Jan 2007

Super Bowl LXI coaches give Obama hope
    
   By
   Hilliard Lackey
   Columnist
    
   By now, everyone knows that two African American head coaches where in charge when the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts squared off against each other in Super Bowl XLI Sunday, February 4. Tony Dungy of the Colts and Lovie Smith of the Bears and have made history by having their teams qualify for league championships. Tony Dungy won the ring as coach of the 2007 Super Bowl champions.

Somewhere, presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is smiling.
    Obama, who is a Harvard-educated African American born to parents from Kenya, is in the early stages of making a run for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008.  His selection would be the first time ever that one of the major political parties’ standard-bearer was African American.
    
    When viewed by Americans as mere fellow human beings serving as Super Bowl coaches, Dungy and Smith can be judged on merit.
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  (Dr. Hilliard Lackey is a columnist, college administrator, and geography/history professor. Contact hlackey@bellsouth.net.)