Larry Coker

[McGahee2TheHouse]

That "search" was amateur hour at its finest. It'd have made interim AD Tony Hernandez proud (Harvard coach turned your quick job offer down, what?"). I remember they offered Wanny something equivalent to a lifetime contract that he thankfully turned and then President-elect Dahhhna made one last romantic overture toward Barry Alvarez. He spurned her love yet again so Paul Dee settled on good ol' Uncle Larry for something around $600k a year.

I've said it before but what almost concerns me more about "getting back" is how the university treats the program once we are back. From refusing to pay Jimmy to taking forever to remain competitive in all the ancillary crap to going cheap on hires, we have a history of not fostering continued success. I think we all can attest to how long it takes to put out a dumpster fire when things start to spiral out of control.

But people tell me the university gives a **** about football.

 

[SpikeUM]

I believe some leaders are only as successful as the employees around them. I liked Larry C, but when the team Sr leadership, who instilled discipline and respect in the younger players left, he couldn't do it alone. Golden talks about the team taking ownership and getting to that point. However, I believe and this is just my humble opinion, that some players, who were immature remained in that teenager self centered mode and the team fell apart. Once the wheels came off, Larry Coker was no longer the right coach. In 2001, I believe he was the right coach and if Ed Reed would have still been in the backfield as a critical informal leader UM would have it's 6th Championship.


I also agree with some of the posters here who brought up how management did not invest properly. I compare it to an entity of management, government or private, riding a product until the competition all around it has caught up and surpassed the product and then trying to blame others.

Great post! While Coker was obviously not the right coach for the long term, a lot of the blame goes to the administration, trying to do things on the cheap. Remember that our AD at the time was a lawyer handled to deal with the Pell scandal. He had no clue about Sports or Administration or Management.

 

[Tad Footeball]

That "search" was amateur hour at its finest. It'd have made interim AD Tony Hernandez proud (Harvard coach turned your quick job offer down, what?"). I remember they offered Wanny something equivalent to a lifetime contract that he thankfully turned and then President-elect Dahhhna made one last romantic overture toward Barry Alvarez. He spurned her love yet again so Paul Dee settled on good ol' Uncle Larry for something around $600k a year.

I've said it before but what almost concerns me more about "getting back" is how the university treats the program once we are back. From refusing to pay Jimmy to taking forever to remain competitive in all the ancillary crap to going cheap on hires, we have a history of not fostering continued success. I think we all can attest to how long it takes to put out a dumpster fire when things start to spiral out of control.

But people tell me the university gives a **** about football.

They do and Dahhhhna has shown a more recent (relatively speaking) willingness to make the necessary changes/improvements but we need to get to a point where the little things that have been used to recruit against us in the past don't add up to a major thing. Like I see we're only now getting a athletic dining hall. Kudos for making that happen to the current administration but that's something that other schools have had for 20 years already.

 

[McGahee2TheHouse]

That "search" was amateur hour at its finest. It'd have made interim AD Tony Hernandez proud (Harvard coach turned your quick job offer down, what?"). I remember they offered Wanny something equivalent to a lifetime contract that he thankfully turned and then President-elect Dahhhna made one last romantic overture toward Barry Alvarez. He spurned her love yet again so Paul Dee settled on good ol' Uncle Larry for something around $600k a year.

I've said it before but what almost concerns me more about "getting back" is how the university treats the program once we are back. From refusing to pay Jimmy to taking forever to remain competitive in all the ancillary crap to going cheap on hires, we have a history of not fostering continued success. I think we all can attest to how long it takes to put out a dumpster fire when things start to spiral out of control.

But people tell me the university gives a **** about football.

They do and Dahhhhna has shown a more recent (relatively speaking) willingness to make the necessary changes/improvements but we need to get to a point where the little things that have been used to recruit against us in the past don't add up to a major thing. Like I see we're only now getting a athletic dining hall. Kudos for making that happen to the current administration but that's something that other schools have had for 20 years already.

You don't fail on two, most likely three hires if you really care that much about football. It's either that or they are incompetent beyond all belief.

And yeah it's crazy. We are making Youtube videos to celebrate facilities schools have had for years now.

 

[caneaddict]

He failed at recruiting as Dan nailed and allowed Shapiro to infiltrate and poison the program, which both led to talent diminishing and the disappearance of Miami's edge/work ethic leading to having a bunch of entitled overrated players on campus

 

[3FW]

Coker was the right choice. They made two mistakes, one minor, one major. The minor one was not letting him go after the Peach Bowl debacle, the major one was hiring Shannon. They make the right hire in 2007, we are back in the top 10 and nobody notices the decline.

