list of black nfl head coaches

Image: Getty Images When Stephen. There were five black NFL head coaches at the end of the 2022 season. We may earn a commission from links on this page. He is currently the linebackers coach for the Steelers. Lewis was hired by the Bengals after a 2-14 campaign. Edwards was hired in Kansas City after the team went 10-6 in Dick Vermeils last season. Robiskie was an interim head coach twice in his career, taking over for the Commanders in 2000 and Browns in 2004. Women being interested in this area of business or law, from my viewpoint, has really grown. Hello, and welcome to Five Things. What do you think of that player? Tony Dungy led the Bucs to a Wild-Card Game. I'll break it down to even more simpler terms. That certainly lines up with what Flores lawsuit is alleging. Because I've learned that the best indicators of future success are self-motivation and self-discipline. He also wants to get a sense of their mentality. 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 also named assistant head coach of the Jaguars for the 2012 season, according to the Pro Football History website. 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. Specifically, Flores claims hes had multiple incidents of racial discrimination that involved several teams, as well as coaches and executives around the league. The Jets hired Edwards after they were 9-7 the year prior. Del Alexander. This revelation meant Flores upcoming interview with the Giants was a sham because they had already hired their next head coach, who is not Black. That makes grand total of three in a 32-team league where 60% of players are Black. Download Our New Praise 107.9 Radio Mobile App For Your Smartphone! Notably, Jackson responded to Flores lawsuit by claiming he was subjected to similar treatment described in the complaint. 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. Shell did his second and final stint as the head coach for the Raiders, as he only lasted one year after posting a 2-14 record. He led the Oakland Raiders during the 2011 season and was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2016 to 2018. Cliff Anderson (American football) Darren Arbet. Thomas was the Falcons head coach for just four games before the team decided to hire someone else for the job in the offseason. 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. He also coached the Cardinals for three seasons (2004-2006). 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. Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here. He says that change is even happening in his sports business classes. The NFL has a serious diversity problem. 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. The following is a list of the top National Football League (NFL) head coaches in wins. He has an overall record of 62-50 in seven seasons. He served in the same double capacity with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020. Dennis Green took the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. 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. Either way, Flores. and over the next 13 seasons, which included seven years with the Indianapolis Colts, he racked up 148 total victories. He was also named assistant head coach of the Jaguars for the 2012 season, according to the Pro Football History website. I think that we're starting to see that response from a lot of ownerships and a lot of hiring practices. The league in general is tough, but it is a lot tougher for people of color and minorities, and women. And while that happens, the lack of Black coaches will be the most discussed talking point. Just 24 of them have been Black. Mike Tomlin, Mike McDaniel, Todd Bowles, Lovie Smith, and interim head coach Steve Wilkes. 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. After serving as defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills in 2021, Frazier interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching job. Pittsburghs Mike Tomlin and Houstons David Culley are the lone Black head coaches in a league thats over 70 percent Black. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. 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. 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. There may be some differences between the audio and the text. The next year he was fired after starting the season 5-10. There are just SIX head coaches of color out of 32 in a league with a 70% non-white player base. Green made the playoffs in eight of 10 seasons in Minnesota, with his most memorable campaign coming in 1998. Bowles, an Elizabeth, New Jersey, native, was the Jets' head coach . Fritz Pollard became the first Black head coach in NFL history after the Akron Pros appointed him as co-coach in 1921. 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. 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. Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 through the 2021 season, after which he was fired. We might have you on the show. Do you remember what your initial thoughts were when you heard that this kind of thing was being implemented? He was 41-44 in his tenure and took the Jets to the postseason in three of his five seasons. We did a lot of reporting on this in the fall, and you had some people who basically suspected that a lot of it stems from playing positions. If you look at solutions instead of just focused on the problem, that's where I think we all should be focusing our energy. 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. 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. 12. As a player, Ryans was a two-time Pro Bowler and is still the Texans all-time tackles leader. After serving as the defensive coordinator for the Ravens from 1996-2001, Lewis accepted a new position within the division, coaching the Bengals from 2003-2018. 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. Tony Alford. 