“Son, you be prepared to work twice as hard for half the chance.”
- Advice given by my parents to me, circa 1972. Repeated on a regular basis ever since.
It was always about The Chance.
When you grow up black in this country, you recognize that race will always Be There. The Pink Elephant in the room that is America. If you don’t subscribe to being a victim, you also know that you have to you had to acknowledge it.
Then ignore it and work twice as hard. Or else the elephant tramples you.
For too many years in the NFL, the relevant pink elephant was whether blacks could be the acknowledged leaders of their teams. That is why centers, middle linebackers and quarterbacks who were black were such rarities. Centers make the line calls. Middle linebackers were the defensive signal callers, and there is no need to explain the quarterback position. First position to fall was the middle linebacker spot, with Willie Lanier leading a vaunted Kansas City defense in the 1960’s and 70’s. Eventually we have now got to the point where no one seriously thinks about switching a Vince Young to receiver. And that is real progress. You forget a future Hall Of famer like Warren Moon threw his first NFL pass at age 28.
2005. The elephant is not as pink as before. Smaller too. And maybe the elephant is gone from this corner of society for good. Because only the head coaching spot remains.
It is great to see the success of the Big Game Hunters Marvin Lewis, Lovie Smith, and Tony Dungy. It is easy to forget how hard the road was for each man to travel. For example, Dungy was the youngest defensive coordinator in NFL history at 29 with the Steelers. In his stints with Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Minnesota, Dungy's defenses were always among the NFL's best and most opportunistic. Yet, it took 10 years to get his shot. I mean how can anyone explain that? How in the hell did David Shula – David Freakin Shula - get a five year run in Cincy ahead of Dungy? And when he got his chance, it was with the pathetic Tampa Bay Bucs, the worst franchise in NFL history up to that point. All he did was turn them into a perennial contender.
In two years.
Half a chance.
Twice as good.
In fact, with the exception of Marvin Lewis, everyblackcoach in NFL history to date has gotten his team to the playoffs within two seasons. Art Shell, Ray Rhodes, Dennis Green, Dungy, Herman Edwards, Lovie Smith all did it in their 1st or 2nd season with their first teams. Only Edwards can be said to have walked into a situation that was not marked “Total Disaster”. Half a chance.
Cleveland Browns fans should be inspired.
I’m sure someone will read this and accuse me of bringing up the so-called “Race Card”, as if life is some game of BizzaroWorld game of Texas Hold ‘Em that I can win playing it at any time.
Please.
Don’t be upset with me. If you’re a Lions fan, be upset with Matt Millen because Crennell, Edwards, Smith and Lewis were available, and you got stuck with Marty Morningwheg and Steve Mariucci.
Bills fans, you must be happy with Gregg Williams and Mike Mularkey right now. And Bears fans? Oh yeah, the front office got wise and got Lovie.
The tragedy is that the NFL had to mandate interviews just to get a qualified minority candidate in the front door – which met with some criticism. Not surprising, because doing The Right Thing isn’t easy, and seldom painless.
You know, whenever we talk about race in this country, and our efforts to atone – or at least redeem - for past sins, some people usually think it’s about getting even.
It’s never been about that. It’s about starting even. About the simple acknowledgment of The Elephant when it matters. Hell, anyone can acknowledge it 50 years later.
Perhaps acknowledging The Elephant will help Art Shell. The man is still waiting for a second chance - hell he's still waiting for a serious interview - despite a 54-38 (.587) record. You look for reasonable, rational reasons why when Dave Wannstedtgoes 82-86 in two tries, and Norv Turner gets two shots to go 58-80-1. Ask yourself why Sherman Lewis never got a chance. I don’t want to look in that dark corner, but when the rational explanations are exhausted, what are you left with? But now, just maybe, we’re seeing an end to an era. It’s why I root for a Colts-Bengals AFC Title Game.
So that when I see it, I can say it. Ding ####. The Elephant is dead. Here’s to The Chance.
Interesting and compelling stuff. The sad thing is that the more "advanced" we get, the less interested we are in having the discussion on race that we all know has to be had in America. The more minority head coaches and coordinators manage to succeed in the NFL, the easier it will be to see them in the upper echelons of college football and high school -- where the roots of all sports are located.
Since you mentioned the Browns, a sore subject since Christmas Eve, I wrote a few things in my blog about the history of minority coaches, and players, in Cleveland.
Call my color blind, or just plain blind, but I did not notice until a few weeks ago that Cleveland has a majority of minotiry coaches -- Eric Wedge is the minority -- but somehow in Cleveland it makes sense.
Tooting my horn here I bit but I would encourage people from the NBA, NFL, and MLB to take a look into what might be going "right" with hiring in Cleveland sports. I won't say that it is perfect but in a town that was the first to give full time managing duties to a Latinto and Black baseball coach (Al Lopez and Frank Robinson) something must be going right.
Browns fans are inspired by Crennel, not because he is a black coach, but he appears to be a good coach and by every report he was the first choice.
