1. How many NFL black head coaches have won a Super Bowl? Two. In 2007, Tony Dungy became the first African American NFL head coach to win a Super Bowl. Ironically, the Colts beat the Chicago Bears 29-17. Then Bears’ head coach Lovie Smith who along with Dungy became the first black head coach to lead a team to the Super Bowl.
This is how that decision to kick the ball to Devin Hester went from inside a Chicago sports bar. Bob re-kicking that punt to Tyreke ‘The Cheetah’ Hill was child’s play considered to this. Yet, the Colts came back and won a Super Bowl.
The second NFL black head coach to win a Super Bowl was Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin in 2009 when the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23. With that win, Mike Tomlin became the youngest coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl.
In 2011, the Steelers returned to the Super Bowl under Tomlin and were defeated 31-25 by Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers. This was Aaron’s only Super Bowl victory in his illustrious Hall f Fame career to date.
Word has it Jimmy Garoppolo will be Mike Tomlin’s next quarterback in Steeler Town. That will be interesting because for any AFC team to make it to the Super Bowl they would have to get past Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Justin Herbert. My first thought there is Jimmy G isn’t quite in the league of those guys.
2. Who are the three black NFL quarterbacks who’ve won the Super Bowl?
The answer is three. 1 Doug Williams, 1988, 2 Russell Wilson, 2014, and 3 Patrick Mahomes, 2019.
3. Since the current trend in the NFL is for offensive coordinators to ascend to NFL head coaching positions how many NFL offensive coordinators are there currently?
Only two believe it or not. Eric Bienemy with the Kansa City Chiefs and Byron Leftwich with the Tampa Bay Bucs. Hard to believe neither of these two guys are head coaches given the same Joe Jon Bubba white boy retreads we keep seeing in various NFL head coaching positions. My analogy on the Joe Jon Bubbas is that if you failed as the general manager of a McDonald’s why would you be given a second chance at the Burger King down the street? That makes no sense whatsoever.
One of Berry Tramel’s greatest lines of all-time was in reference to OU firing its only black head football coach in history in 1998… John Blake. Tramel stated, ” Just because you work at a Taco Bell doesn’t mean you should manage a Taco Bell.” I thought it was a great line and I agreed with it because I would have fired John Blake if it were me.
But my question is why does the NFL keep hiring the same failed white Joe Jon Bubbas who litter NFL sidelines?
4. Since the implementation of the Rooney Rule in 2003 how much progress in the NFL has been made as far as the hiring of NFL general managers?
As of 2019, when Ozzie Newsom stepped down as the general manager of the Baltimore Ravens, one black general manager was left in the NFL, the Dolphins’ Chris Grier. As recently as 2016, however, the NFL had seven black general managers. In other words, inclusivity at the front office level has trended in the wrong direction since 2019 even with the Rooney Rule in place.
That’s it for my NFL Black History Month posts. Next up my U.S. Supreme Court Black History Months thoughts.
Have a wonderful Monday.
LET’S GO WARRIORS!