Canes in 2019: The search for the next head football coach

Just a few days after the Miami Hurricanes’ loss against the Wisconsin Badgers in Pinstripe Bowl, Canes’ head football coach Mark Richt announced his retirement. Making things official, Athletic Director Blake James led a press conference to get into the details.

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After 18 years as a football coach, Richt is bidding farewell to his career. The last three years of his career was spent working with his alma mater, the University of Miami. The talk now focuses on who will fill his shoes as head coach. Fans, enthusiasts, and UM’s management all have their picks.


Mario Cristobal is among the top choices for the position. He is completing his first year as Oregon’s head coach and maintains direct ties to the UM program. He participated in a couple of national championship teams and worked as a grad assistant from 1998 to 2000 before becoming an assistant coach for three years, leading to his six-year stretch as FIU’s head coach. The following years he spent working with Alabama, then Oregon.

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Butch Davis is another tough contender for the position, having worked with the Canes in the past as a coach. In just a couple of years, he has transformed the Panthers into a tough-to-beat team in the Conference-USA, playing 17-9 since taking charge prior to the 2017 season. Manny Diaz, currently Temple’s head coach, could have been the Canes’ head coach had Richt made the decision a few weeks before the former accepted the coaching job at Temple on December 12. Diaz is a Miami native and was UM’s defensive coordinator.


Patrick Dwyer, a financial advisor, is an ardent supporter of the Miami Hurricanes, and an avid fan of college basketball and college football. For more updates about the Canes, visit this blog.

Five things about Miami Hurricanes coach Mark Richt

His accomplishments at the University of Miami and his previous schools are all well-documented, but there other things about Miami Hurricanes coach Mark Richt that deserve to be revealed. Here are some of them.

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High school star and backup to a legend

He grew up in South Florida, a star quarterback for Boca Raton High School in the 1970s. He then went to the University of Miami, serving as the backup quarterback to Jim Kelly, deemed one of the best QBs to play for the team.

Mentored and exceeded expectations

Quarterbacks coach Earl Morrall mentored Richt, who still amassed almost 1,500 passing yards despite limited playing time. The 1980 team finished 9-3 (ranked 18th in the country) while the 1981 team finished 9-2 (ranked 8th).

Offensive coordinator role

In 1994, he became offensive coordinator for the Florida State Seminoles, whom he worked for since the start of his coaching career in 1985. Florida State was in the nation’s top five for scoring offenses in five out of the seven seasons that he was the offensive coordinator.

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Appeared on the Wheaties box and a movie

General Milles featured Richt and the Georgia football program on the cover of a Wheaties cereal box in 2006. The coach also appeared in the movie Facing the Giants as the former coach of the movie’s main character, Grant Taylor.

Religion

He’s a devout Christian while his staff is a mix of different religious backgrounds.

Patrick Dwyer is a financial advisor who is pushing for the empowerment of medical organizations such as the Neuroscience Centers of Florida Foundation, Inc. (NSCFF). He is also a huge fan of the Miami Hurricanes football program. More articles on the Canes here.

The Mark Richt Football Camp: An Introduction

The Mark Richt Football Camp, LLC takes place at the home of the Miami Hurricanes in Coral Gables, Florida, with the objective of teaching the fundamentals and skills of the game. Here, the Miami coaching staff – led by Coach Mark Richt – will get assistance from current student-athletes as well as other university and college divisions coaches to instill and harness the love for the game among young participants.

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Lending prestige to this summer football camp is the unique opportunity to work with some of the best teachers that football has to offer young enthusiasts. With a 12:1 student to teacher ratio, every participant gets the chance to excel while getting to know other classmates along with professors. The training will be centrally located at the Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence and the Greentree Practice Fields, a 34,oo0-sq.ft.-facility that serves as the ‘Canes training facility.

The 2018 football camp recently wrapped up with four sessions on campus last June. The June 13 session focused on five-year-olds through rising 6th graders, with a $20 per camper cost that included a Mark Richt Football Camp t-shirt and lunch. The June 14 to 16 sessions targeted rising 7th and 8th graders, 9th and 10th graders, and 11th and 12th graders, with a $60 cost that included an Adidas TechFit shirt and lunch.

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It’s not just the best value in training on campus where the 5-time national champions reside and thrive, but the singular prestige of learning with the best and most celebrated coaches and teachers.

Patrick Dwyer, a financial advisor, actively supports the Neuroscience Centers of Florida Foundation, Inc. (NSCFF) in its quest to develop treatments for various neurological diseases. He is a huge fan of the Miami Hurricanes football team and the sport in general. For similar reads, click here.

Miami’s Warm Welcome For Mark Richt

Mark Richt came from the University of Miami and quarterbacked the team.Before coming back, though, he spent 14 years Florida State University as an offensive coordinator, while coaching quarterbacks under the leadership of Bobby Bowden. He then went to East Carolina U for a year, before his 15 years as head coach for the University of Georgia. But now, he’s back where he started, as the head coach of the University of Miami Hurricanes.?

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As much as Richt loved returning home to his alma mater, fans of the Canes seemed to love it even more. Fans set the record of 40,000 season tickets sold, even before the first season of Richt.The strong numbers only showed how welcome Richt was to the Hurricane community.The Hurricane Club, which was the UM Athletic’s booster club took in record numbers in members and donations.

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It seemed only fitting that Richt would come back to Miami. Not only did he contribute to the University of Miami’s success when he was a student, he also came from Palm Beach County, where he finished high school. It was the ideal signing and ideal scenario for one of the U’s favorite sons, who people looked up to as a player and as a coach.

Patrick Dwyer is a financial advisor. He is also a huge fan of the Miami Hurricanes. For the latest updates on the Hurricanes, follow this Twitter page.