 

[niner]

He failed at recruiting as Dan nailed and allowed Shapiro to infiltrate and poison the program, which both led to talent diminishing and the disappearance of Miami's edge/work ethic leading to having a bunch of entitled overrated players on campus

This is true.

As a coach, he was good. He was the coordinator during the great times so he knows how to coach.

His management as the HC is where he failed, pretty much for the reason stated in the above post.

Funny how some like to make a comparison between someone who's wins were #trendingdown vs #trendingup.

 

[McGahee2TheHouse]

He failed at recruiting as Dan nailed and allowed Shapiro to infiltrate and poison the program, which both led to talent diminishing and the disappearance of Miami's edge/work ethic leading to having a bunch of entitled overrated players on campus

This is true.

As a coach, he was good. He was the coordinator during the great times so he knows how to coach.

His management as the HC is where he failed, pretty much for the reason stated in the above post.

Funny how some like to make a comparison between someone who's wins were #trendingdown vs #trendingup.

Fine, no Coker comparison. 5-7-9. Trending up going into year 4 too. Such a strong argument.

 

[niner]

He failed at recruiting as Dan nailed and allowed Shapiro to infiltrate and poison the program, which both led to talent diminishing and the disappearance of Miami's edge/work ethic leading to having a bunch of entitled overrated players on campus

This is true.

As a coach, he was good. He was the coordinator during the great times so he knows how to coach.

His management as the HC is where he failed, pretty much for the reason stated in the above post.

Funny how some like to make a comparison between someone who's wins were #trendingdown vs #trendingup.

Fine, no Coker comparison. 5-7-9. Trending up going into year 4 too. Such a strong argument.

Not about strong or weak, just the facts.

 

[CaneSince4Ever]

Coker was a horrible motivator, as evidenced by Ed Reed's "don't ask me if I'm hurt" speech. Maybe "it looks like a morgue in here", or "let's get our stingers back" would've played well in the 50s, but not during His tenure.

 

[DCH]

By the end of the 2000 season it was evident that we were absolutely loaded. Coker was a meh offensive coordinator but at the very least he wasn't an unknown who could potentially derail a MNC we ended up winning on autopilot. The problem is we never went off autopilot. Coker was the worst talent evaluator of all time, he had a gift for getting the least out of players, and essentially established from the top down that we were "NFL U" in that what you did in college was irrelevant. As such everyone got fat and lazy up until time for the combine, people left early when they had no business in doing so, and when his ****** recruiting caught up with him the bottom fell out in a hurry. What Shannon inherited in 2007 was a lot worse than what Golden inherited in 2011. Not saying what Golden inherited was anything special, but this program was a ******* disaster by the time Coker was done.

 

[McGahee2TheHouse]

By the end of the 2000 season it was evident that we were absolutely loaded. Coker was a meh offensive coordinator but at the very least he wasn't an unknown who could potentially derail a MNC we ended up winning on autopilot. The problem is we never went off autopilot. Coker was the worst talent evaluator of all time, he had a gift for getting the least out of players, and essentially established from the top down that we were "NFL U" in that what you did in college was irrelevant. As such everyone got fat and lazy up until time for the combine, people left early when they had no business in doing so, and when his ****** recruiting caught up with him the bottom fell out in a hurry. What Shannon inherited in 2007 was a lot worse than what Golden inherited in 2011. Not saying what Golden inherited was anything special, but this program was a ******* disaster by the time Coker was done.

"Guys, you need to chill out. Coker left the cupboard so bare that we had Brian Monroe playing WR"

 

[Miami82]

Coker was the right hire for 01, and there was evidence by the close games that he wasn't the motivator that was needed in 02. He was a players coach, and a decent OC. Bad manager of recruiting.

Here is an article I found when he took over.




It's no secret the University of Miami players wanted Larry Coker as their new coach. But what type of coach is the man in charge of continuing the Hurricanes' success?

Players say Coker is just as he seems -- a quiet, caring man with a tremendous work ethic who always stresses the importance of preparation and sets an example for them to follow.








Coker is not a screamer. He doesn't have to be. Players listen to him because of his demeanor and track record of achievement.

"He takes his time and helps you learn things," tailback Jarrett Payton said. "He doesn't yell, and he's a real nice guy. He makes sure you know everything."

