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Registry Opinion & IQ

Registry Opinion & IQ is a weekly Quiz on African American history or culture. It is easy, interesting, and fun to participate in. To get involved simply click the circle for your answer. Every Tuesday The African American Registry® will have a new question for you.

Are qualified black college football coaches not being hired because of race? Of the 65 coaches leading programs affiliated with the 2008/09 Bowl Championship Series, Miami’s Randy Shannon stands alone. Auburn is fielding charges of racism in hiring Gene Chizik as football coach because the snubbed two prime African-American candidates. One was Turner Gill, the University at Buffalo’s miracle-working head coach; Buffalo captured the Mid-American Conference championship this year. The other was Rodney Garner, a Leeds, Ala., native, former star player and assistant coach at Auburn. He’s currently the highly regarded assistant head coach at Georgia where he’s considered a master recruiter. Another of the few black candidates believed to have legitimate interest from a BCS school that’s changing coaches is Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley.

Gill told The Buffalo News that he always heard the same thing when he interviewed for various jobs “Not the right fit.” There’s so many different dynamics to the word ‘fit.” In South Florida, diversity seems to fit. Not only does Miami have a black football coach, it has a woman Donna Shalala as university president. And, a black men’s basketball coach in Frank Haith. A few miles away at Florida International, Cuban-Americans serve as university president (Mitch Maidique), athletic director (Pete Garcia) and football coach (Mario Cristobal). Are qualified black college football coaches not being hired because of race?

No.

I do not know.

Yes.

I do not care.

The views expressed do not necessarily reflect to beliefs or opinions of
The African American Registry.

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