By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer calls a play at the line of scrimmage, Wednesday during practice at training camp in Georgetown, Ky. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Almost 800 men have participated in the NFL's Minority Coaching Fellowship Program since its 1987 inception.

But today will mark a milestone for the program. The Bengals-Jets preseason game at the Meadowlands will be the first time two former participants will meet as NFL head coaches.

Marvin Lewis, in his first game has an NFL head coach, will face New York's Herman Edwards - who is beginning his third year.

And as efforts to promote minority hiring continue in the NFL, another 81 black coaches are participating in the program during training camp this year - including a first for the Bengals in Salisbury University coach Sherman Wood.

Another offseason development was the formation of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, a group of coaches and executives promoting minority hiring in the NFL. It's under the direction of Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow and named for Pollard, who in the 1920s was the first black coach in NFL history.

Lewis interned for the 49ers in 1988 and the Chiefs in 1991.

"It provides a great environment for a college coach to see how an NFL team works," he said of the program.

"It gives them a chance to learn more about football. Hopefully, you're attracting people to that program that could be hired if an opening becomes available."

Lewis has four assistant coaches, all in their first year with the Bengals, who also participated in the program. They are defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, defensive line coach Jay Hayes, linebackers coach Ricky Hunley and wide receivers coach Alex Wood.

In all, six of Lewis' assistants are African-American.

Still, around the 32-team league, Lewis is just one of three African-American head coaches and the only one of the five new ones hired in the offseason. He is just one of eight black head coaches in NFL history.

The other four new hires are white, including Steve Mariucci with the Detroit Lions, a team recently fined $200,000 by the NFL for violating its minority hiring guidelines by not interviewing a minority candidate.

Lewis is reluctant to discuss the topic of minority hiring in detail.

Asked this week if meeting another black head coach in his first game was significant, Lewis said: "Yes, I think that's a big thing, but it ends there. We're both coaches at that point, and we have to coach football."

Lewis' career path crossed briefly with Edwards' in Kansas City in 1991. Lewis, an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh at the time, had an internship under former Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer. Edwards, who two years earlier had a fellowship with the Chiefs, was a Kansas City scout.

"Obviously, Herman is a man I have a lot of respect for," Lewis said. "He's been a very good friend of mine and a mentor, so I am excited."

Edwards was more willing this past week to talk about the historic matchup and Lewis' hiring.

"It is his first game as head coach, and I am glad it is against us," Edwards said of Lewis. "He is a long time coming, and you know when you meet a guy like that.

"There are not that many African-American coaches, so you remember those games. ... It doesn't hit you now, but 25 years from now, it will be a historical moment. For me, it couldn't happen to a better guy."

Indianapolis' Tony Dungy is the league's other black head coach. Lewis' Bengals will meet Dungy and the Colts in their preseason finale Aug. 29.

The meeting between Edwards and Dungy in last season's AFC wild-card game was the first postseason match of two black head coaches, which has happened 18 times in the regular season.

Edwards said he met Lewis when he was on the Pitt staff. Edwards' offensive coordinator with the Jets, Paul Hackett, was Pitt's head coach and the one who hired Lewis away from New Mexico.

"You could tell that he was going to be a very good coach," said Edwards, who has a 20-15 composite record with the Jets. "He's a guy that has been a great coach, and he's waited for his chance. He's done that in a classy way. He kept his composure and he knew he would get his chance some day."

Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh saw the same qualities in Lewis. Walsh, a former Bengals assistant under Paul Brown, hired Lewis as an intern with the 49ers.

"Marvin demonstrated a lot of ability and maturity," Walsh told the Enquirer. "I was really excited for him (to get the Bengals job) and take a lot of pride and satisfaction in having selected good people."

After 11 years working his way up the coaching ranks in college, Lewis was hired in 1992 by then-rookie head coach Bill Cowher to coach the Steelers' linebackers. After four years in Pittsburgh, Lewis spent six years as defensive coordinator for the Ravens, whose record-setting defense in 2000 led Baltimore to the Super Bowl title.

After one year as Washington's defensive coordinator, Lewis was hired by the Bengals Jan. 14.

Lewis hired a staff and oversaw a productive free agent season and a draft rated in the NFL's top three.

Former Titans defensive tackle John Thornton was one of the players Lewis attracted in free agency.

As an African-American, Thornton said the opportunity to play for a black head coach factored into his decision to sign with the Bengals.

"I knew, coming in, that (Lewis) had a challenge here, and that if he failed here he might not get another head coaching job," Thornton said. "I wanted to come in here and help."

First, though, Thornton said, Lewis' record as a defensive coordinator - regardless of his race - was a reason he wanted to play for him. Lewis' 2000 Ravens defense sliced 22 points off the previous mark by holding opponents to 165 points in a 16-game schedule.

"He has given me the opportunity to come in here - they're paying me well - and I just want to return that and help him, because I know the kind of things he's going to go through."

Eight men in

The Bengals' Marvin Lewis is the NFL's eighth African-American head coach. The others:

Fritz Pollard: Akron, 1921; Milwaukee, 1925

Art Shell: L.A. Raiders, 1989-94

Dennis Green: Minnesota, 1992-2001

Ray Rhodes: Philadelphia, 1995-98; Green Bay, 1999

Tony Dungy: Tampa Bay, 1996-2001; Indianapolis, 2002-present

Terry Robiskie: Washington, 2000

Herman Edwards: Jets, 2001-present

---E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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