Smith wasnt able to capture the magic he had in Chicago with Tampa Bay. Its reminiscent of the end of the 2018 season when five black head coaches were fired and were replaced with five white coaches, leaving Tomlin and Anthony Lynn as the only Black faces, at the time. Emmitt Thomas. In the text message, Belichick confirmed Daboll had already secured the job, but Flores had not yet interviewed for the position. He is currently the Bills' defensive coordinator. That's why I didn't have to do the interview. 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. To be sure, the NFL has had more than 500 head coaches over the course of more than a century of competition. After all, they may be musing, isnt the NFL disproportionately made up of Black players? Is it because the NFL is an organization akin to slavery, like blacklisted free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick said after he was effectively excommunicated from the league following his silent kneeling protest to demonstrate against the police brutality of Black people? I think that might be part of the answer to why it exists, but I certainly don't think it's the entire answer. 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. Crennel took the reins over in K.C. Someone that has familiarity with your roster, a lot of our interview time was spent, what do you think of this player? Below is a look at every Black coach thats been hired since then and a snapshot of their story. He was named the Sporting News Coach of the Year in 1995. 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. 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. If you have to do something, then you're going to be fully invested in it as something that you chose to do. John Allen (American football) Lamar Allen. The following is a list of the top National Football League (NFL) head coaches in wins. Fritz Pollard became the first Black head coach in NFL history after the Akron Pros appointed him as co-coach in 1921. The NFL has historically had a problem with hiring black head coaches and all minority coaches for that matter, whether that be head coach, assistant coach, coordinators, and you can even go in the front office, GM, assistant GM, president player personnel. It still remains to be seen if that is going to lead to results. There may be some differences between the audio and the text. Crennel finished out the season with the interim tag and went 2-1. NFL Head Coaches by Age - profootballnetwork.com A lot of it is right place at the right time, a lot of it's knowing the right people, a lot of it is just hard work and accomplishments. In 2000, there were three Black coaches in the league. Sandra Douglass Morgan - President of the Las Vegas Raiders. I said, "What do you do before you go to the bathroom?" For some reason, fans of all genders and races were stunned that Flores was unemployed as if Ross doesnt have a long history of being a contradictory figure. 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. There were five black NFL head coaches at the end of the 2022 season. Tomlin showed up in Pittsburgh after Bill Cowher was 8-8 in his final season and one year removed from winning a Super Bowl. Crennel showed up in Cleveland after a season in which Butch Davis and Robiskie led the Browns to a 4-12 campaign. 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. Nonetheless, Mr. Caldwell was fired the day after his fourth season.. He ended those two stints with an overall record of11-44-1. Here's what our USA TODAY Sports investigation found. I think a lot of it is the underpinning of a lot of the reporting that we've done, which is just unconscious bias. That's USA Today's sports reporter Tyler Dragon, he's been writing about the NFL for close to a decade. Mel Tucker was named the interim head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final five games of the 2011 season. But then when you look down at specific positions, running back's coaches is a great example that ended up being kind of the crux of the story. Anthony Lynn was a head coach in the NFL for two teams over the course of five seasons. That is something that never seems to get noticed when we talk about the Rooney Rule. The rule was named after Dan Rooney, then owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. As of the time that this list was published, Morris was seen as a leading candidate for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching vacancy. Ray Rhodes coached in various NFL capacities for nearly 40 years, including a five-year run as head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and later with the Green Bay Packers. In seven seasons with the Colts, Dungy was 92-33 as he made the playoffs every season and won Super Bowl XLI. Is it because the NFL is an organization akin to slavery, like blacklisted free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick said after he was effectively excommunicated from the league following his silent kneeling protest to demonstrate against the police brutality of Black people? 12. Ron Aiken. You can just interview a black or minority head coach and know that you're not really going to hire them, you're just making sure you cross all your Ts and dot your Is before you make that hire of the white coach you want. 