It’s no secret that there is a lack of black head coaches in the NFL. Even with a league that is 70% black and generates close to $15 billion a year. Some might say it’s connections, some might say it’s a lack of opportunity. Either way, 32 NFL head coaches and only three being black raises the question “Why are there not more head coaches that look like the players?” Now the problem is not just simply hiring more, it is about fair opportunity during the interview process.
There have been seven head coaches with a .500 record or better since the league started in 1920. Former Bears head coach Lovie Smith went .506, which is not the best record overall, but he did take one of his teams to the Super Bowl. The 2006 Chicago Bears had a defense that ranked top five in 14 defensive categories. That year they went on to shutout two teams on the road while starting off with an impressive 7-0 record. Smith’s career win percentage was .506 with a career record of 89-87. Dennis Green led the 1998 Vikings with a top-5 offense and top-10 defense to an impressive 15-1 record. Green finished his coaching career 113-94 and a win percentage of .546.
Marvin Lewis was the Bengals head coach for 16 years and made the playoffs seven times. Lewis had 10 .500 or better seasons, with six of them being double-digit winning seasons. Before that, Lewis was a defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens from 1996-2001. His defenses showcased what a minority coach can do when given a fair opportunity. The 2000 NFL season was his best one with him in charge of the infamous “2000 Ravens Defense”. Now let’s talk about some of their stats that year. Ranking number five in interceptions thrown, number two in passing touchdowns, and number one in rushing touchdowns. While also ranking number one in points allowed. That defense is still talked about this day as one, if not the greatest ever.
Some might say “these stats are great, but other coaches have done almost the same if not better” or “this is not a race issue”. It’s not about being a race issue, more so an opportunity issue. Coaches like Kliff Kingsbury were able to get an “NFL” heading coaching job from college. A man who has never been a coach at the professional level can just acquire such an important position with a quickness. Then you see some minority coaches who have been denied head coaching jobs like Mike Tomlin or not even give an interview. Mike Tomlin was denied the Dolphins job simply because the organization claimed he was too “hip-hop” then goes to Pittsburgh and never has a losing season while going to the playoffs nine times, appears in two Super Bowls, and wins one. Miami on the other hand has only been to the playoffs twice losing both games in the Wild Card round and ironically having nine losing seasons.
The question still remains “When are black coaches going to get a fair opportunity in a league that is predominantly black?”
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