Coral Gables Chamber meets Randy Shannon
August 20, 2007
 University of Miami head football coach Randy Shannon is welcomed to the Coral Gables Chamber’s breakfast meeting by Sarah Artecona, the chamber’s vice chairman of special events, who is also from UM. |
Coral Gables loves its football team.
Every year, the head football coach at the University of Miami comes to a preseason “Good Morning Coral Gables” breakfast meeting of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, and every year, the ballroom at the Biltmore is packed with supporters.
Larry Coker (are we allowed to mention his name?) was always a big hit, talking about the players, telling football jokes and bringing a video of the previous season’s highlights.
New coach Randy Shannon was equally beloved by the audience, but took a much different approach. Instead of talking football, he spoke about the University of Miami and the City of Coral Gables as “teammates.”
Raised in Liberty City, Shannon, 41, played linebacker for UM in the late 80’s, and then spent two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before becoming a coach. He talked about how the Coral Gables business community has improved since he was a UM player.
The audience missed the excitement that Coker generated in his talks each year, but took a liking to Shannon.
Of course, at this time last year everyone expected UM to be competing for a national championship. This year, none of the major polls even rank UM among the preseason top-25. So expectations are lower, and there’s no place to go but up!
The “Good Morning Coral Gables” breakfast is the featured monthly event of the Coral Gables Chamber, with the buffet at the Biltmore included free as part of the annual dues. For more information, go to the Organizations page and click on the Coral Gables Chamber logo.
