Monday, January 22, 2007
Busting the Door Wide Open
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This column is two years in the making.
It was the third weekend of January in 2005. The New York Jets flew cross-country the week before to squeak by the San Diego Chargers. The Indianapolis Colts enjoyed their home-dome advantage to oust the Denver Broncos from the postseason.
Now, wildcard weekend had shifted to the divisional playoffs. The Jets would take on 15-1 Pittsburgh, who had the best team all year. The Colts, meanwhile, headed to New England to face the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots. It was supposed to be the best weekend of football all year, but I focused on these two games for another reason.
In 1989, the Los Angeles Raiders hired Art Shell as the first black head coach since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Seven head coaches, including Shell, of African-American descent had prowled the sidelines in those 16 seasons, and all but two (rookie coach Lovie Smith and second-year leader Marvin Lewis) had led their teams to the playoffs. However, none had reached the pinnacle of all squads, the Super Bowl.
I knew it was a difficult proposition, but if both the Jets and Colts could survive their road tests, that lofty goal would have been accomplished. It would have come down to Herman Edwards versus Tony Dungy for the right at history, but the moment would have been solidified, nonetheless.
It wasn't to be. Pittsburgh survived overtime against New York that Saturday. Indianapolis couldn't overcome Bill Belichick and Tom Brady the next. Instead, I wrote about Donovan McNabb becoming the third black starting quarterback in the NFL's showcase game. And while that feat was extremely significant in my mind, I wanted to write that first column.
Now, lofty can only be described as an understatement. With Sunday's results, the NFL won't only see a black head coach reach its modern championship for the first time. There is a guarantee that one will raise the Lombardi Trophy.
It may seem like this shouldn't be a big deal. This country is almost 40 years removed from the peak of the Civil Rights Movement. African-Americans are seen in positions of power in politics, business, and entertainment. Even in sports, blacks are now in upper management (coaches, GMs, owners). But it's still a rarity to see a coach of color win the big prize.
The NBA has had a smattering of coaches get to the Finals, including Bill Russell and K.C. Jones winning titles in Boston and Lenny Wilkins doing so in Seattle. World Series coaches have been even rarer occurrences. Dusty Baker got there, but the only member of the trophy carrying fraternity is Cito Gaston, the man who led the '92 and '93 Blue Jays to their brightest moments.
Football has had coaches sniff the big game. Shell put the Raiders in the 1990 AFC Championship. Dennis Green took Minnesota to the NFC title game in 1998 and 2000. Dungy had been to both conference championships (1999 with Tampa Bay and 2003 with Indianapolis). None of them could break through until Sunday. And to go from no representation to a guaranteed title is more of a launch than a leap.
Fortunately, I wasn't the first to notice this (although I'd love to mimic "Around the Horn" and say, "As first reported by SC's Jonathan Lowe..."). From national programs, such as "Pardon the Interruption," to print stories like one by Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, people knew that this was a possibility. Actually, with Smith's Bears and Dungy's Colts hosting the conference championships, it could have been seen as more of an expectation.
But expectations don't always lead to results. Both coaches knew that after losing at home on the same day last season. After "disappointing" results against Pittsburgh and Carolina in the '05-'06 playoffs, both coaches had to feel that Sunday was more of an opportunity for redemption than a trek into history.
I remember that earlier in the week, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon both stated that black head coaches don't truly arrive until they become retreads in the system. While I agree with them, there's still something to be said for the achievement, and subsequent renown, of being a champion.
Sure, Smith and Dungy have common bonds surpassing race. They're both Super Bowl coaching rookies. They both came up as defensive coordinators. They're both seen as patient, classy, and true to their word. Oh yeah, and there's that whole teacher-pupil aspect. But in this case, what you see on the outside is making an entire race of people fill with pride.
Smith probably said it best when asked about the topic earlier in the week. "I hope for a day when it is unnoticed, but that day isn't here."
Even when that day comes, there will be something significant about January 21, 2007 ... something noteworthy ... something historic. Glory and legend last forever, and so does a website fact line saying, "First African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl."