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Washington D.C. ----
Mr. Speaker, this Sunday we will witness history in the making as two African American head coaches, Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy, meet in the world’s most watched sporting event, the 41st Annual Super Bowl in Miami, Florida.
Mr. Speaker, one may wonder, why, in the year 2007, is having two Black coaches meet in the NFL Championship game something to be so excited about. And I will tell you, as a lifelong football fan, and a diehard Chicago Bears fan, this is an event that is truly remarkable.
This Super Bowl will mark the first time, in 40 games and 80 head coaches that even one head coach is African American.
On Sunday we will witness two Black football coaches lead their teams onto the field for the final and most important game of the season.
This moment will be remarkable because hopefully it will open the door for other African Americans to be given the chance to lead NFL teams in the future.
Mr. Speaker, the NFL did not have a single black head coach in the modern era until the Raiders hired Art Shell in 1989.
The reason for this was not simply because the NFL was a racist league, but that teams tended to hire people they knew, and they looked for candidates that offered a comfort level and an image of what success had always looked like in the NFL, and that image was always white.
That is, until now, Mr. Speaker.
Regardless of who wins this Sunday (the Chicago Bears) owners and fans will hopefully realize that success does not always come in the form of a white man. Hopefully, after Super Bowl 41, teams will truly seek to find the best and most qualified candidate to lead their teams, whether they look like Bill Parcells or Dennis Green.
Hopefully, other black assistant coaches and candidates, who have never been given an opportunity to coach a team will finally have a chance to make a name for themselves, rather than teams recycling the same old faces, regardless of if they have ever been successful or not.
Who knows if it is a coincidence or not that the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Mike Tomlin, the team's first Black head coach in its 74 year-old history, and an assistant under Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay, on the same day that Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy made the Super Bowl.
Mr. Speaker, it is also appropriate at this time to share my gratitude and regards for Steelers owner Dan Rooney, the namesake of the so-called Rooney Rule, who successfully lobbied in 2002 for a rule that requires all NFL teams to interview minority candidates for coaching jobs.
It is because of visionaries like Mr. Rooney that people like Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy were even given a chance in the first place, and the whole NFL league is better off because of it.
Mr. Speaker, I would just like to send my congratulations to both coaches and teams for their outstanding seasons, and say Go Bears!! this Sunday in Miami.
With that I yield my time. |
