FIU hired Ron Turner to take over as its new head coach. Al Messerschmidt, Getty Images.
FIU stunned the college football world when it parted ways with coach Mario Cristobal, who successfully turned around the program but fell short of conference championship expectations in 2012.
After an extended search, the school is set to formally introduce Ron Turner as its new coach at 3:30 p.m. today. Turner is the brother of former San Diego Chargers coach Norv Turner.
Ron Turner is a former University of Illinois and San Jose State University coach who most recently worked as the quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Bucs.
It wasn't the Bucs staff member many figured would land the job. FIU athletic director Pete Garcia courted long-time friend and former North Carolina coach Butch Davis, but Davis opted to remain a special assistant on the Bucs coaching staff and wait for other job opportunities.
Turner has a 42-61 overall record as a head coach at the college level following his stnts at San Jose State and Illinois. He is 1-1 in bowl games.
He got his first head coaching job at San Jose State in 1992, then worked as the Chicago Bears' offensisve coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 1993-96. He took over as Illinois' head coach from 1997-2004.
Turner returned to the Bears, working as their offensive coordinator from 2005-09. He then worked with Indianapolis Colts receivers and quarterbacks in 2010 and 2011 before spending the past season mentoring the Bucs' quarterbacks.
Turner, 59, is from Martinez, Calif., and graduated from the University of the Pacific. He was a receiver at Diablo Valley College and Pacific before moving into coaching.
