On The Tunney Side of the Street #201, Nov. 3, 2008 (www.JimTunney.com)

“Bum” Phillips, former NFL head football coach of the Houston Oilers once said, “There are two kinds of head coaches; those that have been fired and those that are ABOUT to be fired.” Each year the month of October seems to bring realism to Phillips’ statement. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bum_Phillips)

After the St. Louis Rams went 0-4 to start the 2008 NFL season, management fired head coach Scott Linehan, replacing him with interim head coach Jim Haslett (http://www.stlouisrams.com/Team/Coaches/52977/). Haslett was on Linehan’s staff as the defensive coordinator, as well being as a former All-Pro Linebacker on the Buffalo Bills and former (he was fired) head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Haslett was promised the permanent job, if the Rams won 6 of their remaining games. (http://www.stlouisrams.com/)

The San Francisco 49ers (http://www.49ers.com/home.php) fired head coach Mike Nolan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Nolan), in October, in his third year as head coach. The Niners were 2-5 after losing to the world champion New York Giants the weekend before Nolan’s termination. The Niners replaced Nolan with defensive coordinator Mike Singletary - as interim coach. Singletary had never been a head coach, but was a Hall of Fame (’98) Linebacker for the Super Bowl (XX) champs Chicago Bears. (http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=196) At this writing, Haslett has gone 2-1, while Singletary lost his first game as head coach. I know both coaches personally and have great respect for their character, talent and leadership strengths.

What makes these changes interesting is the “Rooney Rule.” Dan Rooney (http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=184), Chairman of the NFL Owners’ Committee on ”diversity hiring,” urged the owners to create a rule whereby a club (team) must interview qualified minority coaches in the process of selecting a new head coach (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooney_Rule) . If you were the Rams, what would you do in hiring a head coach, interview all qualified candidates, yet feeling that, since Haslett (a non-minority) has done the job you asked of him, Haslett can’t be your automatic pick?

Singletary, an African-American, was not offered anything beyond this 2008 season. However, since Singletary is a minority, the Niners (as I interpret the Rooney Rule) could offer Singletary the job in 2009 WITHOUT interviewing other qualified candidates. What about Ron Rivera, a Hispanic, newly named San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator? (http://www.chargers.com/team/coaches/ron-rivera.htm) Rivera wants to interview for an NFL head coaching job. The Rams have to interview him, if he wants to -- the Niners don’t.

Diversity, as written in It’s the Will, Not the Skill (see chapter 9), is important. Diversity, however, without unity is of little value. Coach Herm Edwards (http://www.kcchiefs.com/coach/herman_edwards/) has followed the path, “Just show me an opportunity; I’ll work for it!”


Will you honor qualifications as well as diversity when offering jobs to candidates?