Remember five years ago when Al Golden got hired to
replace Randy Shannon as the Miami head football Coach? Do you also remember
his response when asked why he would take this job? Golden replied, “Are you
kidding me?” *Insert sarcastic puzzled stare* “It’s the most recognizable brand
in college football.” To a certain degree, he was correct. The orange and green
“U” is very recognizable to college football fans and non-fans alike. The
Longhorn, Gator, and other well designed logos are also very recognizable, but
we won’t split hairs. When Golden made that statement, little did he know he
would also become part of something “The U” is becoming notorious for.
No,
it’s not having players involved in scandals of accepting improper benefits,
something pretty much ALL these programs do, but the most successful ones do
the most. We’re talking about Miami’s habit of placing EVERY LAST BIT of blame
on their coaches for the downfall of the program. Since Butch Davis’s untimely
departure to test the professional waters with the Cleveland Browns (a highly
questionable decision at the time and in hindsight), Miami has fired every
single one of its coaches. Larry Coker, Randy Shannon, and now Al Golden.
I don’t
know about you, but that sounds like a pattern. From a span of 2006 to 2015,
Miami has fired every football coach they have had. Let’s review the timeline
of these gentlemen’s tenure at the helm. Coker was promoted in 2001 from
defensive coordinator to Head Coach. He leads the Canes to a national title in
his first season, gets robbed of a consecutive national title due to a likely
conspiracy to stop Miami from repeating in 2002, finished 11-2 and defeated
rival Florida State twice with the second time being in the Orange Bowl in
2003, finishes 9-3 and defeats rival Florida in the Peach Bowl in 2004,
finishes 9-3 but suffers a humiliating 40-3 Peach Bowl loss to LSU in 2005,
then limps to a 6-6 record and December dismissal before being allowed to coach
the team’s bowl game.
Granted,
I’m sure some will say, “He won with someone else’s players….he was never as
good as advertised….blah blah blah.” From what I see, the guy only had two bad
seasons out of six. One of those seasons still finished with a respectable
record but was simply marred by a thrashing from the Bayou Bengals. Yet, he had
to pack his bags. Now, insert Randy Shannon. Born and raised in Liberty City, a
Miami alum and member of the 1987 national title team. Surely the savior to
what a few considered to be a program in disarray. Despite having coached the
team to a bowl victory at the end of the 2006 season, 2007 did not fare as well
as the Canes finished with a losing record, demoralizing shutout (48-0) to
Virginia Tech in the final game at the Orange Bowl, and the tragic death of
former Cane Sean Taylor.
2008
was only slightly better with a 7-6 record but a loss to California in the
Emerald Bowl. While they defeated eventual ACC champion Virginia Tech, they
lost to rivals Florida and Florida State that year as well. 2009 brought significant
improvements with a 9-4 record that included wins over Florida St, Georgia
Tech, and Oklahoma. They would finish the season ranked 19th in the
country. 2010 didn’t exactly continue on the promise they had shown with a
45-17 loss to Florida State and finishing 4-3 over the rest of the season with
losses to Virginia, Virginia Tech, and South Florida. Despite significant
glimmers of hope, he was shown the door immediately after the South Florida
loss.
Although
he didn’t quite deliver on a full-fledged return to prominence in Miami, Shannon
did recruit strong classes that included three top 25 All-Americans. He was
also the only one with good enough sense to advise his staff and players to
stay far away from Nevin Shapiro. Advice most of them ignored, including school
president Donna Shalala. So after placing all of Miami’s downfall on its last
two coaches, they decide it’s time to give Al Golden a shot. Looking at his
resume prior to Miami, I’m not quite sure what made the University believe he
was the right selection, but it’s their money.
He
finishes 2011 with a 6-6 record and voluntary withdrawal from bowl
consideration due to the Nevin Shapiro Ponzi scheme investigation. 2012 saw a
7-5 record with another voluntary bowl withdrawal. 2013 looked rather promising
with a 7-0 start including a win over Florida and a 9-3 finish. Unfortunately,
it ended with a 36-9 loss to Louisville in the Athletic Bowl. 2014 did not
build on the previous season’s early success, finishing 6-7 with a loss to South
Carolina in the Commander Bowl. The last straw came in a game against Clemson
that saw the Canes suffer their worst defeat in their 90 year existence at
58-0. Golden was dismissed the next day.
Now,
we can debate all day long as to whether or not these coaches deserved to be
fired. Perhaps the only one who you couldn’t make a case for is Golden. Shannon
and Coker may have been given the hook too early, but let’s look at it from
this point of view. If all three deserved to be fired, who deserves the heat
for hiring them? Who deserves accountability for these “bad” decisions? Who
also shares a significant portion of the blame for the Hurricanes’ downfall?
Should we point to athletic director Blake James or perhaps former president
Donna Shalala who served in her position hiring all three of these guys?
At
what point do we say it’s not just the coaches who are the issue in Coral
Gables? Randy Shannon got fired but was the only one who tried to protect them
from a wolf in sheep’s clothing named Nevin Shapiro. Where does Miami go from
here with its most recent dismissal? Who’s up next for some public humiliation
because they can’t turn water into wine or chumps into champs overnight? Whatever
the answers may be, it’s clear Miami has no clue how to get back to where they
once were. And until they realize the problems within the football program do
not lie squarely on the coach’s shoulders, they will continue to stay in a
dismal place. A place where athletic directors, presidents, and anyone else
with an “official” title is safe from blame for scandals and blowout losses. A
place that has forgotten when they were once a bottom feeder program. For whomever
the next Miami coach happens to be, do yourself a favor and take note of what
this place is now before you sign on that dotted line.
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