Studesville was the interim head coach of the Broncos in 2010, going 1-3 to finish out the season. His career record is 92-90. In the text message, Belichick confirmed Daboll had already secured the job, but Flores had not yet interviewed for the position. And to Alexis Gustin and Shannon Ray Green for their production assistance. He was also named assistant head coach of the Jaguars for the 2012 season, according to the Pro Football History website. Art Shell became head coach of the then-Los Angeles Raiders in 1988, a job he held until 1994, after the franchise moved to Oakland, according to the Raiders website. Mike Tomlin has been one of the best black head coaches in the modern NFL. Mike Singletary was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. Must Black folks be head coaches too, critics might be wondering. In seven seasons with the Colts, Dungy was 92-33 as he made the playoffs every season and won Super Bowl XLI. Only one of five NFL head coaches hired this offseason was Black. Tony Alford. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski) Smith has been part of the Titans' staff since 2011 first as a quality control coach, then helping with tight ends, then coaching tight ends, and eventually replacing current Packers head coach Matt LaFleur as the team's offensive coordinator in 2019. Tenure: Four-plus seasons (71 games). Jordan Greer is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News. The franchise was founded in 1960 by Lamar Hunt and were known as the Dallas Texans when the team was located in Dallas, Texas. I'll break it down to even more simpler terms. Last year, Ryan served as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers who had one of the best defenses in the league. Smith was hired in Chicago after the Bears were 7-9 the year before, with Smith going 5-11 in his first season. That certainly lines up with what Flores lawsuit is alleging. 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. True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here. The Lions also had two playoff berths in four seasons, as compared to one playoff appearance in the previous 14 seasons. It attempted to address the historically low number of minorities in head coaching positions. Crennel was the head coach of the Browns (2005-2008), Chiefs (2011-2012) and Texans (2020), going 32-63 with those three teams. 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. And since America loves to ignore blatant racism unless they can watch it on video or it can be quantified into numbers, Deadspin took a look at the plight of Black coaches in the NFL over the last 20-plus years. Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah - General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings. Top Row: Lovie Smith, Marvin Lewis, Tony Dungy, Mike Tomlin, Jim Caldwell Botttom Row: Anthony Lynn, Romeo Crennel, Herm Edwards, Leslie Frazier, Brian Flores. The following is a list of the top National Football League (NFL) head coaches in wins. Flores was fired on Monday despite leading the Dolphins to seven straight wins in the second half. And what goes into hiring a head coach? As of the time that this list was published, Morris was seen as a leading candidate for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching vacancy. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. Green was picked up in Arizona after Dave McGinnis had three consecutive losing seasons in the desert. Sports news website the Ringer reported that Flores was not fired because of his coaching but rather because of his troubled relationship with team owner Stephen Ross, a supporter of former President Donald Trump who has refuted claims of racial discrimination. filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL claiming there is racial discrimination in the hiring process, the NFL is an organization akin to slavery,, Heres Every Black Head Coach In NFL History, According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website, according to the Pro Football History website, according to the pro football hall of fame website, according to the Pro Football Reference website, coached the Cincinnati Bengals for 16 seasons from 2003 to 2018, named interim head coach of theAtlanta Falcons in the middle of the 2007 season, head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons, NFL head coach with two separate teams from 2009 to 2020, a leading candidate for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching vacancy, Leslie Frazier was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2010 to 2013, Frazier interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching job, head coach for the Denver Broncos during the final four games of the 2010 season, Todd Bowles was a head coach in the NFL for five seasons, NFL head coach with two franchises for four seasons, Jackson claims the Browns incentivized losing, Anthony Lynn was a head coach in the NFL for two teams, reportedly a candidate for the Miami Dolphins head coaching job, Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. So all minorities, look for a mentor, but pay it forward by being a mentor. He was replaced by Zac Taylor who is currently 16-32 in three seasons. Specifically, Flores claims hes had multiple incidents of racial discrimination that involved several teams, as well as coaches and executives around the league. He is a former NFL player whose professional career spanned from 1986 to 1993. Hue Jackson was an NFL head coach with two franchises for four seasons. Do you remember what your initial thoughts were when you heard that this kind of thing was being implemented? 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. The franchise was a charter member of the American Football League (AFL . 12. His saying was, "It's great to have a mentor, but it's even better to be a mentor." The rule was expanded in 2009 to include general managers as well as other front-office positions. 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 . Shane Steichen, Offensive Coordinator, Eagles. In his three full seasons with the Vikings he compiled an 18-20 record and was eventually replaced by Mike Zimmer who was fired on Monday. So what's happening here? Thomas was named the interim head coach of the Falcons in 2007 and went 1-2 after Bobby Petrino's sudden resignation. Mike Singletary was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. 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 . 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. 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. In the suit, Flores cites text messages from New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, who said he believed he was contacting Brian Daboll, another coach interviewing for the New York Giants head coaching position. The Vikings went 15-1 that season and racked up 556 points, which set an NFL record at the time.. Owners and front office people who are in charge of hiring, they found loopholes in the rule. Singletary coached the 49ers from 2008-2010, totaling 18 wins and 22 losses in three seasons. 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. After taking over for Bruce Arians who went 8-8 in his final season, Wilks was 3-13 and was replaced by Kliff Kingsbury. If you look at solutions instead of just focused on the problem, that's where I think we all should be focusing our energy. 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. 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. 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. 20 Black NFL Coaches 20. The league in general is tough, but it is a lot tougher for people of color and minorities, and women. Fritz Pollard became the first Black head coach in NFL history after the Akron Pros appointed him as co-coach in 1921. Green served as the head coach of the Vikings for 10 seasons (1992-2001), earning a playoff berth eight times. One Black coach, 33 years after Art Shell broke the modern era head coaching color barrier with the Raiders. That brings the total head-coaching jobs available to six, as the Las Vegas Raiders (Jon Gruden), Jacksonville Jaguars (Urban Meyer) and Denver Broncos (Vic Fangio) had fired their HCs prior to Black Monday. 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. Lovie Smith was a head coach with the Chicago Bears for eleven seasons from 2004 to 2012 before he was hired as thehead coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014to2015. Andrew Brandt agrees that the league has a long way to go and suggested similar programs to the one Whaley describes, but warned that the issue is complex and without easy answers. That makes grand total of three in a 32-team league where 60% of players are Black. To be sure, the NFL has had more than 500 head coaches over the course of more than a century of competition. Frederick Pollard Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard Fritz Pollard was the first African-American football player to play at Brown University. Todd Bowles Starting our list on number 20 is the NFL franchise head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Todd Bowles. When I look at the NFL landscape from top to bottom, they are really behind when it comes to diversity and inclusion. 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.