The Cost of Greatness: How can HBCU football continue to succeed?
|
Posted By: S. Moore on December 12, 2022 There is no better feeling in life than experiencing greatness. Walking into the stadium as a coach, player or even as a fan knowing that there is no way your team is going to lose today. As only a select few men are great, there aren’t many people who get to experience these moments. For the past 3 years, Coach Deion Sanders gave Jackson, MS that feeling. However, the high of this excitement comes at a steep cost. And that bill will normally come at the expense of the person who sparked this “greatness.” The purpose of a great man is bigger than any moment, meaning it is impossible for him to stand still. There are always more hills to climb, and sooner or later, one mountain turns into another. Throughout his career as a player — and now his tenure as a coach, Deion Sanders has exemplified greatness. The numbers and results cannot be disputed or debated. The majority of people have never been great, but most have placed their hopes and dreams in the hands of someone who is. So when that person decides to move on, his former faithful can feel “greatness” slipping away and it hurts. As spectators, we only see the flamboyant and charismatic “Prime Time,” we don’t know Deion Sanders. We want Prime Time to cater to our dreams, but Deion Sanders has to fulfill his. As a result, it left HBCU fans with a lot of questions when Sanders took the next step towards his personal goals by taking the job as the University of Colorado's head football coach. The question has been asked: Does Coach Deion Sanders have a responsibility to the culture? Yes, he does. And the code to that culture is the one we have been trying to crack for decades — the opportunity for black men to get to be head coaches of College Football Programs at the highest level. As big of an impact as Coach Prime had on the Jackson State community, can you imagine how many more kids and communities can experience that if more opportunities are provided for great men to lead? Yet the concept of an “opportunity” is a root of this disconnect. During this coaching cycle, I have received calls from several black assistant coaches at the Power 5 level hoping for head coaching positions. Most of them have been largely responsible for recruiting the rosters of many of the top 50 programs in the nation. But when I say Bethune Cookman, Jackson State, Arkansas Pine Bluff and now Mississippi Valley State have positions available, many of them aren’t interested. They would love to be head coaches, but not at the expense of their gated communities, luxury cars and kids’ private schools. They don’t see an HBCU as a fertile ground to grow opportunity and obtain greatness. However, there are a handful of prospects with proven elite leadership ability who understand the value of the HBCU community. They understand that the talent of the players, the passion of the fans and the network of brilliant content creators can elevate them. We need to bridge the communication gap between those willing coaches and the administration at HBCU programs. For the HBCU fanbase, it is important to understand that very few great men get to have parades at the end of the mission. There will always be someone left disheartened by their moves because these men are chasing something only they can see. But if Nick Saban never left his post as the Head Coach at Toledo, would we know Kirby Smart, Jimbo Fisher, Mel Tucker, Jeremy Pruitt, Dan Lanning or Bobby Williams? There can be no hesitation, only elevation, when you are chasing something bigger than yourself. We need HBCU football to be successful at a national level. We need a major network TV deal for HBCU football. We need it for the players, for the fans and we also need it for the coaches. But as much as we need these things, it's also necessary for more black men to be head coaches in college football because it provides a sense of security for every black man in the field. Vincent Dancy getting an opportunity to join Coach Sanders' staff at Colorado after his stint as the head coach at Mississippi Valley State is significant. It was significant that Coach Sanders was able to provide Willie Taggert with a soft landing spot after being let go from his post at FAU. I believe that the SWAC can become the conduit for the next generation of black coaches to prove themselves. The NFL’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship should partner with the SWAC, MEAC, CIAA and SIAC conferences to create networking, development and head coaching opportunities for its coaches. If this is done, there will be a healthy list of candidates to continue carrying the torch a coach lit at his respective HBCU once he’s won enough to move on to the Power 5 level. I hope the best and brightest upcoming coaches choose to go to Jackson State, Bethune Cookman, Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Mississippi Valley State. When done correctly, the exposure and experience a coach will have at these programs can turn him into a household name. And if the administrators at these schools need help contacting a brilliant, upcoming coach, “I ain’t hard to find.” SOURCE 24/7 Sports If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
Comments
More From This Author
Latest HBCU Sports
Popular HBCU Sports
