Question for my African American Seminole brothers

[Silas33]

I don't care what color my/our head coach or his staff's skin is, as long as he wins and treats the players well. My question is this, given that college football is dominated by (est) 80% AA, and that our head coach and staff is predominantly AA. Does that, will that translate into anything meaningful in attracting these young AA players to FSU???? I think it will but what do I know, I'm not AA. In today's climate is it meaningful to play for a mentor who shares your upbringing, experiences and skin color? Would love your take, color rarely matters unless you are a minority and then it matters a great deal, usually. I am thrilled to belong to a University who has put a minority in a leadership position and set him up to succeed, its good for everyone. I want your take please, thanks

After all the smart asses make fun of the question, maybe we could get some insight

 

[RUBFSU]

How brown

 

[Honey Fried Pickens]

 

[sulster]

Darker to what?. Can you please provide a chart, so i can see where i fall into this category

 

[Noles229]

Pecan tan?

 

[h8uf]

It is officially....the off season.

 

[rion1]

My man!!! The most appropriate meme ever. Still laughing my ass off... Thank you...

 

[jimbojangles]

Actually I'm curious myself and do think it helps.

 

[Polly Coppingers Son]

High yella? Redbone?

 

[warcry2029]

I don't care if my/our head coach and coaching staff is purple skinned, as long as he wins and treats the players well. My question is this, given that college football is dominated by (est) 80% AA, and that our head coach and staff is predominantly AA. Does that, will that translate into anything meaningful in attracting these players to FSU???? I think it will but what do I know, I'm not AA. In today's climate is it meaningful to play for a mentor who shares your upbringing, experiences and skin color? Would love your take, color rarely matters unless you are a minority and then it matters a great deal, usually. I want your take please, thanks

I think it helps since a lot of people like people who identify with them. I know and respect what you're asking even though it's a touchy subject. Personally I identify with who Believes in what I believe such as Providing for my family, Honoring My parents, FSU Football, BBQ, And so on. If the Staff we have now Win the big one, We would still have questions about this subject. Did we win because they were great coaches or did we win with certain Athletes because they could relate to our Coaches. I think it will be both and we won't care cause we are returning to our rightful place as Champs. Thanks for asking the hard question. I hope I gave an answer that will put this to rest and were now all identified as Seminoles.

 

[Jt1515]

I don't care if my/our head coach and coaching staff is purple skinned, as long as he wins and treats the players well. My question is this, given that college football is dominated by (est) 80% AA, and that our head coach and staff is predominantly AA. Does that, will that translate into anything meaningful in attracting these players to FSU???? I think it will but what do I know, I'm not AA. In today's climate is it meaningful to play for a mentor who shares your upbringing, experiences and skin color? Would love your take, color rarely matters unless you are a minority and then it matters a great deal, usually. I want your take please, thanks

I don't care if my/our head coach and coaching staff is purple skinned, as long as he wins and treats the players well. My question is this, given that college football is dominated by (est) 80% AA, and that our head coach and staff is predominantly AA. Does that, will that translate into anything meaningful in attracting these players to FSU???? I think it will but what do I know, I'm not AA. In today's climate is it meaningful to play for a mentor who shares your upbringing, experiences and skin color? Would love your take, color rarely matters unless you are a minority and then it matters a great deal, usually. I want your

I don't care if my/our head coach and coaching staff is purple skinned, as long as he wins and treats the players well. My question is this, given that college football is dominated by (est) 80% AA, and that our head coach and staff is predominantly AA. Does that, will that translate into anything meaningful in attracting these players to FSU???? I think it will but what do I know, I'm not AA. In today's climate is it meaningful to play for a mentor who sh

I don't care if my/our head coach and coaching staff is purple skinned, as long as he wins and treats the players well. My question is this, given that college football is dominated by (est) 80% AA, and that our head coach and staff is predominantly AA. Does that, will that translate into anything meaningful in attracting these players to FSU???? I think it will but what do I know, I'm not AA. In today's climate is it meaningful to play for a mentor who shares your upbringing, experiences and skin color? Would love your take, color rarely matters unless you are a minority and then it matters a great deal, usually. I want your take please, thanks

It really comes down to trust regardless of race but, It helps to know that your Mentor/Coach can relate to your culture and your life experiences.

