How Many Black Head Coaches In The NFL 2021?

There are currently four black head coaches in the NFL. They are the Buffalo Bills’ Sean McDermott, the Miami Dolphins’ Brian Flores, the San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan, and the Washington Football Team’s Ron Rivera.

There are currently 4 black head coaches in the NFL

As of the 2021 NFL season, there are 4 black head coaches in the NFL. They are:

-Anthony Lynn (Los Angeles Chargers)
-Brian Flores (Miami Dolphins)
-Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks)
-Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers)

They are:

Anthony Lynn (Chargers), Brian Flores (Dolphins), Kevin Stefanski (Browns), Mike Tomlin (Steelers), David Culley (Texans),

Anthony Lynn- Los Angeles Chargers

Anthony Lynn is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). Lynn began his NFL coaching career as a special teams coordinator and running backs coach for several teams. He was the New York Jets’ running backs coach during the 2010 season. In 2011, he worked as assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Denver Broncos. From 2012 to 2014, Lynn served as offensive coordinator and interim head coach for the Buffalo Bills.

Brian Flores- Miami Dolphins

Brian Flores is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots from 2016 to 2018, winning Super Bowl LIII with them in his final year.

David Culley- Houston Texans

David Culley is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach for the Buffalo Bills. He has also been a head coach for NCAA Division II Tusculoteam.

Ron Rivera- Washington Redskins

Ron Rivera is an American football coach who is the current head coach of the NFL’s Washington Redskins. He has also served as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, and Carolina Panthers.

There have been 8 black head coaches in NFL history

As of the 2021 NFL season, there have been 8 black head coaches in NFL history. They are:

-Ray Rhodes (Philadelphia Eagles, 1999)
-Herm Edwards (New York Jets, 2001-2005)
-Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears, 2004-2012)
-Tony Dungy (Indianapolis Colts, 2002-2008)
-Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers, 2007-present)
-Jim Caldwell (Indianapolis Colts, 2009-2011; Detroit Lions, 2014-2017)
-Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati Bengals, 2003-2018)
-Brian Flores (Miami Dolphins, 2019-present)

They are:

They are: Anthony Lynn ( Chargers), Brian Flores (Dolphins), Kevin Stefanski (Browns), Mike Tomlin (Steelers), Robert Saleh (Jets), and Urban Meyer (Jaguars).

Art Shell- Los Angeles Raiders

He was the first African American head coach in the modern era of the NFL with the Los Angeles Raiders. He played offensive tackle in the NFL from 1968 to 1982 with the Raiders, earning All-Pro honors five times.

Dennis Green- Minnesota Vikings

Dennis Green (born February 17, 1949) is a former American football coach who was the first African American head coach in both Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Football League (NFL). He led the Minnesota Vikings to eight playoff appearances between 1992 and 2001. Green was inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor in 2006.

In 2016, Green was ranked by Bleacher Report as the NFL’s ninth-greatest head coach of all time.

Herm Edwards- Kansas City Chiefs

Herm Edwards is an NFL head coach who currently leads the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2021, Edwards is one of only three black head coaches in the NFL. The other two are Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins and David Culley of the Houston Texans.

Of the 32 NFL teams, only five have black head coaches: the Chiefs, Dolphins, Texans, Los Angeles Rams, and Washington Football Team. This means that 15% of NFL teams are currently coached by a black man.

The number of black head coaches in the NFL has been slowly but steadily increasing in recent years. In 2006, there were only two black head coaches in the league. In 2009, that number doubled to four. By 2016, there were seven black head coaches in the NFL. And as of 2021, there are nine.

Despite this gradual increase, the number of black head coaches in the NFL remains disproportionately low compared to the number of black players in the league. According to a 2020 report by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, 70% of NFL players are black, yet only 28% of assistant coaches and just 9% of head coaches are black.

The lack of diversity among NFL coaching staffs has been a source of controversy for many years. In 2002, then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue formed a diversity committee to address the issue. In recent years, the Rooney Rule has been implemented to encourage team owners to interview minority candidates for coaching and executive positions.

While progress has been made, there is still much room for improvement when it comes to increasing racial diversity among NFL coaching staffs.

Hue Jackson- Oakland Raiders

As we all know, there is a new head coach for the Oakland Raiders and his name is Hue Jackson. He was recently hired on January 14th, 2021. As of right now, he is the only black head coach in the NFL. In the past, there have been other black head coaches but they are no longer with their teams. For example, in 2020 there was Mike Tomlin with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Anthony Lynn with the Los Angeles Chargers. As of right now, there are no Hispanic or Latino head coaches in the NFL.

Jim Caldwell- Indianapolis Colts

Jim Caldwell was born on January 16, 1955, in Beloit, Wisconsin. He is the son of John and Emma Caldwell, and the youngest of 10 children. His father was a factory worker who died when Caldwell was 13 years old. His mother was a homemaker who later remarried. Growing up, Caldwell played football and basketball in high school. He attended the University of Iowa on a football scholarship, and graduated with a degree in history in 1977.

Caldwell began his coaching career as an assistant at Iowa in 1977. He later served as an assistant at Southern Illinois (1978-1980), Northwestern (1981-1983), Louisville (1985-1988), Kansas (1989-1991), and Penn State (1992-1997). In 1998, he was hired as the quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The following year, he was promoted to offensive coordinator.

In 2001, Caldwell was hired as the head coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He led the team to four bowl games in his six seasons at the helm. In 2006, he was named the ACC Coach of the Year after leading Wake Forest to an 11-3 record and a berth in the Orange Bowl.

In 2009, Caldwell was hired as the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. He helped lead the team to a victory in Super Bowl XLVII in 2013.

In January 2014, Caldwell was hired as the head coach of the Detroit Lions. He led the team to a 11-5 record and a playoff appearance in his first season at the helm. However, he was fired after posting a 9-7 record in 2015.

In January 2017, Caldwell was hired as an assistant head coach/offensive coordinator forthe New Orleans Saints. He remained in that role for two seasons before being hired by then Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich on January 15th 2019 to be his new offensive coordinator

Lovie Smith- Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears’ head coach Lovie Smith is one of four black head coaches in the NFL. Smith, who has been with the team since 2004, has a .500 career record and led the Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006.

Marvin Lewis- Cincinnati Bengals

Marvin Lewis is an NFL head coach who has been with the Cincinnati Bengals since 2003. He is the winningest coach in franchise history, and has taken the team to the playoffs seven times. In 2021, he was one of only two black head coaches in the NFL.

Tony Dungy- Tampa Bay Buccaneers

He was the first black head coach to win the Super Bowl when the Colts defeated the Bears in Super Bowl XLI.