Lovie, Dungy have a dream

African-American coaches would love to meet in Miami

''Today we celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., so it's kind of a special day,'' Smith said. ''On a personal note, I officially became a part of the Bears three years ago [today], so I have a lot of good things going on.''

Historically good things. Smith is vying to become the first African American to coach a team to the Super Bowl. Three black coaches -- Tony Dungy, Dennis Green and Art Shell -- have brought a total of five teams to a conference championship game, but none made it to the Super Bowl.

Smith will become the fourth to try Sunday, and shortly after the Bears conclude the NFC Championship Game showdown with the New Orleans Saints, Dungy will make his third attempt when his Indianapolis Colts host the New England Patriots.

Sports, by definition more than concern for social ills, always has led the way in integration. Smith loves the idea of getting to the Super Bowl for a showdown with the Colts and his old friend and mentor, Dungy. The men could make history together and ensure that one of them climbs to the summit.

''It would be special if that happened,'' Smith said. ''Tony is a good friend. I'm a big Colts fan since they're on the AFC side. We realize the position we're in, and it hasn't happened a lot of times. We have an opportunity to do something special.''

Diversity in coaching has long been a hot-button issue in the NFL. In a league in which most of the players are black, only seven of the 32 head coaches this season were African-American. That's the highest number in league history, but two of them -- Green in Arizona and Shell in Oakland -- were fired at the end of the season.

Progress in getting minority coaches into position to be hired has come slow in the NFL. The threat of a lawsuit led to the adoption in 2002 of the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for every head-coaching opening. But unlike the NBA, where enough African-American coaches have been hired, fired, rehired and fired again, the NFL is not above reproach in its hiring practices.

Smith isn't just a head coach. He's a black head coach.

''I hope for a day when it is unnoticed, but that day isn't here,'' Smith said. ''This is the first time that two black men have led their teams to the final four. You have to acknowledge that. I realize the responsibility that comes with that.

''But as much as anything, I realize my responsibility of just being the head coach of the Chicago Bears, and it's been a long time since we've been in this position. Just excited for our team to be able to take another step.''

Smith and his wife, Mary Anne, traveled to Indianapolis during the Bears' bye on wild-card weekend and had dinner with Dungy, Kansas City Chiefs coach Herm Edwards and their wives. The next day, Dungy and Edwards met in the playoffs for the second time; they are the only African-American head coaches to do so.

Smith is a proud and ambitious man, as evidenced by his remarkable journey from Big Sandy, Texas, to big-city Chicago. His one-stoplight hometown, about 100 miles east of Dallas, named a street in his honor. It's a fitting symbol because he hit the road on a coaching career that included six stops in the college ranks before he landed in Tampa Bay as a linebackers coach under Dungy.

He moved to the St. Louis Rams as defensive coordinator and then assistant head coach before getting the Bears job. Smith has produced a 29-19 record in three seasons, becoming the first coach in team history to make the playoffs in two of his first three seasons.

Dungy has been one of the winningest coaches in the regular season, first with the Buccaneers and now with the Colts, but he entered the playoffs this season with a 5-8 career record. He can get to .500 on Sunday against the archnemesis Patriots.

African-American coaches have argued that they have to be more than just good to keep their jobs. Indeed, in the 51 combined seasons by Dungy, Smith, Green, Shell, Edwards, Ray Rhodes, Marvin Lewis and Romeo Crennel, their teams have made 27 playoff appearances.