Mike Haywood Hired as new Miami (OH) Coach

According to a report by the Chicago Tribune, Notre Dame Offensive Coordinator Mike Haywood has been hired as the new head coach of the Miami (OH) Redhawks of the Mid-America Conference. I know there has been quite a bit of discussion about certain coaching hires that left much to be desired this season. Many people have called attention to the lack of black coaches at the Division I-A level (don't give me that FBS nonsense). I am sure that the talking heads will trumpet this hire as "proof" that there are opportunities for minority candidates in major college football.

I will be honest when I say that I don't believe Haywood was the best candidate for the job. How can someone who had his playcalling duties stripped by Charlie Weis somehow become a hot candidate for a head coaching job? Can you imagine the uproar if Haywood had been white?

I'm trying very hard to understand why minority candidates like Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, Arkansas QB coach Garrick McGee, or UCLA defensive coordinator Dewayne Walker are continually snubbed during the hiring process? Why are these minority candidates good enough to recruit the (mostly) minority players to a school, but not good enough to run the program as the head coach?

Michael Shibley of the Bleacher Report had an interesting take on this phenomenon in his column. In his article he pointed to the demographic makeup of the boosters (mostly old rich white males) as a big reason why black coaches are not being hired for the top jobs. He alluded to the fact that boosters might use the threat of revoking financial support to athletic departments to ensure that minority coaches are not hired.

Is there more than a grain of truth in what he says? Absolutely. Whether the situation can be fixed is a whole different story. One thing I have always wondered is why former players who have made it in the NFL do not have a larger influence in coaching decisions. Would things change if they contributed more to their respective universities? Look at a place like Miami (FL). The hiring of Randy Shannon drew great support among former players, but how much influence did they have during the hiring process? At the end of the day money talks and if enough former players pledged enough money to hire "their" guy, I'm pretty sure there are enough athletic directors who will follow the money.

Ultimately while I am glad that Mike Haywood received the opportunity to coach, this does not magically solve the issue at hand. Until the root of the problem is attacked from all sides, we will continue seeing more unqualified candidate like Gene Chizik at Auburn while more qualified candidates like Turner Gill continue to be ignored.

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