is, but I guess I’ll weigh in. Bear in mind that I don’t really follow sports, so my post will probably have more questions than answers.
First, I’d have to know what the percentage of black players in the NFL is. 18% might be very good in proportion to overall population, but horrible if 50% of your players are black.
I also wonder when these coaches will no longer be seen as tokens. It seems like an automatic response for some people whenever they see a minority in a position of power. I am not accusing the OP of that in any way, but I would like some insight as to the motivation behind the post.
I can see how the policy of interviewing minority candidates in the NFL might seem silly, and I think it is deeply flawed. There are token interviews given to people that everyone knows will not get the job. I don’t think it has resulted in any more black NFL coaches than there would be without the policy.
The attention really needs to be paid to college football. I try to use other explanations before settling on racism (call me an optimist), but I feel that racism is the only possible answer to having two black coaches out of 117 division one schools. Roughly 50% of scholarship athletes are black and less than 2% of the head coaches are black, there is clearly something going on here. I am not sure that at the end of next year there will be any black coaches. Sylvester Crum at Mississippi State inherited a lousy program, and Durrell at UCLA is struggling. At this point I would welcome any theory other than racism that explains the vast gulf between the race of the players and the race of the coaches.
I’m sorry to see Stonebow beat me to the punch. The overall makeup of society doesn’t matter here, the makeup of the NFL does. How many coaches today are former players? I think most of the players are black and the coaches are still white. As far as I know there is not, and should not be, a target percentage. But it wasn’t that long ago in football that people thought blacks just didn’t have the mental capacity to play quarterback or be a coach. Better than programs that force teams to interview minority applicants might be some kind of program to help black players become coordinators and have other positions like that, since that’s often how you get to be a coach- you work your way up through the ranks. This is definitely something they’re making progress on.
In college football, I would guess that trustee politics and Old Boys Network type crap explain the numbers. And I think the number of black coaches is three, since Ty Willingham (ex-Notre Dame) is now at Washington University.
Denny Green is 1.3 all by himself.
For whatever reason, whites have been preferentially hired as head coaches simply on the evidence of the numbers. That is improving since the Rooney Rule, as gentle as it is, but is not yet at a level where colorblindness can be concluded. The OP mentioned Crennel, for instance - he’s been ready for a top job for decades now, and is just now going to get one (at 58, he’ll be the oldest first-time head coach in NFL history).
The pipeline is filling - I don’t have the numbers, but the number of black position assistants and coordinators I’ve seen on the sidelines is greater than ever as well, and there’s the hiring pool for the most part.
The racial disparity is in the numbers of young men playing the game and becoming NFL caliber. It’s hard to imagine that blacks are developed preferentially in high school and college; why do so few whites go on to the big time?
Why would that be “horrible”? Is there some reason why there ought to be a higher percentage? Seems to me that if more than half the payers are black when in the general population they’re less than a fifth, then that only shows that those players perform better. Likewise with coaches. Those men seem to perform better. There is no mechanism by which we should be forced into thinking that the percentages need to be equalized in any way.
But you can’t know who actually performs best at a job unless everybody who is qualified has an equal opportunity to get that job. I doubt that has happened historically; perhaps we’re moving toward that point.
Perhaps… but also perhaps the retired black players (or other insiders) who are qualified don’t WANT the job and didn’t aspire to it. There’s always that little point - that maybe more white ex-players are trying for those jobs. I mean, let’s face it - it’s pretty tempting and easy to take your millions earned from playing and go do something else, persue other dreams and goals.
I was simply responding to the OP’s implied statement that 18% should be fine since it’s above population levels. The issue is not that simple. I really have no idea what a fair percentage would be, and doubt any exists, since it’s the process, not the outcome, that needs to be fair.
Though, since a lot of coaches are former players, I’d hope to see similar numbers, all things being equal.
This might be true if there was a requirement that a coach be a player before he is a coach. The reality is that a lot of guys go into coaching because they love the game and are not physically gifted enough to compete on the highest levels. There are, of course, many coaches who were previously players (Dungy, Tice and Edwards leap to mind), but even more who were not (Mariucci, Gruden, Erickson, Saban, Mora). There are several whom I don’t know about, but seem large enough to have played (Holmgren, Green, Reid).
Has any former player ever coached a Super Bowl winning team?
The reality is that coaching is an “old boys network”. The guys who hire and hiring pool all know each other pretty well. If there is to be equal access to coaching jobs in the NFL then it will take a system that allows people who are not typically “in the network”, eg, minority coaches, a chance to get time face-to-face with owners and GMs. That’s one of the main purposes of the “token interviews”. It also allows prospective coaches to practice their interview skills, learn what sorts of questions are asked, and to prepare better for the next time around, when it may be a more serious interview. The smart minority candidate is going to use it as a learning experience, seek guidance from coaches like Green and Dungy to prepare, and build a solid resume/track record.
I think that, ideally, the coaching situation ends up like this: the owners begin to look at it purely from a “who is the best guy to get my team to the next level” and not “who am I comfortable in hanging out with”. I’m sure that wealthy owners can always hire someone as an assistant to talk with, if that’s what they’re looking for.
If I read the OP correctly, he agrees there was a problem with racism that led to black coaches being underhired. And he acknowleges a new procedure was introduced to address this. And he thinks the problem has been solved.
