SAN ANTONIO — It's a long way from Miami, but Larry Coker is back in college football.

Greeted by a raucous ballroom Friday packed with pigskin-hungry students and supporters, Coker was introduced as the first head coach of the new Texas-San Antonio football team that's expected to play its first season in 2011.

The former Miami Hurricanes told the crowd he wanted "build the program the right way, as a marathon" and said San Antonio offered plenty for players in the ultra-competitive Texas recruiting landscape.

It's the first coaching job for Coker since being fired in 2006 by Miami after six seasons, including a national championship in 2001.

UTSA has about 28,000 students in a city that is the nation's largest without an NFL or Division I team.