 

[NoleRob]

Darker to what?. Can you please provide a chart, so i can see where i fall into this category

How did you end up with that sig - again?

 

[JJSmooth]

I think it will matter most to their parents. I don't believe young teenage boys put more into race than say the grown ups in their lives.
If Taggart and staff are seen as cool coaches it will fly with the kids but the parents will be more intrigued by race. Let's be honest
We've never seen a staff like this in D1
Football so it's unchartored territory and may even start a trend.
I will wait to speak on the other things that are running through my mind given the political/racial climate in sports recently and yes I am black.

 

[-Black]

I've been wanting to write a long post about race, recruiting the south, and the racial makeup of the staff for awhile now but I haven't because I'm afraid whatever thread I post it in will be closed or deleted as soon as I make the post.

What I want to write isn't about racism, everyone always thinks any topic about race is necessarily about discrimination, but sometimes it's just about the reality of a situation - like how the majority of the black players at FSU hang around each other, and the majority of the white players at FSU hang around each other. Crossover sure, but you can clearly see how some kids more easily relate to others. I just wanted to write about in what areas might race play any role with having a predominately black staff. I think it's a conversation worth having in a world where race matters, even if you strive to be "color blind" and or pretend it doesn't exist.

But every time I'm like "so is this the thread where a level headed discussion can take place?" I find that it isn't, and the thread is gone.

Reading the replies so far, doesn't look like this will be the one either. So I guess I'll save my energy.

 

[bigdadd11103]

I'll bite. It'll help if he wins and wins big. He is the anamoly by being a Afro American coach so he will be easily recognizable but it will hurt in that he is easily recognizable. Just because he is black doesn't mean recruits will choose him. Think Charlie Strong or Ty Willingham. Nice hires but they didn't work. Some think they didn't have enough time though. Whereas Taggart is an offensive guy with a dynamic personality. If he was white he'd still be a great choice so to speak. Bottom line is this is a home run hire. Getting an offensive HC for FSU was key. Getting a new d cord was key. Getting a fresh approach was key.

Now for the answer you are looking for. Yes it will help with mothers and fathers to have a young dynamic black HC recruit their children, and yes it will be a big hindrance being a young black unproven HC if he doesn't succeed. Make no mistake it comes down to wins and losses here. If Taggart wins big we can only imagine the positives. If he struggles on th field it will turn ugly quickly. Many are on the anti Jimbo bandwagon now, but he is a hell of a coach and will win big at ATM. He's just that good. So Taggart will be directly compared to an active coach whereas most coaches in this situation won't be. Please believe JImbo will anti recruit FSU all day every day and Taggart will need to head that off to be successful.



My guess is Taggrt does really really well. Also note he brought in more white coaches. Dude ain't dumb.

 

[Rookiebaby]

I think it will help in some instances. Not just the fact that he is black but the fact that he relates with the kids , he seems to relate with the youth. When Is the last time that you heard a coach mention names like plies, and Kodak black? I think the fact that he truly tries to gain an understanding of the kids and adapt to their culture is what holds the most value here.

 

[shotyme5]

It matters now big time however like any where else if the wins aren't following the hype after a couple years it will not matter as much as any other factor. Don't get me wrong PT, distance, and relationships still matter but for the next year at least this will factor in to the decision of a decent amount of kids. We will get some and be in the running for we otherwise would not have been. Don't let this take away from the fact he is a great Recruiter him being AA to some of the recruits just makes that much more sweet.

 

[sja82]

Honestly it may help,but not as much as you think

 

[RedWolfe11]

I think it will matter most to their parents. I don't believe young teenage boys put more into race than say the grown ups in their lives.
If Taggart and staff are seen as cool coaches it will fly with the kids but the parents will be more intrigued by race. Let's be honest
We've never seen a staff like this in D1
Football so it's unchartored territory and may even start a trend.
I will wait to speak on the other things that are running through my mind given the political/racial climate in sports recently and yes I am black.

With a name like JJsmooth you better be! Haha. No offense intended. One of my best friends that I grew up with was nicknamed “Smoov”. He even had it tattooed across his stomach. White guys cant pull off that nickname. I was always a little jealous.

 

[luxboy22]

You guys are funny. I’ll bite. I believe ultimately recruits and players seek coaches they think can develop them into quality players and prepare them for the next level, no matter the race. With that said, I think it’s a premium if said coaches are black.

Why? Simply stated, race relations still have a very long way to go in this country. These recruits and families see the vast majority of head coaches don’t look like them, despite the fact they make up the majority on the playing field trashing their bodies. They see owners don’t look like them. They know that black quarterbacks are still a relatively recent phenomenon. They know that black head coaches at the highest level are still a relatively recent phenomenon.

I think they’re also aware many out there (including on this site) view black coaches to be inferior. I doubt so many would be questioning the “ability” of our new coaches were they all white. No one will come out and say it, but I believe some think predominantly black staffs are to be found at “lower level and historically black institutions of higher learning” like FAMU, BCU, Grambling, etc., but have no real place on the big stage. Such staffs don’t seem to garner near as much respect, and I think we’ve seen that to a degree here on this site.

So, if some recruits and families feel this way, seeing a talented and successful African American coach in their living room could provide a significant bonus. Just my thoughts , and I’m sticking to them

 

[Polly Coppingers Son]

Wonder how Saban is so successful cause I don’t hear him talking about kodak and what not. I think Willie Taggart will be successful because he has football smarts, has a dynamic personality, played the game and was pretty good at it, recruits upstanding young men, holds these young men accountable. I can keep going but I honestly don’t think he will be any more successful than any other coach solely because he is black. I think he will be successful cause he is a good coach.

 

[Freeplay27]

I'm A.A. and to be honest I don't know and more so, I really don't care!!!
But to chime in I would say that it has to help in some capacity or another, but then again maybe not.

I would put him in the same light as a Scott Frost, younger, more energetic, more advant garde and yes RELATABLE to today's youth.
Scot frost is not A.A., but he does check all of those other boxes though.

So if you're asking for my two nonscientific two cents I would say SURE...I guess.

 

[PANole1]

I want to open engage OP and respond but already on ice... BTW, good post and I applaud you having the gumption to start it. But...

 

[Noles1906]

I don't care if my/our head coach and coaching staff is purple skinned, as long as he wins and treats the players well. My question is this, given that college football is dominated by (est) 80% AA, and that our head coach and staff is predominantly AA. Does that, will that translate into anything meaningful in attracting these young AA players to FSU???? I think it will but what do I know, I'm not AA. In today's climate is it meaningful to play for a mentor who shares your upbringing, experiences and skin color? Would love your take, color rarely matters unless you are a minority and then it matters a great deal, usually. I want your take please, thanks

After all the smart asses make fun of the question, maybe we could get some insight

I'll bite. Obviously there are many factors that go a recruit's decision... program prestige, early playing time, location, Honey Fried Chicken, quality of babes of campus, etc. But given that black head coaches are strongly underrepresnted, particularly at major programs, I do think Coach Taggart's demographic status could be a major advantage. It does mean something to many people to be able to look at Leadership that resembles them, in some way or the other. Relatability can matter a great deal, to many.

But to think simply him being black is 'enough' to get an edge among black players would be short-sighted. He was a documented history of treating his players well, turning programs around, showing an interest in the total student-athlete, promoting an environment that makes the game fun (no secret that's been sorely missed here recently..), and also has an exciting football scheme that players know they can make big impacts from.

Bobby laid the foundation for the program. John James then gave the program some much needed modernisation in terms of revamping the nutrition program and pushing for facility investment. Im optimistic that Coach Taggart will revitalize a program that has once again grown stale. I truly think he got here just in time.

 

[kbrazil]

People don't want to talk about the subject, but truthfully it could be a plus in Recruiting. The down side is WT must produce on the field. I actually was waiting for this topic to emerge.

 

[RedWolfe11]

I've been wanting to write a long post about race, recruiting the south, and the racial makeup of the staff for awhile now but I haven't because I'm afraid whatever thread I post it in will be closed or deleted as soon as I make the post.