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. Just 24 of them have been Black. "What do you do". Tucker was the interim head coach of the Jaguars for the last five games of the 2011 season. 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. Hue Jackson was an NFL head coach with two franchises for four seasons. MORE: What happened to Brian Flores? Mike Singletary was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. Mike Singletary was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. In the text message, Belichick confirmed Daboll had already secured the job, but Flores had not yet interviewed for the position. The Houston Texans broughtCulley in to clean up the mess that Bill OBrien left after he underachieved with J.J. Watt, Deshaun Watson, and DeAndre Hopkins on top of trading Hopkins and getting into it with Watt. Nancy Armour USA TODAY 0:00 1:51 The. 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. 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. He has taken the Pittsburgh Steelers to two Super Bowls since 2007 with one. 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. 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's accusing teams including the New York Giants and Denver Broncos of conducting sham interviews with him last year. He compiled a 56-52 overall. He was then hired full-time and was 8-8 in his lone full season. Fewell was the interim head coach for the Bills in 2009 and Panthers in 2019. He is currently Michigan State's head coach. 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. 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. He has a proven track record for developing high-quality players and constantly innovated his defensive scheme over the last six seasons in San Francisco.. 12. Tomlin showed up in Pittsburgh after Bill Cowher was 8-8 in his final season and one year removed from winning a Super Bowl. If they could bring that character into our building, others would pick up on those same qualities. Joseph only lasted two seasons and finished with an 11-21 record. was originally published on James Franklin (Penn State coach) So far, the best bet to be the first Black coach to win an FBS national championship remains Franklin, whose Nittany Lions will likely enter the season as a . The following year the team was 11-5 and Smith won Coach of the Year. Todd Haley took over for Edwards and was 19-26 during his run. 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. Eric Studesville was the head coach for the Denver Broncos during the final four games of the 2010 season. 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. Todd Bowles Starting our list on number 20 is the NFL franchise head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Todd Bowles. He lost his single game with Buffalo and finished 33-31 with Los Angeles. (At the time, it was called the American Professional Football Association.). Revisiting Dolphins scandal, Pollard became the first Black coach in NFL history when he was named co-coach of the Akron Pros in 1921. Green served as the head coach of the Vikings for 10 seasons (1992-2001), earning a playoff berth eight 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? He was replaced by Zac Taylor who is currently 16-32 in three seasons. Mike Singletary was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. He retired after the 2008 season and was replaced by Jim Caldwell who was the teams coach-in-waiting, in a rare occurrence of a team having back-to-back Black coaches. That's USA Today's sports reporter Tyler Dragon, he's been writing about the NFL for close to a decade. This revelation meant Flores upcoming interview with the Giants was a sham because they had already hired their next head coach, who is not Black. Flores was fired on Monday despite leading the Dolphins to seven straight wins in the second half. Coaching rumors are heating up with three openings created on Monday morning. 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. What's in it for interims? Our recent USA Today sports analysis found that in the last 20 years, about four white coaches were hired for every coach of color. He coached the Los Angeles Chargers. 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. This revelation meant Flores upcoming interview with the Giants was a sham because they had already hired their next head coach, who is not Black. Brian Flores, who used to be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL claiming there is racial discrimination in the hiring process. While the policy has been able to open more doors for Black coaches during the interview process, front offices have largely declined to hire those candidates. It was a positive thing. He went 2-6 in eight games. So you can look at different ways to judge minorities. Thomas was named the interim head coach of the Falcons in 2007 and went 1-2 after Bobby Petrino's sudden resignation. Bowles has coached the Dolphins (2011) and Jets (2015-2018), and he is the current coach of the Buccaneers. The Chargers hired Lynn after Mike McCoy went 4-12 and 5-11 in his last two seasons. Emmitt Thomas. I always used to ask questions like this, what do you do when you get up in the morning? Eventually he became head coach of the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs in the 2000s. What's the setup of their operation? 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. said his lawsuit will not be deterred regardless of whether he is or isnt an NFL head coach next season. Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 through the 2021 season, after which he was fired. Bowles went 10-6 in his first season and was 24-40 in his four years on the sidelines for the Jets. I think a lot of it is the underpinning of a lot of the reporting that we've done, which is just unconscious bias. 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. 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. 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. Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Coaches[edit] Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2022 NFL season. 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. After all, they may be musing, isnt the NFL disproportionately made up of Black players? MORE: The NFL Has A Major Black Head Coach Problem. Specifically, Flores claims hes had multiple incidents of racial discrimination that involved several teams, as well as coaches and executives around the league. 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. 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. Crennel was the head coach of the Browns (2005-2008), Chiefs (2011-2012) and Texans (2020), going 32-63 with those three teams. He says that there's been some improvement with diversity in the coaching ranks. Were they invited to lead your team? 4. And what goes into hiring a head coach? Dungy later became the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Culley lasted just one season with the Texans, completing the 2021 campaign with a 4-13 overall record. 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.. I'm James Brown, and as always, be well. Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah - General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings. Reich's firing after Week 9 was a bit of a surprise. 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. MORE: The NFL Has A Major Black Head Coach Problem. 'Dilbert' Comic Creator Calls Black People A 'Hate Group,' Urges Segregation So Whites Can 'Escape', Bernie Mac Show Star Camille Winbush Is Not Ashamed Of Joining OnlyFans, Kyle Rittenhouse Faces 2nd Civil Lawsuit, Continues To Beg For Money From His Supporters, Ben Stein's 'Aunt Jemima' Rant Is A Master Class On White Privilege, Why Did tWitch Kill Himself? and over the next 13 seasons, which included seven years with the Indianapolis Colts, he racked up 148 total victories. 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. Of the five head . 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. Dennis Greeen was the Vikings Head Coach from 1992 to 2001, and his 97 regular-season wins rank second in franchise history. Crennel took the reins over in K.C. His saying was, "It's great to have a mentor, but it's even better to be a mentor." Ron Aiken. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. There's also disparities in the type of coaching roles black coaches are hired for. Andrew Brandt would know. 20 years ago, the NFL adopted a policy known as the Rooney Rule. Shell was the first Black head coach in the modern era of the NFL. 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 . The Rooney Rule is 20 years old this year. Exactly. 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. Every week we take a concept or idea and go deep, and this week we talk about football, football coaches that is. Well . Email me at jabrown@usatoday.com, or leave me a message at (585) 484-0339. He ended those two stints with an overall record of11-44-1. 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. Smith coached the Bears for nearly a decade (2004-2012) before a brief stint with the Buccaneers (2014-2015). The Vikings went 15-1 that season and racked up 556 points, which set an NFL record at the time.. 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. 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 went 11-21 in 32 games. Of course, that type of logic is counterproductive and completely beside the point, what with the 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 league and the teams deny his claims, but Dragon isn't convinced. In seven seasons with the Colts, Dungy was 92-33 as he made the playoffs every season and won Super Bowl XLI. Jackson claims the Browns incentivized losing while he was head coach in order to increase the teams odds in the NFL Draft. In nine seasons in Chicago, Smith was 84-66 and made three postseason appearances including losing Super Bowl XLI to the Colts in the only matchup thats ever featured two Black coaches. That's something Doug Whaley, the former NFL GM we met earlier, learned in his career. 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. Singletary went 5-4 as the interim coach to finish out the season. Check out the FULL list below! Tenure: Four-plus seasons (71 games). Jackson took over for Tom Cable, who went 8-8 in his final season with the team. After inheriting a 4-12 team led by Greg Schiano, Smith only lasted two seasons after going 8-24. Revisiting Dolphins scandal. In that time, they hired two head coaches. 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. He has a 3-3 overall record through Week 6 of the 2022 season. Your email will be shared with newsone.com and subject to its. Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images. The franchise was founded in 1960 by Lamar Hunt and were known as the Dallas Texans when the team was located in Dallas, Texas. 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. 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. Hue Jackson was an NFL head coach with two franchises for four seasons. Heres Every Black Head Coach In NFL History He is currently the Bills' defensive coordinator. After leading the Buffalo Bills for one season in 2016. Hue Jackson was an NFL head coach with two franchises for four seasons. Tyler Dragon, sports reporter at USA Today says things played out differently than expected. Dirk Koetter replaced Smith and wasnt much better, as Tampa Bay didnt get good again until Bruce Arians showed up in 2019. The other part of it is I think from my view, there are more women in front offices now as well, and although a very small minority, more women in the coaching. We should be able to have a system where the best person for the job gets hired, not the person you know the best. It is what it is and that's the system, but that doesn't mean that it should keep perpetuating that system. 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. 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.