But some in college athletics circles worry that Xs and Os shouldn't be the only consideration; that diversity is important, especially when a large percentage of student-athletes are people of color.

Black student-athletes comprise 63 percent of basketball players and 55 percent of football players in the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly called Division I. But of the 119 football teams in that division, just eight are run by head coaches of color.

"We all hire people in all areas that we know and have relationships with it," said Tennessee State University Athletics Director Teresa Phillips, who is African-American. "That's why we have to work harder."

Improving diversity was been a key topic during last weekend's NCAA convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center.

Proposed solutions ranged from creation of a National Football League-style "Rooney Rule," which would require programs to at least interview candidates from certain demographic groups for each vacancy or face penalties, up to outright lawsuits.

"Recognition of this problem has grown recently and good leadership is emerging, especially among the Division I athletics directors and others," NCAA President Myles Brand said in his state of the association speech on Saturday. "But proof of change is in the actual appointments to these positions and that has not yet occurred."

About 26 percent of major college basketball coaches and less than 7 percent of football coaches are men of color, according to Black Coaches Association Executive Director Floyd Keith.

Ole Miss, Duke and Arkansas all had openings recently but none hired a coach of color. UCLA fired its black head coach and hired a white coach.

Excluding historically black college and universities, there are currently 16 head coaches of color among the 616 institutions in the three NCAA athletic divisions, according to numbers provided by the NCAA.

It is not something of which the association is proud.

"It has been a perplexing, frustrating, and embarrassing issue for quite some time," said Charlotte Westerhaus, the NCAA's Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion.

Yet, the NCAA feels powerless to force administrators' hands - even with something like a Rooney Rule, which was adopted by the NFL in 2003 and has helped the organization employ black head coaches in 19 percent of its positions.

Westerhaus said the main reason why a Rooney Rule-type amendment wouldn't work at the collegiate level is because the NCAA is an association and not a league, meaning it does not have the authority to impose hiring or interview regulations on its member institutions.

Many colleges and universities are thankful for that. At the same time, however, a good number of administrators say they would like to see some accountability in regard to diversity hiring issues.

"I would not want the NCAA telling me how to run my campus," Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney McPhee said. "Telling me who to hire as my football coach is like them telling me who to hire as my provost or my vice president. Where do you stop on that?

"Having said that, I do think there has to be some accountability of an institution reflecting the values of the organization. I am not saying you hire a person because of his or her color or gender, but when you look at the numbers, clearly the problem is there and clearly someone has to hold someone accountable."

The Black Coaches Association might attempt to inspire more immediate and lasting change. There has been discussion in the organization of a Title VII-inspired lawsuit focused on setting precedent or spurring legislation that would change the universities' practices.

Title VII is the part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that makes it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of race.

"You hope that it doesn't take a train wreck to draw a crowd but the numbers are so ridiculous and out of sync," said Keith, the executive director of the minority coaches group. "I have heard all the reasons why it can't be and I am tired of the excuses. There is no reason for there to be such a difference or distance (between the percentage of black athletes and the percentage of minority coaches)."

Minority football coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I)

- Ken Niumatalolo, Navy, Polynesian-American.

- Mario Cristobal, Florida International University, Latino-American.

- Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State, black.

- Turner Gill, University of Buffalo, black.

- Ron Prince, Kansas State, black.

- Randy Shannon, University of Miami (FL), black.

- Tyrone Willingham, Washington, black.