National Football League (NFL) veteran John Wooten is among many who remember the days when African-American coaches and managers were virtually unheard of in professional football.
“At one time minorities had very few opportunities to be head coaches,” said Wooten, who played with the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins during the 1950s and ‘60s. “Today it’s different. We now have six head coaches and six general managers.”
Having six out of 32 NFL teams led by minorities is arguably a sign that the league has made progress, and many observers believe much of the credit for that progress goes to the Fritz Pollard Alliance.
The alliance was formed in Indianapolis during the 2003 NFL combine. Its mission has been simple but critical: to increase access and opportunities for minorities interested in coaching, front office and scouting positions in the NFL.
The alliance was named after the late Frederick Douglass “Fritz” Pollard (1894-1986), who in 1920 became one of the first African-American players in the NFL (known then as the American Professional Football Association.) In 1921, Pollard was chosen as the league’s first African-American coach, leading the Akron Pros.
Sixty-eight years went by before the NFL had another African-American head coach, when Art Shell assumed leadership of the Los Angeles Raiders.
“We take a close look at all the situations that are going on as they relate to the sport of football, at both the professional and college level,” Wooten said.
The alliance gained notoriety when two members, famed attorneys Johnnie Cochran Jr. and Cyrus Mehri, issued a report revealing how African-Americans in the NFL were being held to a higher standard than their white counterparts and were consistently denied fair chances to compete for coaching and management jobs.
Citing findings from the report, the Fritz Pollard Alliance encouraged NFL officials to reform hiring practices among its franchises, which commissioners quickly did. In 2003, the NFL established the Rooney Rule (named after Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney), which requires teams to interview minority candidates and at least consider them for positions in coaching and football operations.
Speaking in Indianapolis this month, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue noted that the Fritz Pollard Alliance played a key role in getting conservative NFL team owners to be more diverse in hiring practices.
“Borrowing a phrase from rural America, it was time to ‘kick the stubborn mule,’” Tagliabue said. “Whoever the mule was received a little kick, and the alliance helped us do that.”
When professional football is out of season, the alliance devotes itself to developing young high school and college talent, and finds opportunities for minorities seeking leadership positions on NCAA teams.
This Friday the alliance held its ninth annual meeting at the Indianapolis Marriott hotel downtown.
For more information visit www.fritzpollard.org.