Payton's respect for Coker also stems from the work he has put in with quarterback Ken Dorsey, who emerged in 2000 as one of the nation's top quarterbacks and is sure to receive Heisman Trophy hype in the coming season.

Dorsey went 188 of 322 for 2,737 yards, threw 25 touchdowns with five interceptions during the regular season, his first as a full-time starter.

"Dorsey just told me how much [Coker has] helped him out," Payton said. "I see what kind of coach he is."

Former wide receiver Andre King, who spent the past four seasons playing in Coker's offense, said Coker is a "quiet-type coach who's more concerned with being prepared."

"There were some times he left [Dorsey] the keys to his own office to lock up when he's done watching film," King said. "He wanted to make sure Kenny was prepared.

"I think he's going to have the same feel as a head coach. He's going to make sure the team is prepared."

Might there be some loud outbursts, though, even if they seem hard to believe?

"You don't like it to happen very often, but sure it can happen," Coker said.

Whether it does is separate from all he has accomplished as a coordinator. UM's offense scored a Big East and school record 469 points last season.

Though Coker has never been a head coach before, players think he can be successful for one main reason -- the talent that remains on the squad.






"We're going to win a lot of football games," left tackle Bryant McKinnie said.

Coker said he plans on hiring an offensive coordinator once recruiting is over, but that doesn't mean he won't call some plays.

He has not ruled that out, and he also has not ruled out making some play changes and installing some different things on offense and defense.

Off the field, Coker is just as caring with his players.

"The thing I love about him is out of the blue, he'll be walking around the Hecht [Athletic Center] and we'll be in the computer room and he'll walk in and be like, `JP, how are you doing?''' Payton said. "He comes and says hello and that shows you he cares."

As for some criticism he may receive for spending his career as an assistant, players dismiss that as an issue.

They couldn't be more thrilled with the type of coach they now have.

"We knew he'd be the best," Payton said.

 

[BigDikCane]

You could replace coker with golden in that article....

 

[SFbayCane]

Fair assessments in this thread IMO. I'll add a couple thoughts:

* Donna keeping Coker after the 2005 season really hurt the program. It was blatantly obvious at that point that Coker was the wrong man for the job but Donna said, "He deserves another year." Very poor decision on her part.

* The work Coker has done at UT San Antonio has been yeoman-like. Im very impressed with his success there. I think that is where he belongs; Running a lower level program. It shows he wasn't incompetent but rather shows that it takes a special type of person to succeed at an elite level program.

 

[Dan E. Dangerously]

By the end of the 2000 season it was evident that we were absolutely loaded. Coker was a meh offensive coordinator but at the very least he wasn't an unknown who could potentially derail a MNC we ended up winning on autopilot. The problem is we never went off autopilot. Coker was the worst talent evaluator of all time, he had a gift for getting the least out of players, and essentially established from the top down that we were "NFL U" in that what you did in college was irrelevant. As such everyone got fat and lazy up until time for the combine, people left early when they had no business in doing so, and when his ****** recruiting caught up with him the bottom fell out in a hurry. What Shannon inherited in 2007 was a lot worse than what Golden inherited in 2011. Not saying what Golden inherited was anything special, but this program was a ******* disaster by the time Coker was done.

"Guys, you need to chill out. Coker left the cupboard so bare that we had Brian Monroe playing WR"

Yea, I don't want this to spiral into a Golden bash thread. But when I see people post that the roster Golden was left with is worse than the one Randy was left with, it just isn't true. There's a few positions (all on the defensive side) that were worse. But every other position was better for Golden than it was for Randy.

