Control Your Narrative: Minority Coaches on The Lack of Head Coaching Opportunities

Photo By Wendell Harris

Effective Servant Leadership requires embracing diversity. In Texas High School football, it has been an oversight for years according to Peter Dawson’s Report: Minority head coaches underrepresented in Texas high school football.

What is being done to foster an inclusive process for the minority candidate? The top Texas High School Football insider, Matt Stepp, believes progress is being made.

“I’ve seen a lot of progress on the diversity side in since that article in 2018,” “but there is still a lot more to get done,” said Stepp.

The emergence of the Hispanic Texas High School Coaches Association (HTHSCA) and the Black Coaches associations are making an immediate impact.

Dawson’s report notes the biggest classification in the State of Texas (6A) reflects the low numbers of minorities at Head Football Coaching positions. Due to the largest survey sample, could this be a reflection to the entire State’s classifications?

“The ultimate goal is for at any school that has a job opening, the best man or woman gets the job despite the color of their skin,” said Stepp.

Athletic Directors and Human Resources are personnel that Stepp points to in elevating the conversation to action. A challenge that complicates this call to action is, ironically the diversity of the decision-makers. One of Stepp’s keen observations is that the decision-making process is a complex one because it varies on local control from district to district. The latter means that every district has the right to set their own hiring guidelines. The following list are just some of the decision makers that complicate the process for minority candidates.

1. Community Members

2. Athletic Director(s)

3. Superintendent(s)

4. Principal(s)

5. Human Resources

6. The Board of Trustees

The list has a variety of entities that can make the decision and these leaders have the challenge of getting organized and aligned to make the final decision.

Stepp did acknowledge head coaches like Carlos Lynn of Cedar Hill High School and David Saenz of Cibolo Steele High School are doing a wonderful job with the opportunities bestowed upon them. They are exemplars of practicing Servant Leadership and grooming the next batch of head coaches.

Lynn and Saenz have had the benefit of progressive leadership in Melanie Benjamin, Cedar Hill Athletic Director, and Scott Lehnoff, Schertz-Cibolo Athletic Director, both of which had the foresight to combat the status-quo. Support from progressive Athletic Directors like the two previously mentioned and Stanley Laing of Northside ISD is the call-to-action that Stepp is referring to. The Two-Words Character Development program that Laing is contributing to are providing hope because it addresses these very challenges. The following link is a video on Ending Racism and a call-to-action on the social injustices authored by Stanley Laing and other Servant Leaders.

Control What You Can Control:

There is a common mantra that is shared amongst the coaching community, “control what you can control!” Stepp’s advice to the aspiring head coaches out there, specifically minorities, is to connect with the “movers and shakers” and immerse yourself with the new tools available today.

Connecting revolves around networking with other coaches. Putting yourself out there is always a risk, but according to Stepp, the template of hiring someone you are familiar with is common practice in any industry, especially coaching. Utilize your Texas High School Coaches Association and the chapters affiliated with them. There is explosive growth in the participation of the HTHSCA.

The new tools of today are vital to the modern-day coach. The “Tik-Tok coach,” Marco Regalado, is a terrific example on how his social media presence made him indispensable and marketable to new opportunities. Controlling your narrative is taking ownership on what you put out there to promote who you are and promote your programs.

“With the decline of journalism, it is impossible to produce so much content,” Stepp adds.

Next level leaders do a good job of producing their own content and sharing with all stakeholders of high school athletics. It is essential for any program to control the narrative and produce your own content that journalist can curate.

If Minority candidates hope to land a leadership role, all must learn these very skills to market themselves for leadership positions.

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