INDIANAPOLIS --- The NCAA has selected the 25 football coaches who will participate in its 2006 NCAA Expert Coaches Academy, which takes place May 29-31 at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami, Florida.

The Expert Coaches Academy is one of the NCAA’s initiatives that addresses the critical shortage of ethnic minorities in head coaching positions in the sport of college football, primarily at the Division I level.  Of the current 117 Division I-A head football coaches, five are African-American.  In Division I-AA, there are two African-American head football coaches and one Native American head football coach.  Less than 2.7 percent of head football coaches in all NCAA divisions are ethnic minorities, excluding the historically black coaches and universities.

The 25 football coaches selected for the Expert Coaches Academy are:

The mission of the Expert Coaches Academy is to assist the coaches with career advancement, networking and exposure opportunities, and to raise awareness regarding the substantial pool of talented and qualified coaching candidates.  Most of the participants are Division I-A or I-AA offensive or defensive coordinators, assistant head coaches, head coaches in Division II or III, or have experience in years that elevates them to the consideration level for head coaching positions.

The NCAA Expert Coaches Academy program has had two participants attain status of head coach since the program began in 2004.  Norries Wilson, who participated in the 2004 NCAA Expert Program, was named head football coach at Columbia University in December 2005.  Ron Prince, who participated in the 2005 NCAA Expert Program, was named the head football coach at Kansas State University, also in December 2005. 

“During the span of one prolific week, two recent graduates of the NCAA Coaches Academy have been selected as head football coaches in Division I,” said Charlotte Westerhaus, vice president of the NCAA Office of Diversity and Inclusion.  “That not only reflects well on the stellar quality of the academy, but most importantly, it speaks directly to the outstanding caliber of recent participants,” Westerhaus said referring to coaches Prince and Wilson.

The coaches will participate in workshops during the three-day program that focus on:

The NCAA administers its Expert Coaching Academy with support from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA); the Black Coaches Association (BCA); and the National Football League (NFL).  The academy will precede the BCA convention, which also is being held at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa.