Tony Dungy, one of the greatest Black coaches of all time, provides explanations for the dearth of Black NFL head coaches.
The Hall of Fame coach claims that Black coaches are perceived by the NFL in the same manner that Black quarterbacks were formerly viewed,as outsiders to the established order.
Dungy explained, "A lot of the Black quarterbacks from previous eras had skill sets that were outside the scope of what the NFL did".
"They just wanted people to think a little differently," Dungy explained. That's what the quarterbacks needed. Now, all of a sudden, we have this young crop of quarterbacks who are setting the league ablaze."
Dungy said, "I believe coaching is no different, too. Some of our instructors are as talented, yet they aren't given the chance to succeed. We believe we are employing only the best. Thoughtfully, we believe that we are not missing anything.
Dungy went 139-69 in 13 seasons as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts.
Dungy guided the Colts to a Super Bowl victory in 2006. That year, Dungy was one of seven Black head coaches.
Now, the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Todd Bowles, and the Houston Texans Lovie Smith are the only Black head coaches.
Dungy said, "Minority coaches are upset today because they are frequently changing positions, half of the coaches in the league change employment every three years.