Yesterday Ted Miller of ESPN reported Cardinal offensive coordinator David Shaw was named the new Stanford head coach. Various websites and media outlets praised his qualifications and coaching history. Shaw is knowledgeable and experienced, a Stanford receiver from 1991-94, the son of former Cardinal assistant Willie Shaw. He coached nine years in the NFL and the last two at Stanford, where his offense featured the last two Heisman trophy runners-up in Toby Gerhart and Andrew Luck.
Shaw is popular with the players and his hiring will allow the team to keep the same terminology, allowing a smooth transition for a squad many experts tab as a top five team next season.
But perhaps the most refreshing thing about his selection is that a few days before Martin Luther King's birthday, all of the stories spoke about his coaching skills and character, and did not even mention he was a minority head coach.
Shaw is a solid hire for Stanford. He's organized, smart and well-spoken. He also happens to be African-American. It's encouraging that is no longer the focus of the story. He earned the job because he was an excellent choice.
Ten or fifteen years ago, the story would have been, "Stanford Hires a Black Coach." Today, the story is, Stanford hired a good one.
The next step, of course is for there to be more African-American athletic directors and league commissioners. And more elite football programs that achieve a team-record 58 squad members with GPAs of 3.0 or higher.
No comments:
Post a Comment