He was never coached by a man of color at any point in his career, and he said on the teams that he was a part of the coaching staff, there was always one coach of color, and it was almost always the running back's coach. In the suit, Flores cites text messages from New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, who said he believed he was contacting Brian Daboll, another coach interviewing for the New York Giants head coaching position. Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 through the 2021 season, after which he was fired. Download Our New Praise 107.9 Radio Mobile App For Your Smartphone! Fritz Pollard became the first Black head coach in NFL history after the Akron Pros appointed him as co-coach in 1921. That's USA Today's Tom Schad, he's part of the NFL Coach's Project, USA Today's ongoing series analyzing the demographics of football coaches. I'm James Brown. Either way, Flores. There may be some differences between the audio and the text. Green was picked up in Arizona after Dave McGinnis had three consecutive losing seasons in the desert. The franchise was a charter member of the American Football League (AFL . Eric Studesville was the head coach for the Denver Broncos during the final four games of the 2010 season. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website, "During his pro football career the two-time All-America played and sometimes coached for four different NFL teams, the Pros/Indians (1920-21/1925-26), the . Women being interested in this area of business or law, from my viewpoint, has really grown. He was replaced by Mangini who went 10-22 in two seasons. Don Shula holds the current records for regular season wins at 328 and combined regular and postseason wins at 347. Singletary went 5-4 as the interim coach to finish out the season. Lynn was the interim head coach of the Bills for one game in 2016 before becoming the head coach of the Chargers from 2017-2020. MORE: The NFL Has A Major Black Head Coach Problem. Shell did his second and final stint as the head coach for the Raiders, as he only lasted one year after posting a 2-14 record. Sports news website the Ringer reported that Flores was not fired because of his coaching but rather because of his troubled relationship with team owner Stephen Ross, a supporter of former President Donald Trump who has refuted claims of racial discrimination. Hubbard Alexander. The NFL wants more, or so . The fact is that Flores claims are hardly unique and help bolster critics suspicions that the NFL is intentionally trying to keep its head coaching ranks as white as possible despite the leagues so-called Rooney Rule, a policy that requires teams to interview at least one diverse candidate when looking to hire new coaches. The Lions also had two playoff berths in four seasons, as compared to one playoff appearance in the previous 14 seasons. Frederick Pollard Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard Fritz Pollard was the first African-American football player to play at Brown University. Flores finished 24-25 in three seasons with the Dolphins (2019-2021) and remains connected to the franchise. This is the NFL, a place where Black coaches get treated like third-class citizens. Hopefully, DeMecos hiring is the catalyst for more Black coaches in the NFL. 4. There were five black NFL head coaches at the end of the 2022 season. Carolina's Steve Wilks latest Black coach thrust into challengingrole, A family affair: Nepotism and its networks fill many NFL coaching positions, NFL's path to top jobs still narrow, lengthy for coaches ofcolor, Often interviewed, never hired: How hot-shot NFL head coaching candidates go cold, As NFL coaching carousel starts to spin, advocates unsure how Black candidates will fare, What we learned: Four key findings from USA TODAY's analysis of NFL coaches, PODCAST: Exploring USA TODAY Sports NFL coaches project and previewing Week 4. He is the current running backs coach for the Dolphins. Marvin Lewis, who coached the Cincinnati Bengals for 16 seasons from 2003 to 2018, is among the current and former NFL coaches who have denounced the league for racial injustices and told NBC Sports that Black coaches have been getting sham interviews like those alleged by Brian Flores for years. Tomlin showed up in Pittsburgh after Bill Cowher was 8-8 in his final season and one year removed from winning a Super Bowl. Sports news website the Ringer reported that Flores was not fired because of his coaching but rather because of his troubled relationship with team owner Stephen Ross, a supporter of former President Donald Trump who has refuted claims of racial discrimination. Dungy later became the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Image: Getty Images When Stephen. I'm proud to report today, my classes are basically 50/50. The franchise was founded in 1960 by Lamar Hunt and were