It’s official: Obama selects Clinton as Secretary of State

The decision to select Clinton has been the topic of much speculation for the past month, and Obama made his intentions clear during a press conference announcing his decision. “She possesses an extraordinary intelligence and toughness and a remarkable work ethic,” he said in his introduction of the former first lady. “She is an American of tremendous stature who will have my complete confidence, who knows many of the world’s leaders, who will command respect in every capitol and who will clearly have the ability to advance our interests around the world.”

In addition, Obama announced that Robert Gates will retain his post as defense secretary. The President-elect also named Gen. James Jones as White House national security advisor, former Justice Department official Eric Holder as attorney general, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as secretary of homeland security and Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations.

Obama has wasted no time in filling the most important cabinet positions during the transition process. In ongoing  discussions since Clinton conceded to Obama in the Democratic primary, many political pundits and voters have wondered if they’d heard the last of Clinton.
After being introduced as the new secretary of state, Clinton expressed her respect for Obama and the new administration. “I am proud to join you,” she said. “May God bless you and our great country.” –gavin philip godfrey

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Sadly for college football and the black community, Croom’s departure takes the overall number of black coaches in Division 1 down to three. Coupled with Croom’s resignation were the firings of Tyrone Willingham at the University of Washington and Ron Prince at Kansas State. With coaching vacancies in football programs around the country, it will be interesting to see if the number of African American head coaches increases before the start of the 2009 season. Yet, with the number of black coaches at its lowest mark since 1993 and the fact that from 1996 to 2006 only 12 of 199 vacancies went to blacks, the NCAA is looking at more glaring problems than just their Bowl Championship system.

Here are the three black coaches who will assuredly be working in 2009 and a look at what they have done to be successful. –billy blog thornton

Who: Turner Gill
School: University of Buffalo
How he’s succeeded: A former offensive assistant in the National Football League, Gill was touted as one of the nation’s top recruiters while he was with Nebraska (1996-2004). In 2006, Gill took a lowly University of Buffalo football program and led them to five wins — their most ever — a feat that earned Gill the Mid-American Coach of the Year award. This year, Gill led the Buffs to seven wins and the Mid-American East Conference regular season title. The Buffs are set to face undefeated Ball State this Friday for the league championship. Gill is currently a candidate for the head coaching job at Syracuse University.

Who: Randy Shannon
School: University of Miami
How he’s succeeded: Known as a defensive and recruiting mastermind, Shannon was tapped by Miami to revive the program. After a tumultuous first year, in which “The U” finished with a sub-500 season and missed the postseason, the Canes were a legitimate Atlantic Coastal Conference contender this year. At seven wins, Miami is bowl eligible and thanks to Shannon, a once-storied program is now playing and acting on their proud tradition.

Who: Kevin Sumlin
School: University of Houston
How he’s succeeded: It took 60 years, but Sumlin is the first-ever black coach for the University of Houston’s football program. In just his first year with the Cougars, the former University of Oklahoma offensive coordinator made his team a contender in Conference USA and led them to two victories over ranked opponents this year. Along with Gill, Sumlin is a top candidate for the head coaching vacancy at Syracuse University.