The Buck Stops Here: Assessing Diversity In College Football

The Buck Stops Here:

Assessing Diversity among Campus and Conference Leaders

for Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Schools in the 2009‐10 Academic Year

By Dr. Richard Lapchick with Derek McMechan

Orlando, FL… November 17, 2009 – The key leadership positions at Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)

schools and conferences remained overwhelmingly white and male even though there was a record

number of nine head coaches of color in the 2009 college football season at the FBS schools (formerly

Division IA) according to a new study released today by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport

(TIDES) at the University of Central Florida.

For 2009, there were seven African‐Americans (Turner Gill, University at Buffalo; Ron English, Eastern

Michigan University; Kevin Sumlin, University of Houston; Randy Shannon, University of Miami (Florida),

Mike Haywood, Miami University (Ohio); Mike Locksley, University of New Mexico; DeWayne Walker,

New Mexico State University); a Latino (Mario Cristobal, Florida International University) and an Asian

(Ken Niumatalolo, U.S. Naval Academy).

Richard Lapchick, who is the primary author of the study as director of The Institute, said, “What is lost

in the improvement in numbers is that three BCS jobs were lost in the Pac‐10, Big 12 and SEC. Adding

positions at Miami of Ohio, New Mexico, New Mexico State and Eastern Michigan was important but it

is very unlikely that they will ever get a shot at a BCS championship at those schools. America has its first

African‐American president. Yet our record for hiring football coaches of color is terrible. We do not

have an African‐American head football coach in the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac‐10, or Big East.”

The 2008 season was played with eight coaches of color, six of whom were African‐American. At the

end of the season, Ty Willingham (Washington), Ron Prince (Kansas State) and Sylvester Croom

(Mississippi State) were gone. Four African‐Americans were hired as head coaches after the season: Ron

English at Eastern Michigan, Mike Haywood at Miami (Ohio), Mike Locksley at New Mexico and

DeWayne Walker at New Mexico State.

Lapchick continued, “Even with the record number of head coaches of color, college football is still far

behind other college and professional sports.”

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida today released

The Buck Stops Here: Assessing Diversity among Campus and Conference Leaders for Football Bowl

Subdivision (FBS) Schools in the 2009‐10 Academic Year. This study examines the race and gender of

conference commissioners and campus leaders including college and university presidents, athletics

directors, and faculty athletics representatives for all 120 FBS institutions. The study also includes head

football coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators, assistant coaches, and football student‐athletes.

Finally, the faculty as a whole is examined.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

 …

# # #

RICHARD E. LAPCHICK, DIRECTOR • KEITH HARRISON, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR • FITZ HILL, VISITING SCHOLAR

Tel: 407‐823‐1516 or 407‐823‐4887 • Fax: 407‐823‐3771 • Web: www.tidesport.org

~MAKING WAVES OF CHANGE~

Media Contact: Maria Molina

mmolina@bus.ucf.edu, 407‐823‐1516

 The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport serves as a comprehensive resource for issues related to gender and race in amateur, collegiate and professional sports.  The Institute researches and publishes a variety of studies, including annual studies of student-athlete graduation rates and racial attitudes in sports, as well as the internationally recognized Racial and Gender Report Card, an assessment of hiring practices in coaching and sport management in professional and college sport.  Additionally, the Institute conducts diversity management training in conjunction with the National Consortium for Academics and Sports.  The Institute also monitors some of the critical ethical issues in college and professional sport, including the potential for exploitation of student-athletes, gambling, performance-enhancing drugs and violence in sport.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport is part of the DeVos Sport Business Management Graduate Program in the University of Central Florida’s College of Business Administration.  This landmark program focuses on business skills necessary for graduates to conduct successful careers in the rapidly changing and dynamic sports industry while also emphasizing diversity, community service and sport and social issues.