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