T1B

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2690489

It's a better choice than Bernie Kosar...

Rumor had it in Austin that if he is passed over for the HC job, he would become DC for Texas. Don't know how much truth to it is though,

A report from the AAS had him as the top choice with Jerry Gray #2, I would jump for joy to see Gray named the new DC.

Vito Corleone wrote:A report from the AAS had him as the top choice with Jerry Gray #2, I would jump for joy to see Gray named the new DC.

what happened to Joe Kines for the UT job? i thought that was all but a done deal. i missed some stuff late last week i guess.

Jerry Gray was a great player, no doubt.

I really wanted him at ND, but you can't help but root for this guy:

HYDE: Shannon proof that tenacity, talent give way to success
Published December 8, 2006 in Sun-Sentinel(Ft Lauderdale paper)


He came out of the meanest streets of Miami, the ones in Liberty City that murdered his father, sent a brother to prison and killed three siblings by AIDS, each one the result of a crack-cocaine addiction.

You think Randy Shannon's a bit of an upset today as the University of Miami's newly named football coach?

That doesn't begin to tell the upset Shannon has been in life.

At every age, he has overcome more than most of us have ever faced. At 3, his father was murdered while trying to break up an argument. At 16, he became a father himself. At 22, he was the first in his family to earn a college degree.

At 23, he was an 11th-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys and became their first rookie linebacker to start since their expansion days.

At 25, his sister, Joanna, died of AIDS. Two brothers soon followed. A third brother wallowed in drugs to the point he stole Randy's identity, plunging his life into such a chaos that he had to carry around special identification to prove that he really was Randy Shannon.

At 40, he's Miami's new coach.

There's no way you can't root for him, if not for his school colors then for his life story. What's the saying about nature's cruel law? "Crush 1,000 men and 999 may die but the one who lives will be special."

That's the kind of man Miami hired. But what matters from here is what kind of coach he will be, and Shannon knows that more than anyone. No matter how much you like Shannon, how much you say he's the right choice for this job and how much you admire where he's come from, this also is true: hiring him is an unusual move.

Miami can rightfully call it a bold move. For one, Shannon was promoted over his fired boss in Larry Coker. That rarely happens. How often does a head coach get fired and an assistant takes over? And who's the real boss for the upcoming bowl game, Coker or Shannon?

For another, Shannon is black. OK, it's 2006, and you'd think we'd be past this. But there are only five other black head coaches in Division I-A college football today. This state's big three -- Florida, Florida State and Miami -- have not had a black football coach.

Also, Shannon gets the chance at Miami that Tom Olivadotti and Gary Stevens didn't. Olivadotti, the Hurricanes' former defensive coordinator, lost out in 1984 to Jimmy Johnson, who won a title and embodied much of the personality Miami's program loves.

Stevens, UM's former offensive coordinator, finished behind Dennis Erickson, who won two titles but never fit completely with the program.

Miami wanted Greg Schiano this time around for all the right reasons. He had been a Miami coordinator under Butch Davis before proving himself as the Rutgers coach. So when Schiano turned down the job, Miami either didn't have a legitimate Plan B or Shannon was it.

There are two legitimate questions about Shannon the coach. The first is the lack of head coaching experience. Answer: Davis had never been a head coach, either, and all he did was rejuvenate the program into one of America's best.

The second question: Who will run his offense? Shannon's defense speaks for itself, the way it's produced even in the most trying of years like this one. But Shannon must have given Miami officials answers about who would run the offense to get this job.

The university has hired its own before. Davis coached there under Jimmy. Coker was there under Davis. Shannon fits that profile, having won a national championship ring as a player in 1987, in 1991 as a graduate assistant coach and in 2001 as the defensive coordinator.

But Shannon is the first coach to come out of Miami as well. The program is mourning the murder of Bryan Pata? He's felt that in his life. It will be criticized by opposing recruiters as a big, bad city? He's proof you can survive anything.

Actually, he's proof you can do more than survive.

He's proof that if you're tough and talented you can succeed all the way to the top.

It's funny. They are our 2nd biggest rival and I never knew whether Shannon was black or white. All I know was that he was a hell of a DC.


RACK that guy for not making excuses in his life.

He came out of the meanest streets of Miami, the ones in Liberty City that murdered his father, sent a brother to prison and killed three siblings by AIDS, each one the result of a crack-cocaine addiction.

At 3, his father was murdered while trying to break up an argument. At 16, he became a father himself.

Uber Gold Toofer!

Sounds like he'll have no problem with being able to relate to his charges.

Mack wanted him badly, had Miami passed him over, you can bet he would be in Austin right now.

As I understand it now, Mack won't make a public decision til after the bowl game.

As far as Kines goes, I have no idea what is going on with him. It was leaked that he was the leading candidate then the statesmen came out with Shannon and Gray as the leading guys.

Like I said, Gray is an up and coming assistant in the Pros and would be a hell of a pickup. If there is one guy without head coaching experience I would want to coach Texas it probably would be him.

BTW rumors abound that Greg Davis is a leading candidate for the UAB job. Evidently Mack's brother Watson Brown was just made the AD. It's been a few days since I heard any news on that position. I personally like Davis but there are still a lot of Horn fans that want to see him move on.

Considering this is freaking Miami this isn't exactly a "wow" hire. I figured they'd get a guy with HC-experiene or a NFL-coordinator. But they should play quality D anyway and if he can find the right guy to run the O things could really happen there. I find myself at odds, I'd like to see a black coach succeed in a bigtime job but I hate Miami, I don't know what to root for.