list of black nfl head coaches list of black nfl head coaches

I'm proud to report today, my classes are basically 50/50. Flores finished 24-25 in three seasons with the Dolphins (2019-2021) and remains connected to the franchise. Coaching rumors are heating up with three openings created on Monday morning. Jackson was replaced by Dennis Allen, a coach that went 8-28 in 2.5 seasons. The first version of the policy required every team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one minority during their process. 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. The rule was expanded in 2009 to include general managers as well as other front-office positions. That's what we'll be discussing today. For perspectives sake, the NFL entered Black History Month 2022 with just one single Black head coach despite its vow a decade earlier to increase diversity among its head and assistant coaches. Despite the fact that coaches are beginning to opt out of the combine, both Pederson and Baalke will meet with the media to discuss strategy and other subjects on Tuesday, February 28 at 12:30 a.m . He only coached eight total games, getting all three of his wins with Buffalo. Romeo Crennel was a head coach for four seasons with the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008 and later for one season with the Houston Texans, according to the Pro Football History website. Fritz Pollard became the first Black head coach in NFL history after the Akron Pros appointed him as co-coach in 1921. 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. Frazier was the Vikings' coach from 2010-2013, leading Minnesota to its biggest single-season turnaround in franchise history (3-13 in 2011 to 10-6 in 2012). Tyler Dragon, sports reporter for USA Today, says the league already has similar programs in place. Smith wasnt able to capture the magic he had in Chicago with Tampa Bay. Vance Joseph, who was the head coach for the Denver Broncos for the 2017 and 2018 seasons and is reportedly a candidate for the Miami Dolphins head coaching job that was left vacant after Brian Flores was fired. He is currently the linebackers coach for the Steelers. Perry Fewell was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills for a single season in 2019. The Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin and the Tampa Buccaneers' Todd Bowles are the only current Black NFL head coaches. The first thing you say is kudos to Mr. Rooney, obviously the driving force behind it, and I worked for him so I'm biased, but also the league for identifying a problem and trying to come up with a solution. After inheriting a 4-12 team led by Greg Schiano, Smith only lasted two seasons after going 8-24. Hopefully, DeMecos hiring is the catalyst for more Black coaches in the NFL. When he took over in Houston at age 73, he became the oldest head coach in NFL history. Green made the playoffs in eight of 10 seasons in Minnesota, with his most memorable campaign coming in 1998. His saying was, "It's great to have a mentor, but it's even better to be a mentor." Thomas was the Falcons head coach for just four games before the team decided to hire someone else for the job in the offseason. 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. Tomlin was 10-6 in his first season and is still in Pittsburgh. Smith coached the Bears for nearly a decade (2004-2012) before a brief stint with the Buccaneers (2014-2015). After all, they may be musing, isnt the NFL disproportionately made up of Black players? 12. One Black head coach in a league dominated by Black players. Our recent USA Today sports analysis found that in the last 20 years, about four white coaches were hired for every coach of color. Flores was replacing Adam Gase who was 23-25 in three seasons, as he went 24-25 in three seasons. The league is being sued by Brian Flores, former Miami Dolphins head coach. They have who they want to be their coordinators, to be their assistant coaches, in some cases, to be their quality control coaches, to be their equipment managers, to be their strength conditioning staff. It attempted to address the historically low number of minorities in head coaching positions. It's Sunday, February 5th, 2023. Dennis Green took the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. 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. Overall of the on field coaches in the NFL, it's something like 43% are coaches of color. 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. I said, "What do you do before you go to the bathroom?" Only one of five NFL head coaches hired this offseason was Black. And to Alexis Gustin and Shannon Ray Green for their production assistance. He also wants to get a sense of their mentality. Is it because the NFL is an organization akin to slavery, like blacklisted free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick said after he was effectively excommunicated from the league following his silent kneeling protest to demonstrate against the police brutality of Black people? 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. What's in it for interims? and over the next 13 seasons, which included seven years with the Indianapolis Colts, he racked up 148 total victories. 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. Tyler Dragon, sports reporter at USA Today says things played out differently than expected. He says that there's been some improvement with diversity in the coaching ranks. Of course, that type of logic is counterproductive and completely beside the point, what with the new 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. Having them sit in non-interview settings with the decision makers, presidents, and owners, everything I've talked about. Only one of five NFL head coaches hired this offseason was Black. There were three Black head coaches in the NFL when the Rooney Rule took effect, and the league hasn't made a ton of progress toward its goals in the years since. When Stephen Ross Miami Dolphins fired Brian Flores on Monday, it sent shockwaves around the NFL. The league in general is very tough because it's not like a lot of other industries where there's a criteria of how you get promoted. He had a 131-122-3 record in 16 seasons and reached the playoffs seven times. Flores still has upcoming interviews for head coaching positions with at least two other teams, so, considering the public relations fiasco that his lawsuit is, chances are that pressure will result in him being hired. Fritz Pollard. But the league still has plenty of veteran greybeards that have seen success at the very highest level. 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 Adam Gase, a guy that went 9-23 in two seasons. 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. | Source: Wesley Hitt / Getty. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Emmitt Thomas Source:Getty Emmitt Thomas was named interim head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in the middle of the 2007 season after a sudden resignation left the position vacant. We see coaches, as I mentioned, like Ron Rivera, Mike McDaniel, Robert Saleh, not exclusively African American. Ron Aiken. What's your systems? 