When it comes to diversity in the football coaching ranks at NCAA member institutions, the message has been the same for the last decade -- there needs to be more. Unfortunately, in the eyes of those who monitor progress, that "more" hasn't happened. That has left groups such as the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC) looking for answers.

The MOIC's search for solutions has intensified since the Football Study Oversight Committee identified the MOIC as a primary source for help. The oversight committee, composed of presidents appointed by the Division I Board of Directors two years ago to conduct a comprehensive study of football, charged the MOIC with reviewing the issue of diversity in the college football coaching ranks and providing recommendations for change.

The MOIC, which met June 19-21 in Naples, Florida, neared completion on its report to the oversight committee, and cited several areas that college presidents and athletics administrators should focus on in the coming months to improve what has been a stagnant situation. To compile its report, the committee reviewed data collected regarding the lack of ethnic diversity of football coaching staffs, including:

Past and current race demographics of NCAA head and assistant football coaches at Divisions I, II and III institutions.

Current race demographics of NCAA offensive and defensive coordinators at Divisions I, II and III institutions.

Current race demographics of NCAA graduate assistants at Divisions, I, II and III institutions.

Past and current race demographics of NCAA football student-athletes.

Current race demographics of National Football League and NFL Europe head coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators and assistant coaches.

Data regarding the employment history of NCAA and NFL coaches.

Preliminary findings of the NCAA Football Study Oversight Committee interviews with Divisions I-A and I-AA presidents.

Perceptions from NCAA presidents, athletics directors and football coaches regarding the lack of diversity in football.

MOIC members were not encouraged by what they saw. Not only has there been little or no movement at the head coaching level, there also is a lack of diversity in offensive and defensive coordinators, positions the MOIC believes are key stepping stones to the top spot. MOIC members also saw a lack of diversity at entry-level positions, particularly in the graduate assistant slot.

"There appears to be a trend toward hiring older white males who may have coaching experience instead of younger minority student-athletes out of school," said MOIC Chair Eugene Marshall, who is the athletics director at Ramapo College. "That's not helping the development of young minority coaches. They don't get a chance to get into the pipeline or be in meaningful positions where people can see them."

More disturbing news came from a review of employment history of college and professional coaches, which showed that white head coaches spent an average of five years as an assistant, while what black coaches there are had spent an average of 11 years in the lower chain of command.

Marshall said the numbers are not necessarily news to NCAA administrators in charge of hiring. In fact, Marshall referred to the Football Study Oversight Committee's recent survey of college presidents, which indicated that most CEOs felt that the lack of diversity in coaching was one of the major issues facing the sport. But changing the numbers, Marshall said, will continue to be a challenge unless presidents take responsibility for recognizing the importance of a diverse coaching staff.

"It takes effort from the presidents and athletics directors to tell coaches to diversify their staff," Marshall said. "But if that doesn't happen, sooner or later players won't go to a certain institution because the position coach is not a person of color.

"The student-athletes are saying they want someone who looks like them who has gone through the same experiences. It's similar to many years ago when schools hired deans of multicultural affairs. That was designed to recruit and retain students of color. They're going to have to go back to that when it comes to sports."

Recommendations

Though the MOIC report to the Football Study Oversight Committee has not been finalized, the group did discuss areas of emphasis during its June meeting. One of those is exposure, which MOIC members believe isn't happening enough with minority coaches. The group wants to explore venues in which minority coaches can network with presidents and athletics directors, either at already established meetings or at newly created functions. The committee also will look into creating additional media opportunities for minority coaches.

The committee also acknowledged a need for a skills-development program to better prepare minority assistant coaches for head coaching positions. Such an "academy" might be run through the NCAA or the American Football Coaches Association.

The committee also is considering the feasibility of legislation that would improve diversity at the graduate assistant position. One proposal might be to introduce a matching grant that would allow an institution to hire a third graduate assistant coach if at least one of its two allotted graduate assistants is an ethnic minority. That third position must be filled by an ethnic minority different than the one already in a graduate assistant role.

Marshall said the goal is to spur increases similar to those that basketball has enjoyed over the past two decades. But, he said, until people associated with football have the same acceptance mentality as they do with basketball, diversity will remain an issue in the football coaching ranks.

"Basketball has experienced some increase because it is considered a minority sport," Marshall said. "It's acceptable to have coaches of color in basketball. The alumni accept it, the boosters accept it. But football historically has been non-inclusive in leadership positions, and alumni and boosters are still not willing to accept a change.

"The NBA has almost 50 percent minority coaches because basketball is considered a minority game. Football is still considered a majority game. It's time for presidents and athletics directors to take a stand."

The MOIC will present its report at the Football Study Oversight Committee's final meeting August 2. The MOIC also will make a presentation on the subject of diversity in football to the Board of Directors August 8.

Academic enhancements

In addition to its review of football, the MOIC discussed the proposed changes to the initial- and continuing-eligibility standards at its June meeting. The group supported the concept of a 620 test-score cut and a minimum 2.000 grade-point average for entering student-athletes; however, the committee believes this standard will continue to disparately impact ethnic minority prospective student-athletes.

The MOIC also supported the proposal to increase the number of core courses to 14. The committee expressed concern, however, that the number of core-course offerings at high schools may vary significantly nationwide and therefore believes the Board of Directors must conduct a comprehensive review of high-school core-course offerings before any further increase in the number of core courses is considered.

MOIC members also supported the "40-60-80" modification to the continuing-eligibility standards. The committee believes that specific criteria for a waiver of this requirement must be developed before the implementation of any new continuing-eligibility standard. The committee also noted that a consequence of those new standards will be the creation of less rigorous majors and that student-athletes will be steered toward "soft" majors. The legislation's impact in this regard must be monitored to ensure that student-athletes are enrolled in a degree program that leads to better opportunities for success after college.

Lastly, the committee noted that the NCAA should engage in an educational program for high schools, two-year colleges and other appropriate organizations to ensure prospective student-athletes are aware of the new standards.

Other highlights

Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee
June 19-21/Naples, Florida

Reviewed preliminary data from the 2001-02 Race Demographics of NCAA Member Institutions' Athletics Personnel and noted that there has not been a significant increase in the percentage of ethnic minorities and women employed in the positions of director of athletics, associate director of athletics, assistant director of athletics, senior woman administrator and faculty athletics representative. The committee will review data for all administrative positions, including head and assistant coaches, in September.

Supported a recommendation from the Executive Committee Subcommittee on Gender and Diversity Issues regarding Division I governance appointments. The proposal would require all conferences in the subdivision (rather than only the conferences in the subdivision that make selections in the year in question) to submit four candidates, including at least one female and at least one ethnic minority. The MOIC also suggested that the Board of Directors consider conferences' historical records in appointing women and minorities to governance positions as a way of increasing representation.

Continued to review the issue of American Indian mascots, nicknames and imagery in intercollegiate athletics, including the impact on institutions currently using American Indian mascots. The MOIC will complete its review in September and issue a final report to the Executive Committee Subcommittee on Gender and Diversity Issues in October.