Larry Coker is the current head coach of the University of Miami football team.

Coker had served as an assistant coach at several universities (including Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State) and as Miami's offensive coordinator from 1995 to 2000 before taking over as head coach of the Hurricanes in 2001 following the departure of then-coach Butch Davis to the Cleveland Browns of the NFL. Coker met with immediate success, as he guided the Hurricanes to a 12-0 record and the national championship in his first season, soundly defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Rose Bowl. The season was the most dominant in Miami's football rich history and the 2001 Miami Hurricanes were widely regarded as one of the greatest teams in the history of college football. For his stewardship of the team, Coker was gives numerous honors. including the Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year Award and the 2001 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA ) Coach of the Year Award.

The Hurricanes won their first 12 games in 2002, pushing a winning streak that dated back to the 2000 season to 34 games and giving Coker an unblemished 22-0 record heading into the Fiesta Bowl National Championship Game. In a controversial but utterly thrilling game, the 11 1/2-point underdog Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Hurricanes 31-24 in two overtimes to win the national championship and finish with a 14-0 record. With the Buckeyes trailing 24-17 and facing a fourth-and-3 from the Miami 5-yard line in the first overtime, Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel threw a pass to the right corner of the endzone to receiver Chris Gamble, who was being covered by Miami defensive back Glenn Sharpe. Gamble reached back and got his hands on the ball, but couldn't hold on. Fireworks were set off and Miami players and fans streamed onto the field in celebration of what they thought was another national championship. However, after a bit of a delay, official Terry Porter threw a flag on the field and called Sharpe for pass interference. Three plays later, Ohio State scored a touchdown to tie it up and send the game into a second overtime. The Buckeyes quickly scored a touchdown at the start of the second overtime period to take the lead and clinched the championship when the defense stopped Miami on a dramatic fourth-and-goal pass play from the Ohio State 1-yard line. The game has been hailed by many as the best bowl game in college football history.

Despite the loss, Coker tied Walter Camp for the best record by a college football head coach in his first 32 games (31-1).

In 2003, things took a different turn when a pair of late season losses kept Miami out of the BCS National Championship Game for the first time in Coker's tenure. Nevertheless, the 'Canes defeated their archrivals, the Florida State Seminoles, for the second time that season in the 2004 Orange Bowl and finished the campaign with an 11-2 record and ranked fifth in both polls.

Miami joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004 and the team finished with a somewhat disappointing (by Miami standards) 9-3 record and #11 ranking in the final polls. However, Miami ended the season on a positive note, beating the rival Florida Gators 27-10 in the Peach Bowl.

Coker is widely considered one of the top coaches in college football and has compiled an impressive resume in his four seasons as Miami's head coach.

Highlights

• Career Record: 44-6 (.880)
• Bowl Record: 3-1
• 2001 National Championship
• 5-0 record vs. Florida State
• 3-0 record vs. University of Florida
• 2002 American Football Monthly magazine National Coach of the Year
• 2001 Bear Bryant Coach of the Year
• 2001 AFCA Coach of the Year (Shared with Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen)
• Two-time Big East Conference Coach of the Year (2001, 2002)
• Has produced 15 first-round NFL draft picks in three NFL drafts, including a record 6 in 2004
• Has produced a total of 28 NFL draft picks during his tenure at Miami