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Coker weathering the storm
By Omar Kelly | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted August 25, 2006
The aw-shucks Oklahoma boy is long gone. Larry Coker's easygoing days are over.
Getting embarrassed 40-3 by Louisiana State in last year's Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl injects a little edge into one's persona.
When you factor in the beating his image has taken following the LSU fiasco, the brawl that followed and the staff shakeup that was triggered by Miami's second consecutive 9-3 season, one would think Miami's coach would be uneasy heading into his fifth season.
But this fall Coker seems as if he's never been more comfortable in his own skin.
"I've been at Oklahoma, I've been at Ohio State. I've grown up knowing what this position is like. Sure I came in going 12-0, winning the national championship with an undefeated record, and winning my first 24 games. Losing another national championship in a double-overtime game, but I didn't think everything would be sweet forever," Coker said. "I understood that coming in. I knew there would be tough times. It's not a shock to me: 'Oh my God, they don't love me anymore.' "
It's as if his humbling offseason triggered a metamorphosis that re-energized him. Or was it one particular incident that took place?
His wife, Dianna Coker, seems to think so.
She's referring to an incident during a Hurricanes basketball game against Boston College in January.
Coker and his coaching staff took UM's football recruits and their parents to the game, hoping to use the spirited atmosphere to lock down some commitments.
During a conversation with Coker, one key recruit broke down. His face welled with tears as the emotion spilled out.
"He said, 'Coach, I haven't had many things good happen in my life, but this is one. I want you to know I'm going to be the best ballplayer for you that I know how. I'm not only doing this for my mom, who I love dearly. I'm doing this for you,' " said Dianna, who witnessed the conversation.
To Coker, an assistant for 22 years before being handed the keys to UM's dynasty, that was a benchmark moment. After being showered with negativity for a month, that conversation kept the pressure to win from consuming him.
"At the end of that weekend he said that experience reminded him what it's all about," Dianna said. "That's why he's a coach."
It certainly wasn't for the money. While Coker's salary is nearly $2 million per year, he has never been driven by money or material things, Dianna said. Before he was given a Cadillac Escalade by UM, he drove the same Mercedes 450SL for nearly 20 years.
And he's certainly not a coach looking for fame or prestige. On this level, he realizes you're only as good as your last season - or worse, your last game.
Despite his 53-9 record - second only to Texas' Mack Brown for the most wins over the past five years - Coker is merely tolerated by UM's fans, and the clock is ticking.
"Hot seat for 9-3? Golly they're spoiled!" said Florida State coach Bobby Bowden. UM has gone two years without winning a conference title in its new league, the Atlantic Coast Conference.
It's likely that Coker will be given the same time frame to rise to the top of the ACC, unless things go horribly wrong this season. This offseason he shook up his coaching staff, firing four assistants - three of them on offense - to ensure that UM returns to its dominant status.
"It was a message to the players that he's trying to do something," linebacker Jon Beason said of the coaching changes.
Coker admits that firing the assistants was the most difficult decision he's had to make as a head coach. But he felt the need to inject new philosophies from new voices into the team. He's confident new offensive coordinator Rich Olson, who returns to Miami after spending the past 10 seasons in the NFL, can make UM's offense dangerous again.
It needs to be to quiet the storm that's been brewing.
"My expectations are his expectations. He knows at Miami we expect to win the games we play," said Athletic Director Paul Dee, who has caught some heat himself for last fall extending Coker's contract through the 2010 season.
Dee said it's not so much the record or the outcome of the season he'll be evaluating. He'll be analyzing how the team - coaches and players - perform, and whether Coker was able to maximize their potential.
"To try and say what's going to count, how we're going to measure it, there are so many elements to it," Dee said. "If everything goes well, we'll have a successful season and we won't have to have that conversation."
Coker is the first to admit he's maturing as a head coach. He has a better understanding about the requirements of the job, and knows what it takes to succeed. He's reorganized all aspects of UM's operations, learning from mistakes he's made the past five years.
Will it be enough to make UM a championship contender? Only time will provide that answer.
"All he can do is try to do his best. Try not to let all that outside stuff interfere with you too much, and at the end of the day, if you've done your job, it'll take care of itself," Dianna said. "And if it doesn't, it's like a play. Take your bow when you need to take your bow and go on and do something else."
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