Former Miami coach Larry Coker describes his fall from the leader of a college football powerhouse to the man in charge of a start-up program at the University of Texas-San Antonio in almost biblical terms.

Sort of like Moses, with a national championship ring.

Ive been in the palace. Ive been with kings and wealth, and I was able to hold up that crystal ball as a champion, he said. Then there is the other side of the desert.

Cast into coaching exile in 2006 when the Hurricanes fired him following a season marred by violence, off-field troubles and more losses than Miami was used to, Coker arrived at UTSA this spring after wandering the college football landscape for two years in search of another chance.

He found one with the Roadrunners, who wont play their first game until 2011. UTSA hired the 61-year-old as its first football coach in March to build the program from the ground up.

The Roadrunners have yet to sign a single player, have no football facilities or a schedule for their first season ironed out.

Between a busy schedule of fundraisers to raise money for a fledging program, Coker works out of an unremarkable office with barely enough room for two chairs. A football from Miamis national championship team above his desk is one of the few decorations.

Youve been in Mack Browns office? Is it nicer than this one? Coker joked. Im not concerned about that. Its not where we are, its where were going. Ive got a mini-refrigerator here, Im set.

He still has his sense of humor.

Three years after Coker was let go, Miami has rebounded: the Hurricanes are ranked No. 9 with another big game Saturday at No. 11 Virginia Tech. The ranking is the highest for Miami since Coker was fired.

He is happy for the Hurricanes and impressed by the emergence of quarterback Jacory Harris, once a scrawny kid in Cokers football camp.

But Coker is also disappointed that Miami didnt stick with him, and in the other colleges that passed over a proven coach with a 60-15 record in six seasons with the Hurricanes.

One sideline-clearing brawl might have tarnished a reputation.

I think that was very unfair, Coker said. I think thats sometimes what people remember you for.

Coker spent 37 years working his way from coach of a small Oklahoma high school to the helm of an elite college program. He led Miami to a 12-0 record and a national championship in 2001, his first year as head coach after taking over for Butch Davis.

But thats not how Coker is remembered at Miami. Instead, his legacy was bruised by the infamous brawl with Florida International that resulted in the suspension of 31 players. The next month, defensive tackle Bryan Pata was murdered hours after a practice, and the Hurricanes finished the season 6-6.

Chicago Bears tight end Greg Olsen, who was on that team, said he wants to see Coker get a fresh start and climb back to where he was.

It was a tough deal, Olsen said. Obviously he had a lot of success early on. The guys really loved playing for him. We didnt do so well for a couple years and at that place, in Miami, they expect to win and they expect to win a lot.

The expectations are far lower in San Antonio. Coker, who signed a five-year deal with an annual salary of $200,000, said hes not planning to go anywhere. He looks at the fast rise of South Florida as a model for the Roadrunners, and figures it will take a decade to build up the program.

For now, at least hes out of the desert.

Ive reached that other side, Coker said. This is where Im supposed to be. I dont know what that means. I dont know where this thing is going, but I expect it to be good.

Posted on September 24th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: College football news, NCAA college football