Am I crazy (don’t answer that) or am I hearing the name Larry Coker way too much lately? I say way too much in the sense that the former Miami coach and current ESPN U analyst seems to be getting a lot of press coverage for a guy out of work regarding his profession.
Coker is a decent man, he had a great record at Miami, et al. I get it. I just don’t get why this past month has been full of sports reporters sitting down with the ex Canes coach to discuss his thoughts on why he was fired and what his next move it. I’ve seen no less than a half dozen articles or quips this week alone.
There was a blurb in the Herald today where Coker was asked his thoughts on Kirby Freeman being named the starter over Kyle Wright. Coker stated he was “not totally shocked, but a little surprise” and stated, “He apparently had a great off season and I think the players identify with Kirby and his leadership.”
Huh? Does the media really think anyone cares about how the former coach feels about who this year’s starting quarterback is at The U? Why not call Jimmy Johnson and Howard Schnellenberger and ask how they feel about Kirby v. Kyle.
Look, Coker was a good guy. We won a title in 2001, choked one away/had one stolen in 2002 and made our third straight BCS game a year later on his watch. That said 12-0, 12-1 and 11-2 became 9-3, 9-3 and 7-6. Personally, I’m shocked when I read that our former coach can’t fathom why he was let go, pleading his case and regurgitating overall stats instead of seeing the decline the past three seasons. The Canes were eroding from within. Change was necessary.
LC in the booth for the Marshall game makes absolutely zero sense to me. Coker was fired after the season finale, yet stuck around to coach the bowl game. Understandable on a personal level, thought it makes little sense regarding the direction of the program. The Canes haven’t seen the field since that game and now Coker will be in the booth calling Randy Shannon’s first game when he’s still bitter over being fired? Makes no sense to me.
I equate it to your girlfriend dumping you for someone else and you offering to chauffeur the new couple around. Bow out gracefully, head held high. Don’t stick around so closely to watch this new chapter develop.
There’s a team out there who’d benefit from Coker’s expertise. Hopefully come 2008 he’ll be back on another sideline and out of the booth on game day.
In my humble opinion, there needs to be some separation between the old coach’s firing and Miami’s first game in the non-Coker era. Coach Shannon doesn’t deserve to have his former boss critiquing his every move game one.
.:Canes305:.
Ok so now it’s 2 posts in a row i’m disagreeing. Coker remains a beloved figure for me. Yes, he was not suited to maintain a championship program. I might even say the game has passed him by. But why all this animosity towards Coker? Did you want him to resign in ’05 or last year? No, you expected the AD to do that. Like you talk about #3’s blood and sweat left on the field albeit in horrible games, Coach gave all he could albeit it wasn’t much in the end. I still believe coach loves the U and especially this group of players as most are all his recruits, right? He’s part of the U Family in my book. Plus he’s an all round good guy. Got us a championship and almost another right after. He spoiled us. Let’s not ship him to Boca yet….well unless, he’s going to coach FAU
My animosity isn’t towards Coker as much as it is that he’s been fired and is still hanging ’round.
I don’t think it’s fair to Randy Shannon to have his former boss sitting in the booth 1) critiquing his former coordinator, 2) making it about him and his thoughts on the program and 3) lobbying for a coaching gig on Miami’s watch.
Coker’s a good dude, but there needs to be some separation between his firing and Miami’s first game in the non-Coker era. Randy deserves a fresh start.
No one wants their old boss looking over their shoulder in their first day in the boss’ old positon.
That’s bogus.
Not sure where the first post has been these last few years. Choker took a full cupbroad and left us only crumbs.
He rode that talent that preceeded him and when that moved on, he had no idea how to manage a team or a game.
The only gametime adjustmensts that ever occurred were on the defensive side of the ball.
Sure,,, he is a “swell guy” and deserves to be at the helm of a team that plays on Friday nights,,, not Saturdays.
JMG
Tampa
I really liked Coker the man, but everyone knew he was given keys to a Porsche. Once all those horses were gone and it became “his” team you could see the decline. How many articles were there about his failure to recruit anyone from the state of Miami? How many HS coaches were sending kids to other programs because Coker wasn’t interested?
I seem to always be in agreement, yeah its boring but to put an exlamation point on this, check this gem out.
From the Palm Beach Post today:
Coker said that many of Shannon’s new rules are “reemphasizing” policies that were in place during Coker’s six-year tenure.
“In reality, my style was to do things behind closed doors as much as I could with discipline things,” Coker said.
“A lot of things went on that the public wouldn’t know. I don’t take (Shannon’s crackdown) personally. It all boils down to how many you win, how many you lose.
“Bottom line.”
Let it go Coker, Coach Shannon has refused to ever throw you under the bus and the media has given him plenty of chances, why would you take a shot at him trying to justify all that went wrong with your regime.
Lokie and JMG get where I’m coming from.
No one has issue with Coker the man. Even when he threw the assistants under the bus after the 40-3 beat down by LSU. Many hold that against LC. I don’t. Business is business. If he wanted one more try to get it done, those guys had to go.
Coker got one more year and went 7-6. He was the head coach when the FIU brawl shook down. We had shot to get in the ACC race and lost to Georgia Tech, which started our first FOUR GAME LOSING STREAK in forever.
My issue with Coker is this ruse that he can’t comprehend WHY he was fired. He takes credit for things Randy is doing now. He gives interview after interview talking about how he was unfairly fired, but he’s dealing with it, etc.
As if all that isn’t bad enough, now he’s commentating the first game in the post-Coker era.
The guy is gone, yet still not gone. It’s getting old. Coker needs a new hobby instead of always talking Miami. It’s like lamenting over an ex who dumped you. Move on already.
I am sick of hearing about Coker – he needs to leave his Miami days behind. If he were such a fine and upstanding person, he would not be out there whining about how he “was done wrong”! The University should refuse to let any TV station have him call the games. Give Randy and the team some space.
Ok, let’s be a little realistic here. It’s not like he told ESPN that he wanted to do all Miami games. They assigned him to that coverage. This is America, he can make a living as long as it’s legal. BTW, did you guys have issue with what he said in the commentary today? Well, other than he’s a horrible TV personality…Leave Coker alone, nobody’s really listening to him anyways.