Smith coached the Bears for nearly a decade (2004-2012) before a brief stint with the Buccaneers (2014-2015). (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski) Smith has been part of the Titans' staff since 2011 first as a quality control coach, then helping with tight ends, then coaching tight ends, and eventually replacing current Packers head coach Matt LaFleur as the team's offensive coordinator in 2019. Schad says this goes back a while. Well . He went 2-6 in eight games. He had a long career in the NFL working his way up through the Pittsburgh Steelers organization and eventually becoming the only black general manager in the 60-year history of the Buffalo Bills. Edwards spent eight seasons as a head coach in the NFL, running the Jets (2001-2005) and Chiefs (2006-2008). He is embroiled in a lawsuit that he filed against multiple teams, including Miami, and the NFL for discriminatory hiring practices. He only coached eight total games, getting all three of his wins with Buffalo. The rule was expanded in 2009 to include general managers as well as other front-office positions. The Lions also had two playoff berths in four seasons, as compared to one playoff appearance in the previous 14 seasons. Interestingly enough, Caldwell was mentioned in Brian Flores lawsuit as an example of a Black NFL head coach who was fired in spite of the success he enjoyed. 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. He says that there's been some improvement with diversity in the coaching ranks. 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. (At the time, it was called the American Professional Football Association.). In 2017, we had a record eight minority head coaches entering the season: Chargers Anthony Lynn, Denver's Vance Joseph, Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis, Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin, Detroit's Jim. Frazier finished the year 3-3, and got the interim tag taken off him. We should be able to have a system where the best person for the job gets hired, not the person you know the best. The rule was expanded in 2009 to include general managers as well as other front-office positions. Culley lasted just one season with the Texans, completing the 2021 campaign with a 4-13 overall record. 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. Dennis Greeen was the Vikings Head Coach from 1992 to 2001, and his 97 regular-season wins rank second in franchise history. I think there's some basic qualities you look for. 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. 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,, Heres Every Black Head Coach In NFL History, 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. 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. But as we see now, just like anything, people that have children and even to yourself, when someone says you have to do something, you're obviously automatically going to have a bias towards it. 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. 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. There are just SIX head coaches of color out of 32 in a league with a 70% non-white player base. 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. He says that change is even happening in his sports business classes. It was when the GM above me and I was the assistant GM, he decided to retire, that decision maker was there in meetings with me, was there socially, professionally, and he understood that I could do the job. He has captured two AFC championships and one Super Bowl title. The following year the team was 11-5 and Smith won Coach of the Year. The league has even gone to such drastic measures as partnering with rap legend JAY Z in the name of entertainment and social justice as a way to help accomplish its evasive mission. To be sure, the NFL has had more than 500 head coaches over the course of more than a century of competition. If you look at solutions instead of just focused on the problem, that's where I think we all should be focusing our energy. In the text message, Belichick confirmed Daboll had already secured the job, but Flores had not yet interviewed for the position. Over the next few days and weeks, multiple teams will be conducting interviews to fill their head coaching vacancies. 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. Jackson claims the Browns incentivized losing while he was head coach in order to increase the teams odds in the NFL Draft. Shell was the first Black head coach in the modern era of the NFL. Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah - General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings. MORE: The NFL Has A Major Black Head Coach Problem. 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. The year before, Norv Turner was 4-12, and the year after Shell left, Lane Kiffin was 4-12 in his first season. 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. He served in the same double capacity with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020. 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. He had an aggregate record of 36-28, a winning percentage of .563 the best winning percentage of any Lions Head Coach since the 1950s, Flores lawsuit said in part. And what goes into hiring a head coach? Record: 40-33-1, 1-2 in the playoffs. I think that might be part of the answer to why it exists, but I certainly don't think it's the entire answer. Eric Studesville was the head coach for the Denver Broncos during the final four games of the 2010 season. 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. Tomlin showed up in Pittsburgh after Bill Cowher was 8-8 in his final season and one year removed from winning a Super Bowl. 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. Todd Haley took over for Edwards and was 19-26 during his run. Thomas was the Falcons head coach for just four games before the team decided to hire someone else for the job in the offseason. 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. The new wave of head-coaching hires in the NFL has seen a trend toward younger, offensive-minded leading men getting the top jobs. Carolina's Steve Wilks latest Black coach thrust into challengingrole, A family affair: Nepotism and its networks fill many NFL coaching positions, NFL's path to top jobs still narrow, lengthy for coaches ofcolor, Often interviewed, never hired: How hot-shot NFL head coaching candidates go cold, As NFL coaching carousel starts to spin, advocates unsure how Black candidates will fare, What we learned: Four key findings from USA TODAY's analysis of NFL coaches, PODCAST: Exploring USA TODAY Sports NFL coaches project and previewing Week 4. He has a 29-44 overall record through Week 6 of the 2022 season. He went 21-38 across those four seasons. Jackson claims the Browns incentivized losing while he was head coach in order to increase the teams odds in the NFL Draft. 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. Nonetheless, Mr. Caldwell was fired the day after his fourth season.. Morris was 17-31 in three seasons and wound up being replaced by Greg Schiano, then Lovie Smith, and then Dirk Koetter none of them fared much better. As of the time that this list was published, Morris was seen as a leading candidate for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching vacancy. 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. 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. After serving as defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills in 2021, Frazier interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching job. He was replaced by Adam Gase, a guy that went 9-23 in two seasons. What's your systems? Fritz Pollard became the first Black head coach in NFL history after the Akron Pros appointed him as co-coach in 1921. