The media's obsession with race is hurting black coaches

Quick, everybody get out your race cards! Apparently the reason Nebraska hired LSU's Bo Pelini instead of Buffalo's Turner Gill is because Gill is black. Yup, there's no other possible explanation. Cornhusker Nation is a bunch of dirty racists!! [rolls eyes]

Look, it sucks that there are only five black head coaches in Division I-A college football. (Based on percentage of the population, there should be 15.) But it truly boggles my mind that the race-obsessed media doesn't grasp the degree to which they're making the situation worse by focusing so heavily on race, to the exclusion of other relevant issues, whenever a black coach is hired, fired or considered for a coaching job.

What "other relevant issues," you ask? Well, for instance, do you think maybe Nebraska favored Pelini over Gill because, although the latter has (two years of) head-coaching experience, it's at Buffalo, a place where "success" has a very different meaning than it does at Nebraska, and where there's no media pressure-cooker, and where there aren't rabid fans demanding immediate results or else? Pelini may only be an assistant, but he's a high-profile assistant in an environment much more similar to Nebraska's, in terms of fan and media expectations. And he's been quite successful there, whereas Gill's success at Buffalo could still potentially be attributed in part to a fluky season in which the MAC was way down. I'm not saying I believe the Bulls' season is a fluke (I sure hope not), I'm just saying it wouldn't necessarily be unreasonable for the folks at Nebraska to wonder about that, and to say, "We're not quite sure about this guy yet." It wouldn't be the first time a bright and shiny up-and-comer in the coaching ranks turned out to be a dud.

And that's just off the top of my head. I'm sure more knowledgeable people could come up with a dozen other legitimate reasons why Nebraska might have preferred Pelini to Gill. (And likewise, a dozen legitimate reasons they might have preferred Gill to Pelini. It wasn't a slam-dunk choice in either direction.) It's not like they picked some white high-school team manager over Gill. They had two qualified candidates, both of whom had a lot of upside and a lot of question marks, and they had to pick one of them, and it happened to be Pelini. There's no reason to presume the choice had anything to do with race. But don't tell that to the everything-is-always-about-race crowd! For them, any opportunity (no matter how flimsy) to cry or imply "racism" is a good opportunity!

Anyway, I said earlier that this ridiculous attitude makes things worse. Here's why. When Notre Dame hired Ty Willingham, they were showered with praise for hiring a black man. Then, when he failed to get the job done and refused to budge on the university's demands to improve things, they quite naturally fired him -- and were promptly accused of being racist. (How quickly they went from racial heroes to racial scapegoats!) More than three years later, they're still living with that nonsense accusation, thanks to the facile and transparently bogus race-based comparisons between Weis and Willingham, notwithstanding the various vast differences between the situations that make the university's alleged "double standard" very, very easily explainable without any need to play the race card.

So, what lesson did that sequence of events teach everyone? I believe the lesson would be: Don't hire a black coach. All coaching hires are calculated risks; all coaches may potentially turn out to suck, or be a bad fit for a given job. But when you hire a black coach, the risks are much higher because, if he sucks and you fire him, you'll be in for a world of hurt in the public-relations arena. Whereas with white coaches, if they suck, you can fire them, and nobody will bat an eyelash. I notice, for instance, that no one is complaining that Ole Miss hates white people, even though they fired Ed Orgeron after just three years, with three years left on his contract. Nor is anyone complaining that Nebraska treated Bill Callahan unfairly, though he had four years left. And if Notre Dame goes 6-6 next year and they fire Weis, with six years left on his contract, how many people will accuse them of anti-fat-white-guy bias?

Oh, and remember when Florida fired Ron Zook after three years, the very same year Notre Dame fired Willingham after three years, and replaced him with the very same coach the Irish wanted, Urban Meyer? Well, what do you know, it turns out Zook isn't such a bad coach after all. Yet I don't see anyone criticizing the Gators for their decision to fire him, let alone calling the university racist. (And yes, the fact that Meyer has been more successful than Weis has something to do with that. But not everything. Weis was very successful in his first two years, yet the talk and innuendo about the alleged racism underlying Willingham's ouster persisted anyway. It's only intensified this year; it's not a product of the Irish's 3-9 record. It was there all along, and the color of Willingham's skin is the only reason why.)

