Mario Cristobal built resume playing and coaching for championship coaches

New Miami football head coach Mario Cristobal has gained valuable experience throughout his career as a coach and player under multiple Championship and elite head coaches. Mario Cristobal won National Championships as a player at Miami under Dennis Erickson and coached under championship coach Larry Coker.

Cristobal was recruited to Miami by National Championship and two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Jimmy Johnson. Johnson left after the 1988 season allowing Cristobal one season with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach. Cristobal’s final four seasons at Miami winning two National Championships were under Dennis Erickson.

Cristobal played in 1995 and 1996 with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. The coaching career for Cristobal began with Miami as a graduate assistant under Butch Davis from 1998 through 2000. Cristobal left to become the offensive tackle and tight ends coach at Rutgers under Greg Schiano in 2000.

After three seasons on the staff at Rutgers, Cristobal returned to Miami to join the Hurricanes staff under Larry Coker. Cristobal was the Miami TEs coach in 2004 and 2005 and the OL coach in the last season Coker was head coach in 2006. Cristobal became the head coach at FIU in 2007.

FIU was 0-11 in 2006. The task for Cristobal in his first head coaching job was monumental. Cristobal implemented a spread offense in his first season. FIU extended the losing streak to 23 games before a 38-19 victory over North Texas to end the 2006 season for the first win of Cristobal’s coaching career.

Cristobal lasted six years at FIU with a 27–47 overall record and a 20–26 record in the Sun Belt Conference. FIU went to two bowl games under Cristobal. The Golden Panthers won the 2010 Little Ceaser’s Bowl 34-32 over Toledo. FIU also played in the 2011 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl under Cristobal in 2011.

Those were the first two Bowl Games in FIU history. Following a 3-9 record in 2012, Cristobal was fired. Following FIU Cristobal was hired as the associate head coach and TEs coach at Miami under Al Golden. Cristobal lasted six weeks before leaving to become the assistant head coach, OL coach and recruiting coordinator at Alabama.

Coaching under Nick Saban would become the recharge that Cristobal would need. During his time in Tuscaloosa Cristobal became one of the most elite recruiters in the country. Seven five-star signees are credited to Cristobal during his tenure with Alabama. Alabama went 51-6 during the four seasons Cristobal was on the staff.

Alabama won the 2015 National Championship and played in the National Championship Game after the 2016 season. Under Cristobal, the 2015 Alabama OL won the Joe Moore Award as the best nationally. Three Alabama OL earned All-American during the four seasons Cristobal was in Tuscaloosa.

In 2017, Cristobal left Alabama to become the Co-offensive coordinator and OL coach at Oregon under Willie Taggart. When Taggart left Oregon to become the head coach at Florida State, Cristobal was elevated to head coach. Oregon improved from 7-5 in the one season under Taggart to 9-4 in Cristobal’s first season in 2017.

Oregon was 35–13 overall and 23–9 in the Pac 12 in four seasons under Cristobal. The Ducks won the Rose Bowl following the 2019 season and appeared in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of 2020. Miami is getting a coach who has played at coached under some of the best in the history of college football.