It is a good read and you make some very sound ovservations. I do have to wonder though, at what point in the NFL history did miniority players take coaching as a serious consideration. It could be argued by some that the possibility of being unaccepted as a coach kept many for applying, or from considering going that rout.
As for Shula being considered over other coaches who happen to be a minority, I say that has just as much to do with the "NFL politics of the good old boys". NFL Family members sometimes have a faster career path, or are given more chances based on who their father was, for instance.
I have admired many of the coaches you mentionned, who are minorities, and actually never actually considered their color. I have also been just as surprised that some have been fired, before thur job was actually complete. Like Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay. While at the same time others, who do happen to be white are allowed to have a longer record of minimal successes.
Thanks for your viewpoint, it did open my eyes a little. But it is actually the Owners and GM's who need to look twice at the options they have. The positions of "coach" are few, compared to the number of capable applicants in the NFL and therefore the choices should be of a higher quality then we often see actually in that position.
I think in fact some black potential coaches probably didn't apply back in the 1970's or even 1980's. However, I am sure some of them certainly went to the college ranks. But you basic point has some merit, after all, coaches need patrons, mentors who will look out for them and help them climb the ladder.
As for Shula, the last name helped for sure. My bigger issue was that Dungy had to wait a decade. Given his pedigree (Chuck Noll, Dennis Green, Schottenheimer), that should have never happened. Shula never even had a good record as an assistant as I remember.
"You know, whenever we talk about race in this country, and our efforts to atone – or at least redeem - for past sins, some people usually think it’s about getting even. It’s never been about that. It’s about starting even."
Well-written piece, and this was my favorite part. Eloquent statement pertaining to an issue that is obviously very difficult to address.
I think coaching is mostly about leadership. It doesn't take a detailed statistical study to see that a high majority of the NFL's players are African-American. Part of strong leadership is being able to identify with those who lead. I'm not saying that every coach should be a reflection of his team's skin color, but if I were a general manager, I'd want to make sure that whomever I hired as coach better be able to identify with his players. That's the way it is in business, because that's the sensical way to approach success. I think there will be a further rise in African-American coaches because there certainly won't be a decline in African-American players. This isn't racist, it's the way it is.
Good post. I got to see Warren Moon play quite often during his years in Houston. I also saw some of the other greats of the era, Montana, Kelly, Aikman, etc. and NOBODY could throw a pass like Warren Moon. Nobody. He was a pure passer. Unfortunately he may never get his due because his teams always folded in the playoffs.
Doc Midnite, you concurrently continue to annihilate and educate the competition via the depth and breadth of your analysis. Doc do you sleep? 'Cause you got a handle on the multi-sports scene like I have never experienced before..
KW
Last edited by kimmie69 on December 28th at 1:49 PM.
As a token Lions Fan - remember Millen got fined for not looking at minority candidates. We'll see what he does this off season.... if he's not run out of town first.
Race will always matter until America and the rest of the world accept these simple words.."all men are created equal"... hey, didn't a white guy write that? Denying African Americans coaching positions is really saying that they (African American coaches) can't think.
Think about this... When has a white guy ever had to prove themselves to get a coaching position? Or any position for that matter? A perfect example..The President of the United States.
Does *ONLY* the "Head Coach" spot remain?? What about Sports Franchise Ownership and Senior Management?
Homosexuality in the lockerroom, Black Coaches, Steroids, Ownership...A few more and we risk being overrun by pachyderms...;)
Great post! I hope you win. You've certainly got my attention.
The reason there are very few black coaches historically, and the reason why there are very few opportunities for Black Ownership/Senior Management in Professional Sports (historically, I'd like to think things are changing), is *NOT* because they can't think. It's my opinion, but I believe it has more to do with politics than intellect.
Love your stuff. The_Doc's Good, but you've got a better arsenal. Keen insight, humor, unique perspective and wider peripheral vision. You know how to approach sensitive topics without ruffling feathers. Good Luck...theone
Does *ONLY* the "Head Coach" spot remain?? What about Sports Franchise Ownership and Senior Management?
Homosexuality in the lockerroom, Black Coaches, Steroids, Ownership...A few more and we risk being overrun by pachyderms...;)
Great post! I hope you win. You've certainly got my attention.
The reason there are very few black coaches historically, and the reason why there are very few opportunities for Black Ownership/Senior Management in Professional Sports (historically, I'd like to think things are changing), is *NOT* because they can't think. It's my opinion, but I believe it has more to do with politics than intellect.
Love your stuff. The_Doc's Good, but you've got a better arsenal. Keen insight, humor, unique perspective and wider peripheral vision. You know how to approach sensitive topics without ruffling feathers. Good Luck...theone
First time reader, Dr. M. Great work, you understand what it takes to be recognized and its good to see people giving you the props your deserve, not as an (assumption) black guy but as a great writer. I think its important for people to practice what they preach, and one day for get the salvery stuff we can get thru the ugly period of the 1900's -1930's especially and move into a real new era.
then again I'll be dead when that new era comes.
