Coker officially out at Miami

ESPN reporting a news conference has been scheduled to announce the firing.

 

Will the Ol' Ball Coach please pick up the white courtesy phone ...

 

Ol' Ball Coach, Line 1, please.
Calling for Ol' Ball Coach on Line 1.

 

[OBC]I already told y'all I'm stickin' with the Chickens[/OBC]

/go Gamecocks
//beat Clemson

 

Coker fired?
This is ... news?

 

I'd say a coaching change at the school that's won the most titles over the last 20 or so years is pretty newsworthy...

 

I think Blue's sarcasm font was on. Anyhoo, I have trouble mustering sympathy for a fan base that didn't even fill half the Orange Bowl, and would not have even if the team were unbeaten. That said, whether it can all be put on Coker, the program was getting into Sooners territory, gunplay-wise. That NYT story made Pata into a fairly dark, mysterious figure. So a change was probably due at this point, tho the fact that rumblings began after the loss to Florida State is ridiculous.

 

I really think it's ridiculous that they're canning Coker after one really bad year. It shows how little patience there is in front offices. Yes, this was a bad year for Miami, both on and off the field, but you have to remember this is a guy that started his Miami career with, what, 23 straight wins, one national championship and finished second the next year in one of the better championship games in recent memory? Puh-lease! You have to give this guy a little more rope than that. People point out that every team he's had, the record has gone down each year. WELL, DUH! Your record is bound to go down when your first two years are 12-0 and 11-1. And the Thug U image? That's been there before Coker and will be there long after unless the school and the athletic department make drastic changes...

RIGHT!

What if Steinbrenner canned Torre after '97 or if Rooney axed Cowher after he laid a couple eggs after taking the Steelers to the Supe? Coker is a good coach and seems like he isn't a head case; he lets his players take care of that for him.

 

What Dooley and MCEchan said.

I like Coker ... as DOH said on the Erin Andrews/Larry Coker thread, he seems to be one of the really good guys. So while I feel bad for him, Miami owes him for the balance of the contract and he can go on to better things (wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he ends up on Butch Davis' staff in Chapel Hill).

All the best to Coker ... and here's to hoping Miami slips much deeper into the sewer. See Nebraska and the Frank Solich firing ...

 

In theory, MCE, you're right. But as somebody who knows the area, I have to tell you, the sentiment surrounding the program had become so negative that I just really didn't see how they could have kept him in the end.

That might not be fair, but it would have cost the program in a number of ways -- booster money, recruiting, etc. -- if they had stuck with Coker.

 

In one story, I read they're still bowl eligible at 6-6, and I'd imagine they might be a draw for a smaller bowl. Why wouldn't Miami wait until the dust settles? There's a quote by the university president (why her instead of the athletic director, I don't know) saying if they're invited, he'll be coaching. That's bizarre to announce it now.

 

Donna Shalala likes being in charge and making those announcements. Paul Dee, the AD, is nothing more than a figure head.

During the FIU brawl fiasco, all we heard was Shalala. Dee could have been fishing in Key West for all we knew.