As a Cowboys employee in the 1970s and 1980s, John Wooten says he is saddened that there are no black executives in the Cowboys' front office hierarchy.
"We still have to make sure that clubs don't ignore African-Americans when it comes to their off-the-field leadership positions," said Mr. Wooten, who lives in Arlington and formerly served as the Cowboys' director of pro personnel. He is now chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which advocates the hiring of minority coaches in the NFL.
As the Cowboys search for a head coach, Mr. Wooten said he hoped the Cowboys would consider minority candidates Jim Caldwell, the Indianapolis Colts' assistant head coach, and Ron Rivera, the Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator.
Neither Mr. Caldwell, who also serves as the Colts' quarterbacks coach, nor Mr. Rivera would be available to interview until after the Super Bowl.
The Cowboys have fulfilled the mandate of the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching jobs, by talking to Todd Bowles, their defensive backs coach for the last two seasons.
