The NCAA is set to launch the second of three programs designed to help increase diversity among head football coaches at NCAA schools, particularly in Division I-A.

Twelve ethnic minority football coaches from diverse backgrounds were chosen to participate in the NCAA Coaches Academy Expert Coaching Program, which is scheduled for June 1-3 in Indianapolis.

Those selected were William Lund from Colby College; Charles Bankins from Hampton University; Jim Salgado from Northeastern University; Buzz Preston from the University of Notre Dame; David Kelly from Duke University; Rodney Gardner from the University of Georgia; Mark Gale from Marshall University; James Reese III from Tennessee State University; Norries Wilson from the University of Connecticut; Donald Thompson from the University of Illinois, Champaign; Ronald English from the University of Michigan; and Vantz Singletary from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. All currently are assistant coaches except for Reese, who is a head coach.

The NCAA Coaches Academy was established last year based on recommendations from the NCAA Minorities Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC) and the NCAA Football Study Oversight Committee in an effort to enhance opportunities for ethnic minority football coaches. The Academy is a three-tiered approach that consists of the Advanced Coaching Program, which was conducted in January in conjunction with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) annual convention, and an Executive Coaching Program that follows the Expert Coaching component.

A 14-member committee composed of representatives from the MOIC, the AFCA, the Black Coaches Association and the NCAA Division I Football Issues Committee chose the dozen participants for the Expert Coaching Program from 40 applications.

Bill Walsh, former head football coach at Stanford University and the NFL San Francisco 49ers; Brian Billick, head coach of the NFL Baltimore Ravens; and University of Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops headline the program's high-profile faculty.

The agenda for the three-day event, which emphasizes skill enhancement and professional development, features sessions on the theory of a passing offense, clock management, how to hire a staff, etiquette, crisis management, values clarification and goal-setting in addition to the challenges of dealing with today's student-athletes.

Organizers also have arranged a session in which participants will have a unique opportunity to dialogue directly with Walsh.

One of the objectives of the Expert Coaching Program, which is designed for coaches with a minimum of six years of coaching experience, is to identify and develop high-potential, talented ethnic minority coaches who can compete successfully for head coaching positions at NCAA institutions, particularly at the Division I-A level.

Increase exposure, opportunity

"One of the goals is to provide an opportunity for ethnic minority coaches to learn the nuances of coaching from some of the best and brightest coaches in the country," said Eugene Marshall, chair of the MOIC and director of athletics at Ramapo College. "It also provides participants with exposure and an opportunity to network and become acquainted with mentors in their quest to become head coaches."

Marshall said the program also is designed to create a learning environment with discussions about issues facing ethnic minority coaches as they progress in their careers.

The chance to gain some exposure is one of the reasons Colby's Lund applied.

"It was an opportunity to advance and to meet with coaches and administrators who work at the Division I-A level or in the NFL," said the special teams coordinator. "I currently work at a Division III school, and sometimes it's hard to meet 'big time' coaches and administrators to get that opportunity to advance yourself," he said.

Lund said he's open-minded about what to expect, but he is looking forward to acquiring some leadership skills and insight on areas he currently may be unfamiliar with, such as how to deal with the administration and boosters.

"It's obvious they are bringing in some people who have an intuitive idea of what it takes to be at the top level," he said. "I'm just expecting to take in everything in from an information standpoint. I want to be a sponge and soak everything in."

Bankins, the recruiting coordinator at Hampton, also is looking for exposure.

"For me, this program is just a great opportunity to expose some of us to what the expectations are and what people are looking for in Division I head coaches," he said.

Bankins said his goal of becoming a head coach motivated him to apply.

"We always want to be at the highest level possible. I saw this as an opportunity to increase my marketability as a head coaching candidate," he said.

Building from first program

Jim Salgado, an assistant coach at Northeastern, is one of seven Expert Coaching Program participants who also participated in the NCAA Coaches Academy's first offering, the Advanced Coaching Program. Salgado said he chose to apply for the second component because of the positive experience he'd had in the first one.

"I thought it would be another great experience," he said. "I wanted to take that next step, get a chance to learn more and meet some more administrators and coaches and further my career, and hopefully get to my ultimate goal of becoming a head coach."

Another Advanced Coaching participant who also will be a part of the Expert Coaches Program is Notre Dame's Buzz Preston, who said he was driven to apply because he wanted to gain even more insight on how to become a head coach.

"Maybe there are things I am not aware of that I can pick up and make myself more prepared for the interview process and make myself more appealing to anyone making that hiring decision," Preston said. "It also sounds like an opportunity to network with some people more directly where they can get a chance to get a better feel for you."

Preston hopes that his taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the NCAA Coaches Academy will demonstrate just how serious he is about becoming a head coach.

"The knock has been they don't have a pool of people to go to. By me going through this, they can see me and see that I am qualified, and hopefully that will bring me an opportunity to achieve that goal of becoming a head coach," he said.

In addition to providing a chance for discussions about other barriers that may exist for ethnic minorities striving to become head coaches, organizers also believe the program will produce a group of coaches who are more informed and aware of their professional-development needs. Marshall said close attention will be paid to how the coaches' careers advance, particularly over the next year.

"We want to see if these coaches move up the ranks and become Division I-AA coaches and eventually Division I-A head coaches," said Marshall. "If they are position coaches, they become coordinators; if they are coordinators, they become head coaches; if they are head coaches, they become Division I-A head coaches."

But, there are other less tangible measures of success as well. Salgado said he just wants to learn as much as he can.

"I know this is going to help me no matter what. I don't want to put a measuring stick on it and say 'hey, I hope this gets me a head coaching job in the next two years,' " he said. "I don't know when that's going to happen, but I know this is going to help me prepare. That's the most important thing."