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. Dungy enjoyed a Hall of Fame career from 1996-2008, racking up 139 wins and 69 losses across 13 seasons with the Buccaneers and Colts. The league is being sued by Brian Flores, former Miami Dolphins head coach. He stuck around for 15 more and was 131-129-3, but never won a playoff game in seven trips. Rhodes, a five-time Super Bowl champion as an assistant with the 49ers, had a 37-42-1 record as the head coach of the Eagles and Packers (1995-1999). Must Black folks be head coaches too, critics might be wondering. But then when you look down at specific positions, running back's coaches is a great example that ended up being kind of the crux of the story. Lewis was hired by the Bengals after a 2-14 campaign. The team relocated to Kansas City, Missouri and were renamed the Chiefs in 1963. He was also named assistant head coach of the Jaguars for the 2012 season, according to the Pro Football History website. He has a 90-90-1 overall record through Week 6 of the 2022 season. 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. He had an aggregate record of 36-28, a winning percentage of .563 the best winning percentage of any Lions Head Coach since the 1950s, Flores lawsuit said in part. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. He ended his career with a 113-94 overall record. Tyler Dragon, sports reporter at USA Today says things played out differently than expected. 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. Pittsburghs Mike Tomlin and Houstons David Culley are the lone Black head coaches in a league thats over 70 percent Black. 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. Thanks to Tyler Dragon, Tom Schad, Doug Whaley, and Andrew Brandt for joining me. Your email will be shared with newsone.com and subject to its. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. For some reason, fans of all genders and races were stunned that Flores was unemployed as if Ross doesnt have a long history of being a contradictory figure. Crennel took the reins over in K.C. He led the Oakland Raiders during the 2011 season and was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2016 to 2018. Only one of five NFL head coaches hired this offseason was Black. There's also disparities in the type of coaching roles black coaches are hired for. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website, "During his pro football career the two-time All-America played and sometimes coached for four different NFL teams, the Pros/Indians (1920-21/1925-26), the . Other active head coaches to have won a Super Bowl are Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh, Pete Carroll, Mike McCarthy, Sean Payton, Doug Pederson, Andy Reid, and Sean McVay. And then I say, "Okay, well I'm not going to tell you how to spend your money, but I'm going to tell you before you spend your money, you have to go through this process." 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. 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. Hue Jackson was an NFL head coach with two franchises for four seasons. Specifically, Flores claims hes had multiple incidents of racial discrimination that involved several teams, as well as coaches and executives around the league. 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. 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. He compiled a 56-52 overall record, reaching the AFC Championship game in 1990. That makes grand total of three in a 32-team league where 60% of players are Black. This in a league where seven out of ten players are minorities, and most of them black. He went 2-3 in those games. Dennis Greeen was the Vikings Head Coach from 1992 to 2001, and his 97 regular-season wins rank second in franchise history. | Source: Wesley Hitt / Getty. That certainly lines up with what Flores lawsuit is alleging. Tony Dungy led the Bucs to a Wild-Card Game. 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. The Houston Texans, replaced Smith with another black coach, DeMeco Ryans. Flores was replacing Adam Gase who was 23-25 in three seasons, as he went 24-25 in three seasons. from Todd Haley that season when he was let go after a 5-8 start. Source . He was replaced by Zac Taylor who is currently 16-32 in three seasons. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. Lynn was the interim head coach of the Bills for one game in 2016 before becoming the head coach of the Chargers from 2017-2020. These days, he runs a sports law program at Villanova University and hosts the Business of Sports podcast. 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. 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. He was replaced by Jim Harbaugh. 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. Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. He's accusing teams including the New York Giants and Denver Broncos of conducting sham interviews with him last year. It still remains to be seen if that is going to lead to results. Joseph only lasted two seasons and finished with an 11-21 record. Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 through the 2021 season, after which he was fired. Robiskie was an interim head coach twice in his career, taking over for the Commanders in 2000 and Browns in 2004. It's very rare for a coach interview to come in and say, "Yeah, I'll figure that out later." Dirk Koetter replaced Smith and wasnt much better, as Tampa Bay didnt get good again until Bruce Arians showed up in 2019. The fact is that Flores claims are hardly unique and help bolster critics suspicions that the NFL is intentionally trying to keep its head coaching ranks as white as possible despite the leagues so-called Rooney Rule, a policy that requires teams to interview at least one diverse candidate when looking to hire new coaches. The first version of the policy required every team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one minority during their process. As of the time that this list was published, Morris was seen as a leading candidate for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching vacancy. 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. Green made the playoffs in eight of 10 seasons in Minnesota, with his most memorable campaign coming in 1998. Jackson was replaced by Dennis Allen, a coach that went 8-28 in 2.5 seasons. I had access to the decision maker and the decision maker saw how I worked, how I thought, how I interacted with people, and how I led. Specifically, Flores claims hes had multiple incidents of racial discrimination that involved several teams, as well as coaches and executives around the league. 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. 20 years ago, the NFL adopted a policy known as the Rooney Rule. Suicide Note Revealed After Shocking Death, Indicted! 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'm James Brown. Perry Fewell was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills for a single season in 2019. He was also named assistant head coach of the Jaguars for the 2012 season, according to the Pro Football History website. After inheriting a 4-12 team led by Greg Schiano, Smith only lasted two seasons after going 8-24. Smith was hired in Chicago after the Bears were 7-9 the year before, with Smith going 5-11 in his first season. Perry Fewell was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills for a single season in 2019. When he took over in Houston at age 73, he became the oldest head coach in NFL history. In the text message, Belichick confirmed Daboll had already secured the job, but Flores had not yet interviewed for the position. Thomas was the Falcons head coach for just four games before the team decided to hire someone else for the job in the offseason. Green was picked up in Arizona after Dave McGinnis had three consecutive losing seasons in the desert. He had a 131-122-3 record in 16 seasons and reached the playoffs seven times. 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? In his three full seasons with the Vikings he compiled an 18-20 record and was eventually replaced by Mike Zimmer who was fired on Monday.