Top 10 Black NFL Coaches

10. Romeo Crennel

Romeo Crennel

Romeo Crennel, 73, is the NFL's oldest head coach. He's a 50-year-old coach. Crennel coached Western Kentucky's defensive line from 1970 to 1981. He coached the Giants' special teams.

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09. Terry Robiskie

Terry Robiskie

Former player and coach Terry Robiskie is the ninth black coach on our list of the 20 black NFL coaches. He played professionally from 1977 until 1981. In 1982, Robiskie began working as the Los Angeles Raiders' special teams assistant.

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08. Lovie Smith

Lovie Smith

Lovie Smith, the current head coach of the Houston Texans, is the seventh black NFL coach. As the defensive coordinator for Big Sandy HS (TX) in 1980, he began his coaching career.

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07. Marvin Lewis

Marvin Lewis

Former NFL player and current special advisor to Arizona State's head coach, Marvin Lewis is a professional coach.  He is well recognized for his 16 seasons as Cincinnati Bengals' head coach. Lewis began his career as a coach in 1981, overseeing the linebackers at Idaho State.

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06. Herman Edwards

Herman Edward

The next coach on our list of 20 black NFL coaches is Herman Edwards. He was a professional cornerback who played from 1977 until 1986. In 1987, Edwards began his coaching career at San Jose State as the defensive backs coach.

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05. Tony Dungy

Tony Dungy

Tony Dungy is a well-known former safety and coach who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts. During his time with the Buccaneers in 1996, he helped change the team's image.

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04. Ray Rhodes

Ray Rhode

Ray Rhodes used to play football. He was a wide receiver and a cornerback, and later he became a coach. Between 1974 and 1980, he was a player. Rhodes became a coach after he stopped playing football. He is now the assistant defensive backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

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03. Dennis Green

Dennis Green

Dennis Green was the NFL's second black coach. He was famous for being the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings for ten years. During the 1990s, he had the best winning percentage of any coach.

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02. Art Shell

Art Shell

On our list of 20 black NFL coaches, Art Shell is the second coach. He is the first head coach of a football team in the contemporary period and the second African American head coach in the history of professional football.

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01. Frederick Pollard

Frederick Pollard

In 1920, Fredrick Pollard, one of the first two African Americans to play in the NFL, became its first black coach. He was a trailblazer who made it possible for other black coaches to work in the NFL. Between 1920 and 1925, Pollard played professionally. Before he started his playing career, he started coaching in 1918.

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