Art Shell became head coach of the then-Los Angeles Raiders in 1988, a job he held until 1994, after the franchise moved to Oakland, according to the Raiders website. 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. Lovie Smith was a head coach with the Chicago Bears for eleven seasons from 2004 to 2012 before he was hired as thehead coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014to2015. and its alleged efforts at diversifying head coaching around the professional football league, its worth putting things in their proper perspective for folks who may be shrugging and wondering what the big deal is. Just 25 of them have been Black. Tucker was the interim head coach of the Jaguars for the last five games of the 2011 season. Emmitt Thomas was named interim head coach of theAtlanta Falcons in the middle of the 2007 season after a sudden resignation left the position vacant. Hue Jackson was an NFL head coach with two franchises for four seasons. He served in the same double capacity with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020. During his three seasons as head coach, Rhule had five different starters Teddy Bridgewater, PJ Walker, Sam Darnold, Cam Newton, and Baker Mayfield. The franchise was founded in 1960 by Lamar Hunt and were known as the Dallas Texans when the team was located in Dallas, Texas. After leading the Buffalo Bills for one season in 2016. said his lawsuit will not be deterred regardless of whether he is or isnt an NFL head coach next season. John Allen (American football) Lamar Allen. 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. 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. 4. 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. Heres Every Black Head Coach In NFL History and over the next 13 seasons, which included seven years with the Indianapolis Colts, he racked up 148 total victories. Suicide Note Revealed After Shocking Death, Indicted! Frederick Pollard Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard Fritz Pollard was the first African-American football player to play at Brown University. 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. Shell was the first Black head coach in the modern era of the NFL. He only coached eight total games, getting all three of his wins with Buffalo. What's in it for interims? Eric Studesville was the head coach for the Denver Broncos during the final four games of the 2010 season. The thinking basically went there are lots of black men who played running back, so when they transition to coaching, that's the position they know, it's the easiest way to get into the business. All Rights Reserved. Shane Steichen, Offensive Coordinator, Eagles. While the policy has been able to open more doors for Black coaches during the interview process, front offices have largely declined to hire those candidates. What's your systems? He has a proven track record for developing high-quality players and constantly innovated his defensive scheme over the last six seasons in San Francisco.. said his lawsuit will not be deterred regardless of whether he is or isnt an NFL head coach next season. His teams won division titles four times and advanced to NFC Championship Games after the 1998 and 2000 seasons, the team wrote on its website. One Black coach, 33 years after Art Shell broke the modern era head coaching color barrier with the Raiders. Jordan Greer is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News. I said, "What do you do before you go to the bathroom?" Todd Bowles Starting our list on number 20 is the NFL franchise head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Todd Bowles. Anthony Lynn was a head coach in the NFL for two teams over the course of five seasons. Dungy was hired in Indianapolis after they went 6-10 before he arrived. newsone.com. The Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL) have had 13 head coaches in their franchise history. Of the five head . 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. Over a nearly 20-year career as a coach in the NFL, Leslie Frazier was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2010 to 2013. Edwards spent eight seasons as a head coach in the NFL, running the Jets (2001-2005) and Chiefs (2006-2008). Brian Flores, who used to be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL claiming there is racial discrimination in the hiring process. After inheriting a 4-12 team led by Greg Schiano, Smith only lasted two seasons after going 8-24. 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. We did a lot of reporting on this in the fall, and you had some people who basically suspected that a lot of it stems from playing positions. Singletary coached the 49ers from 2008-2010, totaling 18 wins and 22 losses in three seasons. Mel Tucker was named the interim head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final five games of the 2011 season. In his three seasons in Indianapolis, Caldwell was 28-24 and replaced by Chuck Pagano. 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. The rule was expanded in 2009 to include general managers as well as other front-office positions. Someone that has familiarity with your roster, a lot of our interview time was spent, what do you think of this player? The rule was named after Dan Rooney, then owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Women being interested in this area of business or law, from my viewpoint, has really grown. Jackson, who is the current coach of Grambling State, was the head coach of the Raiders (2011) and Browns (2016-2018). and over the next 13 seasons, which included seven years with the Indianapolis Colts, he racked up 148 total victories. The NFL has a serious diversity problem. If you look at solutions instead of just focused on the problem, that's where I think we all should be focusing our energy. That's what we'll be discussing today. The next year he was fired after starting the season 5-10. He ended those two stints with an overall record of11-44-1. Do you remember what your initial thoughts were when you heard that this kind of thing was being implemented? His career record is 92-90. One person called this positional segregation. 