After an extensive search following the resignation of Don Strock, Florida International has a new football coach and they didn’t have to go far to find him. Mario Cristobal, the offensive line coach at Miami University has agreed to take over the FIU program after going 0-12 in the 2006 season and was involved in the brawl during the game with Miami University in October.
“We are very pleased to hire Mario Cristobal as the head coach who will lead this program to higher levels,” FIU Director of Athletics Pete Garcia said. “He has all the qualities we were looking for in a head coach, character, integrity, work ethic and passion. We are confident he will lead this program in a manner that this university, alumni and the South Florida community will be proud of.”
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A Miami native and graduate of Christopher Columbus High School, Cristobal, 36, is regarded as one of the top recruiters and coaches in college football. He established his vision for the program on his first day on the job.
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“We want to do things the right way, from the beginning all the way to the end,” Cristobal said. “We want to lay a foundation. We want to bring in great student-athletes. Guys who will lead in the classroom. Guys who will be doing it right on the football field. Guys who will lead in reaching out to the community and giving back as much as they have received from this great community.
Cristobal comes to FIU from the University of Miami, where he coached the tight ends in 2004 and 2005 before taking over as offensive line coach in 2006 on Larry Coker’s staff. Cristobal took over an offensive line this past season that featured four new starters, including a true sophomore at left tackle and a true freshman at right tackle. Despite coaching a unit wrought with inexperience and riddled by injuries throughout the season, the UM offense saw a 39 percent decrease in sacks given up from 36 to 22, only seven of which the offensive line was deemed responsible for.
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Cristobal played out his high school career at Columbus High School before coming to the University of Miami as an offensive lineman. He played in four bowl games with the Hurricanes, and as a senior in 1992, earned All-Big East honors as an offensive tackle. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Cristobal signed with the Denver Broncos as a free agent and participated in preseason camp. He spent two years playing for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe before starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Miami in 1998.
