Study reveals declining hiring pattern of African American coaches at colleges

Mark York
Daily Sundial

A new report by the Black Coaches Association (BCA), in conjunction with Arizona State University, reveals a declining hiring pattern for African American coaches at colleges nationwide.

“I would say the disparity in the hiring of African American and minority coaches in college football is due to the hiring processes of many colleges and universities that are not inclusive of people of color,” said Brian Gaddie, media director for the BCA. “Academic records are not a reason why these hiring numbers have not improved with the passage of time, as quickly as (the BCA) would like to see.”

According to the report “The Score,” by Dr. C. Keith Harrison, director of the Paul Robeson Research Center for Leadership, Academic and Athletic Prowess, only one African American was hired to fill one of 142 head coach openings each year since 1996. The report analyzes hiring in 2003-04 that showed 28 openings in Division IA and IAA. Each division had 14 openings.

Each school was given a letter grade based on five criteria, including the number of communications with BCA, number of minorities on their search and hiring committees, number of minorities that received on-campus interviews, the length of time required to make a hiring decision, and adherence to affirmative action policies.

The results of the report showed that 17 schools, or 60 percent, received grades of A or B, which is satisfactory. Cornell topped the list with an A in every category. Of those in that top group, only one school, Mississippi State, hired an African American coach.

Twenty percent of IAA schools received an F grade. F grades are awarded if the school doesn’t submit requested data.

“What many don’t realize is that this affects people who are not members of minority groups,” Harrison said. “It’s not the hiring outcome per se, but the process involved all the way from start to final decision that makes it a unique study of the issue. The infrastructure in place only hires people that they know, and that can affect any potential candidate.”

Since we live in a segregated society, and thus don’t always mix with each other, this guides the decision making process, he said.

“I grew up in Los Angeles, in an African American neighborhood for the first 11 years of my life, and later moved into a more mixed racial environment in the suburbs,” Harrison said. “We had the first black coach in 1979, and that came after a long integration process on the field.”

An African American player has a better chance to be a general in the armed services than he has at being a head coach in football, Harrision said.

“There are only five examples to draw from, including Ty Willingham at Notre Dame and Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State. Progress is being made, so I remain optimistic,” he said.

NCAA President Myles Brand said in a speech during January 2004 that in 2003 there were only four African Americans among the 117 head coaches in Division I-A.

“That is unacceptable, especially given that a large proportion of student-athletes who participate on these teams are African American,” he said.