After his retirement, Wood stayed very active in the coaches associations he had become involved with over the years.

Officials of the coaches association say they have been all but forced to consider taking legal action because ownership has reacted slowly to their concerns.

But according to the Coaches Association, almost 70 percent of children quit playing sports by age 13, because, they say, it stopped being fun.

"This is a monumental day for the coaches association," Kennan said in a news conference at the headquarters of the players union here.

His track record as a coach, educator and president of the coaches association indicate that he will keep his word.

The coaches association decided which representatives to send.

The Black Coaches Association is part of a growing campaign for affirmative action in sports.

While the coaches association has vigorously pushed safety initiatives, it has only so much influence.

It was almost four decades later that the Black Coaches Association formed.

Some coaches wanted to sue to remove those restraints, members of the coaches association said last week.