Coker Named Coach of the Year Candidate

Oct. 30, 2003

Coral Gables, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) – University of Miami head football coach Larry Coker is among 10 coaches listed on the watch list for the 2003 George Munger Award honoring college football’s top coach, the Maxwell Football Club of Philadelphia has announced.

Currently in his third season as the head coach of the Hurricanes, Coker has led Miami to a 7-0 start this season and ranked second nationally in both major polls heading into a crucial game at Virginia Tech this Saturday. In two-and-a-half seasons as head coach, Coker has a 31-1 record, a mark that ranks as the finest start of any head coach in college football history. Coker’s Hurricanes have been ranked among the nation’s top three throughout his tenure and he has maintained the Miami program’s high level of success through an almost complete overhaul of talent since taking over the job prior to the 2001 season.

The 2003 Munger Award winner will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show to be held Thursday, December 11, 2003 in Orlando. The winner will be honored at a banquet in Philadelphia in February.

The 10 members (in alphabetical order) of the Watch List for the 2003 Munger Award:

Frank Beamer Virginia TechPete Carroll Southern CaliforniaLarry Coker MiamiDavid Cutcliff MississippiMike Leach Texas TechMark Richt GeorgiaNick Saban Louisiana StateBob Stoops OklahomaJoe Tiller PurdueTommy Tuberville Auburn