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. Edwards was with the Chiefs for three seasons and compiled a 15-34 record that included a postseason loss to the Colts in his debut year. There were five black NFL head coaches at the end of the 2022 season. 93% of running back's coaches in the NFL at the start of the season were coaches of color compared to something like 18% or something of quarterback's coaches. He was 41-44 in his tenure and took the Jets to the postseason in three of his five seasons. One Black head coach in a league dominated by Black players. Mike Tomlin, Mike McDaniel, Todd Bowles, Lovie Smith, and interim head coach Steve Wilkes. The Houston Texans broughtCulley in to clean up the mess that Bill OBrien left after he underachieved with J.J. Watt, Deshaun Watson, and DeAndre Hopkins on top of trading Hopkins and getting into it with Watt. filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL claiming there is racial discrimination in the hiring process, the NFL is an organization akin to slavery,, According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website, according to the Pro Football History website, according to the pro football hall of fame website, according to the Pro Football Reference website, coached the Cincinnati Bengals for 16 seasons from 2003 to 2018, named interim head coach of theAtlanta Falcons in the middle of the 2007 season, head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons, NFL head coach with two separate teams from 2009 to 2020, a leading candidate for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching vacancy, Leslie Frazier was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2010 to 2013, Frazier interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching job, head coach for the Denver Broncos during the final four games of the 2010 season, Todd Bowles was a head coach in the NFL for five seasons, NFL head coach with two franchises for four seasons, Jackson claims the Browns incentivized losing, Anthony Lynn was a head coach in the NFL for two teams, reportedly a candidate for the Miami Dolphins head coaching job, Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. If they truly want to change the system or if not, then we realize that they're just given it lip service. Cliff Anderson (American football) Darren Arbet. And since America loves to ignore blatant racism unless they can watch it on video or it can be quantified into numbers, Deadspin took a look at the plight of Black coaches in the NFL over the last 20-plus years. When I started teaching seven, eight years ago, I'd have a class of 50 students, it'd be 47 guys and three girls. Flores finished 24-25 in three seasons with the Dolphins (2019-2021) and remains connected to the franchise. Bowles was hired after Rex Ryans roller coaster ride with the Jets ended with a 4-12 finish in 2014. Mike Singletary was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. Like our content? 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. Hopefully, DeMecos hiring is the catalyst for more Black coaches in the NFL. He retired after the 2008 season and was replaced by Jim Caldwell who was the teams coach-in-waiting, in a rare occurrence of a team having back-to-back Black coaches. Caldwell took over for Dungy with ease as he posted a 14-2 record in his first season as the Colts made it all the way to Super Bowl XLIV where they were upset by Drew Brees and the Saints. And while that happens, the lack of Black coaches will be the most discussed talking point. Must Black folks be head coaches too, critics might be wondering? Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator, Tennessee Titans. He was also a terrific running back, earning All-America honors in 1916 while playing for Brown University. 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. He is a former NFL player whose professional career spanned from 1986 to 1993. Eric Studesville was the head coach for the Denver Broncos during the final four games of the 2010 season. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. He went 2-6 in eight games. Crennel showed up in Cleveland after a season in which Butch Davis and Robiskie led the Browns to a 4-12 campaign. Jackson claims the Browns incentivized losing while he was head coach in order to increase the teams odds in the NFL Draft. Thomas was the Falcons head coach for just four games before the team decided to hire someone else for the job in the offseason. What do you think of the show? The league and the teams deny his claims, but Dragon isn't convinced. Hubbard Alexander. Eventually he became head coach of the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs in the 2000s. Former head coach: Nathaniel Hackett. Art Shell became head coach of the then-Los Angeles Raiders in 1988, a job he held until 1994, after the franchise moved to Oakland, according to the Raiders website. 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. Heres Every Black Head Coach In NFL History 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. It still remains to be seen if that is going to lead to results. Bowles went 10-6 in his first season and was 24-40 in his four years on the sidelines for the Jets. Don Shula holds the current records for regular season wins at 328 and combined regular and postseason wins at 347. He signed a 10-year, $95 million deal with the Spartans in November 2021. He has a 29-44 overall record through Week 6 of the 2022 season. The Vikings went 15-1 that season and racked up 556 points, which set an NFL record at the time.. Caldwell was only in Detroit for four seasons, but the Lions made two postseason appearances under him. 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. I'm proud to report today, my classes are basically 50/50. Ron Aiken. He returned to coaching when he took the head job at Arizona State in 2017. (At the time, it was called the American Professional Football Association.). Must Black folks be head coaches too, critics might be wondering? 