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 Milwaukee Badgers (1922), the Hammond Pros (1923, 1925), and the Providence Steam Roller (1925)., It also added: In 1928, Pollard organized and coached the Chicago Black Hawks, an all-African American professional team based in the Windy City.. Not only minorities, but people that are the decision makers. 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. 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. 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. Hopefully, DeMecos hiring is the catalyst for more Black coaches in the NFL. Like our content? But, if history is any indication and it is thats far from a guarantee. Green served as the head coach of the Vikings for 10 seasons (1992-2001), earning a playoff berth eight times. Vance Joseph, who was the head coach for the Denver Broncos for the 2017 and 2018 seasons and is reportedly a candidate for the Miami Dolphins head coaching job that was left vacant after Brian Flores was fired. That's something Doug Whaley, the former NFL GM we met earlier, learned in his career. 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. Eventually he became head coach of the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs in the 2000s. Just 25 of them have been Black. He has a 90-90-1 overall record through Week 6 of the 2022 season. 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. The NFL has a serious diversity problem. 1. He left the league with a 54-74 overall record. In his three full seasons with the Vikings he compiled an 18-20 record and was eventually replaced by Mike Zimmer who was fired on Monday. After leading the Buffalo Bills for one season in 2016. 12. Racist Ex-University Of Kentucky 'Karen' Sophia Rosing Is Charged For Assaulting Black Student, Mississippi Cops Beat, Waterboarded Handcuffed Black Men, Shot 1 For Dating White Women': Lawyers. This is the NFL, a place where Black coaches get treated like third-class citizens. Top 5 Black Coaches In NFL History - The Shadow League The following year the team was 11-5 and Smith won Coach of the Year. NFL head coaches 2023: Latest news, rumors, interviews on hirings, firings He led the Oakland Raiders during the 2011 season and was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2016 to 2018. 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. That's Doug Whaley. Record: 40-33-1, 1-2 in the playoffs. Green made the playoffs in eight of 10 seasons in Minnesota, with his most memorable campaign coming in 1998. Gerald Alexander. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. 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. 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. He compiled a 56-52 overall. Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah - General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings. List of National Football League head coach wins leaders He coached the Los Angeles Chargers. In nine seasons in Chicago, Smith was 84-66 and made three postseason appearances including losing Super Bowl XLI to the Colts in the only matchup thats ever featured two Black coaches. said his lawsuit will not be deterred regardless of whether he is or isnt an NFL head coach next season. Top Row: Lovie Smith, Marvin Lewis, Tony Dungy, Mike Tomlin, Jim Caldwell Botttom Row: Anthony Lynn, Romeo Crennel, Herm Edwards, Leslie Frazier, Brian Flores. Todd Haley took over for Edwards and was 19-26 during his run. Tyler Dragon, sports reporter at USA Today says things played out differently than expected. 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. Jackson took over for Tom Cable, who went 8-8 in his final season with the team. He was then hired full-time and was 8-8 in his lone full season. 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. Whaley says women and minorities struggle to break through In this insular world. Who are the NFL's Black head coaches? 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. There's also disparities in the type of coaching roles black coaches are hired for. He served in the same double capacity with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020. Whaley is part of a group that launched One Global Culture Events, which helped minority candidates in pro sports connect with upper management. Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. 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. He was also a terrific running back, earning All-America honors in 1916 while playing for Brown University. The Houston Texans, replaced Smith with another black coach, DeMeco Ryans. Who are the youngest coaches in the league, and which ones are getting long in the tooth? So what's happening here? The Lions also had two playoff berths in four seasons, as compared to one playoff appearance in the previous 14 seasons. Smith coached the Bears for nearly a decade (2004-2012) before a brief stint with the Buccaneers (2014-2015). Wilks didnt do a good job in his first season with the Cardinals, but well never know if it was a fluke or the norm, as it was also his only season in Arizona. List of the top NFL head coach candidates for 2023 - Sports Illustrated The NFL currently has three head coaches that are of African American origin. 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. 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. 