Mario Cristobal was a young graduate assistant more than two decades ago when he drew the assignment of going to the airport to pick up a candidate for Miami’s vacant defensive coordinator position.
That candidate, Greg Schiano, had just spent three seasons working on the defensive staff with the Chicago Bears. He soon was hired by then-Miami head coach Butch Davis for that open coordinator position.
That began a longtime friendship between Schiano and Cristobal, who will be coaching against each other when Rutgers and Miami play in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 28 at Yankee Stadium.
“Instantly he was the hardest worker in the building,” Cristobal, in his second season as the Hurricanes’ head coach, recalled Tuesday during a virtual news conference. “It’s someone I patterned my habits after. Someone that was a rising star in the profession.”
Schiano worked as Miami’s defensive coordinator for two seasons – the Hurricanes had one of the best defenses in the nation both years – before being hired as Rutgers’ head coach in December of 2000.
One of the first decisions Schiano made?
Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, front, reacts in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Piscataway, N.J. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
Bringing Cristobal, a Miami native who was an elite offensive lineman with the Hurricanes, with him to Piscataway.
“It wasn’t easy prying him out of there,” Schiano said.
Cristobal coached Rutgers’ tight ends and offensive tackles for two seasons, then became the offensive line coach for the 2003 season.
That young graduate assistant who picked Schiano up from the airport soon became a vital member of his coaching staff.
“Truth be told, he laid a huge part of this foundation,” Schiano said. “You look back at what he did in the three years he…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/rutgers-footballs-greg-schiano-miamis-090715412.html
Author : App.com | Asbury Park Press
Publish date : 2023-12-07 09:07:15
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