Reported on ESPN CFB Live

[EastStang]

Don't forget the shootings and player's death.

This is a good point. I certainly don't want a coach that shoots and/or kills his own players.

I mean, unless it was done to motivate the survivors or something. Then maybe...

-CoS

Which of course brings up a decent joke. A guy was interviewed about being the only guy who never fought with his wife. When asked how that could be, he said that on their honeymoon, they went horseback riding. The horse bucked, and wife said, "that's one". They rode along, the horse bucked again, and the wife said "that's two". They rode further and the stupid horse bucked again. She jumped off the horse, pulled out a pistol and shot it in the head. He asked, her "how could you shoot a poor, defenseless animal?" To which she replied, "that's one".

[EastStang]

Don't forget the shootings and player's death.

True. UM had a really rough year with off the field stuff. I always kind of thought he was pushed out just to kind of clear the air down there after the bad season--on and off the field. They obviously didn't want wholesale change--or they wouldn't have hired the new HC from the current staff--so someone at Miami at least thought the program he put in place was worth keeping to some extent.

Coker wouldn't be my first choice, but we could certainly do worse.

During coker's time as head coach, four players at Miami died. None were by natural causes. Two car accidents, one shooting and one "bludgeoning."

Not to mention the FIU on-field brawl. But then again, they won games. What do you want, to win football or a choir competition?
Sean Taylor, Santana Moss, Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey are pretty rough characters, but they can (could) make some plays. Shockey may have had a career ender last night against the Redskins when his leg was broken and of course Taylor was murdered.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

I googled "Coker SMU" and not a single link came up

you would think if ESPN is broadcasting someone as famous as
Coker is interviewing at SMU that Google News would have something.

Also ESPN.com search showed nothing when you put in "Coker SMU"

[ponyinNC]

I googled "Coker SMU" and not a single link came up

you would think if ESPN is broadcasting someone as famous as
Coker is interviewing at SMU that Google News would have something.

Also ESPN.com search showed nothing when you put in "Coker SMU"

you need the right key words for google, such as CokeWhore SMU...

that will give you results...

[ponyinNC]

i kid, i kid...

[The XtC]

My concern with Coker is the same as I stated previously with Barnett. He's an older man, and at the end of his time at Miami it was obvious he had lost control. He has a strong resume, but those days might be behind him. The question is, does he have the energy to go through the rebuilding process with SMU, particularly considering the nightmare that next season is starting to look like (significant losses from an already porous defense, with no recruiting class to fill the voids)?

Also, I'd like to state that this pretty clearly shows that Orsini hasnt "had his man all along" and "was just waiting until Bowl/NFL playoffs were over to name his guy." The search has gone on for 2 months, recruiting season is almost wasted (now in a dead period) and we still dont have a coach. All the hollow claims about Orisini's alleged backdoor, uber top secret, Machiavellian machinations that were going to make us all sit up and take notice, all went up in smoke the moment it was announced that SMU was interviewing Larry Coker. Coker was available the moment Phil Bennet was fired. If he is the coach, he wont be able to talk to a recruit until January.

[Cadillac]

you need the right key words for google, such as CokeWhore SMU...

that will give you results...

Weird... it just keeps giving me pictures of David Stanley.

-CoS

[mrydel]

Maybe Orsini is just trying to comply with the NOPE demands.

National Old PEople lobby that requires all Universities to interview old people or face their wrath.

[huskerpony]

Also, I'd like to state that this pretty clearly shows that Orsini hasnt "had his man all along" and "was just waiting until Bowl/NFL playoffs were over to name his guy." The search has gone on for 2 months, recruiting season is almost wasted (now in a dead period) and we still dont have a coach. All the hollow claims about Orisini's alleged backdoor, uber top secret, Machiavellian machinations that were going to make us all sit up and take notice, all went up in smoke the moment it was announced that SMU was interviewing Larry Coker. Coker was available the moment Phil Bennet was fired. If he is the coach, he wont be able to talk to a recruit until January.

I tend to agree with this. Although we don't know the timing. He may have been interviewed some time ago and leaked this for his own purposes at this time.

I never thought we had someone locked up. If Coker interviewed in the last week, we obviously didn't. If it was a couple of weeks back though, I suppose it is still possible.

What hope this does give me is that we are at least talking to head coaches with experience at high levels. The Troy Calhoun thing scared me a lot. But, we do still have the $10-12 mil in the bank and are at least talking to some big names (whether they are scraps from the table or not,) so I think we still have a chance to lock in someone who is at least decent, even if their recruiting class will be terrible for next year.

[SMUBob]

He could have hired Coker very early on in the process. The fact that he hasn't certainly indicates to everyone that Coker was not first choice.

