While Hispanic representation in NCAA football is not uncommon, it is most certainly a rarity.
According to the NCAA, of the 76,894 total football players in NCAA football this season, 3,592 were of Hispanic descent.
Those percentages are especially low in the coaching ranks, too. Of the 690 defensive coordinators coaching in the NCAA, only nine are Hispanic.
Javier Gonzalez, longtime assistant and defensive coordinator at Mississippi Valley State, is a part of that minority.
In the wake of Vincent Dancy resigning to take a job with Deion Sanders at Colorado, Gonzalez was named the interim head coach — the first Hispanic coach in the history of the SWAC to be elevated to the position.
However, he did not hold the position for very long as the Delta Devils hired Kendrick Wade as head coach on Dec. 29.
But that experience was the latest chapter in Gonzalez’s unconventional path in football.
Gonzalez got a late start beginning in the seventh grade because his family was unfamiliar with the game and didn’t allow him to get involved at first.
“It was hard,” Gonzalez told HBCU Sports about convincing his parents to let him play football. “My parents are from Mexico so they didn’t know about American football. They knew about football, the International game of soccer. I had my struggles early trying to convince them to let me play. Eventually, they saw how much I enjoyed it, and then they were okay with it. It’s a dangerous sport, and they’re like, ‘How can that be fun?’ It actually ended up being my career for 17 years.”
Even with all the experience under his belt, coach Gonzalez spoke candidly about how he doesn’t look at himself as a coach but rather as a teacher.
“I love the camaraderie. I love the competition. I love being able to see young men become men and accomplish their goals,” he said. “To see them thrive, some of them graduate, and some of them play in the NFL. I’ve been fortunate to coach guys that got to play on Sunday, and from day one, they told me that was their dream. I did everything I could to try to help them because that’s what I do. That’s my job as a teacher to help achieve their goals.”
From law enforcement dream to football coach
Coming off a couple of stints coaching at the high school level, Gonzalez says his initial dream was to become an Illinois state trooper.
That is until one day he saw a listing for a secondary coach at Joliet Junior College on the website Football Scoop. After being given a shot to work with the team in the spring by then-head coach Jeremy Richardson, he was hired full-time.
However, his story does not end there. After two years with the team, he was soon out of a job as Joliet’s football program was disbanded.
Now working at a local business in Chicago, it seemed like Gonzalez’s coaching career was over. That is until he got a call from Wofford head coach Mike Ayers offering him a job for the defensive quality control position. Gonzalez had previously interviewed for the job a year prior but was not hired.
Gonzalez has continued to build on his resume ever since with other previous stops, including Southern Miss, Minot State, Brevard College, and Jones County Junior College.
He spoke candidly about how he has been blessed with the opportunities he has received in his career.
“When I started this journey coaching high school, I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined if you would have told me I would be an FCS football coach, I would have said you’re crazy,” Gonzalez said.
Embracing the HBCU experience
The Delta Devils assistant coach is not new to the HBCU space as he also has previous stints at Kentucky State and Coahoma Community College.
Gonzalez speaks very highly of the HBCU experience and the things that make them unique compared to institutions he has coached previously.
“Every day listening to the band, at every HBCU, you are going to hear the band. From the fraternities and sororities, greek life goes hand in hand with the HBCU experience because it is a main part of the community and it is something you need to embrace when you enter the HBCU community,” said Gonzalez.
“The fan support is different, and it hits differently. Even at Mississippi Valley, sometimes on Thursday night, the RVs start rolling in. The parking lot is full of RVs with their flags and the barbecuing and just the pageantry of gameday the desire of the fanbases. There’s nothing like it at other universities compared to HBCUs.”
Regarding educating people on HBCUs, Gonzalez does not believe the responsibility is one specific group of people but everyone in the HBCU community.
“It comes down to promotion. Are we with open arms accepting everybody? Are we telling everybody of all ethnical, racial, and sexual backgrounds to take a look at us? Are we pushing the narrative as the HBCU community to say why not us? If we get more people to come out, talk about their experience, and educate people on what it’s like (at an HBCU) I think it’d be big,” he said.
UPDATE: Coach Gonzalez has told HBCU Sports that he has since been let go by Mississippi Valley State.
