First African American Coaches in the Super Bowl

[100%CardsFan]

I am very happy for Dungy and Smith and think they have done a hell of a job this year, coaching your team to the Super Bowl is no easy task, but all I have heard is the “Two Black Coaches” talk from everyone. Do you feel that the race of the coaches are taking away what they actually have done on the field, practice, etc? I did not come from a racist family and never lived in the 50’s or 60’s so maybe the importance of this I just don’t understand,. I see them just as good coaches. Doesn’t making a big deal of their race make it more of a Racial Issue instead of them just being equal? Just my opinion.

 

[Gambit]

I don't see anything wrong about pointing it out, because as far as the USA has come with racial relations there is still a long way to go. I just hope they don't dwell on it as the Super Bowl Storyline (like the Bus going home last year). That would get old real quick.

 

[seesred]

100% I did live in the 50's and I must tell you not as openly but just as tragic we still have a huge amount of racisim in this country. You are right it should be about great coaches doing great things. You will never hear the statement that two of the four coaches from yesterdays game were white. Just that two were black. It wasn't that long ago about 100 years after the emancipation decleration by Lincoln that Jackie Robinson broke this so called barrier for black players. That was in the late 40's. Half his team hated him because he was black. Thank God he could play becauise who knows what would have happened to him if he wasn't.

Football has been just as bad. Head coaches for people of color didn't happen until recently despite the fact that there were some great players who would have made great coaches. It wasn't too long ago that Colleges would not play blacks especially in the south where inWe are somewhat intergration was still a big fight in the 60's. And how bug of a deal was it when the first Black QB played in the super bowl? They used to say that blacks can't play QB because they aren't smart enough! What garbage.

Our Cardinals team owners have generally been very fair too people. They have made some bad choices in the past with both black and white management exec's, but at least there seams to be an understanding. Our constitution reads that All Men are created equal". But even when it was writen all that signed didn't believe this to be true.

Two weeks from now we will watch a great game of football between the Colts and the Bears. The two coaches will prepare thier players and come out knowing that for this year they are the two best teams in the world. The players will wear uniforms and the coaches will most likley be wearing the team colors on a NFL shirt of some kind.The annoucers WILL make a big deal opf the fact that Smith and Dungy are black men leading thier teams They willl probably mention that whoever wins that coach will be the first black coach winning a super bowl.It's to bad that these people will point out the color. There will be many people watching on TV saying look what our country has come to can you imagine Billy they have( N ) coaching both teams. See if you can watch the play without seeing color just players and coaches. I hope all can do this, but I know that a large portion of us can't.

John Lennon sayed it best. "Imagine all the people living life in peace"

GBR
40

 

[lobo]

great thing...both of them appear to be such nice men...very humble and very deserving...well liked by their players...when you hear some other coaches when they do interviews after wins/loses they stand out...good for them...dungy made some salient points after the win!!!

 

[john h]

I am very happy for Dungy and Smith and think they have done a hell of a job this year, coaching your team to the Super Bowl is no easy task, but all I have heard is the “Two Black Coaches” talk from everyone. Do you feel that the race of the coaches are taking away what they actually have done on the field, practice, etc? I did not come from a racist family and never lived in the 50’s or 60’s so maybe the importance of this I just don’t understand,. I see them just as good coaches. Doesn’t making a big deal of their race make it more of a Racial Issue instead of them just being equal? Just my opinion.

I would think these coaches had prefer to be just called great coaches. Race had nothing to do with their success. Good coaching did. The thought did not even cross my mind they were African American. I just admired both of them as very good coaches and would like either of them as a coach for my team. Dennis Green on the other hand sucked in my opinion and it had nothing to do with race.

 

[njlawrence]

I agree that it should not be the major story line, but it definitely is a milestone worth pointing out. Both coaches acknowledged it in a direct manner. They know of the men who went before them who were denied the opportunity because of the color of their skin.

As for not seeing color, if that were the case, we would have had head coaches of color sooner and definitely gotten to this point sooner.

 

[abomb]

Five minutes ago, I figured out that Mike Tomlin was black.

Who really cares? I wish the media would stop mentioning race at every turn; we Gen-Xers are more colorblind that any previous generation.

 

[LVCARDFREAK]

Five minutes ago, I figured out that Mike Tomlin was black.

Who really cares? I wish the media would stop mentioning race at every turn; we Gen-Xers are more colorblind that any previous generation.

huh? Have you seen the US stance on immigration? How about the US treatment of Arab-Americans? States still fighting MLK day? NHL being accussed of racism on a weekly basis? Reports that in major metropolitan suburbs black-owned business and homes has dropped 20% in the last 20 years....

 

[Chopper0080]

A couple of points...

1-I really hope that this issue is dropped and soon. It makes me happy that they have accomplished this tremendous achievement but if the media dwells on this it takes away from the nature of why this is a great feat. This is supposed to be an achievement for equaility but making if they make it a major story, it will show that we have not taken the steps that we all thought we did.

2-As far as a history of black coaches. Coaching is and always will be about networking. Who you worked for and your experience with the game. The reason that black coaches have come on as of late is because they haven't been in the coaching system for as long as white coaches have been. Most of these guys were playing in NFL while their coaching competitors were an assistant on a staff. Like it or not, as long as the majority of NFL players are black, the majority of the coaches will be white.

 

[Pariah]

It's a story because only recently have blacks gotten a fair shot to coach in the NFL. It may even point to the effectiveness of the "Rooney-Rule."

It wasn't that long ago that Doug Williams was a story because he was the first black SB QB ("So, how long have you been a black QB?").

