Coaching while Black
This occasional series will highlight Black coaches at all levels of sport.
This week: Nebraska Omaha MBB Head Coach Chris Crutchfield
Clem Haskins (1986-1999), when he coached at The Barn, sat on a small stool. No other coach before or after did this.
Chris Crutchfield last Saturday brought that stool out of storage and used it while he coached his Nebraska Omaha squad against the host Gophers. He’s recovering from recent foot surgery.
When told about Clem’s stool after the game, Crutchfield recalled, “I was in junior college here at Anoka Ramsey when Coach Haskins was here.” The Hopkinsville, Kentucky native is well aware of Haskins’ legendary college and pro playing career and the coaching career of Haskins, a fellow Kentuckian.
“I followed Clem a lot. I know his whole background, and [I’m] just proud to be an African American and have an opportunity to be a head coach,” continued Crutchfield. “I just come up all the time and watch games right here in Williams Arena. I remember he had really good teams.”
Omaha was the first of four visiting teams this season with Black head coaches on both sidelines. Also, last Saturday was the only time this season where both HCs once played at the same school they now coach—Johnson (20O3-04) at Minnesota and Crutchfield (1989-92) at UNO, where he played both football and basketball.
Crutchfield was named Omaha’s men’s basketball head coach in March 2022. His earlier head coaching stint was 2020-21 at East Central in Ada, Oklahoma. His 20 years of coaching experience include associate head coach at Arkansas and Oklahoma, and assistant stints at Oral Roberts, TCU, New Mexico State and Oregon.
Just like Johnson, who returned to find his alma mater a changed campus, so did Crutchfield over two decades later to the school where he got his bachelor and master’s degrees. His wife is also an UNO graduate.
“A lot has changed. They got two campuses now, got a brand new state of the art arena that we didn’t play in. The city has grown… It’s 1.2 million people now.
“Now we got a metropolitan university that has a chance to attract a lot of student athletes, and that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to sell our knowledge and experience to try to represent and build this program to be a powerful major program.”
If you recall, Clem Haskins’ son Brett was on the Gophers coaching staff and is now a longtime NBA scout. New this season to his coaching staff is Josh Crutchfield as player personnel assistant coach. Josh is one of the Crutchfields’ three sons.
“As far as working with my son,” noted the father, “it’s been interesting, because he comes to us from working in the NBA for the last two years. We got lucky enough to have a spot open. It’s been really fun just to have him around and watch him, and his mom was really happy because he’s back home.”
As both Crutchfield and Johnson enter their third and fourth seasons respectively, both Black coaches are working hard to make it work at their respective schools where they once played as collegiates.
“No doubt there’s a lot more pride,” said the Omaha HC. “[When] you got an opportunity to come back and to be put in the position of leadership, like we both have, you really want to do well. It’s a real underlying pressure for you internally just to do well because it’s your school.”
Crutchfield’s advice for Gopher fans: “[Coach Johnson] is doing a great job. Support him and give him everything he needs, because he’s one of your own.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.