And while that happens, the lack of Black coaches will be the most discussed talking point. 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. Must Black folks be head coaches too, critics might be wondering. Revisiting Dolphins scandal, Pollard became the first Black coach in NFL history when he was named co-coach of the Akron Pros in 1921. The team relocated to Kansas City, Missouri and were renamed the Chiefs in 1963. 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 Milwaukee Badgers (1922), the Hammond Pros (1923, 1925), and the Providence Steam Roller (1925)., It also added: In 1928, Pollard organized and coached the Chicago Black Hawks, an all-African American professional team based in the Windy City.. 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. Top Row: Lovie Smith, Marvin Lewis, Tony Dungy, Mike Tomlin, Jim Caldwell Botttom Row: Anthony Lynn, Romeo Crennel, Herm Edwards, Leslie Frazier, Brian Flores. Don Shula holds the current records for regular season wins at 328 and combined regular and postseason wins at 347. 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. The Rooney Rule was enacted in 2003 as part of the NFL's plan to "develop a deep, sustainable talent pool at all levels of the organization" and "increase the number of minorities hired in head coach, general manager and executive positions.". 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. Green was 16-32 during his tenure and was replaced by Ken Whisenhunt. 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. Emmitt Thomas. Joseph, who is the current defensive coordinator of the Cardinals, coached the Broncos for two seasons (2017-2018). After leading the Buffalo Bills for one season in 2016. Shane Steichen (left) and Jonathan Gannon will be among the top candidates in the next hiring cycle. 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. The Lions also had two playoff berths in four seasons, as compared to one playoff appearance in the previous 14 seasons. Whaley is part of a group that launched One Global Culture Events, which helped minority candidates in pro sports connect with upper management. Mostly, Pollard would see the work and sacrifice he and other Black coaches have made wasn't. 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 Milwaukee Badgers (1922), the Hammond Pros (1923, 1925), and the Providence Steam Roller (1925)., It also added: In 1928, Pollard organized and coached the Chicago Black Hawks, an all-African American professional team based in the Windy City.. 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. He left the league with a 54-74 overall record. 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. Crennel took the reins over in K.C. Nonetheless, Mr. Caldwell was fired the day after his fourth season.. He was replaced by Jim Harbaugh. 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. Record: 40-33-1, 1-2 in the playoffs. Mike Singletary was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. Specifically, Flores claims hes had multiple incidents of racial discrimination that involved several teams, as well as coaches and executives around the league. 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. Lewis was hired by the Bengals after a 2-14 campaign. Caldwell had an incredible debut season as a head coach, going 14-2 with the Colts on the way to an appearance in Super Bowl XLIV. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. He compiled a 34-32 record in four seasons and was replaced by Brandon Stanley. I always used to ask questions like this, what do you do when you get up in the morning? Doug Whaley says this could too. 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. The rule was expanded in 2009 to include general managers as well as other front-office positions. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. 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. Flores was fired on Monday despite leading the Dolphins to seven straight wins in the second half. There were five black NFL head coaches at the end of the 2022 season. Overall of the on field coaches in the NFL, it's something like 43% are coaches of color. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. After a long career as an assistant with the Patriots, Flores got a chance to run his own team when the Dolphins came calling in 2019. Just 24 of them have been Black. When I started teaching seven, eight years ago, I'd have a class of 50 students, it'd be 47 guys and three girls. He was replaced by Eric Mangini who was 23-26 in three seasons with only one playoff appearance. 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. That's something Doug Whaley, the former NFL GM we met earlier, learned in his career. #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/W1bXqGIfl0 Whaley says women and minorities struggle to break through In this insular world. Email me at jabrown@usatoday.com, or leave me a message at (585) 484-0339. We might have you on the show. 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. The Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin and the Tampa Buccaneers' Todd Bowles are the only current Black NFL head coaches. Perry Fewell was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills for a single season in 2019. For perspectives sake, the NFL entered Black History Month 2023 with just one single Black head coach despite its vow a decade earlier to increase diversity among its head and assistant coaches. 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. 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. 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. 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. You're going to be like, "All right, let me just check that box and go through this process, but I'm still going to do what I want to.". 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. He was replaced by Mangini who went 10-22 in two seasons. Who are the NFL's Black head coaches? Lynn was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers the following season and served in that capacity for four years through the 2020 season. Do you remember what your initial thoughts were when you heard that this kind of thing was being implemented? 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. 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. 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. Just 25 of them have been Black. 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. MORE: The NFL Has A Major Black Head Coach Problem. and over the next 13 seasons, which included seven years with the Indianapolis Colts, he racked up 148 total victories. Lynn was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers the following season and served in that capacity for four years through the 2020 season. Thomas was the Falcons head coach for just four games before the team decided to hire someone else for the job in the offseason. Download Our New Praise 107.9 Radio Mobile App For Your Smartphone! said his lawsuit will not be deterred regardless of whether he is or isnt an NFL head coach next season. Morris, who is the current defensive coordinator of the Rams, served as the head coach of the Buccaneers (2009-2011) and Falcons (2020). That certainly lines up with what Flores lawsuit is alleging. 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. "Brush my teeth?" 2. After announcing his retirement from coaching after the 2021 season, Payton has returned to the NFL and will be the Broncos' 19th head coach in franchise history. He led the Oakland Raiders during the 2011 season and was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2016 to 2018. If they truly want to change the system or if not, then we realize that they're just given it lip service. He was replaced by Vic Fangio who was fired on Sunday. 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.