Creating a new normal
Moore’s hire at Michigan gives advocates hope that Black coaches at bluebloods can become the norm
Tyrone Willingham retired back in 2008, yet he has seen just a few Black men receive the kind of elite opportunity he got when he was hired as Notre Dame’s first Black head football coach more than two decades ago.
He was encouraged when Michigan hired Sherrone Moore to replace Jim Harbaugh.
Black head coaches at the Division I level often have been given jobs at struggling programs with limited resources and thus smaller chance of longterm success. Moore, however, is taking the reins at a blue-blood program that just won a national title.
Willingham, 70, said the topic of Black coaches’ previous lack of access to head coaching jobs at top programs has not just been a Black issue, it has been symbolic of a foundational American issue. In an email interview, he said he was glad to see Black men finally being considered rising stars in line for the best jobs. He sees Moore’s hire as similar to Notre Dame hiring Marcus Freeman — the school’s second Black head football coach — in 2021.
“Let us be about hiring the best, and that attitude will serve our country well in all aspects of our society,” wrote Willingham, who also coached at Stanford and Washington. “I believe Sherrone Moore and Marcus Freeman meet that standard, and if given the correct resources, they will do very well. They are excellent leaders of young men and university communities.”
Moore is well aware of how special his opportunity is.
“It’s an honor,” Moore said. “It’s a privilege. It’s something I don’t take lightly. For all the African American men who have worked, I just want to show them that you can do it.”
Michigan’s hire came as the NFL added three Black head coaches Atlanta’s Raheem Morris, New England’s Jerod Mayo and Las Vegas’ Antonio Pierce — this cycle. There will be at least nine minority head coaches to start the 2024 NFL season, the most ever.
“We’ve been waiting for this type of year for so long now, I began to wonder if it was ever going to come,” said Richard Lapchick, founder of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics In Sport.
Floyd Keith, a former executive director of the Black Coaches Association, said it matters that programs such as Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State have Black coaches. James Franklin has an 8839 record since taking over
at Penn State in 2014. With the backing of programs with rich histories and plentiful resources, Moore, Freeman or Franklin could become the first Black coach to win a national title.
Like Franklin, Moore’s experience is on the offensive side of the ball. The 37year-old coordinator went 4-0, including wins over Ohio State and Penn State, while Harbaugh was serving two separate suspensions last season.
Maryland coach Mike Locksley founded the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches in 2020. The organization provides professional training and educational programs to help prepare minority coaches for coaching jobs. Both Moore and Freeman have participated in the programs. Locksley said his organization’s goal is to help coaches like Moore be ready when doors open.
“That to me is where the timing of it is,” Locksley said. “It’s not by accident that he was put in this role.”