There are 130 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams that make up Division 1 college football. The head coaching position is one of the most high-profile roles in college athletics, overseeing recruiting, coaching, and often acting as the face of a program. However, despite football being a sport with a high percentage of black players, the number of black head coaches has remained low. This article will examine the representation of black head coaches across Division 1 college football and discuss potential reasons for the disparity.
Current Number of Black Head Coaches
As of the 2022 season, there are 14 black head coaches across the 130 FBS Division 1 college football teams. This means only 10.8% of head coaches are black. To put this into perspective, over 50% of FBS players are black. Here is a summary of the current black head coaches:
| Name | School |
|---|---|
| Mike Locksley | Maryland |
| Marcus Freeman | Notre Dame |
| Deion Sanders | Colorado |
| Herm Edwards | Arizona State |
| Willie Fritz | Tulane |
| Thomas Hammock | Northern Illinois |
| Darrell K Royal | Vanderbilt |
| Mike Norvell | Florida State |
| Tony Elliott | Virginia |
| Kenneth Walker | Virginia Tech |
| Eddie George | Tennessee State |
| Hue Jackson | Grambling State |
| Willie Simmons | Florida A&M |
| Eddie Robinson Jr. | Alabama State |
This shows that opportunities for black coaches remain limited, with most coming from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The only current black head coaches at major conference programs are Mike Locksley at Maryland and Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame.
History of Black Head Coaches
To understand the lack of representation today, it is important to look at the history of black head coaches in college football. The first black head coach at a predominantly white Division 1 school was Willie Jeffries, who was hired by Wichita State in 1979. During the 1980s and 90s, a few more black coaches slowly began to get opportunities at major schools, but the numbers remained small.
Some milestones:
– 1989: Dennis Green became the first black head coach in the Pac-10 conference when he was hired by Stanford.
– 1997: Tyrone Willingham became the first black head coach at Notre Dame, one of the most prominent programs in college football.
– 2004: Sylvester Croom Jr. became the first black head coach in the SEC when he was hired by Mississippi State.
– 2008: Kevin Sumlin became the first black head coach in the Big 12 at Texas A&M.
– 2008: Randy Shannon became the first black head coach at Miami (FL).
– 2011: David Shaw took over Stanford after Jim Harbaugh left, becoming the first black head coach to win the Rose Bowl.
So while opportunities slowly increased from the 1980s through 2000s, it still remained exceptionally rare for a major college football program to hire a black head coach. Much of the progress that was made has stalled out over the last decade.
Highest Number of Black Coaches
The highest number of concurrent black head coaches at FBS schools was 19, during the 2011 season:
| Name | School |
|---|---|
| Randy Shannon | Miami (FL) |
| Kevin Sumlin | Houston |
| David Shaw | Stanford |
| Darrell Hazell | Kent State |
| Jon Embree | Colorado |
| James Franklin | Vanderbilt |
| Turner Gill | Kansas |
| Mike Haywood | Miami (OH) |
| Don Treadwell | Miami (OH) |
| Kenneth Carter | Arkansas State |
| DeWayne Walker | New Mexico State |
| Mike Locksley | New Mexico |
| Joker Phillips | Kentucky |
| Willie Taggart | Western Kentucky |
| Rod Broadway | North Carolina A&T |
| Pete Adrian | Norfolk State |
| Stump Mitchell | Southern |
| Donald Hill-Eley | Alabama State |
While reaching 19 concurrent black coaches was progress, it only represented 14.5% of all FBS head coaches at the time. And the number has declined significantly since 2011.
Reasons for Low Representation
There are several potential factors that contribute to the very low percentage of black head coaches today:
Lack of Opportunities at Lower Coaching Ranks
A strong coaching pipeline is important for building the experience needed to become a head coach. However, black coaches continue to be underrepresented in key assistant coaching roles such as coordinator positions. Although over 50% of FBS players are black, only around 25% of assistant coaches are. Without getting opportunities as coordinators and top assistants, it is very difficult to later become a head coach.
Bias in Hiring and Recruitment
College football head coaching jobs are very competitive, with search firms often putting together a list of initial candidates. Here, unconscious bias can play a role in determining who gets on the initial list of prospects. Additionally, the athletic directors and other administrators doing the hiring are overwhelmingly white. Bias, whether conscious or unconscious, can influence who gets seriously considered for top coaching jobs.
Lack of a Rooney Rule
In the NFL, the Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching and other top positions. This helps ensure that qualified minority candidates get an opportunity to interview. There is no equivalent policy in college football. The absence of a Rooney Rule means qualified black candidates can get overlooked in the hiring process.
Shorter Tenures for Black Coaches
Compared to their white counterparts, black head coaches generally get less time in a position before getting fired. On average, black coaches only get about 2.5 years per coaching job, while white coaches get nearly 4 years. The shorter tenures make it harder to recruit, instill a program’s culture, and build a winning record necessary to get considered for better head coaching opportunities.
Lack of a Strong Pipeline From HBCUs
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were once a pipeline for black coaches getting opportunities at mainstream colleges. However, recruiting and funding challenges have weakened many HBCU programs. Today, there are few examples of HBCU head coaches getting chances to lead FBS programs.
Initiatives to Increase Opportunities
In light of the glaring disparity, there have been some recent initiatives trying to increase opportunities for black coaches:
NFL Partnership
The NCAA has partnered with the NFL to create a new coaching development program. It will aim to identify, train, and place more minority college coaches in key assistant coaching positions. By strengthening the pipeline, it could lead to more black head coaches in the future.
Fritz Pollard Alliance
The Fritz Pollard Alliance works to promote diversity and equal opportunity in the NFL. It has expanded its programs to the college ranks, encouraging colleges to do more diverse hiring and recruiting. They have pushed for the NCAA to institute a version of the Rooney Rule.
Advocacy Groups
Groups like the Black Coaches Association lobby athletic departments, conferences, and the NCAA to prioritize hiring and promoting more black coaches. They call for formal policies and accountability measures around minority hiring.
Conclusion
The percentage of black Division 1 college football head coaches remains extremely low at just 10.8%, despite black players making up over 50% of FBS rosters. A variety of factors contribute to this disparity, from biases in hiring to shorter tenures for black coaches. Recent initiatives like the NFL partnership, Fritz Pollard Alliance, and advocacy groups are pushing for more opportunities. But substantial progress will require intentional, sustained efforts to recruit and develop black coaches at all levels. College football should reflect the diversity of its athletes by continuing to expand opportunities for minority head coaches.