The University of Colorado has hired San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre to take over its beleaguered football program, a source close to MacIntyre told the Daily Camera.
MacIntyre, a 47-year-old native of Miami, is the son of a former college football coach. He becomes the 25th full-time coach in Colorado's history. MacIntyre could be introduced to his new team and the rest of the CU athletic department as soon as today, but as of this morning he was still in San Jose talking with players and assistant coaches there.
Several San Jose State players mentioned a team meeting this morning on their Twitter accounts. It's not known if MacIntyre informed his players in the meeting he would be leaving for CU.
Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn and CU spokesman Bronson Hilliard did not immediately return messages left for them.
It is expected MacIntyre will sign a five-year contract, which is standard for CU's head football coaches. He made $450,000 this year at San Jose State. Contract terms with CU aren't known at this time.
The decision to hire MacIntyre must be approved by the Board of Regents, which is expected to be a formality based on past precedent.
MacIntyre has three years of head coaching experience -- all at San Jose State -- and more than 20 years of experience as an assistant at the pro and college levels. He has coached on both sides of the ball but has spent the bulk of his career coaching defense.
He was hired to take over at San Jose State three years ago after spending two seasons at Duke University where he served as defensive coordinator. His defenses produced two of the best seasons statistically the Duke program has enjoyed. The American Football Coaches Association named him the Assistant Coach of the Year in 2009
MacIntyre inherited a program at San Jose State that hadn't been to a bowl game since 2006 and had produced only two winning seasons in the previous 17 years.
The Spartans went 1-12 in the transition year under MacIntyre but showed improvement going 5-7 in his second season. The Spartans are 10-2 this season and ranked No. 24 in both major polls and the Bowl Championship Series standings.
This season was one of three winning seasons for the football program there in the past 20 years. San Jose State will play Bowling Green on Dec. 27 in the Military Bowl at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. It's unknown if MacIntyre will coach in that game but it seems unlikely with a coaching staff and recruiting plan needing to be established in Boulder.
MacIntyre's proven ability to turn around a program that has traditionally struggled was likely a big selling point for CU officials who are hoping MacIntyre can produce similar results with the Buffs. CU hasn't been to a bowl game since 2007 and hasn't had a winning season since 2005.
The Buffs completed the worst season in the modern era of the program a little more than two weeks ago, going 1-11 and being blown out by margins of more than 20 points in a majority of their games this fall. Those results led to coach Jon Embree, a CU alum, being fired after just two seasons on the job.
MacIntyre will inherit a team that was the least experienced in the nation at the beginning of this season and with a lot of players slated to return in 2013. There were only eight seniors on the roster this fall and three fourth-year juniors also completed their careers.
The MacIntyre File
Hometown: Miami, Fla. (Born March 14, 1965)
Education: Graduate of Georgia Tech, 1990; master's degree in education with an emphasis in sports management, from Georgia in 1991.
Experience: Three seasons as head coach at San Jose State (2010-12). Defensive coordinator at Duke University (2008-09), Defensive backs coach New York Jets (2007), Defensive backs coach Dallas Cowboys (2003-06), assistant coach at Mississippi 1999-2000 wide receivers and 2001-02 defensive backs.
Records: 16-21 (career) all at San Jose State.
Salary: Earned approximately $450,000 at San Jose State this season. Is under contract through 2017.
Family: Wife, Trisha; children, Jennifer, Jay Michael, Jonston.
Snapshot: Hired at San Jose State on Dec. 17, 2009. Went 1-12 in his first season with the Spartans in 2010, 5-7 in 2010 and 10-2 this season. Served as an assistant coach under Bill Parcells during his five seasons in the NFL. During his time at Mississippi, MacIntyre played a role in recruiting Eli Manning to the school and was instrumental in recruiting current San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis. ___
(c)2012 the Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.)
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