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"While the percentages [of minority coaches] are slightly better, the general picture is still one of white men running college sport," the report's co-author, Richard Lapchick told the Associated Press. "Overall, the numbers simply do not reflect the diversity of our student-athletes. Moreover, they do not reflect the diversity of our nation where we have elected an African-American as President for the first time."
AP
The study also looked at university leadership, which includes presidents and athletic directors, and found that 91 percent are held by white folks. Lapchick believes that NCAA should adopt a rule similar to the NFL's Rooney Rule where the league sanctions teams that do not interview minority candidates for coaching jobs. Lapchick hopes that Obama's election will make an impact on the hiring of minority candidates.
"His presidency will get people's attention, whether or not he gets involved," he said. "People will wonder: How can we have an African-American president and the lowest number of coaches in 15 years?"
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By: anthony on 12/04/2008 11:44AM
I am black and I also believe that there are too few black coaches in division one college football. I will expose of one of the nonsensical argument that is heard from whites. Whites like to translate the call for more black college coaches into a call for a quota system. I have never heard an argument from any reputable black coach or any black organization, including the Black Coaches Association, calling for a quota system. No black coach wants one; therefore whites can stop advancing this lame excuse.
Why are whites hired and blacks are are not hired as head coaches? Are whites more qualified than blacks? The short answer is whites are not any more qualified than blacks; however whites get more opportunities in getting hired in the entry level position of coaching than blacks. Here is how the game is played. White head coaches hire young white inexperience assistant coaches at the lower spectrum of the college football chain. These young assistants, who usually have no college coaching experience, may start their careers breaking down film or just being a gopher; nonetheless, this is a opportunity to grow as a coach. After a few years of doing menial tasks, they are promoted to assistant coaches where they may be in charge of a certain position such as the linebackers, safeties, or wide receivers. After getting the training as an assistant for a few years, they are then promoted to a coordinator position by the head coach. After that, they start applying for head coaching positions.
The road to being a head coach starts by giving nonexperience coaches a chance to coach. These types of positions are entry level positions, but blacks are not getting them at the same or similar rates as whites. These types of jobs have more to do with relationship than ability and white head coaches are more inclined to hire people that they have a relationship with rather than hire a black.
There are black assistance coaches; however, many of them do not reach the coordinator level not because of lack of ability, but they have not been given the opportunities by white head coaches. I will never forget seeing Marty Shortinhermer apologizing on television to Tony Dungy for not giving him a chance to be the defensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chief. Shortinhermer said that he had promised Dungy the job, but renege and give the job to someone else. We all know that Dungy has a super bowl ring now as a head coach. Black coaches are not looking for handouts they just want to compete on a level playing field.
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By: Turk on 12/18/2008 12:11PM
Exhibit A: Gene Cizik goes 5-19 at Iowa State and gets hired at Auburn. Turner Gill revives the Buffalo football program, wins the `08 MAC title (upsetting unbeaten Ball State along the way) and barely gets a look from Auburn. The only people upset with this topic are white males who once again see their white privilege threatened.
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