That certainly lines up with what Flores lawsuit is alleging. He left the league with a 54-74 overall record. He led the Oakland Raiders during the 2011 season and was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2016 to 2018. Record: 40-33-1, 1-2 in the playoffs. 2. All three have had very successful careers while . Jackson was replaced by Dennis Allen, a coach that went 8-28 in 2.5 seasons. said his lawsuit will not be deterred regardless of whether he is or isnt an NFL head coach next season. Todd Bowles Starting our list on number 20 is the NFL franchise head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Todd Bowles. Hello, and welcome to Five Things. 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. That makes grand total of three in a 32-team league where 60% of players are Black. 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 . Just 24 of them have been Black. Fritz Pollard became the first Black head coach in NFL history after the Akron Pros appointed him as co-coach in 1921. 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. Revisiting Dolphins scandal, Pollard became the first Black coach in NFL history when he was named co-coach of the Akron Pros in 1921. When I started teaching seven, eight years ago, I'd have a class of 50 students, it'd be 47 guys and three girls. Coaching rumors are heating up with three openings created on Monday morning. 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. 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. Don Shula holds the current records for regular season wins at 328 and combined regular and postseason wins at 347. The NFL currently has three head coaches that are of African American origin. I'm James Brown, and as always, be well. Smith was replaced by Marc Trestman who only lasted two seasons and had a losing record. 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. Tomlin has been the coach of the Steelers since 2007, making him the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL behind only Bill Belichick. Must Black folks be head coaches too, critics might be wondering? That's Doug Whaley. We might have you on the show. Dennis Green took the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Emmanuel Sanders. 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. The Houston Texans, replaced Smith with another black coach, DeMeco Ryans. 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. 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 . Check out the FULL list below! 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. 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. 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. He compiled a 56-52 overall. That's why I didn't have to do the interview. He stuck around for 15 more and was 131-129-3, but never won a playoff game in seven trips. Cliff Anderson (American football) Darren Arbet. This in a league where seven out of ten players are minorities, and most of them black. The Chargers hired Lynn after Mike McCoy went 4-12 and 5-11 in his last two seasons. 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. 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. I'm proud to report today, my classes are basically 50/50. Emmitt Thomas. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. All Rights Reserved. Studesville was the interim head coach of the Broncos in 2010, going 1-3 to finish out the season. Jackson claims the Browns incentivized losing while he was head coach in order to increase the teams odds in the NFL Draft. 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. He lasted three years in Indianapolis (2009-2011) before getting another opportunity in Detroit (2014-2017). When he took over in Houston at age 73, he became the oldest head coach in NFL history. When I look at the NFL landscape from top to bottom, they are really behind when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Frederick Pollard Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard Fritz Pollard was the first African-American football player to play at Brown University. 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. 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. Who are the NFL's Black head coaches? Either way, Flores. To be sure, the NFL has had more than 500 head coaches over the course of more than a century of competition. The Lions also had two playoff berths in four seasons, as compared to one playoff appearance in the previous 14 seasons. That's USA Today's sports reporter Tyler Dragon, he's been writing about the NFL for close to a decade. 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. Hubbard Alexander. 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. Thomas was the Falcons head coach for just four games before the team decided to hire someone else for the job in the offseason. We may earn a commission from links on this page. 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. The league is being sued by Brian Flores, former Miami Dolphins head coach. 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. He went 21-38 across those four seasons. He was 41-44 in his tenure and took the Jets to the postseason in three of his five seasons. Jordan Greer is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News. After all, they may be musing, isnt the NFL disproportionately made up of Black players? 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.. 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. He looked at me crazy and he said, "Well, go to the bathroom." Tony Alford. A more diverse pipeline could help down the road. Jackson claims the Browns incentivized losing while he was head coach in order to increase the teams odds in the NFL Draft. Download Our New Praise 107.9 Radio Mobile App For Your Smartphone! The team relocated to Kansas City, Missouri and were renamed the Chiefs in 1963. He went 11-21 in 32 games. 20 Black NFL Coaches 20. Tomlin was 10-6 in his first season and is still in Pittsburgh. So you can look at different ways to judge minorities. Bowles went 10-6 in his first season and was 24-40 in his four years on the sidelines for the Jets. 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. Wilkes was not retained. Crennel was the head coach of the Browns (2005-2008), Chiefs (2011-2012) and Texans (2020), going 32-63 with those three teams. Thomas was the Falcons head coach for just four games before the team decided to hire someone else for the job in the offseason. After taking over for Bruce Arians who went 8-8 in his final season, Wilks was 3-13 and was replaced by Kliff Kingsbury. He was never coached by a man of color at any point in his career, and he said on the teams that he was a part of the coaching staff, there was always one coach of color, and it was almost always the running back's coach. MORE: The NFL Has A Major Black Head Coach Problem. Joseph, who is the current defensive coordinator of the Cardinals, coached the Broncos for two seasons (2017-2018). 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). Yeah, I think the obvious point is that people tend to hire people like themselves, and that's not just true in the NFL, that's not just true in sports. The new wave of head-coaching hires in the NFL has seen a trend toward younger, offensive-minded leading men getting the top jobs. 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. 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. Shell was the first Black head coach in the modern era of the NFL. Singletary coached the 49ers from 2008-2010, totaling 18 wins and 22 losses in three seasons. After all, they may be musing, isnt the NFL disproportionately made up of Black players? Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 through the 2021 season, after which he was fired. A lot of it is right place at the right time, a lot of it's knowing the right people, a lot of it is just hard work and accomplishments. I'm James Brown. Just 24 of them have been Black. 