Vance Joseph wore a dark-blue suit and an orange-and-blue tie Thursday afternoon. Broncos colors.
A short time later, after officially being introduced as the 16th head coach in team history, Joseph talked for a moment about being the first black head coach in team history.
“I’m honored and I’m proud of it,” he said. “But hopefully, going forward, that part of it is not considered any longer. As we go along in the future, it shouldn’t matter what color you are. If you can do the job, they should hire you.
“But I understand it. I’m proud and humbled by it. And moving forward, I want to do a good job so the next guy can get this opportunity.”
Measured against history and contemporary numbers, what Joseph has achieved is remarkable. Joseph is just the 18th African-American head coach in the NFL’s 96-year history, not counting interim hires.
Charles Johnson, another former Buffs quarterback who was Joseph’s fraternity brother at CU, said that the Broncos hiring of an African-American head coach is a big deal.
“For the community, and for the village, if you will, it matters,” said Johnson, who is black. “But to Vance, no, it doesn’t matter.
“Vance is the head coach of the Denver Broncos because he was the best and most qualified man for this particular job at this particular time. So that’s what he represents, regardless of race.”
Johnson then paused before saying: “To be honest, I can guarantee you that in every African-American corner of Colorado right now, the conversation includes, ‘Wow! The Denver Broncos hired a black head coach!’ That’s the reality.”
It’s a very rare and difficult thing to rise to the rank of NFL head coach. It’s been even more rare and more difficult for an African-American man to achieve that goal, though 69 percent of players in the NFL are black.
Yes, there has been some progress in recent years. Seven out of the last 20 teams to compete in the Super Bowl have had either an African-American head coach or general manager. But there is also this reality: only one-third of all NFL coaches, including assistants, are minorities, according to a 2016 ESPN survey.
The ESPN study also found that entering last season that 80 of the NFL’s 85 offensive coordinators, quarterbacks coaches and offensive quality control coaches were white, including all 37 with the word “quarterback” in their titles. Moreover, 23 of 32 defensive coordinators were white.
That hiring history has made the road incredibly steep for African-American coaches who have head coaching aspirations, especially considering that 94 percent of head coaches hired over the past 20 years had previously been NFL coordinators, pro head coaches (including interim) or college head coaches.
Joseph has certainly earned his coaching stripes. Beginning as a graduate assistant at CU from 1999-2001, he’s spent 17 years climbing the ladder, first as an assistant coach in college and later in the NFL. He served as defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins this past season, his only year as a coordinator.
“As a GA in Boulder, I aspired to be the head coach of any program,” Joseph said. “When you are working in any business, you want to be at the top, eventually. In football, that’s being the head coach in college or the pros.”
During his introduction Thursday, Joseph made sure to thank and praise the men whom he coached under, including Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and former San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary, both of whom are black.
But it was also clear Thursday that it’s Joseph’s inner drive and self-confidence, and his ability to relate to young men, that led him to the top of his profession.
“For me, (the leadership) came natural, being a quarterback my entire life,” he said. “Itap something that I just try to be honest as possible with players. Thatap what they want.
“They want honesty and they want to know where they stand all time. It doesn’t mean you don’t love them, you don’t care about them, but you can surely tell them the truth and thatap where it starts.”
