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There’s going to be a Black head coach playing for a national championship for the first time in FBS history. Some of you will read that sentence and roll your eyes because, well, you do you. But there is no denying this fact: this is a vital moment in sports history. In fact, it’s one of the most important.
Either Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman or Penn State’s James Franklin will make this history. In many ways it equals another unique moment. That was when the Super Bowl featured its first Black head coach. Actually, coaches … plural. Super Bowl XLI in 2007 had Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith.
Why would this moment in FBS history possibly equal or even surpass that one? It’s because of how the NFL and college football have approached attempting to diversify its coaching ranks. The NFL, for all of its flaws in this area (and there are many), has at least tried to rectify the issue using the Rooney Rule. The rule is far from perfect. But it has always been an acknowledgment of the problem.
College football, conversely, has been woefully inadequate in trying to diversify its head coaching ranks. The college game, in many ways, has been historically hostile to Black coaches (especially in the South). The NFL is slightly better. (Emphasis on slightly.) But it’s better.
The NCAA doesn’t have the strength or political will to ever create the college equivalent of the Rooney Rule so it’s the racial Wild West in college football.
Meaning, overall, if you look at the history of the sport, it has been more difficult for a Black head coach to reach this point than it has been in the NFL. Or especially college basketball.
It’s true that it was only a matter of time before this happened in colleges. It’s just remarkable it took this long. The year is 2025. We were supposed to have flying cars and Black head coaches in the championship…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/james-franklin-marcus-freeman-first-113624619.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2025-01-07 11:36:00
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