When Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith became the first African-American head coaches to lead their NFL teams to the Super Bowl in XLI, it was a historical moment. Dungy’s Indianapolis Colts defeated Smith’s Chicago Bears 29-17 to make Dungy the first black man to lead a team to a Super Bowl win.
Now, it has become quite common to see an African-American head coach in the Super Bowl. Mike Tomlin followed Dungy and Smith two years when he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the world championship. Last season, Jim Caldwell succeeded Dungy as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and led them to the Super Bowl.
Tomlin is back in the Super Bowl mix once again while making a little more history of his own. When he first led the Steelers to the Super Bowl, he became the youngest head coach ever to do so at age 36. After leading the Steelers to a 24-19 victory over the New York Jets in Sunday’s AFC Championship game, Tomlin became the first coach in the history of the league to take two teams to the Super Bowl before the age of 40. Tomlin is 38. That is quite impressive.
Smith’s Bears fell just one game short of returning to the Super Bowl for the second time as they were defeated by the rival Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.
What is even more impressive is that all of these black coaches are part of the Tony Dungy coaching tree. It’s amazing that it took Dungy countless interviews before he finally got a chance to become a head coach. Now, that he is retired and in the comfy confines of the NBC broadcast studio, Dungy can sit back with great pride and watch as his African-American protégés continue to take teams to championship games and Super Bowls on a consistent basis.
And in Mike Tomlin’s case, continue to make history.
Good luck, Devon
I would like to wish the best of luck to our own Devon Alexander as he embarks on the biggest fight of his career on Saturday night when he takes on Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley in a light welterweight unification match. Devon has already accomplished so many special things in the ring, and he is still only 23 years old and getting better. If Alexander can get by the undefeated Bradley, which will be tough, the sky is really the limit in what his next championship fight could be. This should be a great evening for fight fans to see these two undefeated world champions go for it all with so much more on the line. Good luck, Devon.
Meehan commits
Congratulations to Webster Groves football standout Jason Meehan on his recent commitment to Northern Illinois University. Meehan was the St. Louis American Defensive Player of the Year for Large Schools and deservedly so. The young man has been a beast on the football field throughout his career in leading the Statesmen to a Class 5 state championship in 2009 and a state runner-up finish in 2010. The 6’2″ 220-pound Meehan was a force at middle linebacker. He was relentless and productive.
Despite his talent, Meehan really had to wait awhile to get some love from Division I recruiters. I think Northern Illinois hit the jackpot with Jason. Not only is NIU getting a hell of a football player, they are getting a great kid who conducts himself with class at all times.
Coach ‘Zo
East St. Louisan Cuonzo Martin has been on quite a roll as the head coach of the Missouri State Bears. In his third season, Martin has the Bears sitting atop the standings in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 8-1 record and 16-4 overall. MSU rallied from a 15-point deficit to knock off Creighton 65-64 before a raucous crowd at the John Q. Hammons Arena in Springfield in a nationally-televised game last Saturday night. The Bears exemplified Martin’s fighting spirit and competitiveness in coming back to beat a good Creighton team. Best of luck to ‘Zo as continues his quest for an MVC title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
(You can follow Earl Austin Jr.’s daily reports on his basketball website, www.earlaustinjr.com. You can also purchase Earl’s books, The PHL in the STL, You Might Need a Jacket and You Might Need a Jacket II on his website).Â
