Mark Richt Gives Miami Hurricanes Most Stability Since 60’s
Mark Richt’s hiring in December 2015 has the Miami Hurricanes on the path to having their most stability at Head Coach in over 50 years. Previous coaches were either not good enough or had their eye on the NFL.
The Miami Hurricanes heyday from the 1980’s through 2000 led to four consecutive Head Coaches leaving their positions to take a professional job. Howard Schnellenberger left the Hurricanes for the USFL. Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson, and Butch Davis left the U for the NFL.
Schnellenberger signed a $3.5 million, five year contract to coach the USFL’s Washington Federals who were expected to move to Miami for the 1985 season. The man who coined the State of Miami was signed to a lifetime contract guaranteeing him $100,000 per year for life.
Schnellenberger was hired to the future Miami Federals Head Coach, General Manager, Team President and Part Owner. He left behind a very talented Miami team that had just won a National Championship.
Johnson succeeded him and left the Miami Hurricanes for the Dallas Cowboys five years later. He eventually won two Super Bowls in Dallas before being fired by owner Jerry Jones in a power struggle.
Johnson became the first coach to win a college championship and a National Championship. His successor with the Cowboys Barry Switzer matched that feat.
Erickson coached two National Championship teams in his six years with the Miami Hurricanes after succeeding Johnson. He coached six years in the NFL finishing with a 40-56 record. His teams were mostly mediocre. A 2-14 season his final year as an NFL Head Coach with San Francisco made his record look much worse than it actually was.
Davis coached Cleveland from 2001-04. The Browns went to the playoffs in his second season in 2002. His overall record in nearly four seasons in Cleveland was 24-35.
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Richt came to Miami after 15 seasons at Georgia. He had a 145-51 record with the Bulldogs. He added a 9-4 record in his first season with the Hurricanes in 2016.
The longest tenure since 1963 was only six years from Erickson and Larry Coker from 2001-06.
Andy Gustafson is the winningest coach in Miami Hurricanes program history. He has the school records for games, wins, and losses.
Gustafson has virtually every longevity record for a coach in Miami history by a wide margin. His16 seasons are seven more than anyone else. He coached 72 more games, won 30 more and lost 33 more games than anyone in Miami history.
At 57 Richt might not equal Gustafson’s school record of 16 seasons. He would be 71 by his 16th year as the Miami Hurricanes Head Coach. The likelihood is he will become the second longest tenured coach at Miami.
Richt is almost definitely at Miami for the remainder of his career with any type of moderate success. With what Richt is building he has a chance catch Gustafson’s career record of 93 wins at Miami.
He has literally come home and to hear him talk about the U and South Florida he sincerely would not want to be anywhere else. He frequently refers to the area as Paradise. The aptly named Paradise camps take place on Campus each summer. The first two years have been big successes.
Richt’s salary should also keep him in Coral Gables and provide stability. Despite the fifth smallest enrollment in the ACC and being only one of two schools in the conference without their own football stadium Miami still pays Richt like they are a state school.
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Richt had come in and built a presence like a coach that has been there for many years. He helped secure over $30 million in funding for the Soffer Indoor Practice facility, has re-established the “State of Miami” and has the fanbase excited about the program again.
Things should be good at Miami for a long time. When Richt is ready to retire he could be grooming his son Jon to take over. Jon is the quarterbacks’ coach and only 27 years old.
Miami enters the 2017 season with the momentum of a five game winning streak, their first bowl victory in ten years and being picked to win the ACC Coastal Division title. The Hurricanes are continuing the momentum with of the nation’s top two recruiting classes for 2018.
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If Miami can win the Coastal this season and get to a New Year’s Six Bowl Game it will give the momentum another big push forward. Under Richt, the program has become far more stable. He has the Hurricanes on the verge of big things in the next two to three years.