Not a PC thread.....Black Coaches....

"I want the flat out truth....."

Hmm....this thread probably isn't going to turn out well. There can only be other coaches' opinions. There can be no 'flat out truth' because there is no way to back up any opinions with facts over that large a number of coaches dispersed across the country, coaching different positions, levels, etc...

Coach---In a thread I posted 7 or 8 weeks ago, some possible things came up that may shed light. If you remember, the thread was about black coaches and the "spread" and I stated that down here in South Louisiana, Nearly every black coach that ran an offense down here ran "the spread".

One thing from that discussion that could contribute to your search for answers is the environment in which many seem to be getting jobs or have had jobs. In those environments, it may be very difficult to develop the PROGRAM STRENGTH to make deep playoff runs. Also if these were the training grounds for the coaches you saw, they might not know any better...just like the kids who "know they are working hard" don't know that they aren't, and the kids who "know they are pursuing hard" don't know that they aren't because they have never been with a program that DOES work hard or DOES pursue hard.

Another thing to consider. A major H.S power for many years (pre Katrina) in New Orleans was a traditionally all black catholic boys school. However, there relevance declined as we continued to become more of a "me me me" society. PC or NOT...it seems that their kids were constantly bombarded with the ME attitude in their culture. This had much to do with their loss of relevance.

One year I believe they had over 8 or 9 kids sign DI schollies in February, but the previous November they got knocked out of the playoffs rather early and I don't believe they even won district. I was talking with their OC from that season, and that subject came up and he said the HARDEST thing they had to deal with as coaches was getting those kids to do what the staff needed them to do as opposed to what the RECRUITERS were telling them to do.

One kid, who is now at LSU {censored} near refused to do what he was told because LSU told him they saw him as a "speed rusher off the edge"... so he was an absolute non factor against option or power teams. (For Karma's sake, he also has been a very limited factor against option and power teams for LSU...so ...they got that going for them) Another recruiter had a WR stalk blocking when he was supposed to run off press coverage to show he was "physical"...

I'm not trying to be dismissive, or PC, or political....but, in my experience, no - I just can't agree with the assertion of coryell here.

A coach is a coach - a man is a man.....there are all types and you get all kinds. Plenty of lazy and grinders, no matter the trivial hue.

To me it is religious coaches who don't prepare their kids. They are always dumb and lazy. Don't know why.

Wait what about...

To me it is ginger coaches who don't prepare their kids. They are always dumb and lazy. Don't know why.

Or even...

To me it is short coaches who don't prepare their kids. They are always dumb and lazy. Don't know why.

This is a dumb thread.

In that situation, you need to go to the LSU coaches or the recruiter and say that this kid is still my player and until the end of his senior season, they should have the player go respect the current staff's gameplan so that the TEAM can succeed and make him a better TEAM player in general.

I have seen good black coaches, and really really bad black coaches. I have coached with a great black coach, organized, knew a ton, always trying to learn more, always working to prepare. And i have coached with a black coach who did no gameplanning, last coach at practice and first to leave, missed days, zero preparation, showed up to a game 10 minutes before kickoff once... and this was in the same season lol!

i have also seen lazy/bad white coaches, and excellent white coaches.

Now that I've taken a day or two to cool down....What I meant was that by and large in my rather short experience most of the African American coaches that I have met are lacing in the technical aspects of football. They are great motivators and some are great at keeping young men from getting in trouble, however they are not the coaches that I have LEARNED the most from. I've had detailed discussion with these men and they I have found them lacking in these areas. Also jrarick I was one of the 'disadvantaged' kids you speak of. I went to a school with one of the 'great' inner city coaches and I will tell you point blank that very little scheme was discussed and that most of my knowledge of football came from college. I can recall vividly coming to the sideline and asking my defensive coordinator for the playcall and being told simply: "Blitz." From what front? Who? He said just make it up.....if you doubt me I'd be willing to take a lie detector test on this....Anyway, what I would like to see is a dedication to giving the kids in the inner-city the kind of dedication that they put to basketball and track. If you were to talk to some of the coaches at Dallas Lincoln, Roosevelt and Skyline in these sports in particular you would find a great understanding of the technical aspects of either of those sports. This is not me attacking Black Coaches, at least that is not what I intended for it to be, but I have spoken with several Dallas area coaches, most of whom happen to be white and they quite simply told me they wonder at meetings OUT LOUD why some of the teams in the inner city of Dallas can't do it. Now these coaches can't come out and ask this a they would be branded a racist, but I appreciate people speaking with candor. I think this society has gotten away from that...by the way I am a sociology major and I understand all the details that many of these coaches and kids fight, but this is one of the times that money can't be to blame. OKay so you can't afford a gigantic weight room, or go to all the coaching clinics, you just have to work that much harder at your craft.

PC police on call!!! but since I can't get fired for what I say on this board, here goes.

Maybe there are more black coaches in "bad" jobs percentagewise. An innercity school may be more likely to hire a black coach since their school population is heavily minority based. With that job would come all of the inherent difficulties of innercity schools. I know SOME of the innercity schools we play have a hard time getting kids to practice - there is often NO parental support either for football or the school.

This being said, one of the top coaching jobs ever may have been by ? Shannon who took his East St. Louis Flyers to the Illinois championships many times. You can't get more innner city than East St. Louis.

DIDN'T SAY ALWAYS. I've always wondered why people who have absolutely nothing to add to the discussion find a need to comment: This is a dumb thread. Then don't post. Why feel the need to come in here and take the time to say something is dumb. Just leave. There have been plenty of threads that I've found dumb on coachhuey....I didn't enter in and comment: This is dumb. I just hit my back button and went on my merry way.

Well, if we're going to accept the assertion of "them" sucking - at least support WHY "they" suck. I'm sure its more than their complexion. What makes a coach suck (characteristics) and what incentivizes a person to continue to suck (rationale), and why "black" coaches are more susceptible to this?

I was under a coach a while back who always refered to the black coached teams on our schedule as having a JV mentality and blitz on every play.

He also always talked about how they had no scheme on offense other than run around and find someone open.

But, I am sure I could find plenty of fault in this white coaches' means as well.

For the black coaches that are so called "unprepared:" and run woefully bad practices have you offered them any ideas or tips that they could use in their program to better prepare their teams?

If you're a coach and you've witnessed their practices I'm guessing they gave you permission to do so, therefore they'd be open to any suggestions you might offer.

I don't get the point of these "black coaches do or don't do this" threads. They're sort of stupid really. I could care less if a black coach wants to run the spread or hold a Jay Z concert before practice, it's their program.

I understand what your talking about coryell. Those type of coaches give black coaches who are trying to succeed a very bad name. Now, not all are like that. I worked with brothers who are/were very well detailed, organized and knew their craft. I have also worked with white coaches who did the same. I worked with coaches who knew nothing, both black and white. But the black coaches should really know better than to act like that. They should understand that eyes are always watching them.

PS I went to the clinic that Penn State was at in Mass. I thought it was great.

I want to look at things a little different way.

As a coach who is old enough to remember segregation, I find it absolutely amazing that a post can be done about racial issues and nobody goes nuts. Just amazing.
Maybe we ARE getting better, I certainly hope so.

The key to life is understanding one another. We are all different, from different cultures, ways of life and upbringing.

It was terrible what was done to kids in my little county when I was a child. Just because these kids were from black families they were bussed to a certain school in our town-it was the law. Federal law, glad it changed.

Many years later, when I got back there to coach, I talked to a coach that had been bused across the county to attend that very school that we were coaching. One of those odd coincidences.

Terrific coach, and good man.
By that time, I'd forgotten that the old school was at one time a segregated all-black school. It had been over 20 years since I'd left that town and the world had changed and I'd forgotten.
It had been changed to a Middle school in 1969.

One day while we were coaching, something as said about the school's ugly roots and he said he had to attend it.
I told him that what was done to him as a child was wrong and that I admired his positive attitude and that I was sorry that he was done that way.
I can't remember what HE said, but I do remember laughing with him. He was not bitter at life or anyone at all.

Just amazing.
I wonder how I would act right now if I had to get up before dawn and be bussed across the county to attend a school that only blacks attended, just because he was black. I just don't know how I would be right now or my attitude about others who made me do that.

But what I do know is that-thankfully, maybe, we as people have grown to understand that people are people and although we look different we all want the same thing.
-We want to win and we love our family and players.

If we can find a way to find the best in one another, what a wonderful world we could build.

By the way, I know some lazy white coaches.
OJW