However, so what?

Coker is a first class guy who was a big part of the turnaround in Miami's reputation for the better.

Now, recruiting is going to be infinitely tougher than what he was used to at the U. But it's not dissimilar: urban talent that he has to defend from bigger programs in the state.

Personally, I think Larry Coker is a first class guy and the national reaction would be favorable that we were able to land a guy like that. It certainly beats the heck out of getting an OC or a DC from Oklahoma State, or whatever.

Still, the telling thing will be what goes along with this hire. What is SMU going to do to give our new head coach a chance to compete? If it's just more of the same BS we've heard for decades, and a failure to admit that we have a problem, then we'll be back at this again four or five years from now.

Count me as a vote for Coker. I hope it happens.

[SMU88]

Is this the same Larry Coker that won a national championship at Miami? That is a wow to me. When was the last time SMU had a coach that won a national title? There are a lot of coaches coaching today that are great coaches that have never won a national title. I would take him in a heart beat.

This is the same Larry Coker that was 59-15 at a BCS school. Won one national championship and had another one stolen from him. This would be a great hire!!!!!

[SmooBoy]

Is this the same Larry Coker that won a national championship at Miami? That is a wow to me. When was the last time SMU had a coach that won a national title? There are a lot of coaches coaching today that are great coaches that have never won a national title. I would take him in a heart beat.

This is the same Larry Coker that was 59-15 at a BCS school. Won one national championship and had another one stolen from him. This would be a great hire!!!!!

No, don't get excited about him. Read the previous pages of this thread. He is too old looking and was only a bus driver to a National Championship and an .800 winning percentage. Did I mention that he looks old?

SMU needs young-looking high school coach-types to lead our boys.

[SMU88]

Is this the same Larry Coker that won a national championship at Miami? That is a wow to me. When was the last time SMU had a coach that won a national title? There are a lot of coaches coaching today that are great coaches that have never won a national title. I would take him in a heart beat.

This is the same Larry Coker that was 59-15 at a BCS school. Won one national championship and had another one stolen from him. This would be a great hire!!!!!

No, don't get excited about him. Read the previous pages of this thread. He is too old looking and was only a bus driver to a National Championship and an .800 winning percentage. Did I mention that he looks old?

SMU needs young-looking high school coach-types to lead our boys.

Of course I can get excited about him. I went to the majority of the games he coached. He is a great person and can coach. Remember it tough to play in the National Championship year in and year out, regardless of your coach. All the top programs have had down years. My personal opinion was that a lot of the assistant coaches got complacent and they looked at recruiting to much for the big names outside of Florida(some of whom were busts), instead of focusing on what got them to the top in the first place. Local talent. Coker has always been successful recruiting in Texas. Plus he will not have the intense pressure and scrutiny that he had at Miami. He is a winner and can help make this program into a winning program.

[SmooBoy]

Is this the same Larry Coker that won a national championship at Miami? That is a wow to me. When was the last time SMU had a coach that won a national title? There are a lot of coaches coaching today that are great coaches that have never won a national title. I would take him in a heart beat.

This is the same Larry Coker that was 59-15 at a BCS school. Won one national championship and had another one stolen from him. This would be a great hire!!!!!

No, don't get excited about him. Read the previous pages of this thread. He is too old looking and was only a bus driver to a National Championship and an .800 winning percentage. Did I mention that he looks old?

SMU needs young-looking high school coach-types to lead our boys.

Of course I can get excited about him. I went to the majority of the games he coached. He is a great person and can coach. Remember it tough to play in the National Championship year in and year out, regardless of your coach. All the top programs have had down years. My personal opinion was that a lot of the assistant coaches got complacent and they looked at recruiting to much for the big names outside of Florida(some of whom were busts), instead of focusing on what got them to the top in the first place. Local talent. Coker has always been successful recruiting in Texas. Plus he will not have the intense pressure and scrutiny that he had at Miami. He is a winner and can help make this program into a winning program.

You're the real oddball then. You'd rather have a winner even if they look really old. I guess you'll have to live with that if he's hired.

[PonyPatrol]

Interesting that Bowden's best season was his first year at Auburn when he went 11-0 and Coach of the Year with his predecessor's recruits. Five years later he was 1-5 and forced out halfway through the season. When Tuberville came in his first year, that team went 5-6 (with Terry's recruits)...but Bowden didn't run that team into the ground?

No similarities to Coker?

On top off that Bowden takes a 10 year hiatus and now everyone on this board would love to have him. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, eh?

I think either one of these guys would be good for SMU...but I think it's assanine how so many of you argue a point so vehemently and then blindly endorse other candidates.

Edit: Nevermind, Coker looks old...