Acclaimed Colorado Coach Mike MacIntyre Finds Another New Home

An acclaimed Colorado Buffaloes coach is back in the Pac-12 Conference.

Coach Mike MacIntyre, who led the Colorado Buffaloes for nearly six seasons from 2013 to 2018, has landed his next job. The Oregon State Beavers hired him on Thursday as their next defensive coordinator.

Oregon State Hires Mike MacIntyre

Dec 29, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Mike MacIntyre looks onto the field during the second half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Alamodome. | Soobum Im-Imagn Images

After a 10-27 record in his first three years at Colorado, MacIntyre was named consensus Coach of the Year in 2016 for overseeing the program's best season since 2001. The Buffs went 10-4, won the Pac-12 South and were ranked as high as No. 8 for the College Football Playoff.

It included a 41-38 win over Oregon, Colorado's only triumph over the Ducks during its time in the Pac-12. Quarterbacks Sefo Liufau and Steven Montez each made significant contributions, while running back Phillip Lindsey, cornerback Chidobie Awuzie and 14 others earned all-conference honors.

While they were blown out in both the ensuing Pac-12 Championship and Alamo Bowl, MacIntyre's work was hailed, and a lengthy contract extension was awarded.

Nov 17, 2018; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Mike MacIntyre leaves the field following the loss to the Utah Utes at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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However, it wasn't without controversy. In 2017, the university reprimanded him, along with athletic director Rick George and chancellor Phil DiStefano, for mishandling domestic abuse allegations against then-secondary coach Joe Tumpkin by an ex-girlfriend.

Following the punishment, MacIntyre released a statement claiming he was following school protocol and prioritizing the victim's safety. His contract approval stalled under heavy scrutiny, a sign of things to come.

Colorado went 5-7 in 2017, then won its first five games and reached the AP poll before a six-game losing streak. MacIntyre was fired, ending his 30-44 tenure with the Buffaloes.

Even with one notable season, he remains one of the most accomplished bosses in recent Colorado history. Coach Deion Sanders took over in 2022 after the Buffs' failed hires of Mel Tucker and Karl Dorrell.

Struggles Since

Nov 18, 2023; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; FIU Panthers head coach Mike MacIntyre during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas won 44-20. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Instability has shrouded MacIntyre's post-Boulder world. He spent a season as defensive coordinator at Ole Miss, where he was nominated for the Broyles Award. He was the Rebels' interim head coach before the hiring of Lane Kiffin, then made another defensive coordinator pit spot at Memphis.

MacIntyre returned to the head coaching ranks in 2022 with Florida International, but it quickly unraveled. The Panthers went 4-8 for three straight seasons until he was hired.

In a 2024 interview with The Athletic, former FIU linebacker Reggie Peterson alleged that MacIntyre threw a chair that hit a player, kicked chairs and knocked over a projector during halftime of a game two years prior. Peterson also accused MacIntyre of disparaging him and running a "Ponzi scheme."

Florida International linebacker Reggie Peterson (42) holds back his teammate, linebacker Donovan Georges (52), as he fights with Southern Miss linebacker Tyrese Hopkins (24) in the first quarter of a football game in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. | Dominic Gwinn / Hattiesburg American / USA TODAY NETWORK

This past season, MacIntyre worked as a senior defensive analyst at Mississippi State. He now takes a top spot at Oregon State under first-year head coach Jamarcus Shephard, Alabama's former offensive coordinator.

Before coaching Colorado, MacIntyre spent over two decades coaching around the country, including five seasons guiding secondaries in the NFL. He started as a graduate assistant at Georgia, earned his first Division I coordinating job in 1997 at Temple and oversaw San Jose State for three years before the Buffs.

His head-coaching track record is murky, but MacIntyre is a respected defensive mind who led Colorado to some of its highest peaks this century. He's off to Corvallis to wrangle a revamped Pac-12, as well as two Big 12 teams next season, Houston and Texas Tech.