Norm Chow to the Chargers!

As most of you already know, I'm a big Norm Chow fan. And why shouldn't I be? He's probably the highest profile Asian-American football coach in America. And he's brilliant. He's coached 3 Heisman Trophy winners, he's been successful everywhere he's coached, at every level, and he's a class guy.

SO WHY ISN'T HE A HEAD COACH?

He's definitely paid his dues, he's more than qualified, and he's clearly interested, having interviewed multiple times for head coaching positions. Yet, while 30 year old kids who haven't even been coordinators, ie. Lane Kiffin to the Raiders, are getting head coaching gigs, Chow continues to be the perpetual bridesmaid. Chow even coached Steve Sarkisian, the Raider's top choice, in college and was over both Sark and Kiffin while he was at USC.

While I'm convinced that there is some discrimination involved, I can understand the position of most college ADs. They have to appease their alumni/booster base who make significant contributions to school athletic funds and are often directly involved in the hiring and firing of ADs and coaches. I can also accept the argument that Chow is somewhat reserved and quiet, a style which might not work very well with 18-22 year olds, both in recruiting and game situations. Although I could argue that there are plenty of coaches who are not the "rah, rah" cheerleading types who have been very successful at the college level. I'm still a bit disappointed that he didn't get the Stanford job a couple years back. Not only is a significant part of the alumni base Asian, there's also little pressure from the alumni base with regards to football. I feel somewhat vindicated seeing Walt Harris bomb and released after 2 years. Stanford's loss, big-time.

All this brings me to my current argument, that Chow should be the leading candidate for the San Diego Chargers head coaching job. First of all, it's an NFL job. Owners have all the control. They don't have to answer to pushy boosters and alumni, in fear of losing their jobs/team. All they really have to do is produce a winning product. Secondly, Chow's personality/demeanor should work fine with an NFL team. He actually reminds me a bit of Bill Belichek, arguably the best NFL head coach of this generation. Thirdly, he's a great fit for the Chargers personnel. Chow has shown time and time again that he knows how to use offensive talent. Give him Philip Rivers(who he coached at NC State), LT, and Antonio Gates, and he will lead the league in scoring. Of course, he'll probably need to hire a good defensive coordinator, but if he wants to give me a chance, I'm ready. :)

By the way, here's a good read on the topic of Chow and minority hiring in football.
http://www.popmatters.com/sports/features/050303-normchow.shtml