[TABLE="width: 700"]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Randy 2007[/TD]
[TD]>/<[/TD]
[TD]Golden 2011[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]QB[/TD]
[TD]Wright & Freeman[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Harris & Morris[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]RB[/TD]
[TD]J. James, Thomas, G. Cooper[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]M. James, Miller, Johnson[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]FB[/TD]
[TD]Mabry[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Hagens[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]WR[/TD]
[TD]Jenkins, Leggett, Jones, Shields, Hill[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Benjamin, Byrd, Streeter, Hurns, Dorsett[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]TE[/TD]
[TD]Farr, Zelner, Gordon, Epps[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Walford, Ford, Cleveland, Dye[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]T[/TD]
[TD]Fox, Youngblood, Rutledge[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Washington, Henderson, Bunche[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]G[/TD]
[TD]Morse, Bain, Franklin[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Gunn, Linder, Feliciano[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]C[/TD]
[TD]Rochford, Trump[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Horn, McDermott[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]DT[/TD]
[TD]McCray, Dixon, Joseph, Abdallah[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Ojomo, Regis, Forston, Porter[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]DE[/TD]
[TD]Campbell, Franklin, Hendricks, Moncur[/TD]
[TD]>[/TD]
[TD]Robinson, Smith, Vernon, Green[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]OLB[/TD]
[TD]Gooden, Davis, Adkins, McCarthy[/TD]
[TD]>[/TD]
[TD]Futch, Cain, Buchanan, Perryman[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MLB[/TD]
[TD]Cook, Sharpton[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Spence, Gaines[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]CB[/TD]
[TD]Sharpe, Armour, Jonson, Grant[/TD]
[TD]>[/TD]
[TD]Chambers, Williams, McGee, Finnie[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]S[/TD]
[TD]K. Phillips, W. Cooper, R. Phillips, Ponder, Reddick[/TD]
[TD]>[/TD]
[TD]Telemaque, Nicolas, Armstrong, Highsmith, Rodgers[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


It's been so long (and we've sucked for so long) since Coker was here that some people are either forgetting how bad he was, or are simply misinformed.

SFbay is right. He's done a helluva job at UTSA. He belongs at a school like that. He just had no business being given the reigns at a top school like Miami.

 

[HurricaneU]

By the end of the 2000 season it was evident that we were absolutely loaded. Coker was a meh offensive coordinator but at the very least he wasn't an unknown who could potentially derail a MNC we ended up winning on autopilot. The problem is we never went off autopilot. Coker was the worst talent evaluator of all time, he had a gift for getting the least out of players, and essentially established from the top down that we were "NFL U" in that what you did in college was irrelevant. As such everyone got fat and lazy up until time for the combine, people left early when they had no business in doing so, and when his ****ty recruiting caught up with him the bottom fell out in a hurry. What Shannon inherited in 2007 was a lot worse than what Golden inherited in 2011. Not saying what Golden inherited was anything special, but this program was a ****ing disaster by the time Coker was done.

"Guys, you need to chill out. Coker left the cupboard so bare that we had Brian Monroe playing WR"

Yea, I don't want this to spiral into a Golden bash thread. But when I see people post that the roster Golden was left with is worse than the one Randy was left with, it just isn't true. There's a few positions (all on the defensive side) that were worse. But every other position was better for Golden than it was for Randy.

[TABLE="width: 700"]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Randy 2007[/TD]
[TD]>/<[/TD]
[TD]Golden 2011[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]QB[/TD]
[TD]Wright & Freeman[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Harris & Morris[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]RB[/TD]
[TD]J. James, Thomas, G. Cooper[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]M. James, Miller, Johnson[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]FB[/TD]
[TD]Mabry[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Hagens[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]WR[/TD]
[TD]Jenkins, Leggett, Jones, Shields, Hill[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Benjamin, Byrd, Streeter, Hurns, Dorsett[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]TE[/TD]
[TD]Farr, Zelner, Gordon, Epps[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Walford, Ford, Cleveland, Dye[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]T[/TD]
[TD]Fox, Youngblood, Rutledge[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Washington, Henderson, Bunche[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]G[/TD]
[TD]Morse, Bain, Franklin[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Gunn, Linder, Feliciano[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]C[/TD]
[TD]Rochford, Trump[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Horn, McDermott[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]DT[/TD]
[TD]McCray, Dixon, Joseph, Abdallah[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Ojomo, Regis, Forston, Porter[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]DE[/TD]
[TD]Campbell, Franklin, Hendricks, Moncur[/TD]
[TD]>[/TD]
[TD]Robinson, Smith, Vernon, Green[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]OLB[/TD]
[TD]Gooden, Davis, Adkins, McCarthy[/TD]
[TD]>[/TD]
[TD]Futch, Cain, Buchanan, Perryman[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MLB[/TD]
[TD]Cook, Sharpton[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Spence, Gaines[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]CB[/TD]
[TD]Sharpe, Armour, Jonson, Grant[/TD]
[TD]>[/TD]
[TD]Chambers, Williams, McGee, Finnie[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]S[/TD]
[TD]K. Phillips, W. Cooper, R. Phillips, Ponder, Reddick[/TD]
[TD]>[/TD]
[TD]Telemaque, Nicolas Armstrong, Highsmith, Rodgers[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


It's been so long (and we've sucked for so long) since Coker was here that some people are either forgetting how bad he was, or are simply misinformed.

