Published Aug 31, 2005

2001 - The Blessing and the Curse of Larry Coker

After the dynamic duo of Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones had led the Dallas Cowboys back to the pinnacle of the NFL with back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1992 and 1993, tensions began to mount between the two former Arkansas Razorback roommates.

During the fateful 1994 NFL owners meetings, Jones would grouse to anyone within earshot that around 500 other coaches could have led those Cowboys teams to Lombardi Trophies. That was proven out to a certain degree as Barry Switzer, of all people - who would be tabbed to replace Johnson just a few weeks later - would give Jones his third world championship in 1995.

Many will tell you that the man who really constructed that team and deserved credit for all the Super Bowl rings was Johnson. Of course, others would give equal credit to Mike Lynn (the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, who made the most lopsided deal since the purchase of Manhattan in acquiring Herschel Walker from Dallas, but that's another column for another day). Just like he had for Dennis Erickson at the University of Miami, Johnson left a ready-made dynasty that was ready to capture more titles.

Fast forward to February of 2001 and it was a relatively obscure, modest, unassuming man from Oklahoma who was given the reigns of the Miami Hurricane program after Butch Davis did an end-around near signing day to take a lucrative offer to coach the Cleveland Browns.

Unlike his mentor, Johnson, Davis hadn't captured any titles but through his steady diligence had spearheaded the 'Cane resurgence of the late 90's and had raised the talent level back up to the high standards in Coral Gables. You could make an argument that he was leaving more talent in Coral Gables than he was going to coach in Cleveland.

And after some intense lobbying by the players Davis had left behind, it was Larry Edward Coker who would inherit the job at UM. It was like an unknown jockey getting to ride Secretariat, an obscure corner man tabbed to train Ray Robinson or a novice movie producer fresh out of film school getting Robert DeNiro as his leading man.

He took over perhaps the greatest collection of talent ever assembled on one college team - one that would give him his greatest glory, yet also leaves doubt to this day about his actual ability to really coach a team to greatness.

The offense was led by Ken Dorsey, who may never attain NFL success, but is the very definition of a winner. In many respects he's the football version of Bobby Hurley; they may have been a bit limited but all they did was lead teams to victories. Joining Dorsey in the backfield were 'The Four Horseman of South Beach,' with Clinton Portis leading the way, backed up by Frank Gore and Willis McGahee. Najeh Davenport would be moved to fullback to not only create room in the crowded backfield but to create playing opportunities for himself. Portis has become a perennial Pro Bowler, McGahee is destined to become one soon in Buffalo, Davenport is part of a dynamic 1-2 punch in Green Bay with Ahman Green and Gore looks to have a bright future in San Francisco.

The offensive line was a veritable United Nations, led by the Lombardi Award-winning Bryant McKinnie. Alongside him were future Rimington Award winner Brett Romberg at center; flanking him at guard was another Canadian, Sherko Haji-Rasouli, a bruiser of Iranian descent, who shared time with Ed Wilkens. Martin Bibla and Joaquin Gonzalez made up the right side of the line. It was a unit that gave up all of two sacks in 2001. McKinnie, Bibla and Gonzalez have gone onto NFL careers with varying degrees of success.

Dorsey didn't long for targets outside as he had the services of Andre Johnson, the prototypical 21st-century wideout; and the nation?s best tight end, Jeremy Shockey. Daryl Jones and Kevin Beard split time at flanker. Johnson and Shockey are among the NFL's elite. Jones has bounced around the league, looking for a place to stick.

Defensively, the 'Canes had a front-line that was deep and talented. The ends were held down by Jerome McDougle, Andrew Williams and Jamaal Green. The tackles were William Joseph, Matt Walters and a precocious big man by the name of Vince Wilfork. They'd come in waves, crashing into unsuspecting ball carriers and quarterbacks in an unrelenting fashion. All of them would eventually play at the next level.

Backing them up was a young crew of linebackers featuring DJ Williams and Jon Vilma, with senior Chris Campbell rounding out the unit. In 2004, both Williams and Vilma would be named to the NFL All-Rookie team, with Vilma winning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Campbell would be die tragically before he could be drafted just weeks after the 2002 Rose Bowl.

The UM secondary of 2001, like the offensive line, makes an argument for being the best unit of its generation. With Phil Buchanon, Mike Rumph, James Lewis and the peerless Ed Reed leading them, a fleet of stealth bombers couldn't have provided better air security. All four would be drafted, three (Buchanon, Rumph and Reed) in the first round, and Reed was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year last season.
Coming off the bench were future top ten picks Antrel Rolle and Sean Taylor.

To top things off, the kicking game was rock solid with kicker Todd Sievers and punter Freddie Capshaw.

Out of the starting 22 on the offensive and defensive units, 20 would be drafted, 19 would play at least one down at the next level. Ten would become first-round picks (including Portis, who was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos) and backups McGahee, Wilfork and guard/tackle Vernon Carey would become future first-rounders.

Six separate Hurricanes were finalists for national awards with seven being named to various All-American teams. They would have the largest average margin of victory in UM history (33.2 points per game), made history with their combined 124-7 blowouts of Syracuse and Washington (two ranked teams), outscored their opponents 512 to 117 and gave up all of 17 points in six home games at the Orange Bowl in 2001.

There's no other way to say it, this team was more stacked than Pamela Anderson.

And what many are now asking is this: could 500 other coaches have led this squad to a national title?

