Larry Coker is back in college football.

The coach who led the Miami Hurricanes to the 2001 national championship was introduced Friday as the first head coach of the Texas-San Antonio football program, which is expected to begin play in the 2011 season.

Coker was met by a raucous ballroom filled with students and supporters, and promised to “build the program the right way, as a marathon.” Coker called San Antonio a great opportunity in the ultra-competitive Texas recruiting landscape.

It’s the first coaching job for Coker since being fired by Miami in 2006.

UTSA has about 28,000 students in a city that is the nation’s largest without an NFL or Division I team.

Hookscenter.com wire report.