Having been promoted to the head coaching position in December 2006 to replace Larry Coker, Randy Shannon seems to be on the right track for returning the Miami Hurricanes program to prominence. Much like at Ohio State, top 10 teams and bowl game wins are the annual expectation for the Hurricanes. Talk will run rampant about the extent to which Miami has truly made their return when the final seconds tick away on Saturday, but in the end all that matters is the players on the field on that day, the fans in the stands on that day, and the two coaches matching play for play across the field.
While Shannon’s start at Miami has been tumultuous at times, it takes a back seat to his personal story, which started with the kind of troubles that most are fortunate enough to not experience. Three years old with a murdered father, siblings first on drugs and later dead of AIDS – Shannon’s childhood was not a pleasant one, and obviously has likely contributed to both the tough approach and the at-times compassionate side for which he has become known. These experiences certainly did not prevent him from achieving success in the world of football, as Shannon started at linebacker for Miami’s 1987 championship team before going on to a brief stint in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys.
Shannon not only played for the Hurricanes, but also was born in Miami and went to high school there, thus presenting the second coach in this series who has old roots in the location where they are now pursuing their coaching career. However, unlike Doc Holliday last week, Shannon has coached exclusively in Miami, even when it was in an assistant role for the Dolphins in the NFL from 1998-2000. Shannon started as an assistant coach at the U in 1991, experiencing another run at a championship as part of the program in that year. After staying with the Hurricanes through most of the 90’s, Shannon moved into the aforementioned position in the professional ranks before returning as Miami’s defensive coordinator in 2001, where he contributed to yet another Miami championship team.
Let it be noted that Shannon’s defense wasn’t quite good enough in 2002.
According to the University of Miami athletics website, “when you think of college football over the last quarter century you think of the Miami Hurricanes. And when you think of the Miami Hurricanes you think of Randy Shannon.” The first part of this statement is clearly a bit limited in perspective, and the latter part of the statement borders on wishful thinking (most people probably think of something more like, oh, I don’t know, maybe this). However, there is little denying the historic success of the U or the fact that Shannon has brought renewed excitement to a program that has faltered in recent years. Coming into the season with a team ranked among the best in the country, Shannon hopes to continue to build on the pattern of increasing win totals he has established in his first three years as the head coach of his alma mater. Whether or not his trip to Columbus will add to that total remains to be seen.
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