So, yes, there's a double standard. But it isn't Notre Dame's, or Nebraska's. It's the media's. And it needs to stop. Just as the media backlash from Willingham's firing taught universities interested in their rational self-interest to think long and hard about the possible negative consequences of hiring a black coach, this talk about Nebraska rejecting Gill because of his race could well discourage universities from even considering, or at least publicly acknowledging that they're considering, black candidates for head coaching jobs. After all, if you don't ever have a black candidate on your radar screen, nobody can say you were racist for rejecting one. But if you let it be known, as Nebraska did, that one of your two finalists is black, and then you pick the other guy, suddenly people can unjustifiably call you "racist." So why bother? Is it really worth the trouble?

The bottom line is this. Black coaches will forever remain at a disadvantage in college football until the media stops obsessing about race when it's not a genuine issue. (When is it "not a genuine issue"? Here's a hint: if there are other factors that easily and straightforwardly explain a situation without resorting to race, then race should be presumptively considered irrelevant until someone presents strong evidence -- not mere innuendo or unsupported bull**t accusations -- to the contrary.)

You can't create a colorblind society by jumping up and down and screaming about color. It just doesn't work.

Comments

[Becky]

Dude, I didn't know that Turner Gill is black. All I know is that he's a good coach and I'm totally stoked that he'll be staying in B-lo a little while longer! And you know, the Bulls play in Div1 so even if Gill was hired at Nebraska, it wouldn't change the number of black coaches in Div1.

I don't know anything about Pelinin, but from what I do know about Gill, he hasn't quite done enough at B-lo to justify hiring him to helm a major program...yet. I could see him getting picked off a few years down the road if he can turn the UB football into a winning program.

[David K.]

You make some good points, but at the same time, its hard to take seriously the idea that the schools seriously consider black coaches or coaches of any minority when it seems like most of them have their mind made up about who they want next without considering the possibility of other coaches. Now I say seems, because i'm sure there is a lot of the process that happens that the public is not aware of, especially in situations like Nebraskas where you pretty much knew that the coach would be out weeks if not months in advance.

I don't think anyone took Florida to task for what they did primarily because they didn't have a history of NOT doing it. If Willingham had been fired by Florida i don't think it would have been as big a deal. It was the previously held Notre Dame position of "we give our coach 5 years" that suddenly changed (for right or wrong) when it was a black coach that made it an issue. Thats not to say they did what they did BECAUSE of race of course, it just means that there seemed to be some legitimate room there to wonder if they were being straightforward. Most likely it was a coincidence that their change of position on the 5 year thing also happened with Ty, they were probably looking back at Davey and realizing they shoudl have gotten rid of him sooner or something like that. And of course my long held belief is the primary reason is that they thought they could get Urban Meyer.

Of course all this could have been avoided if George O'Leary hadn't lied on his resume...

[David K.]

Anyone else been getting those anyoning "type the stuff in this picture into a box so your comment will post" things lately?

[Jim Hu]

Sigh. I agree with many of the general themes in your post. Invoking race in Pellini over Gill is silly. There are unintended consequences.

And then you get to the usual defensiveness about ND and Willingham.

As much as I'm not an ND fan, I used to respect the idea of them running their program the right way even in areas beyond just playing by the rules. ND has plenty of places where it holds itself up as being purer than others - as in not loading up on JuCo players. Coaching carousels are, rightly IMO, viewed as the behavior of wannabe schools or desperate ones grasping at past glory, not tradition-laden powers like ND et al. There are lots of cases where writers have criticized schools for firing coaches after 3 years or less. Bama was widely criticized for firing Mike Shula last year, for example. In the case of Zook at Florida, getting into fights with students on campus probably muted the criticism of the Gators for not giving him more time. I don't think anyone had a problem with ND not giving O'Leary enough time, or Bama not giving Price enough time. But I don't recall there being anything like that with Willingham.