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. The rule was expanded in 2009 to include general managers as well as other front-office positions. Hopefully, DeMecos hiring is the catalyst for more Black coaches in the NFL. Fewell was the interim head coach for the Bills in 2009 and Panthers in 2019. Either way, Flores. I think that we're starting to see that response from a lot of ownerships and a lot of hiring practices. He also coached the Cardinals for three seasons (2004-2006). Jim Caldwell has been head coach for two different NFL franchises: the Indianapolis Colts from 2009 to 2011 and the Detroit Lions from 2014 to 2017. Dennis Green took the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. Thanks to Tyler Dragon, Tom Schad, Doug Whaley, and Andrew Brandt for joining me. 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. Todd Haley took over for Edwards and was 19-26 during his run. His saying was, "It's great to have a mentor, but it's even better to be a mentor." 20 years ago, the NFL adopted a policy known as the Rooney Rule. Having them sit in non-interview settings with the decision makers, presidents, and owners, everything I've talked about. Top Row: Lovie Smith, Marvin Lewis, Tony Dungy, Mike Tomlin, Jim Caldwell Botttom Row: Anthony Lynn, Romeo Crennel, Herm Edwards, Leslie Frazier, Brian Flores. Pittsburghs Mike Tomlin and Houstons David Culley are the lone Black head coaches in a league thats over 70 percent Black. In the text message, Belichick confirmed Daboll had already secured the job, but Flores had not yet interviewed for the position. 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. 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 . 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. As a player, Ryans was a two-time Pro Bowler and is still the Texans all-time tackles leader. Hello, and welcome to Five Things. 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. 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. Dennis Greeen was the Vikings Head Coach from 1992 to 2001, and his 97 regular-season wins rank second in franchise history. Of course, that type of logic is counterproductive and completely beside the point, what with the 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. The first version of the policy required every team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one minority during their process. 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. Wilkes was not retained and Smith was fired. With all the controversy surrounding the NFL and its alleged efforts at diversifying head coaching around the professional football league, its worth putting things in their proper perspective for folks who may be shrugging and wondering what the big deal is. As the league becomes more driven by quarterbacks, coaching quarterbacks is becoming a fast track to becoming a head coach. Dungy later became the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. After all, they may be musing, isnt the NFL disproportionately made up of Black players? 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 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. Caldwell was brought in after the Jim Schwartz (gym shorts) era ended with 4-12 and 7-9 seasons. Green was picked up in Arizona after Dave McGinnis had three consecutive losing seasons in the desert. Owners and front office people who are in charge of hiring, they found loopholes in the rule. Lovie Smith was a head coach with the Chicago Bears for eleven seasons from 2004 to 2012 before he was hired as thehead coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014to2015. 'Dilbert' Comic Creator Calls Black People A 'Hate Group,' Urges Segregation So Whites Can 'Escape', Bernie Mac Show Star Camille Winbush Is Not Ashamed Of Joining OnlyFans, Kyle Rittenhouse Faces 2nd Civil Lawsuit, Continues To Beg For Money From His Supporters, Ben Stein's 'Aunt Jemima' Rant Is A Master Class On White Privilege, Why Did tWitch Kill Himself? 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. 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. He stuck around for 15 more and was 131-129-3, but never won a playoff game in seven trips. Tony Alford. As of the time that this list was published, Morris was seen as a leading candidate for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching vacancy. Gerald Alexander. Dennis Greeen was the Vikings Head Coach from 1992 to 2001, and his 97 regular-season wins rank second in franchise history. The Vikings went 15-1 that season and racked up 556 points, which set an NFL record at the time.. During a nearly 40-year career coaching in the NFL, Robiskie was named an interim head coach twice once during the2000 season for the then-Washington Redskins and then during the 2004 season with the Cleveland Browns, according to the Pro Football History website. After all, they may be musing, isnt the NFL disproportionately made up of Black players? Jacksons second stint as an NFL head coach was atrocious as he was 1-31 in his first two seasons in Cleveland. The Lions also had two playoff berths in four seasons, as compared to one playoff appearance in the previous 14 seasons. 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. He was replaced by Zac Taylor who is currently 16-32 in three seasons. 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? And to Alexis Gustin and Shannon Ray Green for their production assistance. No matter what you make, if I came in here and told you how to spend your money, what would you say? Mel Tucker was named the interim head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final five games of the 2011 season. Dungy later became the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. He was replaced by Eric Mangini who was 23-26 in three seasons with only one playoff appearance. He is currently the linebackers coach for the Steelers. 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. Dirk Koetter replaced Smith and wasnt much better, as Tampa Bay didnt get good again until Bruce Arians showed up in 2019.