I Don't Care What Color Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy Are

I agree, but what would the media do? Use creativity and talent to create an "angle"? Like instead of saying "these are the first black coaches in the Super Bowl" how about "what the hell is wrong with us that this took so long?"

Like I said, it's a story to them, it's 2007 to me

I can't wait 'til the obligatory "How long have you been a black coach?" question comes on Media day...

I think football has ceased to be a sport and is now a soap opera.

I'm looking forward to the next time two black coaches are in the Super Bowl, because I don't think it will be a big deal then. It was like this with quarterbacks, and now it's same old-same old (I don't recall any stories about McNabb being black, although I might have had my "We're gonna win" blinders on).

It's a big deal becasue we have a predominantly Black players league, yet a predominantly white Coaching/front office staff. It also is a big deal because it means the NFL is a bit ahead of the NCAA to achieve Racial equality. The "Rooney Rule" exists so the Mike Tomlins of the World get a shot at being a Head coach. He got the job due to the rule. He was a good Minority Coordinator that they could interview to fullfill the roll. He goes in, and they like what he has to say, so they talk to him again. Next thing you now, he is the head coach of the Pittsburg Steelers, all thanks to the Rooney rule.

You make great points, Joe. With that said, I am not going to be outraged or disgusted about the media making a big deal about two coaches being African-American being in the Super Bowl. The reason for it is because black coaches have been blackballed thanks to the Good Old Boy Network for many years. Hopefully, their success will convince owners that black coaches can be effective as white coaches in the NFL and college level and that we will stop talking about them for the color of their skin or nationality and focus on the people they are and the coaches they are. I certainly understand how those may not like it, but it's not worth going crazy about it either.

Good article and I mostly agree with almost everyone's thoughts above (Actually Manny really hit the nail on the head). If you think about it, assuming and owner's # 1 goal is to win, than ideally, racism has no place in the NFL and this type of situation is more like an indicator of how society is changing. I've been listening to this same type media info about MA's first black Governor, Deval Patrick. But, don't you think its better to think that Deval's "blackness" or Dungy's "Blackness" had nothing to do with it (absolutely evident w/ dungy) and their skills, talents, etc had everything to do with it. I'm pretty much saying what everyone else is, but, I e-mailed these same sentiments to Jemele Hill of ESPN and she seemed to disagree. Let me know if you guys would like to see my e-mail and her response via post...

More ironically, is they're anyone of a non-european ethnic descent on AGM that would care to comment?

Allright, I think this issue is a real double-edged sword. You have to acknowledge the fact that there hasn't been a black coach in the Super Bowl, if for nothing else, it's a "first". First times are always a big deal Hey!, I'm sure that we all agree on that. Now that it's been done, it takes a lot of the mystique out of a future scenario and gives real proof that it can be accomplished. However, to acknowledge the fact that they are the First Black Super Bowl Coach(es) (FBSBC) reaffirms the mistakenly negative image. Here's the thing, it's OK to bring attention to the issue, but not OK to dwell on it. The longer this stays at the forefront, the more it makes it sound like there ARE issues with black head coaches, which we all know to be complete and utter bullshit Image:Http://iacmusic.com/Uploads/Motorpsychos - bullshit.gif

Its a big deal because it is the first time it has happened. I think you are being ridiculous here and it is specifically becauseit is about race. When a little girl gets nominated for the Oscars, they focus on the fact that she is the youngest nominee. When a Muslim gets elected to Congress, they focus on the fact that he is the first Muslim to get nominated. When JFK won the Presidency, he was the first Catholic President.

These things are reported and focused on because they are firts. The first time anything happens, it gets reported. And in this particular instance, it is important. The NFL has had subtle racism for a very long time. Blacks were not drafted as QBs because QBs had to be "smart" players. Black coaches are still a distinct minority in the NFL, and in the NCAA Bob Davies gets years to run Notre Dame into the ground and Tyrone Willingham gets fired after 2. People care about race. People care about equality. Every successful black QB paved the way for the next generation of black QBs. Randall Cunningham and Doug Williams paved the way for Michael Vick and Vince Young. Dennis Green and Art Shell paved the way for Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith. And now that Live Smith and Tony Dungy have reached the super bowl, they will pave the way for the next generation of African-American coaches.

So I feel sorry for you that you don't care. I feel sorry for you that you are offended. This article comes off to me as the rant of a white guy. The samw hite guy who usually rants about affirmative action.

Cunningham and Doug Williams made McNabb and Young even possible.

Im not trying to crown the man for the Hall of Fame, but Im saying that he opened a door to prove that it COULD be done. There are plenty of Super Bowl QB's who have had average numbers.

how old are you metsjetsdevils? 15?

Here's my take: As an African-American male and having a great deal of knowledge of where we've been and how far we've come, this is a big deal. Barriers have been broken. This is a first, so this is a special and unique moment in the NFL's history and in our history. The concern that I have is that the media{ESPN,mainly} makes this unique moment in history overshadow the game completely.

Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith are more than classy and recgonize the historical significance of what they achieved. But this is going to be a great game between two great teams and that shouldn't be overlooked and not even Dungy and Smith want that overlooked. Nevertheless, this is a significant moment because it's a first

and it shouldn't be taken lightly. Now in 10 years, if an African-American head coach in the NFL makes the Super Bowl and the same hoopla is generated, then I'll have a problem. The biggest barrier will be broken when the race of the head coach isn't even brought up in terms of getting to the Super Bowl or in the hiring process. But we are not there yet, Joebook. Not when there continues to be discrimination in various other areas in our society. Not when in the NCAA, there are only 7 black head coaches out of 119 teams in Division 1-A. I want for the minority rule to be out soon in the NFL and for everyone to be judged based on their coaching prowess. But can you honestly assure me as an African-American that all teams will judge by these credentials? As much progress as the NFL has made, the NCAA shows there is still work to be done in that regard.

