USC's Only Black Football Coach Defends School's Decision to Hire Spurrier

WISTV- Columiba, SC ^ | 12/10/04 | conservativeinferno

[conservativeinferno]

(Columbia-AP) Dec. 10, 2004 - The only black football coach currently at South Carolina defended the school's decision to hire Steve Spurrier, despite recent criticism from the Black Coaches Association .

South Carolina assistant coach Ron Cooper says he was by contacted USC athletics director Mike McGee about the position when Lou Holtz decided to retire earlier this year, "Dr. McGee said that he was prepared to recommend me to the University's Administration to be a candidate for the job. He also said that there was a good chance that we could hire Steve Spurrier. My comment to him was, 'If you can hire Steve Spurrier, go hire him now.'"

Cooper previously served as head coach at Eastern Michigan University, the University of Louisville and Alabama A&M.

Floyd Keith, director of the Black Coaches Association, told prospective football recruits and assistant coaches to stay away from South Carolina because the school ignored the group's recommendation for a more open coaching search.

Keith says South Carolina never contacted the BCA. The group sent the school search guidelines before it named Spurrier as Holtz's replacement.

South Carolina athletic director Mike McGee says the mission of the BCA is important to college football, but he says administrators faced a brief timeframe to hire someone with as much success as Spurrier, "We had the opportunity to replace an accomplished and national championship coach with another. The window for that to occur was clearly uncertain."

Keith says it's not about Spurrier. He says it's about the process. Keith says he has seen more consideration from other schools with openings.

Keith says his group will continue to highlight situations where minorities don't get a chance for a job. He says the BCA only wants to promote African-American candidates.

posted 8:52am by Chris Rees

[Bluegrass Conservative]

Yes, and please tell me what black coach out there is more proven and talented than Spurrier?? I'm all for more black coaches being given a chance if they're on equal footing with the white applicants. But, hello, this is Steve Spurrier!!!! Who could blame USC for hiring him???

[The G Man]

Exactly. It's not like they hired some no name schmuck off the street or something.

[conservativeinferno]

Doesn't matter the skin color as long as your qualified. If you not as qualified, skin color should not be the deciding factor. What happened to MLK Jr.'s "color blind" society?

[misterrob]

How many millionaires has Spurrier helped to create?

Ike Hilliard
Alex Brown
Fred Taylor
Jabbar Gaffney
Jaquez Green
Reidel Anthony
Kenyatta Watson


Among others.....

[lormand]

This story typifies why I gave up on sports. There is too much racism involved, and not the "whitey is oppressing me" racism either.

[cold_dead_fingers]

Freaking jerks! This kind of story annoys me to no end.

[scott7278]

What happened to MLK Jr.'s "color blind" society?

Ron Cooper is obviously an adherant.

[TheBigB]

The group sent the school search guidelines

I wonder if the school actually asked for said "search guidelines" before they were sent..

[upchuck]

South Carolina Ping List

Add me to the ping list. Remove me from the ping list.

[Sthitch]

Keith says his group will continue to highlight situations where minorities don't get a chance for a job. He says the BCA only wants to promote African-American candidates.

This says it all, they think that they are the only minority. It seems that in two sentences he contradicts himself. What about Asian, or Hispanic coaches? Are they not minorities?

[Poodlebrain]

"Keith says it's not about Spurrier. He says it's about the process. Keith says he has seen more consideration from other schools with openings."

This is the biggest crock yet. What have been the processes at all of the other high profile college coaching vacancies created this season? I wonder how many black candidates have been or will be interviewed in the hiring processes by Florida, Illinois, Utah, UNLV, Ole Miss, Indiana, Washington and Notre Dame?

If the BCA deserves to be consulted in the hiring process why should they be excluded from consultation in the firing process?

[BlackRazor]

Floyd Keith, director of the Black Coaches Association, told prospective football recruits and assistant coaches to stay away from South Carolina because the school ignored the group's recommendation for a more open coaching search.

If a team has a certain guy in mind, and they're dead-set on hiring him from the get-go, then why on earth should they have to go through the phony charade of having an "open" coaching search? It's the same BS as when the Detroit Lions were fined by the NFL when they hired Steve Mariucchi, because they didn't bring in any African-Americans for an interview. The Lions had wanted Mariucchi for two years, knew he was their guy, and when he became available they grabbed him. Yet they were supposed to bring in a bunch of other people for interviews that everyone knew would be completely bogus.

[razorback-bert]

I have checked and found there isn't a single Tibetian coach anywhere, something is wrong, I tell you.

[Sprite518]

USC did not want to hire the best black college football coach.... They wanted to hire the best college football coach period! Few can argue that Steve Spurrier was not a good choice.

I am so sick of the leftist trying to push "diversity". Diversity only recognizes people for their group status. For instance, male, female, black, white, etc... Why do they not celebrate individuals for what they have achieved?

I do not care what gender, race, or religion a person is associated to. All I care about is who is the best person for the job period.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

This whole controversy over black coaches is such a line of crap that has been manufactured by the liberals. If college and NFL football is so racist, then why are 70% of the players black. And why (in the NFL) do they get paid radically more than the coaches?

I refuse to believe that a college or NFL organization would pass up a black coach who is better than a current or prospective white coach. At that level, it's about WINNING GAMES, end of story. Are alumni and boosters going to hate having a black coach that is winning and getting them to bowl games? I'd like to see the "football is racist against blacks" whiners explain that one to me.

[Mr. Jeeves]

"USC" is the University of Southern California...I have no idea what these South Carolina upstarts think they are doing by stealing the acronym. ;)

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I agree. It's about WINNING GAMES. They want the best coach, period.

[dfwgator]

Spurrier?!?...Never heard of him.

[stand watie]

simple. the RACEBAITERS & HATEFILLED elitists do NOT revere the TRUTH in MLK's words.

they just want $$$$$$$ & POWER. nothing more;nothing less.

free dixie,sw