Lack of African-American Head
Football Coaches in Div. I
Institutions
Ryan Dunham
&
Guy Phillips
Brief Synopsis and Background
The representation of African-Americans in
Div. I Football Head Coaching Positions is
poor to say the least.
 Percentage of African-American/Minority
Coaches in Sports
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•
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NBA (37%)
NFL (19%)
MLB (30%)
NCAA Football (2.5%)
Theories on Why This is a
Problem Today
 Alumni and Boosters will not support the
program if an African-American is the head
coach
 Not that numerous of qualified assistants
available for promotion.
 Ol’ Boy Network/Racial Discrimination
 Money
 To Big of a Risk for Institutions/Programs
Theories on Why This is a
Problem Today (Continued)
 Zero Second Chance Opportunities
 It’s a Mystery
 Jumping Early to NFL/Not Getting Degree
 It’s Not a Problem
False Justifications for not Hiring an
African-American Coach
 Expressing that African-Americans are plentiful as
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assistant coaches on their staff
African-Americans are being considered for coordinator
positions and should continue to pay their dues
African-Americans are leaders in positions other than head
coaches in athletic department
Many other candidates were more qualified for the job
African-Americans that applied needed more experience
The campus community supported the internal hire that
was promoted to head coach
The head coach they selected was the “best fit” for the job
Diversity has been improving
Ethical issues involved
 Respect
 Dishonesty
 Racism
 Fairness
 Sportsmanship
 Impartiality
 Accountability
 Stereotyping
Defining Moment
 African-American players have historically been denied
access to participate on the field at all schools, until a
defining moment. Sam “Bam” Cunningham dominated a
1971 contest between Alabama and the University of
Southern California (USC). During the contest,
Cunningham (Black) shined against the all-white Alabama
team. The fans in attendance shouted “Get us one, get us
one.” The next year Alabama allowed Wilbur Jackson
(Black) to compete at the same position as Cunningham
had represented. This was the historical moment the
“changed the game.” It is often wondered what this
moment will be for African-American head coaches in
college football?
The Right Thing to Do
 Make the numbers more Representative of
actual Participation!
 Report Card
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What is being looked at?
How is each being scored?
What does it each letter grade equal?
Is it working?
Examples of an “F” Grade
 recent examples of not having the right
process are
• South Carolina
• Detroit Lions
 Examples of an “A” Grade
• (Ohio University)
Leadership Institute for Ethnic
Minority Males
 Organizers have set up three primary
components.
• The first part it called “Advanced Coaching
Program”
• The second is called “Expert Coaching Program
• the third is called “Executive Coaching Program”
 The NCAA contributed $180,000 and the NFL
added $70,000 towards the program.
Objectives
 To increase the understanding and application of skills
necessary to secure head coaching positions.
 To increase the understanding and awareness of
competencies necessary for success in head coaching at the
intercollegiate level.
 To motivate assistant coaches and coordinators to pursue
careers as head coaches at the Division I-A level.
 To introduce ethnic minority football coaches to senior-
level coaches and administrators through a mentoring
program.
 To raise public awareness of the existing talent pool of
ethnic minority football coaches.
Advanced Coaching Program
 The “Advanced Coaching Program,” which is a three-day
workshop, which is a three-day workshop to be conducted
at the front end of the AFCA convention. Those sessions
will focus on communications (public speaking,
booster/alumni relations, interviewing skills, relationships
with players and parents); fiscal responsibilities (fundraising, budgeting); building a successful program
(managing staff, relationships with presidents,
administrators and community); moral and ethical
considerations (sports wagering, agents, NCAA rules
compliance); and academic issues (academic support,
eligibility standards). Current minority coaches with at
least four years of coaching experience may apply for this
segment of the program.
Expert Coaching Program
 The second component is an "Expert Coaching Program"
aimed at coaches with at least six years of experience. This
session will be conducted in conjunction with the Black
Coaches Association convention beginning in June 2004.
The program is designed to develop innovative coaching
approaches, strengthen relationships with players,
introduce new game strategies, provide game-day coaching
skills and address off-field concerns.
Executive Coaching Program
 The "Executive Coaching Program" will be conducted for
a 12-month period beginning January 1 for selected
coaches with at least eight years of coaching experience.
This component is the mentoring part of the academy,
where participants will travel to meet with assigned
"executive coaches" twice during the year. The program
provides veteran high-profile head coaches and athletics
administrators (directors of athletics or conference
commissioners) with selected participants to assist with
career development, networking and exposure
opportunities.
Pseudo research*
 I asked a small number of KU football players if
they ever thought or had been told that they should
coach once their playing careers are over.
– About 50% said they would like to coach.
• Of the 50%, Only 50% said that they would want to
be the head coach, 25% wanted to coach high
school, 25% wanted to coach college, the other 50%
wanted to be college position coaches(with an
emphasis on not wanting to be promoted)
• * I received approx the same percentages from both white and
black players.