Richt Retires, Diaz Hired In University Of Miami Coaching Shakeup

The University of Miami has always been one of the most attractive yet most challenging jobs in college football. They’ve got a winning tradition to rival any program in the country with an all time winning percentage of .634 (630-360-19), five ‘claimed’ national championships and several other disputed titles. At one point, they were a quarterback factory with Vinny Testaverde (1986) and Gino Torretta (1992) winning the Heisman Trophy. The program has plenty of deep pocketed boosters which is generally a positive though it also has downsides. Rapper Luther Campbell has been implicated for providing cash incentive to players to ‘officially’ he’s never donated to the University of Miami or the athletic department. Convicted felon Nevin Shapiro set off a scandal claiming that he used investor funds to funnel donations to the football program. In the process, he provided over $2 million in illegal benefits to football players and coaches during the period 2002-2010.

Since the early 1980’s, Miami has also had its share of marquee names as head coach. Howard Schnellenberger coached from 1979 to 1983 and set off the school’s unprecedented success on the gridiron. The was followed by one of the most (in)famous head coaches of all—Jimmy Johnson who went 52-9 in four seasons at Miami followed by a successful run as head coach of the NFL Dallas Cowboys. Dennis Erickson, Butch Davis and Larry Coker also enjoyed success over the next two decades but in recent years the program’s national status has slipped considerably. Randy Shannon, Jeff Stoutland, Al Golden and Larry Scott couldn’t get it done.

Hurricanes boosters hoped that would change when Mark Richt was hired in 2015. At the end of the 2015 season, Richt was summarily dismissed as head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs after 15 seasons and despite posting a 9-3 record. He wasn’t unemployed for long. On December 4, 2015, Richt returned to his alma mater at the University of Miami. After an initial rush of enthusiasm (40,000 season tickets were sold before the 2016 season opener) reality set in. Richt put up a decent 26-12 record in three seasons but wasn’t able to get the Hurricanes back to the upper echelons of college football. He was able to bring some skill position players to the program but lacked the strength in the ‘trenches’. More problematic was the school’s financial reality—even with huge merchandise sales and celebrity boosters the budget was a fraction of what he enjoyed at Georgia. This translated into Richt trying to work miracles with substandard equipment, facilities and assistants.

Immediately after Miami’s 2018 season came to an unceremonious end with a 35-3 loss to Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl, Richt announced his retirement. His statement was thoughtful in tone yet extremely vague with few specifics as to the timing of the decision. At age 58, Richt is far from ‘over the hill’ as a football coach though his statement strongly suggests that the Miami job will be his last:

“A few hours ago, I informed UM Director of Athletics Blake James that it is time for me to retire from coaching so I am stepping down as the Head Coach of UM Football. The decision came after a great deal of thought, discussions with my family, and prayer. This was my decision.

The University of Miami has been a part of my life for more than three decades. It shaped me as a young man and provided me with the coaching opportunity of a lifetime. My love for The U is simply great. My true desire is for our football program to return to greatness, and while terribly difficult, I feel that stepping down is in the best interests of the program.”

Miami quickly found a replacement for Richt. Former Hurricanes’ defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is a native of Miami. His dad was once mayor of the city. He had been hired as the new head coach at Temple two weeks ago but quickly changed course once this opportunity presented itself:

“Miami is home. The University of Miami is home. The U has truly been ‘the job’ for me since I first got into coaching,”

Temple athletic director Patrick Craft seemed to take Diaz’s decision in stride noting that “we are disappointed that he is leaving, but wish him the best as he returns home.”