By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) - Larry Coker's tumultuous and disappointing season at Miami ended with his dismissal as head coach.
Coker was fired Friday, a move that was expected for weeks. It came one day after the Hurricanes finished a 6-6 regular season by beating Boston College, snapping a four-game losing streak and becoming bowl-eligible.
Coker will coach the team in a bowl game, if Miami is invited, athletic director Paul Dee said.
``I'd like to certainly end on a positive note,'' Coker said.
After the game, he said he expected to remain at Miami ``a long time.'' But less than 12 hours later, despite a 59-15 record and two appearances in the national championship game, Coker was gone - doomed largely by 12 losses in the last three seasons, and no conference titles or major bowl bids since 2003.
He had three seasons left on a contract that paid him about $2 million annually.
``There were a lot of issues, but certainly the direction the program was going was certainly one,'' Dee said. ``I wouldn't say that was totally it, but if you want to look in that direction, that was one. There were disappointments. There were opportunities, I think, to play better and we didn't. It all comes to the head coach.''
ncaafootball.com
I really hate to see him go. He has given us Miami fans some great times, but also some bad times in his past 3 years. It ain't so much of his fault that our offense sucks balls.
Miami Fires Football Coach Larry Coker
Miami Fires Football Coach Larry Coker
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