On this episode of Blacklight on Sports, hosts Charles Hallman and Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald sit down with EJ Shelby, the newly named head football coach at Anoka High School, on his long road to a head coaching job and what it means to lead as a Black man in education.
Black coaches
Posted inOdds and Ends
First-year coaches Terry, Smith named ACE’s Best in Black College Basketball
ACE Black basketball coaching honor roll 2026 recognizes Tierra Terry and Nolan Smith as Heads of the Class alongside Howard and Prairie View A&M head coaches.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Illinois Head Softball Coach Tyra Perry on 700 Career Wins, Big Ten Diversity and Building a Family
Tyra Perry Illinois softball coach reflects on 700 career wins, Big Ten diversity and the people who make coaching worth every moment in an MSR interview.
Posted inCoaching while Black
New Saints head coach finds St. Scholastica a good fit
St. Scholastica men’s basketball coach Jared Drake reflects on faith, leadership, and being the MIAC’s only Black head coach.
Posted inOpinion
The Mike Tomlin Standard
Mike Tomlin stepped away from the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 seasons, closing one of the most remarkable coaching tenures in NFL history and redefining leadership for generations of Black coaches.
Posted inAnother View
Abe’s back, Chip resigns
Abe Woldeslassie returned to Minnesota with Denver as MIAC coaching milestones marked leadership changes across the conference.
Posted inBlack College Sports Report
Florida A&M’s new men’s head BB coach has storied past
Former Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward begins his first season as Florida A&M’s men’s basketball head coach, bringing leadership, experience, and family legacy back to FAMU.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Wood leads St. Olaf volleyball to historic season
Alicia Wood guided St. Olaf to one of the school’s best volleyball seasons ever, finishing the MIAC regular season undefeated at 11-0 and earning the league’s top seed in last month’s postseason tournament in her second season on the Hill in Northfield, MN. The Oles captured two of the league’s four major awards: Wood was […]
Posted inOdds and Ends
Augsburg, Hamline bring two Black head coaches to the field
Augsburg’s KiJuan Ware and Hamline’s Chip Taylor made MIAC history as two Black head coaches faced each other for only the second time. Charles Hallman highlights why the moment matters for representation in college sports and shares other key MIAC sports updates.
Posted inAnother View
Gopher hoopsters get new Black coaches
Both U of M basketball teams have coaching additions this season. Corey Green is in his first season as basketball operations director for the women’s basketball team. He formerly spent four seasons at Old Dominion in a similar position, and served on coaching staffs at Memphis (three seasons) and Detroit (two years). He got his […]
Posted inCoaching while Black
St. Thomas boasts college hockey’s only Black assistant coachÂ
St. Thomas assistant coach Leon Hayward reflects on his 20-year coaching journey and his status as the only Black assistant coach in college hockey, helping lead the Tommies through a successful DI transition.
Posted inCoaching while Black
Strength, development coaches mostly work behind the scenes
From custom lift plans to game-day meals, St. Paul Saints strength coach Stephen Hopkins focuses on durability and routines that keep players healthy. Across town, the Lynx’s Sefu Bernard brings a chess-minded, culture-first strategy to player development as Minnesota chases another deep postseason run-two Black leaders shaping performance behind the scenes.
Posted inCoaching while Black
New Mystics head coach ‘humble but enthusiastic’
First-year Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson and longtime WNBA coach Shelley Patterson bring Black excellence and experience to one of the league’s youngest teams.
Posted inSports
Social media’s sports coverage lacks cultural literacy
Tonya McKenzie is calling out how Black athletes and coaches are portrayed in sports media and pushing for more Black voices in leadership and commentary roles.
Posted inBlacklight On Sports
Brianna Edwards on Trusting the Process: From Athlete to Coach
Brianna Edwards joins Blacklight On Sports to talk about her journey from pro athlete to head coach and consultant—building athletes into leaders for life.
Posted inCoaching while Black
MLB manager’s advice to hopefuls: ‘You gotta nail the interview’
In this Coaching While Black feature, Los Angeles Angels Manager Ron Washington reflects on leadership, resilience, and the challenges Black MLB coaches face.
Posted inAnother View
Sky fans assess new all-Black coaching staff
Chicago Sky fans shared mixed feelings about the team’s all-Black coaching staff, rising ticket prices, and early struggles in the 2025 WNBA season.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Transfer portal, NIL add to the pressure on Black coaches
The double-edged new normal in college athletics today is the transfer portal and NIL (name, image and likeness). Since it was introduced in 2019, the number of men’s and women’s basketball players in the portal has increased each year from hundreds in 2019 to thousands in 2025.
Posted inLynx/WNBA
Majority Black league’s first team with all-Black coaches
For the first time in WNBA history, the Chicago Sky has an all-Black coaching staff, a milestone in a majority Black league and a powerful statement on representation.
Posted inCoaching while Black
Losing coach hopes for better days
Jazmone Turner’s first season as Delaware State WBB Coach was not without its ups and downs. It also can make a coach, even one as experienced as Turner, self-question what they are doing.