News / Sports
Larry Coker fired by University of Miami
A 59-15 record over six years, a perfect season, a BCS national championship, and one bad year equals goodbye. College football’s latest casualty in the “what have you done for me lately” mind set is Larry Coker, fired after six seasons as head coach of the Miami Hurricanes.
The firing was announced one day after Coker’s ‘Canes knocked off # 18 Boston College 17-14 to become bowl eligible and salvage a less than acceptable 6-6 season.
Athletics director Paul Dee gave Coker the news early Friday. The school will buyout the remainder of Coker’s contract which will amount to $2.4 to $3 million dollars. Coker still has three years left on a contract that was paying him close to $3 million per season.
At a press conference Dee stated, “The University has made a decision to change head coaches for our football program.”
Coker began his stint as head coach in 2001 and led his team to a perfect 12-0 record and BCS title. The next year Coker continued the magic and the Hurricanes ran off another 12 wins and landed in the Fiesta Bowl, playing for the BCS Championship once again. Miami lost that game to Ohio State in double overtime, the last time the Hurricanes would play for a national championship under Coker.
While the next three years didn’t provide a national championship, the Hurricanes did win 29 games and beat in-state rivals FSU (2003) and Florida (2004) in bowl games.
Over the course of his head coaching career at Miami Coker won more games than any other Miami coach with the exception of Dennis Erickson.
Rumored to be among the candidates for the open position are former Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez, Rutgers Greg Schiano, and Tulsa coach Steve Kragthorpe.
If Miami is selected to play in a bowl game Larry Coker will pace the sideline as their head coach for the last time.
