Photo Credit: AP
The last team that had not made up its mind to fill its head coaching vacancy did so this Monday, the Houston Texans have made official the strong rumor that they have promoted defensive coordinator Lovie Smith as the successor to David Culley, who was fired after only spending one season at the helm.
The process was a long one, but it was this weekend that Smith was included as a candidate after having among the finalists for the job former NFL quarterback Josh McCown, who was interviewed as many as a couple of times for the job, and the controversial Brian Flores, who was fired by the Miami Dolphins on the same day as Culley.
Flores was one of the three finalists despite having filed a lawsuit against the NFL and three teams (Dolphins, New York Giants and Denver Broncos) over issues related to racism in their hiring processes, among other issues.
"I am excited to introduce Lovie Smith as our next head coach," Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. "He is one of the most respected coaches in the NFL and an established leader. A proven winner, Lovie has shown the ability to develop players both on and off the field for years. We had numerous discussions with countless coaches, executives, and players, and what revealed itself is that Lovie has both the leadership and people skills it takes to lead us forward. We both understand how much work is in front of us, but we embrace the responsibility and look forward to continuing to build a program that can have sustained success."
First black head coach in a Super Bowl
Lovie Smith returned to the NFL this year after four years at the University of Illinois, but his greatest accomplishment was becoming, along with Tony Dungy, the first two black head coaches to reach a Super Bowl when he led the Chicago Bears to face the Indianapolis Colts in the Vince Lombardi Trophy game in the XLI edition.
Smith lasted nine seasons (2004 to 2012) at the helm of the Bears, accumulating a combined record of 81-63 and spent two years in the same position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014 and 2015) with a record of 8-24.
"I want to first thank Nick Caserio and the McNair family for giving me this opportunity," Smith said. "I'm humbled to be the next head coach of the Houston Texans and incredibly excited to continue to work with Nick. I have so many friends, family, teammates and coaches to thank for supporting me and helping me continue to do what I love, which is teaching and developing players. I understand the responsibility I have to this organization and this city to develop a championship-level program. I'm ready to get to work and build it together."
Second active black head coach in the NFL
Smith will be the second active black head coach in the NFL joining Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
