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A barrier will be broken for college football. Why did it take so long?
The Washington Post ^ | January 16, 2025 at 6:30 a.m. EST | Craig Meyer

Posted on 01/16/2025 11:58:25 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum

While meritocracy may be embodied on the field, it frequently isn’t on the sideline. Marcus Freeman is an exception.

When Notre Dame takes the field for its college football championship game against Ohio State in Atlanta on Monday, its 39-year-old coach will make history. Marcus Freeman will become the first Black head coach in a national championship game at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

For Freeman, it’s a career-defining moment. When he was promoted at 35 to be Notre Dame’s head coach after the 2021 season, questions arose about whether he was ready for the job. He had been defensive coordinator in South Bend for just one year. When the Fighting Irish were stunned at home by Marshall in his second game at the helm, those concerns intensified.

Now, Freeman has his team on the cusp of the storied program’s first national title since 1988. His accomplishment, however, is happening during a challenging time for Black coaches in college football.

During the 2024 season, only 9 of the 70 Power Four programs had Black head coaches. That’s just 12.9 percent. If you look at all 134 FBS programs, that figure drops to 12.7 percent. During this year’s hiring cycle, 27 FBS programs had a head-coaching vacancy. Only three of those went to a Black coach.

The racial inequity is stark when you consider this fact: Black athletes make up 47 percent of the participants in the FBS, the highest level of college sports. Freeman’s run to the championship game is the latest reminder of how far behind college football is among American sports — including its NCAA peers — when it comes to racial diversity in leadership positions. This season, 25.9 percent of major-conference head coaches in Division I men’s college basketball are Black, more than double...


(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Humor
KEYWORDS: affirmativeaction; atlanta; craigmeyer; districtofcolumbia; football; jeffbezos; lackofcompetence; marcusfreeman; notredame; ohiostate; quotas; washingtoncompost; washingtonpost
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Re: "Why did it take so long?"

Because the skill set necessary to be a successful college head coach is NOT the same skill set necessary to be a successful college football player.

One glaring exception - Deion Sanders.

Sanders is a completely average college coach.

However, Sanders has the skill set to be a world class celebrity.

With the new recruiting, transfer, and payment rules, almost every top college football player in the country has thought about giving Deion a phone call.

21 posted on 01/16/2025 12:33:05 PM PST by zeestephen (Trump Landslide? Kamala lost Wisc, Mich, and Penn, by 230,000 votes.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“The racial inequity is stark when you consider this fact: Black athletes make up 47 percent of the participants in the FBS, the highest level of college sports.”

Yes, that is stark. If Blacks are 13% of the American population, the FBS being 47% Black means that the other races are wildly underrepresented.


22 posted on 01/16/2025 12:34:37 PM PST by Stingray51 ( )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

White guys get to play?


23 posted on 01/16/2025 12:34:39 PM PST by Zathras
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
The Washington Post motto should be "All race, all the time."

Why is the left obsessed with race? Why do they refuse to let it go? I am absolutely convinced that they are determined to never, ever let it go. To never, ever let our nation, our society, heal. There simply must be some ugly benefit to the left to keep racism alive. In fact, this should be their collective chant:

"Keep racism alive! Keep racism alive!

24 posted on 01/16/2025 12:35:32 PM PST by Obadiah (There's a bustle in your hedgerow.)
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fictional barriers


25 posted on 01/16/2025 12:35:42 PM PST by Gene Eric
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Just what was that barrier? It must not have been very strong, if the guy broke through it.


26 posted on 01/16/2025 12:36:12 PM PST by I want the USA back (4 days until the mean bitter old fart is sent to his basement in Delaware to write his 'memoirs'.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

How does an article about the Coach’s race ignore the fact that he is half-Oriental: his mother is Korean.

I guess as with Democrat politicians, the media sees only what fits its narrative.


27 posted on 01/16/2025 12:36:39 PM PST by Stingray51 ( )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Because only two teams a year play in the national championship game?


28 posted on 01/16/2025 12:37:28 PM PST by GreenLanternCorps (Hi! I'm the Dread Pirate Roberts! (TM) Ask about franchise opportunities in your area.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

If Notre Dame made it to the national championship BECAUSE of the coach’s race... that would be news. Otherwise, it’s a racist observation.


29 posted on 01/16/2025 12:42:32 PM PST by pgyanke (Republicans get in trouble when not living up to their principles. Democrats... when they do.)
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To: Frank Drebin
Re: "Just 12.9% Black Head Coaches in Top 70 college teams"

2024 Census Bureau Estimate:

Total Black Americans - 13.7%

30 posted on 01/16/2025 12:48:44 PM PST by zeestephen (Trump Landslide? Kamala lost Wisc, Mich, and Penn, by 230,000 votes.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

College football is toast. It’s a mere junior pro league now. It started with over payed coaches.

Post season is meaningless, simply pickup games.


31 posted on 01/16/2025 1:01:23 PM PST by ImJustAnotherOkie
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

My guess is because there wasn’t a black coach with a good enough team. Now there is. It kind of works that way, leftards.


32 posted on 01/16/2025 1:03:22 PM PST by vpintheak (Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug. )
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To: Frank Drebin

Yep. And those racial numbers never go the other way. There is a significant lack of whitey on the teams these days.


33 posted on 01/16/2025 1:04:58 PM PST by vpintheak (Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug. )
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To: brownsfan

He also praised the LORD as well.


34 posted on 01/16/2025 1:22:45 PM PST by cowboyusa (YESHUA IS KING 0F AMERICA, AND HE WILL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE HIM!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Oh for Gawd’s sake... again? It’s hard to win a national championship whether you’re a black, white, Asian, or Native American coach.

And when OSU destroys Notre Dame - as I believe they. will - will that be because ND has a black head coach?!


35 posted on 01/16/2025 1:33:52 PM PST by Rummyfan ( In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Way back in 2007 we had two black head coaches in a Super Bowl.

It’s not a big deal anymore.


36 posted on 01/16/2025 1:35:27 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Cletus.D.Yokel

Lou Holtz, Dan Devine, Frank Leahy, Knute Rockne...

and Ty Willingham.


37 posted on 01/16/2025 1:36:06 PM PST by Rummyfan ( In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Uhhh, he’s also half-Korean. So that would make him the first Asian head coach.


38 posted on 01/16/2025 1:36:27 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: brownsfan
Freeman played for OSU so that may explain why he has such character. :)

LOL!

39 posted on 01/16/2025 1:36:57 PM PST by Rummyfan ( In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I look forward to the first white player breaking the color barrier in the NBA.


40 posted on 01/16/2025 1:40:17 PM PST by noiseman (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.)
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