Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1987
- Class:
- 1964
Not only did Larry Coyer play great defense at Marshall University, he went on to coach some of the best defenses and players in football history. The Barboursville High School star was recruited to Marshall by Coach Charlie Snyder and as a defensive back not only led the Herd in interceptions all three years he played for the varsity, his 13 career picks set a new school record that would stand for more than 20 years. With five interceptions as a senior, Coyer was named first team All-Mid-American Conference. He also led Marshall in kickoff and punt returns all three years he played, and Coyer and fellow hall of famer Troy Brown are the only Marshall players to average more than 30 yards per kickoff return over the course of their careers. Coyer was also a member of the Marshall wrestling team for three seasons, finishing third at the Mid-American Conference Tournament in 1964.
After completing his Marshall playing career, Coyer served as a graduate assistant coach at Marshall in 1965, and then went on to a coaching career that led him to Bowling Green, Iowa, Oklahoma State and Iowa State, and then into the professional ranks. Coyer was the linebackers coach for the Michigan Panthers, who won the inaugural USFL championship in 1983, and later became defensive coordinator for the Memphis Showboats in the same league. When the USFL folded, Coyer returned to the college ranks with stops at UCLA, Houston, Ohio State, Iowa State, East Carolina and Pittsburgh, also spending the 1994 season as the defensive line coach of the NFL’s New York Jets.
In 2000, Coyer returned to pro football as the linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos, where he was promoted to the position of defensive coordinator three years later. He then spent two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he served as the associate head coach, before becoming the defensive coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts from 2009-11. After serving as a scout for the Washington Redskins, Coyer returned to the field as the defensive coordinator at New Mexico State University. He was inducted into the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.
