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Perhaps no football coach represented his Miami roots more proudly than Don Soldinger. Born in Miami Beach, Soldinger attended Southwest Miami High School, where he was a 3-year letterman as a defensive end and offensive tackle for coach Joe McNulty in the early 1960s. After attending Memphis State University, (now the University of Memphis), he began his coaching career in the late 1960s as an assistant coach at Miami’s Coral Park High School under then head coach Frank Downing through the early 1970s. He later moved on to Miami Killian High School in the mid 1970s, where he was an assistant under head coach Christ Vagotis, who later became an offensive line coach at the University of Miami. In 1977, Soldinger first gained recognition as head coach at Miami Southridge High School, where he established the Spartans as one of the state’s best programs. His teams were known for their prolific rushing attacks and physical defenses–winning 2 state titles and 3 state runner-up finishes. He also had two stints as an assistant coach at the University of Miami, coaching tight ends under Jimmy Johnson from 1984 to 1988 and coaching running backs and special teams under Butch Davis and Larry Coker. Photo by J.C. Ridley
No matter where he coached, Soldinger’s teams had two things in common–great running backs and lots of victories. His Southridge teams produced some of Dade County’s most prolific runners including Tony Smith, Harvey Reed, Troy Davis, Darren Davis and Sedrick Irvin. Soldinger’s knack for developing great running backs continued at UM where he coached Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee and Frank Gore. He is a member of the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame. Photo by JC Ridley. To read more articles about the Orange Bowl, visit us at https://www.facebook.com/
