Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal receives glowing praise from new AD Dan Radakovich
The University of Miami has officially introduced new athletic director Dan Radakovich, and he already had his head football coach in place before starting the job. In his introductory press conference, Radakovich was asked about Cristobal, and the new athletic director had glowing praise.
Radakovich has seen what Cristobal has accomplished throughout his career. Whether it was his time as the head coach at FIU, his time under Nick Saban at Alabama, or as the head coach at Alabama, Cristobal has found success. Radakovich hopes the two can use their experience around elite football programs to bring the Hurricanes back to national prominence.
“I’ve watched Mario from afar, not only as a player here, but as he went through his personal coaching journey,” Radakovich said. “What he did at Florida International was phenomenal. What he did as part of Coach Saban’s staff at Alabama was very very good. Then certainly at Oregon when he took the helm there for the last few years has been spectacular. He knows how to do it. He’s seen it. He knows what it takes, and those are things that I think both he from his vantage point and me from my vantage point, having been at some top-caliber programs and helped pull those together, we can take our collective knowledge and pull that together to move the university forward.”
When the hiring of Radakovich was announced, Cristobal released a statement on the move. The new Miami head coach said that he is ready to bring excellence back to Coral Gables.
“I am excited to welcome Dan to The U Family,” Cristobal said in his statement. “He is a visionary leader who is respected throughout college athletics. I look forward to working alongside him in our collective pursuit of excellence, building elite facilities, championship processes and a winning culture that will resonate and connect us with our loyal Miami alumni, donors, students and fans.”
Cristobal has also addressed his desire to bring the “swagger” back to Miami. In order to do that, he says the Hurricanes must actually start beating teams regularly on Saturdays.
“When people think about the flamboyant style, they think about the toughness, physicality and success they had on the field,” Cristobal said. “I mean, it was team after team of going to places where teams were ranked No. 1 and walking out of there with a win. I’m not in any way, shape or form trying to take Miami back to the 80s or 90s. I’m trying to bring everything to modern day and time. And it all starts with how you play the game. It has to look a certain way, sound a certain way, feel a certain way and there is no substitute for that.
“Swag is a byproduct of flat out kicking butt in everything you do. It starts in the trenches. It filters out the guys on the perimeters. It’s a mentality. It’s a way of life. It’s a DNA. It’s not a t-shirt you put on and off. And it’s not a proclamation. It’s not a tweet. It’s not a slogan. It’s getting to work and taking care of business so it looks a certain way on Saturdays.”
