Not Enough Black Coaches

[DG_ThenNowForever]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/foot...n.ap/index.html

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- NCAA president Myles Brand asked member schools to offer more opportunities to minorities when hiring coaches and administrators and wants them to do a better job educating athletes about sportsmanship.

Speaking at the opening of the NCAA's annual convention, Brand admonished Football Bowl Subdivision -- formerly Division I-A -- schools for not aggressively pursuing black football coaches. Only seven of the 119 programs have black head coaches.

"We're not anywhere close to where we need to be in football," Brand said. "I'm encouraged that coaches of color are appearing as finalists for positions, but seven out of 119, that's just too darn low."

I see it as akin to the NFL's policy, which kind of makes a joke about the whole thing, encouraging token interviews more than anything else. Just ask Ted Cottrell.

What do you think?

[NJTank]

Myles Brand is an idiot. Nobody is going to pass up a black coach if he can win. The token interviews is idiotic and backfires in the end.

[slightly shotgunned]

i say that its a good idea given the number of black athletes in college sports, but FORCING an institution to do that just isn't the answer. coaches are like surgeons. who cares what he looks like as long as he can get the job done right. its just a matter of getting noticed, which isn't easy to do, but it can be done.

[OMMF]

Kind of on-topic, but, is there any other college that can make the same claim as the University of Washington can right now? Both basketball and football coaches are black.

[budbowl77]

if I was black, I would hope that I was being interviewed because I was qualified for the position not because of the color of my skin

[footballfiji]

Kind of on-topic, but, is there any other college that can make the same claim as the University of Washington can right now? Both basketball and football coaches are black.

The University at Buffalo

[sscrunner06]

if I was black, I would hope that I was being interviewed because I was qualified for the position not because of the color of my skin

Exactly...racism will always be a problem if we continue to make distinctions between black and white coaches. Like Tank said, every team wants to win, and I don't think any school is going to pass up a winning coach because of his skin color.

In conclusion, Brand is an idiot.

[KevinMcD]

Kind of on-topic, but, is there any other college that can make the same claim as the University of Washington can right now? Both basketball and football coaches are black.

The University at Buffalo

Yep, we have a black Athletic Director (Warde Manuel), basketball coach (Reggie Witherspoon), and football coach (Turner Gill).

They have a cover story about them on USA Today a year or so ago when Gill was hired.

[NJTank]

Well Miami now has a black Football and Basketball Coach too

Frank Haith Basketball and Randy Shannon new football coach.

[Seadragon76]

This is really stupid on Myles' part on basically forcing the Bowl Subdivision schools to hire minority coaches.

You cannot force a school, or any business in that matter, to hire more of a certain race if there is people that are clearly more talented are availible for the job.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Well, I don't know that it's a question of talent. I don't think you can categorically say that black coaches are unqualified to coach at the "Bowl Subdivision" level, which is kind of what the statistics say.

I think there are myriad reasons why there aren't many black head coaches aren't more prevalent at the NCAA level, but talent isn't one of them.

[CaolinaJoe]

Well, I don't know that it's a question of talent. I don't think you can categorically say that black coaches are unqualified to coach at the "Bowl Subdivision" level, which is kind of what the statistics say.

I think there are myriad reasons why there aren't many black head coaches aren't more prevalent at the NCAA level, but talent isn't one of them.

Outside of racism, what other reasons constitute your "myriad"?

[IceCap]

Schools should just hire the right man for the job, whether he be black, white, Hispanic, Asian, etc. If he's the best person for the job, hire him. No one should be forced to hire a sub-par applicant because of his race, whatever that race may be.

[charger77]

Best man for the job regardless of color.

Dan

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Well, I don't know that it's a question of talent. I don't think you can categorically say that black coaches are unqualified to coach at the "Bowl Subdivision" level, which is kind of what the statistics say.

I think there are myriad reasons why there aren't many black head coaches aren't more prevalent at the NCAA level, but talent isn't one of them.

Outside of racism, what other reasons constitute your "myriad"?

Inertia. Networking. The catch 22 of lack of previous coaching experience. The aforementioned racism. Do not four reasons constitute "myriad"?

I think all of those reasons have more to do with schools not hiring black coaches than just talent.

[Fred T. Jane]

Outside of racism, what other reasons constitute your "myriad"?

I just can't wait until the presidents force Affirmative action (Shouldn't Affirmative Action be used for public universities anyway? They are public institutions, after all...) on the athletic departments. The day that takes place is the day I throw all my savings in stocks for antacid and gastric health services. Imagine the booster clubs' reactions at say, oh, Michigan when a school passes over a hot commodity because an unproven minority applied for the job too?

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

This is stupid. Skin color means next to nothing to me, i want the person that will give me the best chance to win regardless of what his skin color is. i could give a about blacks, asians, martians etc being under/over/correctly represented in the NCAA, what i care about is having the best person for the job. If the black coach gives me the best chance i go with him, if the white guy does i go with him. most Athletic directors aren't saying 'lets pass on the black coach because we don't want a black coach even though he is the best man for the job.' most want the who ever the will win for them.

this is just another attempt in creating issues that aren't there.

[DEAD!]

I also do think that the best man for the job should get the job regardless of race. Myles is off-base on this matter. I think the "lack" of black coaches is the least of what's wrong with the NCAA or college in general.

However, this is an imperfect world, one where race does play a part in decision making for a job and how it is perceived. It doesn't just go for a head coaching job, but any job for that matter. It's not blatant or obvious, it's something that is sometimes subconciously embedded in our minds about stereotypes, misconceptions and the like.

[slightly shotgunned]

this is just another attempt in creating issues that aren't there.

the problem is that the ratio of black coach to black athlete isn't where some people feel it should be. without going to far into it, there's a reason why Ty Willingham was the first black head coach at notre dame. we sit and we talk about how far we've come, but Dead is right. racism still exists, certain areas of the south still aren't safe for black people, and the boosters and alums who hold the power are still uncomfortable (to be nice) with the idea of a black coach coaching their white athletes.

but like i said, forcing a school to hire a black coach isn't effective. while that catch 22 dsgitlin mentioned is a great way for schools to keep black coaches out (intenionally or not), there are ways around it. it just takes a long time. a very long time. and requires a lot of moving around and working under white coaches in some cases. not a lot of black coaches are willing to do that, especially when they watch untested white coaches get head jobs above them time after time after time.

[Guest]

Does Myles Brand want more white cornerbacks?