Thanks to a drive in the NFL to leave no stone unturned in its search for qualified head coaching candidates, minority coaches are becoming increasingly prevalent. Specifically the Rooney Rule, which mandates diversity in the pool of candidates for a head coaching vacancy, has led to a record number of African-American head coaches in the league. With Chicago Bear headman Lovie Smith winning NFL Coach of the Year, minority coaches are showing they are as deserving and can be as successful as any other qualified coach. In fact, Smith and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy remain in the hunt for a Super Bowl ring.
The scope of the NFL’s search for competent coaches can be seen in the Tennessee Titans hire of offensive coordinator Norm Chow. Chow, a career college coach, moved up from collegiate offensive coordinator, becoming the league’s first Asian-American coordinator. All of that said, the Kansas City Chiefs courtship of Herman Edwards was particularly bad for minority coaches. Though in this case, the term minority more accurately represents those who do not have a personal relationship with Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson.