Smith, Dungy become first black head coaches to reach Super Bowl

CHICAGO (AP) -- It took 41 years for a black head coach to make it all the way to the Super Bowl.<br/> <br/>Lovie Smith did it Sunday on a snowy afternoon in Chicago. Four hours later, his good pal and

Sunday, January 21st 2007, 9:48 pm

By: News On 6

CHICAGO (AP) -- It took 41 years for a black head coach to make it all the way to the Super Bowl.

Lovie Smith did it Sunday on a snowy afternoon in Chicago. Four hours later, his good pal and mentor Tony Dungy joined him. Not one, but two black coaches meeting in the nation's biggest sporting spectacle.

It's historic, and it's about time.

Change has come appallingly slow. But now two of the most decent, deserving men have pushed the NFL forward.

And that is a very good thing.

"It means a lot," Dungy said after his Indianapolis Colts beat New England 38-34 in the AFC title game. "I'm very proud to represent African-American coaches, but more than that, it's about the Indianapolis Colts."

Smith was among those rooting for Indianapolis.

"We have to play someone and, in my perfect world, I would like to see the Colts be that team," Smith said after his Chicago Bears pummeled the New Orleans Saints 39-14.

"Tony Dungy has done an awful lot for our game," Smith said. "He hasn't had a chance to coach in the Super Bowl. I would love to see it."

Now he will.

It wasn't all that long ago that the NFL's best jobs were off-limits to blacks. Never mind that three-quarters of the league's rosters were filled with black players. Or that there were qualified black assistants. When the time came to hire a new coach, they were passed over, time and again.

Meanwhile, white coaches who had done little to distinguish themselves in their previous jobs got additional chances. It was the old boys network at its worst.

There's been some progress over the last two decades. It's been far slower than it should have been, and it took an active hand by former commissioner Paul Tagliabue to pull it along.

Art Shell and Dennis Green paved the way in the modern era, and Dungy took it a step further. Low-key and humble, he would never be the type to grandstand and bluster about injustice. But he was honest about the league's inequalities, and knew that his success would go a long way in opening doors for others.

One of those would be Smith, Dungy's protege in Tampa Bay. He, too, has spoken softly and led by example. But he, too, knew how great the responsibility was that he and every other black coach bore.

When the Bears and Colts take the field in Miami on Feb. 4, men of color who dream of being center stage at this big game will see that the door has been blown wide open. Men of color who have been held back, told in words or deeds that they weren't good enough, will have not one, but two role models as they fight for equal footing.

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

"I'll feel even better to be the first black coach to hold up the world championship trophy."