African American Coaches Group Feels Hiring Of Minorities Still Lags

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Black Coaches and Administrators group is looking for creative ways to get more minority football coaches into college jobs.

They'll consider almost anything -- more input from college presidents in coaching searches, NCAA help to measure diversity in hiring, advice from Tony Dungy, maybe even a lawsuit.

On the day the BCA released its latest hiring report card, executive director Floyd Keith and others acknowledged that while they have made some progress, the ultimate measuring stick, hires, continues to lag.

African American Coaches Group Feels Hiring Of Minorities Still Lags....

BCA may take its fight for black coaches to court

By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Floyd Keith is tired of waiting for more black coaches to be hired to lead major college football programs and is hoping to make a federal case out of the issue.

After years of attempting to persuade university administrators into hiring minority football coaches, the executive director of the Black Coaches and Administrators has started searching for a potential lawsuit.

Last week, the BCA opened a national telephone hotline that offers legal advice to coaches, a move that could eventually lead to a landmark case against universities under civil rights legislation.

"I think someone is going to get tired of listening to the excuses," Keith told The Associated Press. "We're giving them (the coaches) every opportunity, but we can't select the individuals. The individuals have to bring this forward. We are looking very strongly at every case, and we're taking it on an individual basis."

BCA may take its fight for black coaches to court....

Black Coaches and Administrators: Not enough minorities hired in football

By STEVE HERMAN

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Minorities are getting more interviews but are still not getting enough jobs in college football, according to the Black Coaches and Administrators.

The study released Wednesday by the group said almost a third of the candidates interviewed last year were minorities, but only four were hired among the 31 openings in the NCAA's two levels of Division I football.

The recent firings of Ty Willingham at Washington and Ron Prince at Kansas State — both effective at the end of the season — left the Bowl Subdivision, the NCAA's top division, with only four blacks, one Latino and one Pacific Islander as head coaches.

"In the world of college football, the facts and statistics reflect an unmistakable bias and a systemic problem that has yet to be fixed. My deep concern is, `Why are the college football hiring practices out of synch?'" said BCA executive director Floyd Keith, who did not have an answer to that question.

"The message in this report is the process is being followed, but the poor hiring results continue," he said.

Among the 31 schools in the FBS and Championship Subdivision, formerly I-A and I-AA, that hired head coaches in the past year, 16 received overall grades of A, which is up from 11 that received the highest grade in the 2007 report, 12 in 2006 and just four in 2005.

BCA: Not enough minorities hired in football....