Sports

Nick Saban Named To Coalition Of Minority Football Coaches Board

Nick Saban is among several with Alabama ties appointed to the board of the newly formed National Coalition Of Minority Football Coaches.

Nick Saban has been appointed to the board of the National Coalition Of Minority Football Coaches.
Nick Saban has been appointed to the board of the National Coalition Of Minority Football Coaches. (Butch Dill/AP)

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A newly formed organization promoting minority football coaches has named Alabama coach Nick Saban to its board. Saban is among several people with Alabama ties named to the board.

The new organization is led by University of Maryland coach Mike Locksley, who is former offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama under Saban. Saban is on the board of directors along with Ozzie Newsome, a former Crimson Tide player under Paul “Bear” Bryant and a trailblazer in the NFL as the first Black general manager. Sylvester Croom, another former Crimson Tide player under Bryant who also coached for him and was the head coach at Mississippi State University, is on the NCMFC executive committee.

Locksley founded NCMFC to create “a multi-pronged effort to remove roadblocks, increase awareness and spur action toward fair and equitable hiring at all levels of football,” according to a release.
The current movement for racial equality and social justice spurred Locksley to take the action.
“I have dedicated the better part of my 25-year coaching career to leveling the playing field for minority coaches everywhere,” Locksley said. “I worked hard to create opportunities in my career, sometimes with assistance from others, but more often through my own perseverance. I have learned many things. I have benefited from those who have gone before me so I feel a sense of obligation to help others.”

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The organization’s goals are to “prepare, promote and produce qualified minority coaches to ascend in the ranks of college and professional football.”

“In this moment in history, we cannot be silent: We must speak up for our brothers and sisters and our sons and daughters,” Saban said. “In agreeing to serve on the NCMFC’s board, I want to contribute to the effort to make sure the playing field is balanced for all, including minorities who seek leadership positions as coaches.”

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In addition to Locksley, Saban and Newsome, the board of directors includes Super Bowl-winning Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin; former collegiate coach Doug Williams, who was the first Black quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP; South Carolina State head coach Buddy Pough; the first Black NCAA Division 1A head coach Willie Jeffries; former NFL GM and two-time Super Bowl winner Rick Smith; Super Bowl-winning former general manager Bill Polian; pioneering athletic director Debbie Yow; the first Hispanic female athletic director (UNLV) Desiree Reed-Francois; and Miami Dolphins GM Chris Grier.

The NCMFC intends to produce a list of coaching candidates deemed worthy and deserving of vacant coaching positions.

“All we want is a chance to succeed or fail based on the merits and our God-given abilities,” Locksley said. “Many of us are denied that chance despite our qualifications.”


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