Rookie Head Coach Coker Wins Honor
Jan 17, 2002
By MICHAEL A. LUTZ
AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON (AP) – Miami’s Larry Coker won the Bear Bryant Award on Thursdaynight as the college football coach of the year after leading the Hurricanes tothe national championship in his first season.
Coker is the first rookie coach to win a national championship sinceMichigan’s Bennie Oosterbaan in 1948. No first-year coach had won the Bryantaward since Army’s Tom Cahill in 1966.
Coker beat out Mike Bellotti of No. 2 ranked Oregon, Gary Barnett ofColorado, Ralph Friedgen of Maryland, Frank Solich of Nebraska, Ron Turner ofIllinois and Nick Saban of LSU.
The award is presented by the National Sportswriters and SportscastersAssociation.
Coker took over for Miami last season when Butch Davis left for the NFL andthe Hurricanes didn’t miss a beat, going 12-0 and winning the national championwith a 37-14 victory over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl.
“We didn’t talk about national championship at the start of the year but wetold our players that we didn’t think talent was an issue,” Coker said. “Wetried to ignore the polls and talk about what we needed to do.”
As the season started to unfold, Coker started to get excited.
“After the Florida State game you could see that we had a chance to go allthe way,” Coker said.
Coker had been an assistant coach for 22 years before taking charge of theHurricane.
“When you are the assistant coach at a school like the University of Miamithere are some head jobs that you don’t want,” Coker said. “I’d rather beassistant head coach at Miami than head coach at some other places.
“I had accepted the fact I might finish up as an assistant coach.”
The Hurricane continued their winning tradition and now Coker feels in astronger position going into his second season.
“The situation now is not a projection,” Coker said. “We are the nationalchampions. We have won some national titles and in a recent time. We want tocompete at this level every year.”