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. He has a 90-90-1 overall record through Week 6 of the 2022 season. He is the current running backs coach for the 49ers. 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. Which again, through experience, I've learned those are the key indicators for success. After serving as the defensive coordinator for the Ravens from 1996-2001, Lewis accepted a new position within the division, coaching the Bengals from 2003-2018. Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 through the 2021 season, after which he was fired. Jackson took over for Tom Cable, who went 8-8 in his final season with the team. The franchise was a charter member of the American Football League (AFL . Sandra Douglass Morgan - President of the Las Vegas Raiders. He led the Oakland Raiders during the 2011 season and was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2016 to 2018. The NFL has a serious diversity problem. from Todd Haley that season when he was let go after a 5-8 start. 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. During his entire head coaching career, his two teams combined for a record of 37-42-1 across five seasons including going 1-2-0 in the playoffs, according to the Pro Football History website. He was fired in September 2022. He was fired 8 games into his third season and finished with a 3-36-1 record. Studesville was the interim head coach of the Broncos in 2010, going 1-3 to finish out the season. 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. newsone.com. 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. For so many reasons, DeMeco is everything we are looking for in a leader and coach for our organization, said Texans owner Cal McNair in a statement. 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. Mel Tucker was named the interim head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final five games of the 2011 season. He was named the AP Coach of the Year in 2009. If you look at solutions instead of just focused on the problem, that's where I think we all should be focusing our energy. Its reminiscent of the end of the 2018 season when five black head coaches were fired and were replaced with five white coaches, leaving Tomlin and Anthony Lynn as the only Black faces, at the time. Flores was fired on Monday despite leading the Dolphins to seven straight wins in the second half. He compiled a record of 21-32. When I look at the NFL landscape from top to bottom, they are really behind when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Tomlin is one of the best coaches in the NFL, at playing as the underdog which means he is still a big game coach that can match skills and wit with the best of them. 12. What's your familiarity, and what's your schemes? Now-former Head Coach Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins talks with an official during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on January 2, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee. As of the time that this list was published, Morris was seen as a leading candidate for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching vacancy. In seven seasons with the Colts, Dungy was 92-33 as he made the playoffs every season and won Super Bowl XLI. Flores still has upcoming interviews for head coaching positions with at least two other teams, so, considering the public relations fiasco that his lawsuit is, chances are that pressure will result in him being hired. OBrien was let go after starting the 2020 season 0-4, as the Texans finished 4-12 under interim coach Romeo Crennel. For perspectives sake, the NFL entered Black History Month 2022 with just one single Black head coach despite its vow a decade earlier to increase diversity among its head and assistant coaches. John Allen (American football) Lamar Allen. Must Black folks be head coaches too, critics might be wondering? He was also named assistant head coach of the Jaguars for the 2012 season, according to the Pro Football History website. 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. Vance Joseph, who was the head coach for the Denver Broncos for the 2017 and 2018 seasons and is reportedly a candidate for the Miami Dolphins head coaching job that was left vacant after Brian Flores was fired. Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 through the 2021 season, after which he was fired. That certainly lines up with what Flores lawsuit is alleging. He can move to number one with success during the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. Specifically, Flores claims hes had multiple incidents of racial discrimination that involved several teams, as well as coaches and executives around the league. Leadership is defined in a lot of different ways. After all, he'd led a Colts team in constant need of consistent . He served in the same double capacity with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020. Mike Singletary was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator, Tennessee Titans. The NFL's 32 teams began the season in full on Sunday with only three Black head coaches and two Black general managers in a league where the players are roughly 70% Black. He coached the Raiders from 1989-1994, then returned to the team for one season in 2006. Crennel showed up in Cleveland after a season in which Butch Davis and Robiskie led the Browns to a 4-12 campaign. We might have you on the show. Shell did his second and final stint as the head coach for the Raiders, as he only lasted one year after posting a 2-14 record. 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. Green made the playoffs in eight of 10 seasons in Minnesota, with his most memorable campaign coming in 1998. | Source: Wesley Hitt / Getty. I'm James Brown. Morris was tabbed as the man to follow the Jon Gruden era in Tampa a guy that still touts his Super Bowl title with the Bucs even though he coached a team that was crafted by Tony Dungy. If you have to do something, then you're going to be fully invested in it as something that you chose to do. These days, he runs a sports law program at Villanova University and hosts the Business of Sports podcast. The league and the teams deny his claims, but Dragon isn't convinced. 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. Cliff Anderson (American football) Darren Arbet. What I was looking for is the kind of person that I don't know, does 50 pushups right out of bed, that makes a to-do list right out of bed, that has a routine. 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. But, if history is any indication and it is thats far from a guarantee. Edwards was 10-6 in his first season and took the team to the second round of the playoffs. He was replaced by Zac Taylor who is currently 16-32 in three seasons. That certainly lines up with what Flores lawsuit is alleging. Edwards spent eight seasons as a head coach in the NFL, running the Jets (2001-2005) and Chiefs (2006-2008). Do you remember what your initial thoughts were when you heard that this kind of thing was being implemented? 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. Jackson, who is the current coach of Grambling State, was the head coach of the Raiders (2011) and Browns (2016-2018). MORE: The NFL Has A Major Black Head Coach Problem.