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Posted 11/28/2007 at 07:45 PM
Stop. Just stop. In fact, don't even start. Please do not play the race card. I do not want to hear anyone tell me how there aren't enough black coaches in college football. Now I know that sounds harsh but I'm tired of hearing how a black coach didn't get a fair shake when a college team hires a white coach. Please don't get mad at me, lets just take a step back and we'll look into the situation together.
Two new college coaches were announced this week, Houston Nutt at Mississippi and Mike Sherman at Texas A&M. Let's start with Nutt. He comes to Mississippi after leaving Arkansas, another SEC school where in his last game he led his team to victory over the number one team in the country. That sounds like the kind of guy I'd want to hire. And how about Mike Sherman, former coach of the Green Bay Packers, a storied NFL franchise. Personally, if you're good enough for the Packers, a team that happens to be owned by its fans, you're certainly good enough for my college program.
Fine, you're still upset? Let's talk about the six black head coaches in Division I college football. We'll start with the ones that had a winning season. OK, this conversation is now over. If I was athletic director I'd fire them. Every one of them. Not because they're black but because they're losing. My job as an AD is on the line here and I need to find someone who can get me a winning program. I have no problem replacing them with black coaches as long as we win. In the end, that's the goal, isn't it? Just win baby! All in all, athletic directors want to hire winning coaches, it's that simple.
Even worse, I can't fire them. What would people think of me and our school if I fired one of the remaining black head coaches? But if these guys were white, no problem. Ed Orgeron and Dennis Franchione didn't make the grade and they are no longer coaching Division I football. Next train out boys, I'm going to find us a winning coach. So I guess you could argue that part of the reason more black coaches aren't hired is because it would be next to impossible to fire them if they don't get the job done.
Athletic Directors are out to do one thing; hire coaches that are going to make sure their programs are winning programs, period. So all of us, regardless of race, need to let them do their job.
With that out of the way, I'd like to take a second to send my prayers to the friends and family of Sean Taylor. As a member of the South Florida community, I've followed Taylor since his days with the Hurricanes and I'm personally stunned by this terrible event. We mourn the loss of Taylor and hope that one day some light will be shed on why this awful tragedy happened to a truely talented man.
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