What I want to write isn't about racism, everyone always thinks any topic about race is necessarily about discrimination, but sometimes it's just about the reality of a situation - like how the majority of the black players at FSU hang around each other, and the majority of the white players at FSU hang around each other. Crossover sure, but you can clearly see how some kids more easily relate to others. I just wanted to write about in what areas might race play any role with having a predominately black staff. I think it's a conversation worth having in a world where race matters, even if you strive to be "color blind" and or pretend it doesn't exist.

But every time I'm like "so is this the thread where a level headed discussion can take place?" I find that it isn't, and the thread is gone.

Reading the replies so far, doesn't look like this will be the one either. So I guess I'll save my energy.

I would love to read your thoughts on this. I’ve thought about it, but as a white male, I don’t feel like I have great perspective. I have black and white friends, and played sports my whole life with both, and I think it certainly has an influence. I just wonder how much.

It’s a shame people are afraid to talk about race for fear of being labeled a racist. I think any reasonable and educated person feels that skin color shouldn’t matter. But it’s also naive to pretend like it doesn’t have any bearing on many situations.

If you really want to share your thoughts, try the club level maybe? Really would love to hear the perspective of an AA on the potential impact of the coaching staff.

 

[Tjking29]

I've been wanting to write a long post about race, recruiting the south, and the racial makeup of the staff for awhile now but I haven't because I'm afraid whatever thread I post it in will be closed or deleted as soon as I make the post.

What I want to write isn't about racism, everyone always thinks any topic about race is necessarily about discrimination, but sometimes it's just about the reality of a situation - like how the majority of the black players at FSU hang around each other, and the majority of the white players at FSU hang around each other. Crossover sure, but you can clearly see how some kids more easily relate to others. I just wanted to write about in what areas might race play any role with having a predominately black staff. I think it's a conversation worth having in a world where race matters, even if you strive to be "color blind" and or pretend it doesn't exist.

But every time I'm like "so is this the thread where a level headed discussion can take place?" I find that it isn't, and the thread is gone.

Reading the replies so far, doesn't look like this will be the one either. So I guess I'll save my energy.

I would love to here what you have to say!!! You had my attention then you shut it down...lol.. I'm am AA by the way. I hope this thread doesn't get deleted.

 

[Entreprenole]

I don't think it will be WT's skin color as much as his ability to relate. Regardless of his skin color he comes across as 1) passionate about the game 2) passionate about FSU 3) passionate about his players 4) a family man to mentor the young men and 5) charisma wins people over.

I was a Jimbo fan until his late two weeks at FSU, and I am 100% certain WT is the best thing that could have happened to FSU with Jimbo's departure. This is going to be a loooooong off season. Can't wait to see our war daddies & bad asses take the field in 2018.

 

[RedWolfe11]

I can picture the mods looking at this thread nervously hitting F5.

 

[RobIII]

It matters but first, any Coach has to be a proven winner. Secondly, he has to be a positive person and seen as a role model that the Student Athlete can relate too. Third, the Administration and Support Staff has to have the same or very similar qualities and give him the support and tools to use. I personally think that with Coach Taggart, if he’s giving the same time/privileges as JF, we will not have to look for another Coach for twenty years. You can seen his passion and genuiness; that he’s where he wants to be and he’s landed his dream job. This is just my opinion. Go Noles

 

[Timnole]

You guys are funny. I’ll bite. I believe ultimately recruits and players seek coaches they think can develop them into quality players and prepare them for the next level, no matter the race. With that said, I think it’s a premium if said coaches are black.

Why? Simply stated, race relations still have a very long way to go in this country. These recruits and families see the vast majority of head coaches don’t look like them, despite the fact they make up the majority on the playing field trashing their bodies. They see owners don’t look like them. They know that black quarterbacks are still a relatively recent phenomenon. They know that black head coaches at the highest level are still a relatively recent phenomenon.

I think they’re also aware many out there (including on this site) view black coaches to be inferior. I doubt so many would be questioning the “ability” of our new coaches were they all white. No one will come out and say it, but I believe some think predominantly black staffs are to be found at “lower level and historically black institutions of higher learning” like FAMU, BCU, Grambling, etc., but have no real place on the big stage. Such staffs don’t seem to garner near as much respect, and I think we’ve seen that to a degree here on this site.