Many think that it was Reed, not Coker that actually coaxed this squad to the finish line. But that's patently unfair to the staff, no matter how talented a team might be, every team needs a coach ? even the 2001 Miami Hurricanes.

And no matter what some backers of Butch Davis may think, during his tenure at Miami he wasn't the only one evaluating high schoolers, making phone calls and making recruiting visits. Recruiting is - and will always be - a staff effort. One that Coker and the others who stuck around with him were an integral part of. He did help construct what he eventually inherited. But now the program has his imprint all over it. For better or worse, these are Coker?s Canes.

Heading into his fifth year as the head coach at Miami his career mark stands at 44-6, winning his first 24 games. But since that fateful night in Tempe, Arizona, where UM fell just short of going back-to-back versus the Ohio State Buckeyes, Miami has gone just 20-6. Talk about a coincidence, but if you rewind a decade, Erickson's record in his 25 games after his failed attempt at back-to-back championships fizzled in New Orleans in the 1993 Sugar Bowl against Alabama, was 19-6, before he hightailed it out of town to Seattle.

What does it mean? Hopefully nothing, but I point that out because it was at that juncture that Miami's version of Rome was crumbling around them. The Canes would go a full decade before winning their fifth national championship. It's just my opinion, but we're not just a decade removed from that era, but light years. No matter what the doomsayers might proclaim, in no way are we in anything remotely close to ERRicksonville.

Coming into 2005, for all his accomplishments and plaudits, Coker has just as many question marks attached to him. While his overall mark is impressive, Miami is just 13-5 in its last 18 games. The home dominance of years past is just that, in the past. UM has lost a total of three home games in the past two seasons - only one of which was to a BCS team (Virginia Tech, last season). And in what is a new tradition, Miami has gone into the '6-0 tailspin' which takes place in late October/early November, where the Canes proceed to lose consecutive games - the second of which comes at the once-feared Orange Bowl.

Aberrations? I sure hope so, but Miami and Coker are now four years removed from the magical season of 2001. His defenders will continue to point to his 44-6 lifetime mark. But then it could be argued that in 50 games as the head coach he's never been at a talent deficit. Others will point out that no other team has lost as much talent to the next level as Miami. That is also true but losses to UNC and Clemson go far beyond the early departures of Sean Taylor and Vince Wilfork.

To this day the Hurricanes have not lost to their in-state rivals with Coker running the show. But while that mark is impressive, the Noles haven't been an elite program since 2000 and the Gators are now two coaches removed from their heyday under Steve Spurrier.

The Coker Crew will point out that in 2004 Miami lost three games by a combined 16 points and two of those contests were lost on the last play of the game. Of course if Devin Hester doesn't block a late field goal against FSU and if an errant Brock Berlin heave wasn't dropped by a Louisville defender late in the fourth quarter, you can also make an argument that Miami was thisclose to being a five-loss team.

9-3 is probably what they deserved to be.

Miami has had an assembly line of NFL talent in the 21st century. Since the 2000 season they've produced 20 first-round draft choices, with a single national championship to show for it so far. I guess you could say it's the greatest farm system of talent since the 1990's Montreal Expos. 'NFL U' baby!!! That's what it's all about, right?

Last I checked college programs were defined by titles, not how many of their guys get to shake hands with Paul Tagliabue in April. It's time for Miami to be defined by national championships again, not draft picks.

2005 is a seminal year for Coker and Co. Forget the contract extension that was recently signed - didn't Ron Zook sign one not too long ago in Gainesville? Extensions are merely symbolic steps that don't necessarily ensure job security. It's wins and losses that do that. Like famed utility man, Tony Phillips once said in a classic post-game meltdown, when asked what was really important in his profession replied, "Wins and motherf'n losses, win and motherf'n losses, wins and motherf'n losses."

Yeah, it's as simple as that.

Coker has said recently that Miami doesn't need a 'retirement coach,' alluding to the fact that what he loves to do is coach football, things like golf and traveling are frivolous activities to him. At heart, he's a football coach; that's what he is, that's what he loves to do. And make no mistake about it: he isn't satisfied by last season. Don't fool yourself - like any other coach, he's a competitor.

But what Miami needs is a coach that is among the nation?s elite. It's an elite program; it deserves and demands that. The mantra is that Miami will never be able to really afford what other programs are paying their coaches. Fine, but what UM needs is what they've had in the past. Coaches like Howard Schnellenberger, Johnson, Erickson, and Davis who are perceived to have done such a bang-up job in Coral Gables that they - and their staff members - are hot commodities for other programs and the NFL. They need a coach and staff that, as Drew Rosenhaus would say, 'outperforms their contract'. Kind of like what happened at USC.

It's great that Coker gives this program stability. But it can also be a sign of stagnation if no one on the staff in the upcoming years is ever mentioned for any other gigs. It would actually be an indictment; after all, what other college program (in ANY sport) has created and spawned off as many coaching millionaires as the Miami football program the last quarter-century?

All indications are that the Coker Country Club of Coral Gables has been shut down. He says no more 'fat tailbacks' will be tolerated (which of course begs the question, why were they in the first place?), unproductive assistants will be let go (like a certain tight ends coach was last year), youngsters will not be automatically getting redshirts in their first year at Coral Gables. It seems like a 'new' Coker.

But nobody will really know till the games start. And we won?t really know until years from now. Right now, he's known as the nice guy who lucked into a multi-million dollar lottery ticket. But winning in the future - and by winning, I don't mean 9-3 - he'll not only show that he's the right man for the job, he'll show he was the right man for the job in 2001.

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