known as the Dallas Texans when the team was located in Dallas, Texas. Only one head coach in the last seven years. He has an overall record of 62-50 in seven seasons. The rule was expanded in 2009 to include general managers as well as other front-office positions. He was named the Sporting News Coach of the Year in 1995. Perry Fewell was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills for a single season in 2019. The NFL's 32 teams began the season in full on Sunday with only three Black head coaches and two Black general managers in a league where the players are roughly 70% Black. He coached the Raiders from 1989-1994, then returned to the team for one season in 2006. Of course, that type of logic is counterproductive and completely beside the point, what with the racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a former Black head coach and alleging that the NFLs ownership is colluding to keep teams head coaches as white as possible. For perspectives sake, the NFL entered Black History Month 2023 with just one single Black head coach despite its vow a decade earlier to increase diversity among its head and assistant coaches. Let's take a look back at the Black coaches who have been able to rise up the ranks, starting with the trailblazer who broke the NFL's color barrier more than 100 years ago. The following year the team was 11-5 and Smith won Coach of the Year. 2. I'll give you a quote from Bill Nunn, Hall of Fame scout from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the head personnel man for the 1974 draft that drafted four Hall of Famers is the gold standard of anybody in the personnel business. Dungy enjoyed a Hall of Fame career from 1996-2008, racking up 139 wins and 69 losses across 13 seasons with the Buccaneers and Colts. Cliff Anderson (American football) Darren Arbet. One Black head coach in a league dominated by Black players. Lovie Smith was a head coach with the Chicago Bears for eleven seasons from 2004 to 2012 before he was hired as thehead coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014to2015. In that time, they hired two head coaches. The next year he was fired after starting the season 5-10. He ended his career with a 113-94 overall record. Mike Tomlin, who, as of the time of this list being published, was the lone Black head coach in the NFL, has led the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 seasons since 2007. His saying was, "It's great to have a mentor, but it's even better to be a mentor." He has a 3-3 overall record through Week 6 of the 2022 season. newsone.com. Lewis was 8-8 his first season. The first thing you say is kudos to Mr. Rooney, obviously the driving force behind it, and I worked for him so I'm biased, but also the league for identifying a problem and trying to come up with a solution. That brings the total head-coaching jobs available to six, as the Las Vegas Raiders (Jon Gruden), Jacksonville Jaguars (Urban Meyer) and Denver Broncos (Vic Fangio) had fired their HCs prior to Black Monday. Suicide Note Revealed After Shocking Death, Indicted! Romeo Crennel was a head coach for four seasons with the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008 and later for one season with the Houston Texans, according to the Pro Football History website. With all the controversy surrounding the NFL and its alleged efforts at diversifying head coaching around the professional football league, its worth putting things in their proper perspective for folks who may be shrugging and wondering what the big deal is. That's what we'll be discussing today. Must Black folks be head coaches too, critics might be wondering? He served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah - General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. Our recent USA Today sports analysis found that in the last 20 years, about four white coaches were hired for every coach of color. When he took over in Houston at age 73, he became the oldest head coach in NFL history. Tony Dungy has been coaching in the NFL for more than 40 years, including when he landed his first head coaching gig in 1996 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which he led for 13 seasons. That certainly lines up with what Flores lawsuit is alleging. Here's what our USA TODAY Sports investigation found. Just 24 of them have been Black. Mike Singletary was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. was originally published on After all, they may be musing, isnt the NFL disproportionately made up of Black players? From all of us at USA Today, thanks for listening. His career record is 92-90. He signed a 10-year, $95 million deal with the Spartans in November 2021. Yeah, if I bought something for a billion dollars, which is the minimum going price these days, I'd want to be able to hire who I want to hire is what I'm thinking is going through these