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? The NFL has historically had a problem with hiring black head coaches and all minority coaches for that matter, whether that be head coach, assistant coach, coordinators, and you can even go in the front office, GM, assistant GM, president player personnel. He lost his single game with Buffalo and finished 33-31 with Los Angeles. Lewis was hired by the Bengals after a 2-14 campaign. The NFL wants more, or so . 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." 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. Leadership is defined in a lot of different ways. As of the time that this list was published, Morris was seen as a leading candidate for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching vacancy. Bowles, an Elizabeth, New Jersey, native, was the Jets' head coach . The Lions also had two playoff berths in four seasons, as compared to one playoff appearance in the previous 14 seasons. 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. Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 through the 2021 season, after which he was fired. The following year the team was 11-5 and Smith won Coach of the Year. Maybe they're not doing it as well as others, but I think sometimes they get faulted unfairly for things. Hue Jackson was an NFL head coach with two franchises for four seasons. Revisiting Dolphins scandal. Mike Tomlin, Mike McDaniel, Todd Bowles, Lovie Smith, and interim head coach Steve Wilkes. Joseph only lasted two seasons and finished with an 11-21 record. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. 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. He was also named assistant head coach of the Jaguars for the 2012 season, according to the Pro Football History website. 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. Flores was replacing Adam Gase who was 23-25 in three seasons, as he went 24-25 in three seasons. was originally published on 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. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. Fewell was the interim head coach for the Bills in 2009 and Panthers in 2019. 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. The following is a list of the top National Football League (NFL) head coaches in wins. Women being interested in this area of business or law, from my viewpoint, has really grown. Andrew Brandt would know. He led Indianapolis to the franchise's second Super Bowl title in 2006. Joseph showed up in Denver after Gary Kubiak stepped down two years after the Broncos won a Super Bowl. 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. Tony Dungy led the Bucs to a Wild-Card Game. One Black coach, 33 years after Art Shell broke the modern era head coaching color barrier with the Raiders. 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. 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. Nancy Armour USA TODAY 0:00 1:51 The. Is it right, wrong or indifferent? 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. Relationships play a big part too. Todd Haley took over for Edwards and was 19-26 during his run. 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. That's what we'll be discussing today. The league and the teams deny his claims, but Dragon isn't convinced. 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. First, look at the overall preview of our 20 black NFL coaches below. So what's happening here? And to Alexis Gustin and Shannon Ray Green for their production assistance. In the text message, Belichick confirmed Daboll had already secured the job, but Flores had not yet interviewed for the position. Racist Ex-University Of Kentucky 'Karen' Sophia Rosing Is Charged For Assaulting Black Student, Mississippi Cops Beat, Waterboarded Handcuffed Black Men, Shot 1 For Dating White Women': Lawyers. 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. 1. How would you use that player? Del Alexander. (At the time, it was called the American Professional Football Association.). Andrew Brandt agrees that the league has a long way to go and suggested similar programs to the one Whaley describes, but warned that the issue is complex and without easy answers. 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. 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. 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. These days, he runs a sports law program at Villanova University and hosts the Business of Sports podcast. Green was 16-32 during his tenure and was replaced by Ken Whisenhunt. Flores finished 24-25 in three seasons with the Dolphins (2019-2021) and remains connected to the franchise. 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. It's very rare for a coach interview to come in and say, "Yeah, I'll figure that out later." 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. The NFL has a serious diversity problem. Pittsburghs Mike Tomlin and Houstons David Culley are the lone Black head coaches in a league thats over 70 percent Black. MORE: The NFL Has A Major Black Head Coach Problem. Thomas was named the interim head coach of the Falcons in 2007 and went 1-2 after Bobby Petrino's sudden resignation. 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. True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here. 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.. OBrien was let go after starting the 2020 season 0-4, as the Texans finished 4-12 under interim coach Romeo Crennel. 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. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Thanks to Tyler Dragon, Tom Schad, Doug Whaley, and Andrew Brandt for joining me. Owners and front office people who are in charge of hiring, they found loopholes in the rule. Mike Singletary was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. "Brush my teeth?" There may be some differences between the audio and the text. Wilkes was not retained and Smith was fired. That makes grand total of three in a 32-team league where 60% of players are Black. 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. During his three seasons as head coach, Rhule had five different starters Teddy Bridgewater, PJ Walker, Sam Darnold, Cam Newton, and Baker Mayfield. The Vikings went 15-1 that season and racked up 556 points, which set an NFL record at the time.. And what goes into hiring a head coach? Eventually he became head coach of the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs in the 2000s. He coached the Los Angeles Chargers. There is an old boys network and there's a network where you're going to really protect and promote your own. Only one of five NFL head coaches hired this offseason was Black. 4. All Rights Reserved. After serving as defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills in 2021, Frazier interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching job. He is currently the Bills' defensive coordinator. Nonetheless, Mr. Caldwell was fired the day after his fourth season.. Sandra Douglass Morgan - President of the Las Vegas Raiders. 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. In 1921, Coach Pollard became the first African-American head coach in the NFL, coaching the Akron Pros. 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. 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. Must Black folks be head coaches too, critics might be wondering? Reich's firing after Week 9 was a bit of a surprise. 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. 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. There were five black NFL head coaches at the end of the 2022 season. Morris, who is the current defensive coordinator of the Rams, served as the head coach of the Buccaneers (2009-2011) and Falcons (2020). Hopefully, DeMecos hiring is the catalyst for more Black coaches in the NFL. 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. newsone.com. He is the current running backs coach for the 49ers. 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 was then hired full-time and was 8-8 in his lone full season. Frazier was thrown into the fire in Minnesota in 2010 when the Vikings let go of Brad Childress after he started the season 3-7.