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 all, Dungy has a head coaching record of 148-79-0 and won the regular season games he coached at a rate of nearly 70%, according to the pro football hall of fame website. The NFL Reminds Black Head Coaches They Can Clean Up But Not Lead Hue Jackson was an NFL head coach with two franchises for four seasons. Rhodes, a five-time Super Bowl champion as an assistant with the 49ers, had a 37-42-1 record as the head coach of the Eagles and Packers (1995-1999). He was replaced by Jim Harbaugh. Anthony Lynn, who is black, went from running backs coach directly to head coach. Lewis was hired by the Bengals after a 2-14 campaign. Pittsburghs Mike Tomlin and Houstons David Culley are the lone Black head coaches in a league thats over 70 percent Black. Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Top 10 Black Coaches in NFL History - Fanrankings.com What's your systems? 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. Notably, Jackson responded to Flores lawsuit by claiming he was subjected to similar treatment described in the complaint. He led the Oakland Raiders during the 2011 season and was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2016 to 2018. Edwards spent eight seasons as a head coach in the NFL, running the Jets (2001-2005) and Chiefs (2006-2008). Jackson claims the Browns incentivized losing while he was head coach in order to increase the teams odds in the NFL Draft. He is a former NFL player whose professional career spanned from 1986 to 1993. He also coached the Cardinals for three seasons (2004-2006). It was a positive thing. In 2002, the Texans entered the NFL as an expansion team, with Dom Capers (2002-05) as the team's first head coach. 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. After inheriting a 4-12 team led by Greg Schiano, Smith only lasted two seasons after going 8-24. Revisiting Dolphins scandal, Pollard became the first Black coach in NFL history when he was named co-coach of the Akron Pros in 1921. Category : African-American coaches of American football This in a league where seven out of ten players are minorities, and most of them black. Mostly, Pollard would see the work and sacrifice he and other Black coaches have made wasn't. Where are all the Black NFL coaches? - Usatoday.com Anytime you have to implement a rule to interview a black head coaching candidate or a minority head coaching candidate, that's admitting there's a problem. James Franklin (Penn State coach) So far, the best bet to be the first Black coach to win an FBS national championship remains Franklin, whose Nittany Lions will likely enter the season as a . 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. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. Mel Tucker was named the interim head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final five games of the 2011 season. He is embroiled in a lawsuit that he filed against multiple teams, including Miami, and the NFL for discriminatory hiring practices. He had a long career in the NFL working his way up through the Pittsburgh Steelers organization and eventually becoming the only black general manager in the 60-year history of the Buffalo Bills. The rule was expanded in 2009 to include general managers as well as other front-office positions. 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. Nonetheless, Mr. Caldwell was fired the day after his fourth 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. Mike Tomlin, Mike McDaniel, Todd Bowles, Lovie Smith, and interim head coach Steve Wilkes. That certainly lines up with what Flores lawsuit is alleging. He has taken the Pittsburgh Steelers to two Super Bowls since 2007 with one. Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here. said his lawsuit will not be deterred regardless of whether he is or isnt an NFL head coach next season. That certainly lines up with what Flores lawsuit is alleging. As the league becomes more driven by quarterbacks, coaching quarterbacks is becoming a fast track to becoming a head coach. Smith was replaced by Marc Trestman who only lasted two seasons and had a losing record. Tyler Dragon, sports reporter for USA Today, says the league already has similar programs in place. A more diverse pipeline could help down the road. He was named the AP Coach of the Year in 2009. Either way, Flores. 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. Every Black Head Coach in The History of The NFL! - The Roar 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. 12. 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. Now-former Head Coach Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins talks with an official during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on January 2, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee. I think leadership's basic premise is can you get people to do things that they necessarily don't want to do just because of you? Brian Flores, who used to be head coach of the Miami Dolphins, filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL claiming there is racial discrimination in the hiring process. In the text message, Belichick confirmed Daboll had already secured the job, but Flores had not yet interviewed for the position. What do you think of that player? The Vikings went 15-1 that season and racked up 556 points, which set an NFL record at the time.. Brandt is a sports agent turned NFL executive who spent about 10 years with the Green Bay Packers. I'm James Brown, and as always, be well. Hopefully, DeMecos hiring is the catalyst for more Black coaches in the NFL. Is