Diversity In D-I Football

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In the world of NCAA athletics, particularly D-I football is without question one of the most profitable opportunities an athletic department may have if their team is successful on the field. It is also important to note that success for these programs can only occur once the ideal fit person is found to run at the helm of these teams, and that means finding the ideal head coach. The stigma is the lack of diversity of what successful head football coaches look like. Nick Saban (University of Alabama), Urban Myeres (Ohio State University), and Jimbo Fisher (Florida State University) just to name a few have all become sort of the “poster-child” of what the face of a successful collegiate head football coaches looks like… and that’s white. Myles Brand reported in 2007 that the landscape of those in head coaching jobs at major D-I football programs consisted of only “14 minority coaches, making up only 2.4% of the sport”. The reality is that the coaching landscape may be potentially be missing out excellent coaches who just happen to be minorities due to the lack of exposure some of these coaches get. In 2012 Alcorn State University, a historical black university, hired Jay Hopson to become the first ever white head football coach …show more content…
Some maybe due to tenure some coaches may have at a particular institution that refuse to retire or leave after having committed so much that program. But one of the major reasons for a lack of diversity for athletic departments is the lack of research these athletic departments put into the candidate pools. Gray Brown (2007) reported that it would take about 10-14 days for athletic departments to compile the research need to expand their candidate pool to fill the position of a head football coach. Unfortunately most collegiate athletic departments run independently and do not work with the university during the hiring