Finally a Hiring Boom for Black College Coaches

After one of the most dismal years since the early 1990s for black head coaching representation at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, the early hiring numbers so far this winter suggests college presidents and athletic directors have added diversity to their to-do lists.

When Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong was introduced Wednesday as the new head coach at Louisville, the total number of recent hires of black coaches at FBS (formerly Division I-A) schools climbed to four and counting. Buffalo head coach Turner Gill is also in the running for the head coaching job at Kansas, which would make three black coaches hired by BCS school hires in the last week, which would bring the total number of black coaches at big-six schools to four. Miami's Randy Shannon carried the torch by himself this past season.

Top that off that with the news that Nevada defensive coordinator Nigel Burton has been named the new head coach at FCS (formerly division I-AA) Portland State and Black Coaches Association Director Floyd Keith trumpets this latest trend as a critical victory.

Keith and the BCA have long kept a database of potential black head football coaches, and have been one of the loudest critics of a sometimes unfair hiring process that exists in college football.

"Maybe all the hard work that we've been putting in is working, and also a lot of the people we've been championing for the last couple of years, maybe the people have had an eyeball on them and they see the work that they are doing. You see the success of the coaches in the NFL," Keith told FanHouse. "I think there are a number of things that may be influencing it, but I don't think I've ever seen the beginning of a hiring cycle that is as positive as this."

It's in contrast to this past season when, out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools there were only nine minority head football coaches. And among the 66 BCS schools, there was only Shannon after Kansas State dismissed Ron Prince and Washington fired Tyrone Willingham.

Gill was a viable candidate for the Auburn and Iowa State openings in 2008, while Strong didn't garner as much as an interview last year. There was speculation both coaches were overlooked because they are married to white women.

Those types of excuses and abysmal numbers caused many to call out the presidents and athletic directors who oversee the elite programs. Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, who was the first black head coach to win a Super Bowl, joined the chorus of discontent of the business as usual practices of college football.

Dungy took issue with the low numbers in college football in respect to the NFL, where the Rooney Rule, which guarantees at least one minority interview for every opening, is largely credited for seven of 32 head coaching positions belonging to minorities.

There has been a long belief that the numbers and hiring practices at the highest level of college football would be more fair if athletic directors and presidents could persuade their boosters and major gifts donors to be more tolerant of black men controlling their football programs.

"They've got to step up and say, 'We're going to do the right thing. We're going to hire qualified people. We're going to hire the best man for the job regardless of what boosters or anyone else has to say,'" Dungy said in an Associated Press story last month.

Dungy's prodding of NCAA officials along with the efforts of the likes of the BCA and the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports has seemed to pay dividends in the offseason of change. Minorities names have come up with every opening so far, with the exception of Notre Dame.

LSU running backs coach Larry Porter was hired at his alma mater Memphis, Western Kentucky nabbed its former quarterback Willie Taggart from Stanford, Mike London left the head coaching position at Richmond to return to Virginia and Strong has finally gotten his chance after being frozen out of good jobs over the years.

For a brief moment last week, London was just the second BCS coach until Strong's hire at Louisville became official Wednesday. London expressed the sentiments of many black coaches before him who carry the mantle of not only being a minority hire but also not wanting to be labeled as just a black coach.

"It's a tremendous honor to be, I guess, recognized as one of the very few in this country in a day and age where people are talking about more diversity, in particular BCS schools," London said. "But I always want it to be made known that [they] hired me because I'm the best candidate. That's why I want to be hired, because of that.

"I understand the significance of being an African American or the second, as you say, at a BCS school. That's a tremendous honor. And I don't look at it as a burden, because people say, 'Well, you're going to be scrutinized more.'

"But it's something, I guess, you guys can talk about the historical significance of it," he continued. "It's something when I'm coaching, I don't even think about it when I'm coaching. The players don't. The coaches don't. Because all that matters is how they're playing, how I'm coaching them and I'll let you guys write about the significance of that."

Even with the increased numbers due to the recent hires, there is still great disproportion between minority hires in coaching at the FBS level and the numbers of minorities on the field, which are over 50 percent. All the same, Keith admits this is certainly a nice start.

"Every now and then we've got to look at the good things and we see the intent. At least we are seeing some evidence of a breakthrough so that's good. I commend the athletic directors and presidents for being attentive and being inclusive and giving opportunities, which hasn't always been the case.

"I've probably had more communication from presidents in the last couple weeks than I can ever recall."

Over the years, the BCA has released a report card that assigns letter grades to schools that have football openings. The report card takes into account whether or not an institution interviewed a minority candidate and had minorities involved in the hiring process. The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports, led by director Richard Laphchick, has released scathing reports on schools' football hiring practices in recent years.

Last year, black coaches made major strides at the lower level of the FBS with hires such as Mike Haywood at Miami University, Mike Locksley at New Mexico, Ron English at Eastern Michigan and DeWayne Walker at New Mexico State.

"I think there has been a lot of things that have influenced it," Keith said. "I think we've been a part of that but I think successes of coaches have been a part of that. I don't think you can point to just one thing. But I certainly think we have played a role in that."