How Many Black Defensive Coordinators In The NFL?

As the NFL season rapidly approaches, we take a look at how many black defensive coordinators are currently in the league.

The NFL’s Rooney Rule

Since the 2002 NFL season, the Rooney Rule has been instituted to require NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate for open head coaching and senior operations positions. The rule is named after Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who was the chairman of the league’s diversity committee at the time.

What is the Rooney Rule?

The Rooney Rule is a National Football League policy that requires league teams to interview ethnic-minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations jobs. It is named after Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who advocated its implementation.

In December 2002, the NFL passed a resolution that required each team to interview at least one minority candidate for any head coaching vacancy. The resolution was introduced by Chicago Bears president Ted Phillips and was approved unanimously by all NFL owners at a meeting in Houston.

The rule was created in an effort to more diverse hirings of coaches and front office personnel. In 2009, the requirement was expanded to include coordinators for both offense and defense. There are currently 32 head coaches in the NFL, but only four of them are minority candidates (11.1 percent). In 2002, when the rule was first enacted, there were eight minority head coaches (21 percent).

The Rooney Rule has been credited with increasing the number of minority coaches and front office personnel in the NFL, but some critics believe that it has not gone far enough in creating true diversity among these groups.

How has the Rooney Rule impacted the NFL?

In order to ensure that minorities get a fair chance at top coaching and front office positions in the NFL, the league instituted the Rooney Rule in 2003. Named for Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who chaired the NFL’s Diversity Committee at the time, the rule requires that teams interview at least one minority candidate for any open head coaching or senior operations position.

The rule has been credited with increasing the number of black head coaches in the NFL from 6 in 2002 to 22 in 2008, although there have been only three black head coaches hired since then. In 2017, there were 8 black defensive coordinators in the NFL, which is still far short of parity given that 70% of NFL players are black. Critics of the rule argue that it has not led to true diversity because most of the minority candidates who are interviewed are not given serious consideration for the job.

The NFL’s Black Defensive Coordinators

In the 2020 NFL season, there are only four black defensive coordinators out of 32 total. This is down from six in 2019 and 2018, and down from a high of eight in 2011. There has never been a black head coach in the NFL. The league has been hiring more black offensive coordinators in recent years, but the number of black defensive coordinators has been slowly declining.

Who are the NFL’s black defensive coordinators?

There are currently four black defensive coordinators in the NFL: Leslie Frazier of the Buffalo Bills, Raheem Morris of the Washington Redskins, Kris Richard of the Seattle Seahawks, and Anthony Lynn of the Los Angeles Chargers. All four are former NFL players.

Frazier played for the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles before becoming a coach. He was the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings from 2007 to 2010, and was head coach of the Vikings from 2011 to 2013. Frazier was hired by the Bills in 2017.

Morris played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1997 to 2001, and was a coach for them from 2002 to 2005. He became defensive coordinator for the Redskins in 2020.

Richard played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2002 to 2004, and was a coach for them from 2005 to 2006. He became defensive coordinator for the Seahawks in 2015.

Lynn played for the Denver Broncos from 1993 to 1994, and was a coach for them from 2000 to 2002. He became head coach of the Chargers in 2017.

What impact have they had on the NFL?

In recent years, the number of black head coaches in the NFL has dwindled, but their presence among defensive coordinators has grown. Today, eight of the 32 NFL teams have black defensive coordinators, including the Seattle Seahawks’ Ken Norton Jr. and the Baltimore Ravens’ Don “Wink” Martindale.

These men have made an impact on the NFL in a variety of ways. For example, Norton is known for his aggressive defense that helped lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory in 2014. Martindale, meanwhile, is known for his innovative approach to coaching that has helped the Ravens become one of the top defenses in the league.

The presence of black defensive coordinators in the NFL is a positive trend, and one that should continue in order to ensure that all coaches have an opportunity to succeed at the highest level.

The Future of the NFL’s Black Defensive Coordinators

Since 2002, the NFL has had at least one black head coach. In that same time period, there have only been three black defensive coordinators. Currently, there are no black defensive coordinators in the NFL. The lack of diversity among NFL coaches is an issue that has been widely discussed, but it remains to be seen if anything will change in the near future.

What challenges do black defensive coordinators face in the NFL?

Even though the NFL has made strides in recent years to increase diversity among its head coaches, the number of black defensive coordinators remains low. In fact, there are currently only four black defensive coordinators in the NFL. This lack of diversity at the coordinator level is concerning because coordinators are often seen as head coaching candidates.

What challenges do black defensive coordinators face in the NFL? One challenge is that they often have to deal with microaggressions from other coaches and staff members. Another challenge is that they may not get the same opportunities to develop their skills as their white counterparts. Lastly, they may face discrimination when it comes to getting hired for coordinator jobs.

Despite these challenges, there are a few black defensive coordinators who have found success in the NFL. These coordinators have been able to create a winning culture on their teams and develop players into stars. If more black defensive coordinators can find success in the NFL, it will open up opportunities for other black coaches to rise through the ranks.

What are the prospects for black defensive coordinators in the NFL?

With the retirement of Marvin Lewis after 16 seasons as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, there is now only one black head coach in the NFL – Anthony Lynn of the Los Angeles Chargers. As ESPN’s The Undefeated notes, that leaves eight white head coaches and one Latino head coach, with three teams – the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers – currently without a head coach.

Of those nine head coaches who are currently employed, only two – Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins – have ever been defensive coordinators. And as The Undefeated notes, “there has never been a black NFL head coach who was primarily a defensive coordinator before becoming a head coach.”

Interestingly, while there are only two black head coaches in the NFL, nearly half of the league’s 32 teams currently have a black defensive coordinator. That list includes:

-Kris Richard, Dallas Cowboys
-Paul Guenther, Cincinnati Bengals
-Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
– Leslie Frazier, Buffalo Bills
-Greg Roman, Baltimore Ravens
-Keith Butler, Pittsburgh Steelers
– Clancy Pendergast, Kansas City Chiefs
– Brandon Staley, Los Angeles Chargers