Hiring Coker for Top Job a Team Effort

When Ken Dorsey, star quarterback of the Miami Hurricanes, and Clinton Portis, star running back, learned last February that their coach, Butch Davis, was abandoning them for the pros, both players had the same reaction. “Coker,” said Portis.

“Coker,” nodded Dorsey in agreement.

Although Larry Coker, the team’s popular offensive coordinator, had no head coaching experience, neither Portis nor Dorsey doubted he was the ideal man for the job.

“He’s a players’ coach,” Portis said. “If you don’t feel like something is right, you can go to him. He puts the players first.”

Not everybody was so certain.

“The defense was not used to being around him,” Portis said. “We kept telling them, ‘We’ve got to get Coker. We’ve got to get Coker.”’

With Portis and Dorsey as organizers, a group of about 15 players was formed.

The players marched to the office of Athletic Director Paul Dee and told him Coker was their choice.

Dee had other options in mind. Such as Wisconsin Coach Barry Alvarez.

Or Miami Dolphin Coach Dave Wannstedt.

But when those didn’t work out, Coker became Dee’s choice as well. Coker moved up to head coach, Portis ran for 1,200 yards, Dorsey won the Maxwell Award, and the Hurricanes went unbeaten, qualifying for Thursday’s Rose Bowl championship game against Nebraska by going 11-0.

So no complaints from Portis?

Only one.

He wishes Coker would loosen up a bit and let Portis do a little trash-talking and get wild and crazy on the field after big victories.

“If we win [Thursday],” Portis said, “he ought to let us parachute from the top of the Rose Bowl.”

*

Sunday was media day at the Rose Bowl.

That meant players got their first look at the historic stadium.

And the star players got to sit in carnival-style booths and face the media. And knee-jerk questions were met with mind-numbing answers.

Question to safety Edward Reed: “How do you stop [Nebraska quarterback] Eric Crouch?”

Answer: “Hopefully by tackling him.”