Athletes - Larry Coker

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	Athletes - Larry Coker

Larry Coker (born June 23, 1948 in Okemah, Oklahoma) is the current head coach of the University of Miami football team.

Coker had served as an assistant coach at several universities (including Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State) and as Miami's offensive coordinator from 1995 to 2000 before taking over as head coach of the Hurricanes in 2001 following the departure of then-coach Butch Davis to the Cleveland Browns of the NFL. Coker met with immediate success, as he guided the Hurricanes to a 12-0 record and the national championship in his first season, soundly defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Rose Bowl. The season was the most dominant in Miami's football rich history and the 2001 Miami Hurricanes were widely regarded as one of the greatest teams in the history of college football. For his stewardship of the team, Coker was given numerous honors. including the Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year Award and the 2001 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coach of the Year Award.

The Hurricanes won their first 12 games in 2002, pushing a winning streak that dated back to the 2000 season to 34 games and giving Coker an unblemished 22-0 record heading into the Fiesta Bowl National Championship Game. In a controversial but utterly thrilling game, the 11 1/2-point underdog Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Hurricanes 31-24 in two overtimes to win the national championship and finish with a 14-0 record. With the Buckeyes trailing 24-17 and facing a fourth-and-3 from the Miami 5-yard line in the first overtime, Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel threw a pass to the right corner of the endzone to receiver Chris Gamble, who was being covered by Miami defensive back Glenn Sharpe. Gamble reached back and got his hands on the ball, but couldn't hold on. Fireworks were set off and Miami players and fans streamed onto the field in celebration of what they thought was another national championship. However, after a bit of a delay, official Terry Porter threw a flag on the field and called Sharpe for pass interference, giving the Buckeyes new life. Three plays later, Ohio State scored a touchdown to tie it up and send the game into a second overtime. The Buckeyes quickly scored a touchdown at the start of the second overtime period to take the lead and clinched the championship when the defense stopped Miami and quarterback Ken Dorsey on a dramatic fourth-and-goal pass play from the Ohio State 1-yard line. The game has been hailed by many as the best bowl game in college football history.

Despite the loss, Coker tied Walter Camp for the best record by a college football head coach in his first 32 games (31-1).

In 2003, things took a different turn when a pair of late season losses kept Miami out of the BCS National Championship Game for the first time during Coker's tenure. Nevertheless, the 'Canes won the Big East and defeated their archrivals, the Florida State Seminoles, for the second time that season in the 2004 Orange Bowl and finished the campaign with an 11-2 record and ranked fifth in both polls.

Miami joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004 and the team finished with a somewhat disappointing (by Miami standards) 9-3 record and #11 ranking in the final polls. However, Miami ended the season on a positive note, beating the rival Florida Gators 27-10 in the Peach Bowl.

In late September 2005, Coker agreed to a five-year contract extension with the university. The new contract will pay Coker in the neighborhood of $2 million per season, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.

However, the 2005 season ended on a disappointing note for Coker and Miami, as the Hurricanes lost 2 of their last 3 games, including a 40-3 loss to LSU in the Peach Bowl (the worst bowl loss in school history), to finish an unacceptable -- at Miami -- 9-3 for the second consecutive season. In the wake of the loss to LSU, Coker fired four longtime UM assistants in an attempt to reinvigorate the usually prolific Hurricane offense, which had grown stagnant in recent years.

It is widely believed that Coker will be on the hot seat in 2006 and probably will need to coach the 'Canes to a BCS berth in order to keep his job.

Highlights

Career Record: 53-9 (.855)
Bowl Record: 3-2
2001 National Championship
5-1 record vs. Florida State
3-0 record vs. University of Florida
2002 American Football Monthly magazine National Coach of the Year
2001 Bear Bryant
Coach of the Year
2001 AFCA Coach of the Year (Shared with Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen
)
Two-time Big East Conference Coach of the Year (2001, 2002)
Has produced 16 first-round NFL draft picks in four NFL drafts, including a record 6 in 2004
Has produced a total of 33 NFL draft picks during his tenure at Miami
Played defensive back at Northeastern State University

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Larry Coker ]

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