The NCAA News - News & Features

Record crowd attends Black Coaches Association's meeting

Minister Louis Farrakhan, speaking during a general session on the final day of the meeting, called upon BCA members to rededicate themselves to serving as strong role models for their athletes. Drawing on his personal experiences as a young man, he said no profession is greater than that of being a teacher or coach.

"The purpose of education is the cultivation of all aspects of a person's potential," Farrakhan said. "Never subordinate an athlete's intellectual and moral side. We need our youth to understand the economic power they possess and learn how to use it properly so that their lives and the lives of their families are enriched."

The BCA also announced three coaches of the year during its closing banquet. Tyrone Willingham of Stanford University was named football coach of the year; Marian Washington of the University of Kansas, an assistant coach for the 1996 U.S. Olympic women's basketball team, was named women's basketball coach of the year; and John Thompson of Georgetown University, was named men's basketball coach of the year.

During various business sessions at the meeting, delegates participated in a variety of skill-enhancement sessions in basketball, football, Olympic sports and sports administration.

Daniel Boggan Jr., NCAA chief operating officer, spoke on how restructuring of the Association will impact minority interests.

BCA President Dale Clayton, head men's basketball coach at Carson-Newman College, and Vice-President Alex Wood, head football coach at James Madison University, called on their colleagues to become more involved in voicing concerns about key NCAA issues to school presidents.

Another session addressed issues surrounding the growing trend of high-school seniors and college underclassmen passing up a college education to attempt to play in the National Basketball Association. The session featured remarks by Bruce Stern, founder of the National Rookie League, and Bob Dandridge of the NBA Players Association.

Kenny Williamson, assistant men's basketball coach at Seton Hall University, noted during the session that while athletes and league owners may relish the development of organizations like the National Rookie League, "someone better be just as enthused about providing an education to these kids."

The growing problem of agents and their presence on college campuses was the subject of another BCA meeting session.

Following the meeting, BCA Executive Director Rudy Washington noted the record attendance in Orlando.

"The yearly increases in attendance clearly indicate that our mission is taking hold among African-American coaches at every level," said Washington, who was one of the founders of the BCA in 1987.

The organization reports a membership of more than 3,000 coaches and others.