"I used to live in the field house," MacIntyre said Thursday. "I was a gym rat. I was a ballboy at games and even went to Football practice and helped out. Coaching is in my blood. It's all I've ever known."

Nineteen years after starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Georgia, MacIntyre is a finalist for the UTSA head Football job.

MacIntyre, now defensive coordinator at Duke, was among six of the seven finalists who interviewed with athletic director Lynn Hickey and her staff Tuesday and Wednesday in Dallas.

"I see the UTSA job as a great opportunity that comes with a great responsibility," MacIntyre said. "You want to do things the right way, because you're building the foundation for right now and the future. From the type of young men you recruit to your academic reputation, integrity and honesty, you're laying those cornerstones."

MacIntyre, who turns 44 on March 14, was an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys for four seasons (2003-06) before going to the New York Jets. He was on Bill Parcells' staff when the Cowboys had their training camp at the Alamodome.

"I feel like I know every nook and cranny in that dome," MacIntyre said, chuckling. "It's a great place to play and a great place to watch a game. It's going to be a huge selling point for the UTSA Football program."

UTSA officials have said the Roadrunners will play their home games at the Alamodome. UTSA kicks off its first season in 2011 as an independent in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA.

Hickey and her staff also have interviewed former Miami head coach Larry Coker, Mary Hardin-Baylor head coach Pete Fredenburg, Tulsa associate head coach/co-defensive coordinator Paul Randolph, Texas A&M quarterback coach Tom Rossley and Northwest Missouri head coach Mel Tjeerdsma.

The seventh finalist, longtime NFL assistant coach Bill Bradley, said Hickey has told him he would be interviewed in San Antonio sometime this week or early next week.

MacIntyre played two seasons at Vanderbilt under his father, George, who coached the Commodores from 1979-85, before transferring to Georgia Tech in 1986. He was a free safety and punt returner for the Yellow Jackets in 1987 and 1988 under coach Bobby Ross.