Out of 54 coaches across App State’s 16 sports, 10 are coaches of color, nine of which are Black. With a leadership position at a predominantly white university, these coaches have a unique opportunity to lead and nurture student-athletes of color.
“I feel like that’s one of the biggest things that sticks out to me because I got some of the … kids on the team that want to reach out to me or text me about how they’re feeling,” assistant wrestling coach Randall Diabe said. “That’s something very important to these young guys … to see somebody that’s been through the program, is the same color and he’s at a higher position.