CORAL GABLES, Fla. — A pair of former Miami Hurricanes coaches are on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.
Mark Richt, who guided the Hurricanes to their first and only Atlantic Coast Conference championship game appearance to date, and Larry Coker, who led the Hurricanes to their last of five national championships in school history, are among nine coaches on the 2023 ballot, announced Monday by the National Football Foundation.
Richt, who grew up in Boca Raton and later played for the Hurricanes under legendary former coach Howard Schnellenberger, began his head coaching career at Georgia from 2001-15, leading the Bulldogs to a 145-51 record and five Southeastern Conference title game berths, winning in 2002 and 2005.
His 145 wins at Georgia are second only to Hall of Fame coach Vince Dooley.
After he was fired at Georgia, Richt returned to his alma mater in December 2015 and led Miami to a 26-13 record over the next three seasons.
Highlights of his tenure include leading the Hurricanes to a 10-3 record in 2017 – their only 10-win season since 2003 – and snapping a seven-game losing streak to rival Florida State. The Hurricanes also won the ACC Coastal Division that year and earned a berth in the title game.
But the Hurricanes struggled through a 7-6 season the following year, resulting in Richt's abrupt resignation in December 2018.
Richt began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Florida State under Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden, eventually becoming quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the Seminoles during the height of their success in the 1990s. Among the quarterbacks he coached were Heisman Trophy winners Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke.
As a player, Richt spent most of his Miami career as a backup to quarterback Jim Kelly.
Coker was 60-15 with a national championship at Miami from 2001-06, including a 35-3 record during his first three seasons. He began his head coaching career with a perfect 24-0 record – including an undefeated 2001 campaign that culminated with a national championship – before a controversial finish in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State gave the Buckeyes a 31-24 double-overtime victory.
However, Coker was fired in 2006 after a season in which the Hurricanes struggled on and off the field. His team was emotionally scarred by a midseason melee with players from crosstown Florida International and the off-campus shooting death of defensive lineman Bryan Pata. A suspect in Pata's killing — his ex-teammate Rashaun Jones — was arrested in 2021.
Coker came to Miami in 1995 to serve as offensive coordinator under predecessor Butch Davis. Coker was elevated to head coach after Davis left for the NFL's Cleveland Browns.
He retired with an overall record of 86-47 as head coach, including five seasons at the University of Texas at San Antonio from 2011-15.