Tag: Butch Davis

Memphis defensive coordinator football coach Mike MacIntyre answers questions at a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020 at the Billy J. Murphy Athletic Complex. Memphis Signing Day

FIU names Mike MacIntyre as head football coach

Posted on | by Field Level Media

FIU named Miami native Mike MacIntyre, a two-time national coach of the year, as its head football coach on Thursday.

“Throughout this process, Coach MacIntyre rose to the top,” athletic director Scott Carr said. “He has a passion for student-athletes and building genuine relationships with them. He’s a builder, with proven success taking two struggling programs and elevating them to national relevance. … We could not be more excited to bring his energy and passion to campus.”

MacIntyre, 56, spent the past two seasons as defensive coordinator at Memphis.

MacIntyre’s father, George, played and coached at the University of Miami.

“It is exciting to have the opportunity to come back to Miami,” MacIntyre said. “Not only was I born here but the roots of my family’s love for football and mentoring young people started here with my Dad. There is so much talent and passion for football in our area. I can’t wait to get started building a strong foundation for our program. I believe that together we will create something special to rally around, inspiring Panther pride in everyone associated with FIU and our community.”

In 2010, San Jose State hired MacIntyre to turn around its program. After two tough seasons that resulted in a 6-19 cumulative record, the Spartans finished 11-2 in 2012, earning MacIntyre his first coach of the year award.

Impressed by MacIntyre’s work in San Jose, Colorado hired him in 2013 to guide a program that hadn’t had a winning record since 2005. He spent six seasons there, with his teams posting a 30-44 record. His only winning season led to his second coaching award in 2016, when the Buffaloes finished 10-4 and earned a berth in the Alamo Bowl.

He was fired near the end of the 2018 season after two sub-.500 seasons.

At FIU, he takes over for Butch Davis, whose contract wasn’t renewed despite leading the program to three bowl games in five years. Last month, he had harsh words for the school, accusing administrators of sabotaging the program in an interview with The Action Network.

The Golden Panthers were 1-11 on the season, 0-8 in Conference USA play.

–Field Level Media

FIU head coach Butch Davis walks off the field with a hurt player FIU offensive lineman Shane McGough (55) during the game against MTSU on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, at MTSU. 37 Mtsu V Fiu

Butch Davis won’t return as FIU coach, accuses school of sabotage

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Coach Butch Davis has been informed he won’t be offered a new contract when his expires Dec. 15, despite leading the program to three bowl games in five years, The Action Network reported Monday.

And he had harsh words for the university, which hadn’t been to a bowl game since 2011 before his arrival in 2017. The program had only two winning seasons in its 13-year history before Davis took over, yet last month an ad for his job appeared on an industry website.

“This year has been a nightmare,” Davis told The Action Network. “You can imagine the players’ reaction when a head coach’s job was posted online. The administration has been sabotaging the program.

“Their decisions to post the job has resulted in a major negative impact on the football program and our ability to recruit and retain players.”

The Golden Panthers are 1-9 on the season. Per the report, 13 starters — 21 players in all — either sustained season-ending injuries or left the team.

Per the report, the university routinely posts every head and assistant coaching job on its internal website, even when an opening isn’t available. It did not address the posting on the American Football Coaches Association website.

Davis told The Action Network that coaching at FIU has been difficult beyond this season, considering:

–He could offer his assistant coaches only one-year contracts, ruling out those who were offered multiyear deals elsewhere.

–Coaches could not recruit on the road the past two years because of both COVID-19 and school finances.

–The school has limited equipment purchases. For example, when he arrived in 2017, he found out the team shoulder pads were 10 years old. Through a staff member, he learned Mississippi State was replacing its shoulder pads, and the school gave the old ones to FIU.

“They were five years old,” Davis said. “But they were new to us.”

The school uniforms also are nine years old, said Davis, who turns 70 on Wednesday.

Last week, athletic director Pete Garcia resigned to take a position as senior adviser to university president Mark Rosenberg.

Davis went to Florida International with an extensive coaching record.

He coached at Miami from 1995-2000, then at North Carolina from 2007-10. In between, he was the coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2001-04, leading them to a playoff appearance in 2002.

Overall, his college coaching record is 103-73, including a 24-30 mark at FIU.

–Field Level Media