African Americans and other minorities are woefully underrepresented in the college coaching ranks – particularly in football – with few clear remedies in sight, witnesses told a House of Representatives panel Wednesday.
“A candidate of color has a better chance of becoming a military general than a college president, an athletic commissioner or a college football coach,” said Floyd Keith, executive director of the Black Coaches Association, before the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee.
Not counting historically Black colleges and universities, only 14 higher education institutions have African American coaches out of more than 600 football programs in all divisions of the NCAA.
“For all the success that people of color have had in professional sports, similar progress in college athletics remains stubbornly elusive,” said Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., subcommittee chairman. These low numbers continue even though the pipeline is “overflowing with qualified candidates,” he added.
The revenue produced by college football and basketball – generated with help from minority athletes – has created a “disturbing two-tier situation” for African Americans due to the dearth of coaching opportunities, he said.
Rev. Jesse Jackson credited the NCAA with new policies that have raised graduation rates for African American and other minority student/athletes. “But there’s no penalty if you don’t have Black coaches or Hispanic coaches,” he said.
The recent Super Bowl featuring two African American head coaches – Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts and Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears – also illustrate differences between the college and pro ranks, witnesses said. While the NFL’s so-called “Rooney rule” requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate, such an approach may not work at the college level.