Let's turn the story on its ear for a moment: Would it be a story if ten years from now there still wasn't a black HC that took his team to the superbowl?

 

[Russ Smith]

Let's turn the story on its ear for a moment: Would it be a story if ten years from now there still wasn't a black HC that took his team to the superbowl?

Yes because given both HC's this year are black, if 10 years from now a black coach still hasn't won a Superbowl, it's going to be an awfully big story that neither Dungy nor Smith won this year?



Sorry just being a smartazz.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

huh? Have you seen the US stance on immigration? How about the US treatment of Arab-Americans? States still fighting MLK day? NHL being accussed of racism on a weekly basis? Reports that in major metropolitan suburbs black-owned business and homes has dropped 20% in the last 20 years....

Really!!! that's certainly news to me. Where would I go to check this out?

 

[Crazy Canuck]

I'm not ancient, but I remember when blacks couldn't even get jobs as third base coaches in baseball because they supposedly weren't smart enough to handle the stopping or waving a runner to home base.

And, I recall that the centre position on the O-line was reserved for whites because it was considered to cerebral for blacks.

In the 50's, 60's and 70's a black college QB would end up in the CFL because the NFL always wanted to turn them into RBs, WOs or DBs.

Warren Moon can certainly speak to that experience, and it wasn't that long ago.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

The mentioning of the "milestone" is significant, but to dwell upon it diminishes their accomplishments in my mind. I feel the media will blow this up and out of proportion.

 

[abomb]

The mentioning of the "milestone" is significant, but to dwell upon it diminishes their accomplishments in my mind. I feel the media will blow this up and out of proportion.

I guess that is what I was trying to say.

 

[vince56]

The stat is somewhere around 50% of black males still wind up in jail by the time they're 25.

This country still has a long way to go to equality.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

The mentioning of the "milestone" is significant, but to dwell upon it diminishes their accomplishments in my mind. I feel the media will blow this up and out of proportion.

Please define "proportion"... what's too little, what's too much?

 

[100%CardsFan]

The stat is somewhere around 50% of black males still wind up in jail by the time they're 25.

This country still has a long way to go to equality.

That statistic has nothing to do with equality.

 

[njlawrence]

Five minutes ago, I figured out that Mike Tomlin was black.

Who really cares? I wish the media would stop mentioning race at every turn; we Gen-Xers are more colorblind that any previous generation.

There's a difference between personal racism and institutional racism. There may be large numbers of Gen-Xers who do not judge people on the basis of their color, but it takes longer to get the institutions turned around.

It's big news to have a Black run for president, to have a female Speaker of the House AND to have two Black coaches in the Super Bowl.

 

[Derm]

The stat is somewhere around 50% of black males still wind up in jail by the time they're 25.

This country still has a long way to go to equality.

You want 100% of us going to the big house?

 

[seesred]

There's a difference between personal racism and institutional racism. There may be large numbers of Gen-Xers who do not judge people on the basis of their color, but it takes longer to get the institutions turned around.

It's big news to have a Black run for president, to have a female Speaker of the House AND to have two Black coaches in the Super Bowl.

I hope that someday in my grandchildrens worlds that individual talents and good deeds are not seperated by race, color or creed. We all come to this board for our love of the Arizona Cardinals football team. I can honestly say that I don't see color on my team, I just see good players and some that we should not employ any longer. The same holds true for the Suns, Diamondbacks and all our school players at all levels.

We still have a very long way to go, just recently dsidn't we have sports annoucers and head coaches make racial slurs and they say everyone knows I'm not like that. My Son in Law ( He married my daughter who had two cghildren)is a racist of the southern confederate flag waving kind I pray my grandchildren don't pick any of it up. But who can say.

GBR
40
May we all be free.

 

[LVCARDFREAK]

Really!!! that's certainly news to me. Where would I go to check this out?

I am shocked that you sound suprised. Hell 60% of Quebcers say they are openly racist.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051218/nolan_051218/20051218?hub=Canada

http://www2.sportsnet.ca/blogs/jim_kelley/2006/05/25/nhl_not_free_from_racism/

http://www.hockeydirt.com/2005/09/racism_alive_an.html


I dunno. but when you have a total of 18 minority players in the NHL from 1950-1991, one might think it had somehting to do with racism....

 

[Shane]

huh? Have you seen the US stance on immigration? How about the US treatment of Arab-Americans? States still fighting MLK day? NHL being accussed of racism on a weekly basis? Reports that in major metropolitan suburbs black-owned business and homes has dropped 20% in the last 20 years....

And your point really? Racism is just as rampant the other way. People just choose to ignore it.

The color of a coach should be a complete non issue. The fact that the media feels the need to popint it out on a regular basis only heightens racism IMO.

 

[Shane]

The stat is somewhere around 50% of black males still wind up in jail by the time they're 25.

This country still has a long way to go to equality.

Tell me what that has to do with equality?

 

[Duckjake]

2

-As far as a history of black coaches. Coaching is and always will be about networking. Who you worked for and your experience with the game. The reason that black coaches have come on as of late is because they haven't been in the coaching system for as long as white coaches have been.....

This is really true to an extent. Most coaches in the NFL get their first HC job around 45-50. Segregation kept down the number of blacks able to attend college and play on many football teams until the early to mid 70's and didn't allow significant numbers until the mid 80's.

That first group of "post bussing" graduates from the 70's are just now in their 50's and the far larger pool of talent from the 80's is just now entering that prime coaching age range. So we should see a large increase in the number of black coaches at all levels over the next few years.