Loved the post Doc. Observations like the ones you put down on this post are sure to keep everyone reaching for their thinking caps.
Things that make you say Mmmmmmm :)
I see that you noted how poorly some of these white coaches have done and contrasted that with how great some black coaches are. It seems that if you researched hard enough you could find plenty of deserving white coaches that had to wait to get their shot as well. You mentioned "David Freaking Shula" getting his chance before Tony Dungy and insinuated the reasoning behind that was race. To me that is an obvious case of Nepotism or at least a case of believing that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree being that David's father was one to the greatest coaches of all time. No it did not end up a good decision but since when do bad decisions equate to racism. You might want to choose your conspiracy theories a little better next time. Yes the fact remains that there are more white coaches than black coaches. Is this racism or simply cases of owners hiring who they believe are the best men for the job? Do you think that if white people started crying that there are not enough white starters in the NBA that owners would replace their best players for white players? I think not. I agree that if racism were involved in the disparity of black head coaches that action to stop it would need to be taken. But I do not believe this to be the case today. I may be wrong but I have not seen anything to make me think that is how things are. Just out of curiosity how many Asian or Latino head coaches are there in the NFL? Without knowing the specific numbers I have to believe that there very few to none. Why is there no crusade to stop the NFL’s blatant racism toward these
(continued from above)
Why is there no crusade to stop the NFL’s blatant racism toward these two ethnicity's? Could it be because there is no racism there its just simply a fact that the best and most qualified head coaches out there right now are black and white? That would be my take on it. I understand why you are writing this article but I think that those who consider all of the perspectives surrounding the topic present the best arguments.
1904 - Whenever there is a civilized conversation going on, it is almost definite that before the end of the conversation, 1 idoit (or racist) will crawl from underneath their rock and try to take the dicussion down the wrong path. GET A LIFE!
Last edited by EarthTone on January 30th at 10:09 AM.
Doc,
I'm late with the read, but I love what you've written. Often people not in the minority feel equal opportunity is out there...we know that's not always the case. As you stated the NFL had to be mandated to interview minorities. "not getting even just starting even" Nice work!
make a couple of observations here. As a "half black" it's true that America never asked me which half I would rather be identified as. I was automatically shuffled off to "be black". So yes you're never not aware of being black. Having said that, I worked in the Newspaper industry, played in bands and opened my own business finally.
There are two common misconceptions in the black community. One is that all whites have it easier. That's nonsense today. Corporations abuse everyone today. Everyone except those at the top are losing benefits, salaries have been cut in half most jobs, nobody can expect to retire from a job in today's word, not even whites.
But what I do see is that if you DELIVER, make the "company money" so to speak, the company wants you and will advance you until they get used to what you do for them and then they forget they didn't have it before you and then they discard you. This works particularly well in pro sports coaching. These two coaches aren't there because they are black and they won't be fired because they are black. They've delivered. When the team goes to hell because of salary cap or retirements, etc., they'll be blamed just like white coaches are. It's a jungle and a tiger don't give a damn whether you're white or black when he's hungry.
and I wish my fellow blacks would do the math on this thing. there are what? let's say 26 is it? NFL head coaching jobs? We blacks are 12% of the population. Now divide that in half since over half are women and they ain't getting no NFL head coach job. Now divide that 6% in half again because of the blacks that don't even like football or they are like me, love it but have no desire to coach. we got 3% of blacks wanting to be NFL coaches. How likely is that? Anyhow, half of those are going be wanna be's but incompetent and trust me on this one. Everyone thinks they could do a better job in charge but in reality only maybe 1% really could. Now we're down to 1.5% of black even could coach. Now half of them are happy coaching little league or high school or college and all of a sudden you got less than 1% competing with 1,000% more in sheer numbers of other races combined for these 26 jobs. Do the math folks. It's not that racist to have only 3 black coaches. I'm suprise they have that many to be honest. We don't have that many black coaches qualified to coach in the NFL. We don't have that many black in America compared to everyone else. And that's fact.
Very good post on a subject that was taboo for too long. But you know, no matter what, racism is still going to exist in the USA. Hell it exists throughout the world, at least we recognize the need to try to stamp it out. And it is not a black/white question, you have yellow/white/black/red (indian) questions. Just to recognize the question is progress too.
G.H. Brooks (aka "Dr. Midnight" to his loyal fan base) is a 2-time Next Great Sportswriter (NGS) Finalist. One would think that bringing game like that would net me *something* - a cool icon to mark my site, some love from Fox Sports, cash, but noooo... :-)
I'm broadcasting live from New York City after a hiatus from the blogging scene, takes on life, sports, and whatever passing thoughts are shooting through my head. The good and bad ..passionate, logical, and on point.
It's a G Thing.... you can look me up at newjack1@eart hlink.net