owners heads. That's Doug Whaley. The Houston Texans, replaced Smith with another black coach, DeMeco Ryans. The league in general is tough, but it is a lot tougher for people of color and minorities, and women. Wilkes was not retained. The Chargers hired Lynn after Mike McCoy went 4-12 and 5-11 in his last two seasons. He went 2-3 in those games. Smith coached the Bears for nearly a decade (2004-2012) before a brief stint with the Buccaneers (2014-2015). Romeo Crennel was a head coach for four seasons with the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008 and later for one season with the Houston Texans, according to the Pro Football History website. All three have had very successful careers while . He had an aggregate record of 36-28, a winning percentage of .563 the best winning percentage of any Lions Head Coach since the 1950s, Flores lawsuit said in part. Thomas was the Falcons head coach for just four games before the team decided to hire someone else for the job in the offseason. Smith wasnt able to capture the magic he had in Chicago with Tampa Bay. Must Black folks be head coaches too, critics might be wondering? Dennis Greeen was the Vikings Head Coach from 1992 to 2001, and his 97 regular-season wins rank second in franchise history. Former head coach: Nathaniel Hackett. It seems like football fans in the media have the same conversation every year, where are all the black head coaches? He only coached eight total games, getting all three of his wins with Buffalo. Nonetheless, Mr. Caldwell was fired the day after his fourth season.. The league has even gone to such drastic measures as partnering with rap legend JAY Z in the name of entertainment and social justice as a way to help accomplish its evasive mission. He has never had a losing season in his career, going 156-89-2 through Week 6 of the 2022 season. Lynn was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers the following season and served in that capacity for four years through the 2020 season. The first version of the policy required every team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one minority during their process. Tucker was the interim head coach of the Jaguars for the last five games of the 2011 season. Gerald Alexander. This in a league where seven out of ten players are minorities, and most of them black. Mike Tomlin, Mike McDaniel, Todd Bowles, Lovie Smith, and interim head coach Steve Wilkes. Tomlin has been the coach of the Steelers since 2007, making him the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL behind only Bill Belichick. He also coached the Cardinals for three seasons (2004-2006). In 2002, the Texans entered the NFL as an expansion team, with Dom Capers (2002-05) as the team's first head coach. I had access to the decision maker and the decision maker saw how I worked, how I thought, how I interacted with people, and how I led. Raheem Morris was an NFL head coach with two separate teams from 2009 to 2020, including leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009 to 2011, with the first three seasons of that tenure including double-duty as the teams defensive coordinator. Eventually he became head coach of the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs in the 2000s. This revelation meant Flores upcoming interview with the Giants was a sham because they had already hired their next head coach, who is not Black. Tyler Dragon, sports reporter at USA Today says things played out differently than expected. Herman Herm Edwards, largely seen as a mentor to many current and former NFL players, coached the New York Jets from 2001-2005 and the Kansas City Chiefs from 2006 to 2008, according to the Pro Football Reference website. Who are the NFL's Black head coaches? That's why I didn't have to do the interview. Tomlin was 10-6 in his first season and is still in Pittsburgh. In the meantime, keep reading to get familiar with the dozens of Black people who have worked as NFL head coaches in the leagues more than 100-year history. Thank you for subscribing! Yeah, I think the obvious point is that people tend to hire people like themselves, and that's not just true in the NFL, that's not just true in sports. For so many reasons, DeMeco is everything we are looking for in a leader and coach for our organization, said Texans owner Cal McNair in a statement. Nonetheless, Mr. Caldwell was fired the day after his fourth season.. Former NFL star DeMeco Ryans is the next Black man to ascend to the position of head coach in the NFL. He has captured two AFC championships and one Super Bowl title. Emmitt Thomas was named interim head coach of theAtlanta Falcons in the middle of the 2007 season after a sudden resignation left the position vacant. 