Update: African Americans Pick Up Four Coaching Spots in Big-Time College Football

This past season there were six black head coaches among the 119 colleges and universities playing major college football. Thus blacks made up 5 percent of the coaches but more than 50 percent of the players. Three of the six black coaches will not be returning next year.

However, four new black head coaches have been hired in recent weeks. This means there will be a net gain of one black head coach. The new black head coaches are DeWayne Walker at New Mexico State University, Mike Haywood at Miami University of Ohio, Ron English at Eastern Michigan University, and Mike Locksley at the University of New Mexico.

The returning black head coaches are Randy Shannon at the University of Miami, Turner Gill at the University of Buffalo, and Kevin Sumlin at the University of Houston.

Another notable appointment was the naming of Tom Williams as the head football coach at Yale University. Yale plays in the Football Championship Series and is not eligible for major college bowl games. Williams was an assistant coach for the National Football League’s Jacksonville Jaguars. He will be the second black head football coach in the Ivy League. Columbia University hired Norries Wilson in 2005.

Copyright © 2009. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.