Editor’s note: Richard Lapchick is a human rights activist, pioneer for racial equality, expert on sports issues, scholar and author.
With all of the reports of the NFL stagnating — with three Black head coaches for the third year in a row — it is important to also look at other areas where this has been the case. In college sports, the number of head coaches who were people of color at FBS schools decreased in 2022. I have pointed to the owners as being the main stumbling block to hiring more Black head coaches in the NFL.
I have no doubt that a similar situation exists at the college level. The Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) leadership positions who make the hiring calls — presidents/chancellors and athletic directors, are overwhelmingly white and male. Faculty athletic reps (FARs) also play a role.
And just like in the NFL, where nearly 70% are players of color, 65.7% of college football student-athletes at the FBS level are players of color.
America’s colleges and universities continue to show an enormous underrepresentation of women and people of color in campus leadership positions. All of this was highlighted in the “2022 D1 FBS Leadership College Racial and Gender Report Card: The Lack of Diversity within Collegiate Athletic Leadership Continues,” a study released…
