72 Days to Miami football: Mario Cristobal former Canes OL and coach
Mario Cristobal played on the Miami football team from 1988-92 earning letters in his last four seasons after redshirting as a true freshman. Cristobal is now the head coach at Oregon.
Mario Cristobal joined the Miami football program in 1988 in Jimmy Johnson’s final season as head coach. After redshirting as a true freshman, Cristobal earned letters the next four seasons under Dennis Erickson who succeeded Johnson. For the last last two seasons, Cristobal has been the head coach at Oregon.
Cristobal was a key part of the Miami offensive line from 1989-92. Under Erickson, Cristobal helped protect quarterbacks Craig Erickson and Gino Torretta and clear the paths for running backs as Miami won national championships in 1989 and 91. Cristobal was first-team All-Big East as a redshirt senior in 1992.
Two seasons after finishing his collegiate career in Miami, Cristobal signed as an undrafted free agent with the Denver Broncos. Cristobal played two seasons with the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe before retiring to pursue a career as a coach. Cristobal’s first coaching job was as a graduate assistant with Miami.
Cristobal spent three seasons as a grad assistant in Coral Gables. The first full-time coaching job Cristobal held was as the offensive tackle and tight ends coach at Rutgers under former Miami defensive coordinator Greg Schiano. After three seasons in New Jersey, Cristobal returned to Coral Gables.
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In 2004 and 2005 under Larry Coker, Cristobal was the tight ends coach for Miami before becoming the offensive line coach in 2006. From 2007-2012 Cristobal was the head coach at FIU. After the Panthers fired him. Cristobal was the assistant head coach, OL coach and recruiting coordinator at Alabama from 2013-16.
Cristobal left Tuscaloosa to accept the position as the co-offensive coordinator and OL coach at Oregon in 2017 under Willie Taggart. When Taggart left for Florida State after one season, Cristobal was elevated to head coach. Cristobal took over for the Las Vegas Bowl in 2017 and is 21-7 since.
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After a Rose Bowl victory to finish the 2019 season, Cristobal is often placed on a shortlist of head coaches that have yet to win a national championship that are in a position to do so. Cristobal was a rock on the Miami offensive line of the late 1980s and early 1990s and the best number 72 in Miami football history.