Given ND's history of not acting like a desperate wannabe school, I think firing Ty would have been criticized if he had been white. It was a deviation from the pattern and reputation of the program. The usual suspects jumped at race, but it resonated, as the Gill claim will not, because outsiders asked: "what was different about this ND coach vs., the other ones who failed to bring back the glory?". The problem, of course, is that every situation is different in the details, and figuring out whether a difference is relevant is highly subjective.

I've seen the laundry list of specifics against Ty, and many come across to me as weak excuse making. YMMV. But I admit that I don't follow ND football enough to know if previous coaches were even asked to fire their assistants at year 3.

[USC 2L]

The Daily Texan Online? Really?

[Brendan Loy]

It's not just the Daily Texan. It just so happens that the Texan, and the Daily Camera, whatever the heck that is (which I linked with the term "race cards" in the first sentence), are the two that crossed my desk via Google News. There has been plenty of other talk along these lines out there. One blogger writes, "I have seen on multiple occasions that suggested Turner Gill would not get the head coaching position because he is an African-American." Also, the Black Coaches Association went out of its way to say, before Nebraska announced its decision, that hiring Gill would be "progress." I don't know whether they've criticized NU for not hiring Gill, but the point is made: you announce you've got a black candidate, and the usual suspects start pressuring you to hire him. If you don't... well... they almost don't have to say anything at that point, do they? Folks in the media will at least whisper it for them.

That said, Jim is almost certainly right that this nonsense will not "resonate" like the Ty-related nonsense did. But that doesn't negate my point that it sucks that it's even out there.

[Brendan Loy]

P.S. Then there's the Seattle Times columnist who wrote, prior to Nebraska's announcement, that "The only reason Pelini would be chosen is because he is white." To his credit, he retracted the sentence after he was criticized for it by some commenters. But it just goes to show that this attitude is out there -- and not just in the Daily Texan newsroom.

[Andrew]

What's dumb is that there are a ton of openings this year, and the way it works in college is like a merry-go-round: the lower-level schools have their good coaches poached by the more prestigious, BCS schools (see: Paul Johnson from Navy to Georgia Tech), while other coaches make lateral moves (see: Houston Nutt from Arkansas to Ole Miss). Thus, it's not until later in winter that we start to see good candidates who aren't already head coaches start to get jobs. There are a number of prominent black offensive and defensive coordinators out there who should get a look (I think Charlie Strong, the DC at Florida is way overdue), but again, those kinds of hires are not usually the ones you see right away.

The other thing people don't realize is that the turnover at the NFL level is much, much higher than at the college level. Every year in the NFL, there are between 15-30% new coaching opportunities. At the college level, that number is most often far less than 10%. So the NFL goes through coaches much quicker and blacks have far more opportunities in the natural flow of things than they do in the college ranks.

[Angrier and Angrier]

I blame Nebraska for hiring an assistant white coach from a perpetual contender for a national title instead of a good black coach from a school nobody has heard of (except on BrendanLoy.com). What a bunch of idiots, making a decision that, on the face of it, makes perfect sense.

By the way, where are all the journalists when it comes to the virtual absence of Hispanic coaches and players in the college and professional ranks? Sounds to me like some race cards are easier to play than others.

[Derek]

Speaking of black coaches...

[David K.]

Ok Derek, clicked on that link, just not getting the reference i guess?

[Wobbly H]

Hilarious. Davie Boy, here is another hint:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDAq5tyfk9E

[Scientizzle]

I like how the Daily Texan states "Nebraska hiring Bo Pelini, with zero head coaching experience, over Turner Gill, who was the MAC Coach of the Year" as if that's an obvious fault.

No doubt, MAC Coach of the Year is an award of which to be proud, especially considering UB's history. It's not like Pelini is a complete greenhorn. He's had coaching positions with the 49ers, Packers and Patriots, and DC experience with Nebraska, Oklahoma & LSU...he was also the interim head coach for Nebraska's 2004 Alamo Bowl win.

