EURweb

TWO BLACK MEN MAKE NFL HISTORY: Dungy and Smith to coach in Super Bowl

Steelers hire African American head coach; Vick's water bottle is legal.

(January 22, 2007)

Email to a friend | Print Friendly

*History was made Sunday afternoon when the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts won their respective NFC and AFC championship games.

The Colts beat the New England Patriots 38-34 after being down 21-3 in the 1st quarter. Earlier, the Bears crushed the New Orleans Saints 39-14. By winning, the Colts and Bears, whose head coaches are black, will play each other for the NFL championship in the upcoming Super Bowl.

Wait a minute, did we say both team's coaches are black?! Yes, we sure did. It'll be the first time in history that not only will an African American head coach participate in the Super Bowl, but we'll get to see 2 black coaches go head to head in sport's biggest spectacle. That means no matter what who comes out on top, a black man will coach the winning team.

"It means a lot," Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy said. "I'm very proud to represent African-American coaches, but more than that, it's about the Indianapolis Colts."

"Being the first black coach to lead this team , of course our players knew about it and they wanted to help us make history," Lovie Smith, the Chicago Bears' head coach said. "So I feel blessed to be in that position.

Huge congrats from EUR to coach Dungy and coach Smith. One of them is going to be victorious on Sunday, February 4 in Miami.

Mike Tomlin

*Meanwhile, another black man has joined the coaching ranks of the NFL. Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Steelers named Minneapolis Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin their next head coach, replacing Bill Cowher who retired after coaching the Steelers for 15 years.

Fox Sports reports that the two sides have agreed to terms on a multi-year deal that is believed to be comparable to the four-year, $10 million deal Cam Cameron reached with the Miami Dolphins. The Steelers are expected to officially announce Tomlin as their coach today.

"It's humbling," Tomlin said of becoming only the third Steelers coach in 38 years. "These are great football people. I've got a great deal of respect for what they do and what they've done. It's just a very humbling experience to be involved in but, at the same time, professional football is what I do and I'm a competitor like everyone else."

*Finally, in other NFL news, it's been determined that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick wasn't carrying marijuana or any other illegal substance when stopped by security last week at Miami International Airport, reports ESPN, citing anonymous sources.

Last Wednesday, Vick reluctantly surrendered a water bottle to security at the Miami airport. He was not arrested and was allowed to board an AirTran flight to Atlanta.

The bottle was found to have a compartment that contained "a small amount of dark particulate and a pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana," the police report said.

The Associated Press reports that Miami police have said it could take weeks to decide whether to file charges.

--------
Get your copy of the award winning
"King: From Atlanta to the Mountaintop."
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that tells the
story of the Civil Rights movement and
the life of its Drum Major for Peace,
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. To learn
more and hear excerpts from this
treasured program, click here:
www.KingProgram.net

Speak Out

Currently, 33 comments have been made on this story.

View Comments or Post Comments.

Tony Dungy & Lovie Smith