Offensive Coordinator
Rich Olson, who worked for three years on the Miami Hurricanes‘ coaching staff with great success in the early 1990s, has returned to the program as its new offensive coordinator.
"I think the University of Miami, our coaching staff and our players are fortunate to have Rich Olson as part of the football program," Miami coach Larry Coker said in a statement Friday. "He’s going to be a great addition because of his knowledge of football, but more important because of his ability to unite our offensive staff and get our offense going into the direction we want it to go."
A 29-veteran coach in college football and the NFL, Olson has coached some of the top names in college football and the NFL. He was Miami’s wide receivers coach in 1992 and was an integral part of Gino Torretta’s success when the quarterback won the Heisman Trophy that year.
Olson spent the last 11 years in the NFL with Seattle, Washington, Arizona, San Francisco and Minnesota, coaching quarterbacks Daunte Culpepper, Jake Plummer and Warren Moon, in addition to then-college players Trent Dilfer, and running backs Craig James and Eric Dickerson, the latter a Hall of Famer.
"I am so excited to be coming back to the University of Miami," Olson said. "I enjoyed my time here and now I get an opportunity to come back and compete for a national championship. That’s what college football is about.
"To win consistently, you have to be able to run the football. We have a really good quarterback, a tight end and receivers. But we have to be able to run the ball. We can’t throw it every down. If defenses have to defend the run and the pass, then we have a better chance to win."
He replaces Dan Werner, one of four assistants fired by coach Larry Coker after the Hurricanes went 9-3 last season.
