The Bears’ hiring of Lovie Smith got an immediate thumbs up from advocates of greater minority representation in NFL ranks beyond the playing fields.
Smith, 45, the St. Louis Rams’ defensive coordinator since 2001, becomes the fifth African-American NFL head coach in the 32-team league. He joins Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts, Herman Edwards of the New York Jets, Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals and newly hired Dennis Green of the Arizona Cardinals.
“The hiring of a fifth black coach is very significant in showing that the NFL is hearing our protests,” said Tom Williams, creator of The Level Playing Field and its databank of black candidates for pro and college football coaching jobs.
“This is great, this is a plus for Chicago given the diversity of the city,” said Williams, a Californian who grew up in Chicago and became Stanford’s first African-American football player in 1954.
“In my fondest dreams, I would never have believed the Chicago Bears would hire a black football coach.”
Recalling Chicago Bears-Chicago Cardinals NFL games of his childhood, he said, “Things have come full cycle now, with the Cardinals in Arizona and the Bears in Chicago both hiring black head coaches.”
NFL Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow said that while he was pleased at the hirings, “it’s not just about Green and Smith getting those jobs. It’s about changing the way business used to be done in the NFL.”
Winslow, now the executive director of the Fritz Pollard Association, a group dedicated to promoting minority hiring practices in the NFL, added: “Now the door is opening to allow minority individuals to show what they can do.”
Three NFL general managers are black: the Cardinals’ Rod Graves, Jacksonville’s James Harris and Ozzie Newsome with the Baltimore Ravens.
In September 2002, Pollard Alliance attorneys Cyrus Mehri and Johnnie Cochran issued a report on the NFL’s coaching opportunities for minority candidates. The report, and threat of a lawsuit, resulted in the formation of a league diversity committee and the implementation of guidelines requiring teams to give serious consideration to minorities for head coaching positions.
Joe Browne, NFL vice president of communications and public affairs, said the league did not get involved in the Bears’ decision. “Lovie Smith is an excellent coach who has tremendous respect around the league,” he said.
Said Mehri: “This adds momentum . . . but most important for Chicago fans, they got the right man for the job.”
