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Celebrating the Pioneers: Coach Colzie reflects on significance of Black History Month
Posted: Feb 11, 2022

Celebrating the Pioneers: Coach Colzie reflects on significance of Black History Month

As one of three Black head coaches currently in U SPORTS Football, James Colzie III understands the importance of recognizing and celebrating those who paved the way for future generations. The following is a transcript of an interview with Coach Colzie and has been edited for clarity.

"To me, Black History Month is about celebrating the pioneers who paved the way and have helped me to get the opportunity to be where I am today. There were a lot of people who went through pain and struggles, murmurs and name calling, and all of those things helped me get to the point where I am today.

When I think of Black History Month, I don't necessarily think of myself but I think of my family members and other people who kind of paved the way, and sacrificed to help get to this point where I can be a head coach in U SPORTS or the NCAA. I'm able to come in here everyday and work, and I know this just didn't happen for me, two or three years ago, it was something that happened a long time ago, and people had to go through a lot just to allow me the opportunity to do what I love and coach here at Saint Mary's University.

I always think of my grandfather (James "Fireball" Colzie). He played in the Negro Leagues way back in the day and would have been a Major League Baseball player if he was given that opportunity, but he wasn't. He used to travel around and play against the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees as a Negro League All-Star. So he was good enough to play against them in exhibition games, but they would never sign him as a major leaguer because of the colour of his skin. 

There were a lot of Black athletes who made a huge impact, not only in sports, but in the world, and you always remember the guys who did it first. Jackie Robinson comes to mind, and more than how he played the sport of baseball, it was what he had to go through just to get to that point. Not everyone knows that Jackie was an amazing athlete in not just baseball, but several other sports, and I think actually playing sports was the easy part for him, compared to everything he had to go through and the racism he had to face to get to that level. Jim Brown is definitely another mentor who it comes to football, an amazing athlete and a trailblazer in his time.

Any coach, whether they are Black or White or any ethnicity, is just looking for an opportunity to lead young men. I think once you get that opportunity, it is up to you to prove yourself, but I think the biggest thing is getting that chance. I was given that opportunity in 2016 and it's been a blessing to me and my family.

There is still a discrepancy in the numbers (of diversity in coaches compared to players) and I'm hopeful that it's getting better. We need athletic directors across Canada and the United States to give the opportunity to more coaches and people who deserve it, regardless of their ethnicity, and I'm hopeful that's happening.

A big part of sports is about connecting and knowing another person, who maybe doesn't have the same experience as you. We take pride in bringing in players from all across North America and the World. We want the best players, but we also want great people, regardless of where they come from. And I hope that having our athletes be part of something larger…a team, a family, with people from outside of their comfort zone... gives them some perspective, and a different view on life."