12. Either way, Flores. Tyler Dragon, sports reporter for USA Today, says the league already has similar programs in place. was originally published on Art Shell became head coach of the then-Los Angeles Raiders in 1988, a job he held until 1994, after the franchise moved to Oakland, according to the Raiders website. That's something Doug Whaley, the former NFL GM we met earlier, learned in his career. He looked at me crazy and he said, "Well, go to the bathroom." He was also named assistant head coach of the Jaguars for the 2012 season, according to the Pro Football History website. On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast:5 Things Sunday Host James Brown explores the NFL's Rooney rule which requires teams to interview minority coaches and staff when positions like head coach, general manager, and coordinator positions open. Coaching rumors are heating up with three openings created on Monday morning. But the league still has plenty of veteran greybeards that have seen success at the very highest level. In the meantime, keep reading to get familiar with the dozens of Black people who have worked as NFL head coaches in the leagues more than 100-year history. After announcing his retirement from coaching after the 2021 season, Payton has returned to the NFL and will be the Broncos' 19th head coach in franchise history. Mike Tomlin, who, as of the time of this list being published, was the lone Black head coach in the NFL, has led the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 seasons since 2007. He is a former NFL player whose professional career spanned from 1986 to 1993. Lovie Smith was a head coach with the Chicago Bears for eleven seasons from 2004 to 2012 before he was hired as thehead coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014to2015. Sandra Douglass Morgan - President of the Las Vegas Raiders. He lost his single game with Buffalo and finished 33-31 with Los Angeles. Edwards was with the Chiefs for three seasons and compiled a 15-34 record that included a postseason loss to the Colts in his debut year. Frazier was the Vikings' coach from 2010-2013, leading Minnesota to its biggest single-season turnaround in franchise history (3-13 in 2011 to 10-6 in 2012). Jackson only got one season to prove his worth with the Raiders after finishing 8-8 in a season in which the team started 7-4. Notably, Jackson responded to Flores lawsuit by claiming he was subjected to similar treatment described in the complaint. Well . He served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. He returned to coaching when he took the head job at Arizona State in 2017. We see coaches, as I mentioned, like Ron Rivera, Mike McDaniel, Robert Saleh, not exclusively African American. For perspectives sake, the NFL entered Black History Month 2022 with just one single Black head coach despite its vow a decade earlier to increase diversity among its head and assistant coaches. Thomas was the Falcons head coach for just four games before the team decided to hire someone else for the job in the offseason. The Vikings went 15-1 that season and racked up 556 points, which set an NFL record at the time.. Eric Studesville was the head coach for the Denver Broncos during the final four games of the 2010 season. Anthony Lynn, who is black, went from running backs coach directly to head coach. He says that there's been some improvement with diversity in the coaching ranks. I always used to ask questions like this, what do you do when you get up in the morning? Todd Haley took over for Edwards and was 19-26 during his run. Schad interviewed Herm Edwards, he played in the NFL in the seventies and eighties. The rule was expanded in 2009 to include general managers as well as other front-office positions. In the text message, Belichick confirmed Daboll had already secured the job, but Flores had not yet interviewed for the position. Mel Tucker was named the interim head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final five games of the 2011 season. Mike Tomlin, Brian Flores and David Culley are the three NFL coaches. Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images. It seems like an impossible task to succeed when the most important position on your roster is in such flux. Your email will be shared with praisephilly.com and subject to its. The NFL's 32 teams began the season in full on Sunday with only three Black head coaches and two Black general managers in a league where the players are roughly 70% Black. Frazier finished the year 3-3, and got the interim tag taken off him. He is embroiled in a lawsuit that he filed against multiple teams, including Miami, and the NFL for discriminatory hiring practices. Either way, Flores. They have who they want to be their coordinators, to be their assistant coaches, in some cases, to be their quality control coaches, to be their equipment managers, to be their strength conditioning staff. John Allen (American football) Lamar Allen. After leading the Buffalo Bills for one season in 2016. Wilkes was not retained and Smith was fired. There were five black NFL head coaches at the end of the 2022 season. said his lawsuit will not be deterred regardless of whether he is or isnt an NFL head coach next season. There were three Black head coaches in the NFL when the Rooney Rule took effect, and the league hasn't made a ton of progress toward its goals in the years since. 