A waiting game that's too long. (College Football).(too few African American head coaches)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

If it were up to Georgia running backs coach Tony Pierce, the outgoing head of the minority issues committee of the American Football Coaches Association, there would be no need to talk about why there aren't enough black head coaches in football.

"The day I'm no longer talking to you about this issue," he says, "is the day we'll have enough minority head coaches."

That day seems a far way off. There were 13 Division I-A coaching openings after the 2001 season, but the number of black coaches in I-A actually thinned from five to four because of Jerry Baldwin's departure from Louisiana-Lafayette. That leaves Tyrone Willingham at Notre Dame, Bobby Williams at Michigan State, Fitz Hill at San Jose State and Tony Samuel at New Mexico State. They make up only 3.4 percent of the I-A coaching ranks.

The problem isn't a lack of qualified candidates. Besides the numerous names in the pros, the college ranks include Miami defensive coordinator Randy Shannon and Nebraska quarterbacks coach Turner Gill.

The leader of the college pack is South Carolina defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, 41, who interviewed for jobs at Vanderbilt, California and Kansas after last season. He wasn't hired, but it probably was just as well, as he can do better.

"I feel I'm ready," says Strong, the only black coordinator in the SEC. "My time will come. I just have to be patient. You don't want to be hired because you're a minority but because of the job you do."

Thus far, his has been a job well done. Strong has built his reputation by building one of the nation's top defenses. That unit has been the foundation of the Gamecocks' revival under Lou Holtz, which has produced back-to-back Outback Bowl victories.