That last comment was made by me.

posted by DBachmozart -

A Tale of Two Coaches by Dave Zirin

The flop-sweat had not even dried on Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's star-crossed brow before what will become the most endlessly thumped story of Super Bowl XLI hit the wires: For the first time in history, the head coaches of both teams are black.

No question this is a significant milestone. No question Colts helmsman Tony Dungy and Bears coach Lovie Smith deserve praise for shattering one of sports' most formidable glass ceilings. No question this moment is particularly sweet for Smith, who remains the NFL's lowest-paid head coach.

But the tenor and tone of the early coverage has provided fuzzy cover for NFL hiring practices that continue to look like they're overseen by Strom Thurmond.

AP sports columnist Nancy Armour praised Dungy and Smith for keeping their noses down and working hard instead of "whining about life being unfair."

Sports Illustrated's Jeffri Chadiha threw more laurels at Dungy, saying that what is "impressive about him is the way he's opened doors for other minority coaches in the league over the last 11 years."

Even Barack Obama weighed in, using the coaches' accomplishment to burnish his own image as America's Most Unthreatening Model Minority: "You know, what makes it even better is that they are both men of humility, they are both men of God...it is a wonderful story, not just for African-Americans but for all Americans to see men like that who are good fathers, who are good leaders, who do things the right way, succeed."

What this kind of cotton candy ignores is that the NFL still has a long way to go, and the very real achievements of Dungy and Smith should not be used to obscure this. The fact that this is a story at all says something about the restricted ranks of the NFL coaching fraternity. If this year's NBA finals result in the Dallas Mavericks (coached by Avery Johnson) facing the Washington Wizards (coached by Eddie Jordan), no one will even notice. It wouldn't even rank as a footnote in Ebony Magazine. This is because the NBA has a very positive record of hiring black coaches.

With almost 70 percent of the NFL populated by African-American players, only 18 percent of the coaches meet that description. This year there were seven. Next year, there will be six--although one vacancy still needs to be filled. In the NFL looking glass, this passes for progress.

In 2002 the late Johnnie Cochran and fellow attorney Cyrus Mehri threatened a lawsuit against the league at a time when the number of black head coaches stood at two. To quiet Cochran and company, the NFL put in place rules that require teams to interview at least one minority candidate for every vacancy. (This became known as the Rooney rule, after Steelers CEO Dan Rooney.) But this year, as the yearly round of coaches hit the unemployment line, the Rooney rule seemed to be ignored.

In Miami, for example, Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga's final candidates were white--with the exception of one Hispanic and one black man, with the final hire going to Cam Cameron, whose only head-coaching experience was an 18-37 record at Indiana University. (And, yes, Indiana does in fact have a football team.) The Atlanta Falcons hired Louisville University coach Bobby Petrino without interviewing another candidate.

In Arizona, where highly regarded assistant coach Mike Singletary is employed, the Rooney rule was once again disregarded, and the job went to Steelers assistant Ken Whisenhunt. Another candidate Arizona ignored was an Asian-American named Norm Chow. Chow is the genius offensive coordinator who as a college assistant mentored Heisman Trophy winners Ty Detmer (at BYU), Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush (at USC). Now he is the offensive coordinator for the upstart Tennessee Titans. The Cardinals apparently didn't even consider him (at least not publicly), even though the quarterback for the Cardinals is none other than Matt Leinart.

Over the next two weeks, expect the NFL and its stenographers in the press to wrench their arms out of their sockets, patting themselves on the back for Smith's and Dungy's success. Don't expect anyone to note that the two coaches' achievements have come in spite of, not because of, the NFL.

Lovie Smith said he wishes that "this didn't have to be a big story." We still have a long way to go before that is the case.

(Dave Zirin is the author of the forthcoming books: "The Muhammad Ali Handbook (MQ Publications) and "Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics and Promise of Sports" (Haymarket). You can receive his column Edge of Sports, every week by e-mailing edgeofsports-subscribe@zirin.com. __Contact him at

edgeofsports@gmail.com)

Without James Harris there is no Randall Cunningham or Doug Williams. Lets give proper credit to the proper player.

But he was the first.

While I agree it should be mentioned that Dungy and Smith are the first black head coaches to reach the Super Bowl (or Smith and Dungy, if we're picky about order), I don't think we need to make this big a deal of it. Yes, a barrier has been broken, and it does prove how far we've come racially over the years, but I really don't think it needs to be discussed to the point where we forget the actual game.

Dungy didn't reach the Super Bowl because he's black, but as recently as 15 years ago, the fact that he's black might've kept from getting the opportunity to reach a Super Bowl as a head coach. That's why this is a big deal, and if there's one thing I've noticed about the mainstream corporate media (which ESPN constitutes, being a subsidiary of Disney Corp.) is that it's real quick to point out "racial advances."

Almost as if the whites in power in these corporatinos find things like this and point to it scraming, "Look! Look at how far we've come! We're not bigots anymore! See?!"

I think it deserves mention, and I applaud Dungy and Smith for the things they've accomplished, but this is not the story of the Supr Bowl. That would be whoever winds up winning the game.