Gill, who I think is a real up-and-comer, has a 7–17 record in two years as a head coach of a mid-major program. Is that the kind of head coaching experience one might expect to take over on of the all-time powers of CFB?

David R. Henry, you are an idiot.

[David K.]

Eh, i don't follow the NFL much

[Andrew]

Occam's Razor applied to Nebraska: Nebraska very nearly hired Bo Pelini as its coach last time around but chose Bill Callahan instead. Pelini then went to LSU, which has been at or near the top of the defensive rankings in most statistical categories for the past few years. Bill Callahan's tenure was tarnished most by his teams' abysmal defensive performances. Ergo, Nebraska decided to come back to Pelini and hire him.

[Sandy Underpants]

I thought everybody in Texas was racist as hell, what do they care about another ***** gettin shafted? Anwyay, Pellini worked for Nebraska before and he proved to be a pretty damn good defensive coach at LSU the past few years. Good 'ol Pete Carroll was a good defensive coach before he got the call to coach SC as well, seems like a smart hire by the crusty old man at Nebraska.

It is interesting that there's 4 or less black HC's in I-A CFB out of 119 schools, but let's also consider that there are schools that have had the same damn head coach for more than 30 years. It really does take time to rotate in. As for Hispanics, is there even an assistant to rep that ethnicity? I know we lost a good chinaman when Norm Chow sold SC out for the NFL. And what a bout Native Americans people?!?!

[LaRev]

Brendan-
The media does whatever you think it will do. No matter how provacative they are being, it's exactly what anybody expected.

Sincerely,

John Singleton

[The Monster]

Andrew touches on a fact that many people miss. Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.

Now, for the part that will probably get me called a racist. I'll try to head that off with this disclaimer: The following statements are statistical in nature; they deal with group averages, and should not be inferred to mean that ALL members of the group with the "better" average are "better" than ALL members of group with the "worse" average for any given metric. There will be individuals in the "worse" group who are "better" than some individuals in the "better" group, and vice versa....

As a group, people whose ancestors come from West Africa tend to be the best sprinters in the world. Look at the Olympic 100-meter finals, and you'll see residents of West African countries, and people whose families have lived for some generations in the US, Canada, or the Caribbean after being brought from West Africa. At middle distances, those of originally European extraction can compete, but at the longest distances, East Africans dominate.

It just so happens that the major sports in the US require short bursts of speed rarely covering more than 100 meters in continuous action. Therefore, West Africans and their American cousins have a natural advantage. They are often able to excel at the high-school and college level based on that raw talent physical conditioning.

In contrast, those of European extraction who must compete against the West Africans have to study techniques to squeeze maximum performance out of their talents, or they'll be on the bench, if not in the stands.

These players move on and try to make it in the professional ranks. The competition is so fierce that everyone works full time on improving their skills and executing the game plans. Athletes increasing age shows, but their experience may compensate for the younger players' superior speed, strength, and stamina. But eventually, even the best can't physically perform well enough.

Ah, if I could only stick my old brain in a young man's body! Then I'd have the best of both worlds! The closest we can do to that is to become those young men's mentors.

And this is where the white boy who can't jump as high, or run as fast, suddenly has the advantage. He's had to coach himself all his life. Breaking down videotape to see what he, his teammates, and their opponents are doing right and wrong is second-nature to him.

There are black athletes who have also done these things, but not nearly as many have as much for as long; the black kid who lacks the raw talent rarely gets the chance to compete in the first place, because there are so many others who have the talent. There's the rare parent like Col. Earl Woods to make sure his kid gets coached early, but they're the exception.

Think about it: How many good coaches were the top-tier athletes when they played? Not too many. Most are the guys who had to learn every trick in the book (and invent a few) just to play in the first place. When they get the chance to teach those techniques to the kids who have more native talent than the coach (and the good sense to listen, like Tiger did to Col. Woods and the other coaches in his lives), those players can perform spectacularly.

At UNL (where not winning the Big 12 North is considered a failed season) nothing less is acceptable.

