Achieving diversity in leadership in football is — and has been — a difficult proposition for quite some time. At both the college football and NFL levels, Black coaches have struggled to find the opportunities granted to some of their caucasian counterparts as it relates to leading a team and serving as a head coach. And, in an effort to change that, one of the handful of Black coaches in America today is looking to provide a platform to change that — and he’s calling on Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier to help.
Reporter Jim Trotter reported yesterday that Maryland head coach Mike Locksley has assembled the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches, which carries the states goal of “preparing, promoting, and producing minority coaches at all levels of football (professional, collegiate, scholastic, and recreational).”
The NCMFC Board includes some heavy hitting figures in the game, including (but not limited to):
- Ozzie Newsome, the NFL’s first Black general manager and a Hall of Famer
- Former Miami Dolphins head coach Nick Saban, who has won 6 national championships at the college level
- Former Bills and Colts GM Bill Polian
- Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin
- Washington Football Team executive and former Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams
- Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier
- And others
Grier hasn’t just been given the opportunity to build a team as one of the few Black general managers in the NFL today, he’s also hired a Black head coach in Brian Flores, the NFL’s only Black hire among their last 12 head coaching changes between the 2019 and 2020 off-seasons. Having Grier on the Board helps advance the cause Locksley is hoping to champion for with the Coalition.
“These are all people that have either hired head coaches or coordinators or filled upper-level positions throughout their careers,” Locksley is quoted by Trotter.
“They all have been at the top of the mountain, per se, in their respective areas, whether winning Super Bowls or national championships or being pioneers, like Debbie Yow and Willie Jeffries. We want to use their experiences to help us formulate and produce the list of qualified candidates, so when people say there aren’t enough minorities to fill the positions that have come open over the years, we’re going to produce a list of qualified people that shows there are qualified people. What’s needed is opportunities.”