As many know, Dan Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, created the Rooney Rule in the National Football League. The purpose of the Rooney Rule is to ensure that NFL teams interview minority coaches for high-level coaching positions. Although the Rooney Rule is often debated and challenged, since its implementation, one reporter revealed that the percentage of minority head coaches increased to over 22 percent from a modest 6 percent. Within the last five years, five of 10 head coaches who led their teams to the Super Bowl were African-American, and the teams coached by two of the five African-American coaches won the Super Bowl. Despite disputes over whether the Rooney Rule is necessary or politically correct, its success is notable.
Also a topic of great debate is whether the Rooney Rule will or should be implemented in corporate America, and to what extent. The Minority Corporate Counsel Association reported that 101 women served as general counsel at Fortune 500 companies in 2010, women now represent 20 percent of top legal positions at Fortune 500 companies and minorities represent 10 percent. Is this a result of corporate America implementing the Rooney Rule?
