New Mexico State has hired UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker to run its football program, making him the seventh black head coach in college football's top division. Walker's hiring was a few years in the making. The journeyman coordinator arrived nationally after stopping the USC offense cold in a 13-9 UCLA victory that prevented a certain USC appearance in the 2006 BCS Championship Game.His impact was immediate, flipping one of the nation's worst defenses into a fast and aggressive unit that played tough and could stop the run. Subsequent seasons weren't as successful, but he added chops as a recruiter, bringing in a handful of players who will likely have NFL futures like defensive tackle Brian Price and cornerback Alterraun Verner.
Walker took his time, visiting Las Cruces for a while before accepting the Aggies' offer. His departure was expected, however, and his name has popped up as a central player in this week's man drama kerfuffle between USC and UCLA.
He'll have a tough job ahead of him, reviving a long-dormant program that went 3-9 last year under Hal Mumme. Mumme ran an exciting offense but it wasn't potent enough and he ran into various legal troubles that left a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
Sadly, its still obligatory we mention the limited number of black coaches in D-I football. This year's seven are an improved but still low number. Walker joins Miami of Ohio's Mike Haywood, Ron English at Eastern Michigan and Mike Locksley at New Mexico, all hired for the 2009 seasons. Still standing are Miami Florida's Randy Shannon, Houston's Kevin Sumlin and Buffalo's Turner Gill who all appear relatively safe in their jobs although Shannon had to part ways with offensive coordinator Patrick Nix this week.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Act equal, be equal. You're not African American, you're American! You're not Irish American, you're American. Until these stupid stats are gone, everyone will forever be unequal.