So where does the conclusion come from that the procedure is no longer needed? Apparently it’s working exactly the way it’s supposed to.
*All * NFL coaches are former players, although not necessarily good enough ones to have made the NFL. It’s true that the best players usually don’t become the best coaches, but that’s true in any sport - they can’t explain how to do something they had enough talent not to have to learn themselves, and often can’t appreciate that a lesser-talented athlete really is trying his hardest. Among the list of SB-winning coaches, since you ask, the best as NFL players were Don Shula, Tom Landry, and Mike Ditka, but most coaches were never NFL-starter caliber.
You’re right about it essentially being a problem of breaking into the network. The black coaches who have done so have been conscientious about bringing more blacks into it with them, to their credit. The Jets interviewed Herman Edwards, for instance, mainly because Tony Dungy kept urging them to. I’m sure they’re happy with the result.
I’m not sure what the number should be, but I think what is there is not enough. Logically, coaches come from the pool of former players. Those players are disproportionatley black compared to the population as a whole. But coaches are disproporationately non-black compared to the population as a whole. So to take a pool that is considerably blacker than the general population and from that pool come up with coaches that are considerably whiter than the general population makes no sense without considering racism as a contributing factor.
Having token interviews is not the answer. The Dolphins knew they wanted Nick Saban before the vacancy even happened, much like the Lions wanted Mariucci even before they fired their coach. Forcing those teams to interview minorities just for appearance is meaningless. Getting black coaches a chance to prove themselves in college ball is a better solution. Ty Willingham will one day make a good NFL coach, as did Dennis Green. Bobby Williams was a grade A flop at Michigan State, but at least he got the chance. When more blacks prove themselves in NCAA, then more NFL teams will take advantage of their talents. Fix the NCAA, and you’ll fix the NFL.
Arizona - Dennis Green - played (briefly) in the CFL, coached in college before moving to pros as an assistant. Atlanta - Jim Mora, Jr - No professional experience, coached one season as a college assistant before becoming an NFL assistant. Baltimore - Brian Billick - drafted by SF, cut, then picked up by Dallas but never played a down in the NFL. Buffalo - Mike Mularkey - Nine years NFL experience. Carolina - John Fox - No NFL experience. Coached in college before pros. Chicago - Lovie Smith - No NFL experience. Coached high school and college before pros. Cincinnati - Marvin Lewis - No NFL experience as a player, AFAICT. Coached Idaho State before moving on to become an NFL assistant. Cleveland - Terry Robiskie (interim) - played in NFL with Raiders.
Butch Davis (former) - not sure, but I don’t remember him as a pro (which means very little). Dallas - Bill Parcells - No NFL experience. Coached in college prior to pros. Denver - Mike Shanahan - No NFL experience as a player, AFAICT. Coached in college prior to pros. Detroit - Steve Mariucci - No NFL experience AFAICT. Coached at colleges before pros. Green Bay - Mike Sherman - No NFL experience, coached high school and college prior to pros. Houston - Tom Capers - No NFL experience. Coached college prior to pros. Indianapolis - Tony Dungy - played a few years in the pros. Began coaching career as a pro assistant. Jacksonville - Jack Del Rio - Played as a pro and began coaching career in pros. Was also born in the same small town that I was (you learn something new every day). Kansas City - Dick Vermeil - Never played in the pros, AFAICT. Was named coach of the year at four levels - high school, junior college, college and pros. Miami - Jim Bates (interim) - Never played in the pros. Started coaching in college. Nick Saban (incoming) never played in the pros AFAIK. Like Jim Mora, jr, his daddy used to coach in the NFL. Minnesota - Mike Tice. Played in 14 NFL seasons and first coached in the NFL. New England - Bill Belichek - Never played in the pros. Began his career as an assistant the year after he graduated from Wesleyan. New Orleans - Jim Haslett - Played nine NFL seasons, then coached college before pros. NYG - Tom Coughlin - Never played in the pros. Coached college before pros. NYJ - Herman Edwards - Played 10 NFL seasons, then coached collegiate before pros. Oakland - Norv Turner - Never played in the NFL. Coached collegiate before pros. Philadelphia - Andy Reid - Never played in the NFL, AFAICT. Coached college before pros. Pittsburgh - Bill Cowher - Played a five seasons in the NFL. First coached in the NFL. His wife played professional basketball. Saint Louis - Mike Martz - Never played in the NFL. Coached high school and college before the NFL. San Diego - Marty Schottenheimer - Played five seasons in the AFL. First coached in the WFL. San Francisco - Dennis Erickson (outgoing) - Never played in the NFL, AFAICT. Began coaching in college. Tampa Bay - Jon Gruden - Never played in the NFL, AFAIK. Coached college first. Tennessee - Jeff Fisher - Played five NFL seasons then began as an NFL assistant coach. Washington - Joe Gibbs - Never played in the NFL, AFAICT. Began coaching at the collegiate level.
Source - NFL.com Not all information was exhaustive.
So, by my count, of last years 34 NFL head coaches, only 10 coaches played in the AFL/NFL, one other had pro experience in Canada. That’s roughly 1/3 that had any NFL experience as players.
This only pushes the argument back a step. Where are the college coaches coming from? if the issues are the same, then they need to be resolved as well.