it right, wrong or indifferent? Of course, that type of logic is counterproductive and completely beside the point, what with the new 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. Just 24 of them have been Black. Eric Studesville was the head coach for the Denver Broncos during the final four games of the 2010 season. Thanks to Tyler Dragon, Tom Schad, Doug Whaley, and Andrew Brandt for joining me. How many black head coaches are there in the NFL? - Sportskeeda Flores finished 24-25 in three seasons with the Dolphins (2019-2021) and remains connected to the franchise. Only one of five NFL head coaches hired this offseason was Black. Tony Alford. There are just 32 NFL head coaching jobs, six or seven become vacant every year. He served in the same double capacity with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020. The Lions also had two playoff berths in four seasons, as compared to one playoff appearance in the previous 14 seasons. All Rights Reserved. Anthony Lynn was a head coach in the NFL for two teams over the course of five seasons. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. 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. Shane Steichen, Offensive Coordinator, Eagles. The first version of the policy required every team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one minority during their process. Dirk Koetter replaced Smith and wasnt much better, as Tampa Bay didnt get good again until Bruce Arians showed up in 2019. 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 went 36-30 during his tenure and has been replaced by a litany of coaches that havent been able to get the Lions to sniff the playoffs since he was fired. Having them sit in non-interview settings with the decision makers, presidents, and owners, everything I've talked about. Notably, Jackson responded to Flores lawsuit by claiming he was subjected to similar treatment described in the complaint. These days, he runs a sports law program at Villanova University and hosts the Business of Sports podcast. newsone.com. 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. We might have you on the show. 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. Flores was replacing Adam Gase who was 23-25 in three seasons, as he went 24-25 in three seasons. 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. Caldwell had an incredible debut season as a head coach, going 14-2 with the Colts on the way to an appearance in Super Bowl XLIV. 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. It's very rare for a coach interview to come in and say, "Yeah, I'll figure that out later." As of the time that this list was published, Morris was seen as a leading candidate for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching vacancy. To be sure, the NFL has had more than 500 head coaches over the course of more than a century of competition. Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 through the 2021 season, after which he was fired. "Brush my teeth?" He was also named assistant head coach of the Jaguars for the 2012 season, according to the Pro Football History website. Flores still has upcoming interviews for head coaching positions with at least two other teams, so, considering the public relations fiasco that his lawsuit is, chances are that pressure will result in him being hired. Hue Jackson was an NFL head coach with two franchises for four seasons. He was replaced by Vic Fangio who was fired on Sunday. Dungy later became the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. 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. We see coaches, as I mentioned, like Ron Rivera, Mike McDaniel, Robert Saleh, not exclusively African American. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. Schad says this goes back a while. Mel Tucker was named the interim head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final five games of the 2011 season. Former head coach: Nathaniel Hackett. 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. Specifically, Flores claims hes had multiple incidents of racial discrimination that involved several teams, as well as coaches and executives around the league. There were five black NFL head coaches at the end of the 2022 season. After all, he'd led a Colts team in constant need of consistent . 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. Notably, Jackson responded to Flores lawsuit by claiming he was subjected to similar treatment described in the complaint. Fritz Pollard became the first Black head coach in NFL history after the Akron Pros appointed him as co-coach in 1921. Over the next few days and weeks, multiple teams will be conducting interviews to fill their head coaching vacancies. Cliff Anderson (American football) Darren Arbet. The Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL) have had 13 head coaches in their franchise history. MORE: The NFL Has A Major Black Head Coach Problem. Dennis Greeen was the Vikings Head Coach from 1992 to 2001, and his 97 regular-season wins rank second in franchise history. A complete timeline of Black coaches, past and present, largely declined to hire those candidates, What happened to Brian Flores? The most influential Black coaches, admin in college football - Sports Singletary took over midseason for the 49ers after Mike Nolan was fired after starting the season 2-5. 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.