With their self-imposed deadline less than two weeks away, UTSA athletic director Lynn Hickey and her staff began the first of two days of interviews with six of seven finalists Tuesday in Dallas.

While there were indications former Miami head coach Larry Coker spoke with UTSA officials Tuesday, Mary Hardin-Baylor head coach Pete Fredenburg, who started the Crusaders' program in 1997, confirmed he had been interviewed.

"It was good," Fredenburg, 61, said Tuesday night. "We just talked. It was pleasant and I enjoyed it. I'm very happy at Mary Hardin-Baylor, but any coach would have to be interested in the UTSA job. I just think that there's a great opportunity to develop a first-class program in a great city."

Coker, 60, could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

Earlier in the day, a woman answering the phone at his home in Fort Myers, Fla., said he wasn't home and wasn't expected until Tuesday night.

When asked if Coker was in Dallas interviewing for the UTSA job, the woman said, "I'm not at liberty to comment about that."

A source at UTSA said Coker is a finalist and would be interviewed in Dallas.

Duke defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre, who served as an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003-06, is one of the candidates expected to be interviewed today. MacIntyre, 43, was on Bill Parcells' staff with the Cowboys and is highly regarded in the UTSA athletic department, the source said.

Longtime NFL assistant coach Bill Bradley, who lives in Spring Branch and has strong ties to Hickey and UTSA president Ricardo Romo, said Hickey has told him he would be interviewed in San Antonio later this week or early next week.

The identities of the three other finalists could not be confirmed. Hickey did not return a message left on her cell phone Tuesday afternoon, and her voice mailbox was full later.

Hickey and Romo have said they want to hire a coach by March 1. The Roadrunners kick off their first season in 2011 as an independent in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA.

Fredenburg, a former assistant coach at Baylor, LSU and Louisiana Tech, is 99-29 in 11 seasons at Mary Hardin-Baylor and has led the Crusaders to the Division III playoffs seven times. Mary Hardin-Baylor lost in the 2004 title game.

Fredenburg coached 13 of his 14 seasons at Baylor under Grant Teaff, who along with former Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum is serving as a consultant in UTSA's coach search. He was also on New Braunfels Canyon's first staff in 1971, before moving to New Braunfels High in 1972.

"San Antonio is a great city to recruit to and there is great talent regionally," Fredenburg said. "If the city will embrace this project, it will be an incredible venture."

Coker, who guided Miami to the 2001 BCS national championship, confirmed two weeks ago that he had sent his r?sum? to Hickey and spoken with her by phone.

Coker led the Hurricanes to a national title in his first season as head coach and went 60-15 before getting fired in 2006. Miami won three Big East titles in six seasons under Coker, who has been a college Football analyst for ESPN the past two years.