1. The dearth of African American offensive NFL head coaches is both systemic and deep-rooted, owing in parts to networking practices, the embers of retrograde stereotypes and the lasting effects of . Fritz Pollard became the first Black head coach in NFL history after the Akron Pros appointed him as co-coach in 1921. Can this person lead 20 coaches, 60, 70 players depending on practice squad, can they lead? 93% of running back's coaches in the NFL at the start of the season were coaches of color compared to something like 18% or something of quarterback's coaches. Jackson claims the Browns incentivized losing while he was head coach in order to increase the teams odds in the NFL Draft. The league has even gone to such drastic measures as partnering with rap legend JAY Z in the name of entertainment and social justice as a way to help accomplish its evasive mission. After all, they may be musing, isnt the NFL disproportionately made up of Black players? Jackson was replaced by Dennis Allen, a coach that went 8-28 in 2.5 seasons. Crennel showed up in Cleveland after a season in which Butch Davis and Robiskie led the Browns to a 4-12 campaign. In the suit, Flores cites text messages from New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, who said he believed he was contacting Brian Daboll, another coach interviewing for the New York Giants head coaching position. He went 11-21 in 32 games. Todd Bowles was a head coach in the NFL for five seasons, beginning with the Miami Dolphins in the 2011 season and four other seasons leading the New York Jets from 2015 to 2018. There are just 32 NFL head coaching jobs, six or seven become vacant every year. Only one of five NFL head coaches hired this offseason was Black. He coached the Raiders from 1989-1994, then returned to the team for one season in 2006. Emmitt Thomas Source:Getty Emmitt Thomas was named interim head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in the middle of the 2007 season after a sudden resignation left the position vacant. Tenure: Four-plus seasons (71 games). When Stephen Ross Miami Dolphins fired Brian Flores on Monday, it sent shockwaves around the NFL. No matter what you make, if I came in here and told you how to spend your money, what would you say? He stuck around for 15 more and was 131-129-3, but never won a playoff game in seven trips. In 1921, Coach Pollard became the first African-American head coach in the NFL, coaching the Akron Pros. During his entire head coaching career, his two teams combined for a record of 37-42-1 across five seasons including going 1-2-0 in the playoffs, according to the Pro Football History website. Hue Jackson was an NFL head coach with two franchises for four seasons. If they could bring that character into our building, others would pick up on those same qualities. After leading the Buffalo Bills for one season in 2016. He had an aggregate record of 36-28, a winning percentage of .563 the best winning percentage of any Lions Head Coach since the 1950s, Flores lawsuit said in part. Mostly, Pollard would see the work and sacrifice he and other Black coaches have made wasn't. If you like this show, write a review on Apple Podcast or wherever you're listening, and do me a favor, share it with a friend. During his entire head coaching career, his two teams combined for a record of 89-87-0 across eleven seasons including going 3-3-0 in the playoffs, according to the Pro Football History website. Caldwell was brought in after the Jim Schwartz (gym shorts) era ended with 4-12 and 7-9 seasons. Interestingly enough, Caldwell was mentioned in Brian Flores lawsuit as an example of a Black NFL head coach who was fired in spite of the success he enjoyed. The Lions also had two playoff berths in four seasons, as compared to one playoff appearance in the previous 14 seasons. There's also disparities in the type of coaching roles black coaches are hired for. Schad says this goes back a while. Below is a look at every Black coach thats been hired since then and a snapshot of their story. Raheem Morris was an NFL head coach with two separate teams from 2009 to 2020, including leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009 to 2011, with the first three seasons of that tenure including double-duty as the teams defensive coordinator. He had a 131-122-3 record in 16 seasons and reached the playoffs seven times. If you look at solutions instead of just focused on the problem, that's where I think we all should be focusing our energy.