[Mike's brother Matt]

My personal theory in Pellini was hired by Nebraska in an effort by the football gods to make up for my entire childhood in one day ;)
But, seriously, I don't think that race had anything to do with Nebraska's decision. I think Turner Gill is for real, but Pellini's a proven commodity, while Gill may have just had a fluke season. I also think we're going to see an increase in the number of black coaches in the coming years, as, for the most part, the top coaches now started coaching the the 70s, being hired by coaches and athletic directors who had grown up in a much more racist culture. Naturally, if they we're given low level coaching jobs then, they didn't develop into high level coaches today. Thus, it will take a while to clear this problem. A similar pattern happened in the NFL, however with the NFL's higher rate of coaching changes, and lack of alumni pressure, this happened more quickly.

[Mike's brother Matt]

we're = weren't. Teach me to comment after studying econ...

[Andrew]

Matt, please explain to me your reasoning for why you want Pelini gone. I'd really like to know who out there you think is a better defensive coordinator and why.

[Mike's brother Matt]

Pelini had no idea what to do with all the talent he had on hand. On those rare occasions when he'd blitz, it would destroy the offense, as between Dorsy, Highsmith, and Beckworth, pressure would get to the QB quickly, and the DBs are excellent at disrupting hot reads, leading to at least incomplete passes and often interceptions. Pelini instead generally tried to play a deep zone, and generally used the linebackers primarily as run defenders, playing away from the defense's strengths. Even against a heavy rushing team such as Arkansas, the defense was much more effective bringing blitzes and trying to disrupt the play in the backfield instead of stacking the line. So, what it mainly boils down to is a lack of recognition of where the strengths and weaknesses of the defense lie. That being said, if he's given enough time with Huskers, I think he will be able to build a defense there, as with control over recruiting he can try to get the defensive players he wants (big run stuffing linebackers and cover-type DBs). Right now, my first choice would actually be to promote Doug Mallory, the defensive backs coach, as he's been consistently turning recruits into top level players, and I think he's already earned the players' respect and knows what he has to work with.

[Andrew]

I haven't seen a whole bunch of LSU games this year -- or in the past few years for that matter -- but I know Pelini worked with Pete Carroll in the past and it sounds from your descriptions that he uses a similar defensive philosophy. The Trojans also rarely play man coverage, focus the linebackers primarily on run assignments, and shy away from the blitz until after PC feels he has a solid feel for what the opposing offense is trying to do. Both coaches' style has led them to consistently having Top 5 defenses in most categories -- particularly in stuffing the run.

Pelini has been the DC at LSU long enough that I don't know how you could say he doesn't have exactly the players he wanted for his system, or that he is forcing players into a system for which their talents are not optimized.

I think LSU's defense was lights-out this year up until Glenn Dorsey took that outrageous chop block by the Auburn lineman, and after that it was still good albeit much weakened in the middle. I don't think Pelini can be blamed for LSU's losses or occasional lapses on defense; it's nearly impossible to get your players up 100% for every game, and it was obvious LSU was reading their press clippings at some point. Combine that with Dorsey's injury and I think it's fairly obvious that LSU's failures this year were due to execution and injury issues, not to defensive schematics or playcalling.

I really think you're going to miss Pelini. Mallory might be good, but many in Ann Arbor thought Ron English was the answer for Michigan's D, and they struggled mightily earlier this year against the spread attacks of Appalachian State and Oregon. LSU is simply too loaded to fall too far, but I truly think the weakness of your team this year was at the head coach position, not at the DC position.

[Cheeseburger]

Someone mentioned Charlie Strong being a head coach. Please, somebody hire this guy and rid the Gators of his genious. Charlie Strong may be the worst coordinator in College Football. Why he still has a job at Florida should be the larger question.

If justifying the so-called socio economic injustices the White Man has perpetrated on the other races in this country is reason to hire Charlie Strong, then somebody hire him away from Florida.

Do me and every Gator fan a favor. I personally don't care why as long as he's gone. Unfortunantly, the Gators will have to score 50 a game to get back to the BCS as long as he remains.

Cheeseburger