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 has a 29-44 overall record through Week 6 of the 2022 season. The Lions also had two playoff berths in four seasons, as compared to one playoff appearance in the previous 14 seasons. He was also named assistant head coach of the Jaguars for the 2012 season, according to the Pro Football History website. If you look at solutions instead of just focused on the problem, that's where I think we all should be focusing our energy. There are just 32 NFL head coaching jobs, six or seven become vacant every year. First, look at the overall preview of our 20 black NFL coaches below. Tomlin was 10-6 in his first season and is still in Pittsburgh. He coached the Raiders from 1989-1994, then returned to the team for one season in 2006. Green made the playoffs in eight of 10 seasons in Minnesota, with his most memorable campaign coming in 1998. Having them sit in non-interview settings with the decision makers, presidents, and owners, everything I've talked about. 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. Flores finished 24-25 in three seasons with the Dolphins (2019-2021) and remains connected to the franchise. We see coaches, as I mentioned, like Ron Rivera, Mike McDaniel, Robert Saleh, not exclusively African American. 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. Crennel was 6-10 in his first season and lasted four years in Cleveland with a 24-20 record. A complete timeline of Black coaches, past and present, largely declined to hire those candidates, What happened to Brian Flores? Your email will be shared with praisephilly.com and subject to its. 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. Flores was replacing Adam Gase who was 23-25 in three seasons, as he went 24-25 in three seasons. Let's take a look back at the Black coaches who have been able to rise up the ranks, starting with the trailblazer who broke the NFL's color barrier more than 100 years ago. Jackson, who is the current coach of Grambling State, was the head coach of the Raiders (2011) and Browns (2016-2018). Can this person lead 20 coaches, 60, 70 players depending on practice squad, can they lead? The following is a list of the top National Football League (NFL) head coaches in wins. He is currently Michigan State's head coach. Bowles has coached the Dolphins (2011) and Jets (2015-2018), and he is the current coach of the Buccaneers. 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. 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. So all minorities, look for a mentor, but pay it forward by being a mentor. Caldwell was brought in after the Jim Schwartz (gym shorts) era ended with 4-12 and 7-9 seasons. He is embroiled in a lawsuit that he filed against multiple teams, including Miami, and the NFL for discriminatory hiring practices. That's what we'll be discussing today. Perry Fewell was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills for a single season in 2019. 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.. To be sure, the NFL has had more than 500 head coaches over the course of more than a century of competition. After serving as defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills in 2021, Frazier interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching job. He coached the Raiders from 1989-1994, then returned to the team for one season in 2006. What do you think of the show? He had a 131-122-3 record in 16 seasons and reached the playoffs seven times. 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. 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. Email me at jabrown@usatoday.com, or leave me a message at (585) 484-0339. 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. 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. 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. Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here. Over the next few days and weeks, multiple teams will be conducting interviews to fill their head coaching vacancies. Singletary took over midseason for the 49ers after Mike Nolan was fired after starting the season 2-5. Shell was the first Black head coach in the modern era of the NFL. 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. He's accusing teams including the New York Giants and Denver Broncos of conducting sham interviews with him last year. He signed a 10-year, $95 million deal with the Spartans in November 2021. 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. He is currently the Bills' defensive coordinator. He can move to number one with success during the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. Fritz Pollard became the first Black head coach in NFL history after the Akron Pros appointed him as co-coach in 1921. Smith coached the Bears for nearly a decade (2004-2012) before a brief stint with the Buccaneers (2014-2015). 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. Crennel finished out the season with the interim tag and went 2-1. When he took over in Houston at age 73, he became the oldest head coach in NFL 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. He served in the same double capacity with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020. That's why I didn't have to do the interview. He has an overall record of 62-50 in seven 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. Wilkes was not retained. The thinking basically went there are lots of black men who played running back, so when they transition to coaching, that's the position they know, it's the easiest way to get into the business. True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here. 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. 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 do you do". It still remains to be seen if that is going to lead to results. 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. Specifically, Flores claims hes had multiple incidents of racial discrimination that involved several teams, as well as coaches and executives around the league. Jacksons second stint as an NFL head coach was atrocious as he was 1-31 in his first two seasons in Cleveland. John Allen (American football) Lamar Allen. How would you use that player? Mike Tomlin has been one of the best black head coaches in the modern NFL. 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 . 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. 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.". Leadership is defined in a lot of different ways. What's the setup of their operation? The franchise was founded in 1960 by Lamar Hunt and were known as the Dallas Texans when the team was located in Dallas, Texas. It's true in business, it's true in life, and diversity only comes with some steps to increase representation and NFL is doing that. The Vikings went 15-1 that season and racked up 556 points, which set an NFL record at the time.. He has a 3-3 overall record through Week 6 of the 2022 season. 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. 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. A more diverse pipeline could help down the road. All Rights Reserved. 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. Must Black folks be head coaches too, critics might be wondering? That's USA Today's sports reporter Tyler Dragon, he's been writing about the NFL for close to a decade. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. Mike Singletary was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. In that time, they hired two head coaches. If you have to do something, then you're going to be fully invested in it as something that you chose to do. His career record is 92-90. 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. 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. 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. Also, what's your assistant coach set up? 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." Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah - General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings. They have who they want to be their coordinators, to be their assistant coaches, in some cases, to be their quality control coaches, to be their equipment managers, to be their strength conditioning staff. Owners and front office people who are in charge of hiring, they found loopholes in the rule. He was fired in September 2022. In the text message, Belichick confirmed Daboll had already secured the job, but Flores had not yet interviewed for the position. I think that might be part of the answer to why it exists, but I certainly don't think it's the entire answer. And to Alexis Gustin and Shannon Ray Green for their production assistance. Suicide Note Revealed After Shocking Death, Indicted! Just 25 of them have been Black. The first thing you say is kudos to Mr. Rooney, obviously the driving force behind it, and I worked for him so I'm biased, but also the league for identifying a problem and trying to come up with a solution. What do you think of that player? 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. Mostly, Pollard would see the work and sacrifice he and other Black coaches have made wasn't. Bowles went 10-6 in his first season and was 24-40 in his four years on the sidelines for the Jets. Tomlin showed up in Pittsburgh after Bill Cowher was 8-8 in his final season and one year removed from winning a Super Bowl. There may be some differences between the audio and the text. Jordan Greer is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News. 2. In his lone season as Kansas Citys head coach, he went 2-14 and was replaced by Andy Reid. And while that happens, the lack of Black coaches will be the most discussed talking point. 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. Download Our New Praise 107.9 Radio Mobile App For Your Smartphone! He was fired 8 games into his third season and finished with a 3-36-1 record. Do you remember what your initial thoughts were when you heard that this kind of thing was being implemented? We might have you on the show. 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 served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins under then-head coach Brian Flores during the 2021 season. He ended his career with a 113-94 overall record. MORE: What happened to Brian Flores? 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. Just 24 of them have been Black. Top Row: Lovie Smith, Marvin Lewis, Tony Dungy, Mike Tomlin, Jim Caldwell Botttom Row: Anthony Lynn, Romeo Crennel, Herm Edwards, Leslie Frazier, Brian Flores. 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. Image: Getty Images When Stephen.