Ty Willingham is a Good Ol’ Boy

Ty Willingham recently said that one of the main reasons more minorities are not hired into head coaching positions in college football is because of the existence of a “Good Ol’ Boy Network.”

Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said he believes there’s still a “good ol’ boy network” that keeps minorities from getting head coaching jobs in college football. “No question,” Willingham said. “You’ve got to explain the numbers. There’s more than one answer. But it’s alive and well in certain places, yes.” Minority hiring practices and the possible implementation of a playoff system were two hot-button topics discussed Friday morning at a college football forum organized by the National Football Foundation. Coaches and college administrators batted around the idea of whether colleges could implement something akin to the NFL’s Rooney Rule, whereby schools would be required to interview a minority applicant for any head coaching vacancy.

When asked how many minority coordinators, the usual “stepping stone” position of many eventual head coaches, Willingham has hired during his career as a head coach, Willingham replied, “I’m sorry. Ty Willingham is not hear at the moment, but if you leave your name, number, and the purpose of this question, Ty Willingham will get back to you shortly.”