SFbay is right. He's done a helluva job at UTSA. He belongs at a school like that. He just had no business being given the reigns at a top school like Miami.

Comparing what Coker took over vs what Shannon took over vs what Golden took over is like comparing apples to oranges and back to apples . The truly inexcusable is what Coker did.

 

[TommyCanes]

Randy was a horrible recruiter, but Larry's 2004 recruiting class is quite possibly the worst I've ever seen. At least Randy's 2010 class had a few productive players, but '04 was flat out putrid.

 

[CaneAlmighty]

By the end of the 2000 season it was evident that we were absolutely loaded. Coker was a meh offensive coordinator but at the very least he wasn't an unknown who could potentially derail a MNC we ended up winning on autopilot. The problem is we never went off autopilot. Coker was the worst talent evaluator of all time, he had a gift for getting the least out of players, and essentially established from the top down that we were "NFL U" in that what you did in college was irrelevant. As such everyone got fat and lazy up until time for the combine, people left early when they had no business in doing so, and when his ****ty recruiting caught up with him the bottom fell out in a hurry. What Shannon inherited in 2007 was a lot worse than what Golden inherited in 2011. Not saying what Golden inherited was anything special, but this program was a ****ing disaster by the time Coker was done.

"Guys, you need to chill out. Coker left the cupboard so bare that we had Brian Monroe playing WR"

Yea, I don't want this to spiral into a Golden bash thread. But when I see people post that the roster Golden was left with is worse than the one Randy was left with, it just isn't true. There's a few positions (all on the defensive side) that were worse. But every other position was better for Golden than it was for Randy.

[TABLE="width: 700"]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Randy 2007[/TD]
[TD]>/<[/TD]
[TD]Golden 2011[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]QB[/TD]
[TD]Wright & Freeman[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Harris & Morris[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]RB[/TD]
[TD]J. James, Thomas, G. Cooper[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]M. James, Miller, Johnson[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]FB[/TD]
[TD]Mabry[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Hagens[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]WR[/TD]
[TD]Jenkins, Leggett, Jones, Shields, Hill[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Benjamin, Byrd, Streeter, Hurns, Dorsett[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]TE[/TD]
[TD]Farr, Zelner, Gordon, Epps[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Walford, Ford, Cleveland, Dye[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]T[/TD]
[TD]Fox, Youngblood, Rutledge[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Washington, Henderson, Bunche[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]G[/TD]
[TD]Morse, Bain, Franklin[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Gunn, Linder, Feliciano[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]C[/TD]
[TD]Rochford, Trump[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Horn, McDermott[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]DT[/TD]
[TD]McCray, Dixon, Joseph, Abdallah[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Ojomo, Regis, Forston, Porter[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]DE[/TD]
[TD]Campbell, Franklin, Hendricks, Moncur[/TD]
[TD]>[/TD]
[TD]Robinson, Smith, Vernon, Green[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]OLB[/TD]
[TD]Gooden, Davis, Adkins, McCarthy[/TD]
[TD]>[/TD]
[TD]Futch, Cain, Buchanan, Perryman[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MLB[/TD]
[TD]Cook, Sharpton[/TD]
[TD]<[/TD]
[TD]Spence, Gaines[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]CB[/TD]
[TD]Sharpe, Armour, Jonson, Grant[/TD]
[TD]>[/TD]
[TD]Chambers, Williams, McGee, Finnie[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]S[/TD]
[TD]K. Phillips, W. Cooper, R. Phillips, Ponder, Reddick[/TD]
[TD]>[/TD]
[TD]Telemaque, Nicolas, Armstrong, Highsmith, Rodgers[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Shannon took over with a better defense and Golden with a better offense. Overall the difference in roster is a wash.
Here is the difference though..
Shannon inherited partly what he sowed and was also had familiarity with the players.
There wasn't a mass exodus of the good Jr's like there was with Golden.

Lastly you can't point to just the 1st year as evidence of who inherited a better roster. You also have to look at the 2nd and 3rd years.
By the 4th year it's all on the current coach..Shannon failed with his players in year 4.. Will Golden? Don't think he will but we'll see.

 

[arizonacane]

Good OC. Doing a **** of a good job starting the UTSA program.