The Super Bowl starts in a couple of hours. It’s the pinnacle of achievement in the world of football. Millions upon millions of people in the United States and around the world will gather around their television sets to witness the spectacle. This year’s audience will get to see something that has never happened before. Today’s game features the first two African American coaches to ever coach in the Super Bowl. Some people have and will try to underplay the significance of that statement but it truly is important. It proves once again that given the opportunity members of our race can not only get by but can excel and thrive.

When I was younger I dreamed of my dad coaching in college and eventually in the NFL. He coached high school football for 28 years. He was a head coach for more than 15 of those. He’s retired now and I’ve learned that he never really aspired to coach above the high school level. What’s sad is that if he had aspired to that he may have never really had the chance to do so. In the grand scheme of life today’s achievement may seem insignificant but in the day to day life of a child somewhere it could prove the catalyst to prompt them to say I too can do what Coach Dungy and Coach Smith have done.

In order for that child to get the opportunity to do what these two men are doing today more things need to change in the coaching profession. Currently only 5 out of the 119 schools in NCAA Div. IA football have black coaches. That stat is even worse in the other 3 divisions. As in any profession a person has to have a coaching resume in order to have  an opportunity on the sport’s largest stage. For many, though not all, coaching in college is the gateway to getting an opportunity in the NFL. Today those opportunities are few and far between.

The NFL is making strides to correct this discrepancy. The NCAA has a long way to go. Hopefully today’s game will be the next step in the progression that will allow that little child to follow in Coach Dungy’s and Coach Smith’s footsteps.