So, if some recruits and families feel this way, seeing a talented and successful African American coach in their living room could provide a significant bonus. Just my thoughts , and I’m sticking to them

I have a similar thought process. I think it can give a short-term boost. But ultimately winning, player development (i.e. NFL) and the culture of the program is what draws players. So while I think we will get that immediate boost in 2019, we better capitalize rather quickly or the benefit of having an AA staff will fade. When I say fade, I don't mean that we won't be able to recruit and win, I just mean we won't get an additional boost cause we have an AA staff. Just my views on this.....

 

[EveryoneBleedsGarnet]

How many AA head coaches have won national championships?

I love Taggart but I'm playing devil's advocate here.

It might help recruiting a little bit, but there are plenty of white HCs that are elite recruiters. He'll need to be a lot more than a recruiter to win a title.

 

[Tjking29]

With a name like JJsmooth you better be! Haha. No offense intended. One of my best friends that I grew up with was nicknamed “Smoov”. He even had it tattooed across his stomach. White guys cant pull off that nickname. I was always a little jealous.

Lol!!! I'm going to share my thoughts... heading to work but I will share my thoughts after I get off

 

[luxboy22]

I have a similar thought process. I think it can give a short-term boost. But ultimately winning, player development (i.e. NFL) and the culture of the program is what draws players. So while I think we will get that immediate boost in 2019, we better capitalize rather quickly or the benefit of having an AA staff will fade. When I say fade, I don't mean that we won't be able to recruit and win, I just mean we won't get an additional boost cause we have an AA staff. Just my views on this.....

Agreed. It’ll only go so far, and understandably so.

 

[mtownnole]

I don't care if my/our head coach and coaching staff is purple skinned, as long as he wins and treats the players well. My question is this, given that college football is dominated by (est) 80% AA, and that our head coach and staff is predominantly AA. Does that, will that translate into anything meaningful in attracting these young AA players to FSU???? I think it will but what do I know, I'm not AA. In today's climate is it meaningful to play for a mentor who shares your upbringing, experiences and skin color? Would love your take, color rarely matters unless you are a minority and then it matters a great deal, usually. I want your take please, thanks

After all the smart asses make fun of the question, maybe we could get some insight

It's a legitimate question whether people like it or not so I'll give you a perfect example of why it's a legitimate question. In the last couple of weeks I don't know how many times I've heard black FSU fans bragging to black UM and UF fan's that we have an almost all black coaching staff. It's always said in a funny little whisper too. It's like they're bragging that our school isn't prejudice and we will get unbelievable recruits. They feel that young black players will feel a small obligation to at least give our coaches a chance and so will the parents. This speaks volumes to how differently white and black people look at race in America. You think it's nothing black people think it's everything. If there were tons of black coaches this would not exist. However since the head coach of a football powerhouse is black, having him come in to your house will be a big deal. So don't blame the people for feeling a certain amount of obligation to a black coach, blame the people who only hire about 10 black coaches out of a 130. Like I said they wouldn't feel this way if it wasn't so rare. Yes this will help big time we were already recruiting well I think it's going to be even better.

 

[4show]

Yes it matters, will Taggart get EVERY black prospect that he recruits? Of course not, but don't let anyone tell you that having a black coach doesn't matter when recruiting black players.

 

[booker20]

I can picture the mods looking at this thread nervously hitting F5.

 

[luxboy22]

How many AA head coaches have won national championships?

I love Taggart but I'm playing devil's advocate here.

It might help recruiting a little bit, but there are plenty of white HCs that are elite recruiters. He'll need to be a lot more than a recruiter to win a title.

We’re talking ratios. How many AA head coaches are out there to have won national championships? A very, very small percentage of white head coaches have won titles despite the fact they’ve dominated the market since football came into existence.

 

[booker20]

I can picture the mods looking at this thread nervously hitting F5.

Ok ok...

 

[luxboy22]

Ok ok...

Booker20: “Don’t start no ****, won’t be no ****”