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Program Information
Nickname: Hurricanes
Conference Affiliation: ACC (since 2004)
Current Head Coach: Larry Coker (6th year, 53-9)
Awards
National Titles: 5
Conference Titles: 9
Heisman Winners: 2
Consensus All-American Selections: 36
College Football Hall of Famers (players and coaches): 5
Records
All-time Record: 525-291-19
Bowl Record: 17-13
BCS Record: 3-1
Pageantry
Colors: Orange, Green, and White
Outfitter: Nike
Fight songs: Miami U. How-Dee-Doo
Mascot: Sebastian the Ibis
Marching Band: The Band of the Hour
Stadium: Miami Orange Bowl
Rivals: Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles

The University of Miami Hurricanes football team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and one of the preeminent programs in all of college football. The University of Miami has won five national championships (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 2001), all of which have come since 1983, making it the most successful college football program of the past quarter century.

The program also holds the NCAA record for the longest home winning streak (58 games), a span which ran from 1985 to 1994. In addition, two Hurricanes have won the prestigious Heisman Trophy: quarterback Vinny Testaverde in 1986 and quarterback Gino Torretta in 1992.

The team plays its home games at the historic Miami Orange Bowl, located off-campus in the city of Miami. The current head coach is Larry Coker. The current defensive coordinator is Randy Shannon. The current offensive coordinator is Rich Olson.

Chronology of University of Miami head coaches

Years Coach Record
1927–1928 Howard P. Buck 7–10–2
1929 J. Burton Rix 3–2
1930 Ernest E. Brett 3–4–1
1931–1934 Thomas McCann 18–15–4
1935–1936 Irl I. Tubbs 11–5–2
1937–1942, 45-47 Jack Harding 54–32–3
1943–1944 Eddie Dunn 6–8–1
1948–1963 Andy Gustafson 93–65–3
1964–1970 Charlie Tate 34–27–3
1970 Walt Kichefski 2–7
1971–1972 Fran Curci 9–13
1973–1974 Peter R. Elliot 11–11
Years Coach Record
1975–1976 Carl Selmer 5–16
1977–1978 Lou Saban 9–13
1979–1983 Howard Schnellenberger 41–16
1984–1988 Jimmy Johnson 52–9
1989–1994 Dennis Erickson 63–9
1995–2000 Butch Davis 51–20
2001–present Larry Coker 57–11

Conference Affiliations

History

The Schnellenberger Era (1979-1982)

Prior to 1979, Miami was considered a lightweight independent football program by most people, having a sub-.500 record from 1970-79, to the point where the university regents seriously considered dropping football from the athletic department altogether.

In 1979, after the departure of Lou Saban, Miami hired former Baltimore Colts head coach Howard Schnellenberger, who had also served as an assistant coach under both Bear Bryant and Don Shula, as their new head coach. Schnellenberger immediately took to fighting a battle on numerous fronts, first by eliminating the dead weight from the program by seeing who quit from not wanting to work. Schnellenberger compared his first UM camp with being as brutal-- if not more so-- as any of the infamously brutal training camps under Bear Bryant that he witnessed.

The next step was to spearhead a public relations campaign that Miami had no money in their athletic budget to fund. As a result, Schnellenberger spoke in front of countless alumni groups and rotary clubs, more often than not extolling his vision that within the next five years that there would be a National Championship brought to Miami, a claim that at the time no one took seriously.

The last and most integral step was the pro-style passing offense that Schnellenberger wanted to install at Miami, feeling it would give Miami an advantage versus schools that were not accustomed to handling teams with that type of passing scheme. And one of the keys to that offense would be a recruiting coup that Lou Saban had pulled prior to Schnellenberger's arrival: stealing QB Jim Kelly because they offered Kelly the chance to be a QB, as opposed to nearby Penn State, who envisoned Kelly as a linebacker.

Miami started out slowly its first year under Schnellenberger with a 5-6 record, but highlighted its season with a road win versus Penn State -- ranked #19 at the time-- by a 26-10 margin, which gave Miami something to build on in the future.

Miami would continue a gradual progression between 1980 and 1982, including Miami's first bowl appearance in 14 years, defeating Virginia Tech in the 1981 Peach Bowl although disaster would strike during Kelly's senior season when he would miss half the season with a separated shoulder. Miami would go 7-4 in 1982, but not be invited to play in a bowl game.

The "decade of dominance"

The period in college football from 1983 through 1992 is sometimes referred to as "The Decade of Dominance," as Miami won four national championships in those ten seasons and played for a national championship in three other seasons (1986 Sugar Bowl, 1987 Fiesta Bowl, and 1992 Sugar Bowl).

1983: First National Championship

Miami entered 1983 with a number of question marks on their roster, with a young defense and a hole to replace Kelly at quarterback, with the winner being a lanky redshirt freshman whom Schnellenberger had recruited out of Ohio named Bernie Kosar. Miami was considered to be promising in the future, but there were no expectations for 1983 other than the fact that it would be a transition season.

They started the season in Gainesville to play their rival the University of Florida, who took advantage of the young Hurricanes to the tune of 28-3. Although in the course of losing, Kosar set the school record for most completions in a game with 25. After that loss, Miami would proceed to win its next 10 games, including victories over Notre Dame and Florida State, making its way to #5 in the polls. Because of conference commitments in the bowl structure of the time (#2 Texas was required to go to the Cotton Bowl, #4 Illinois to the Rose Bowl and #3 Auburn to the Sugar Bowl), Miami was invited to play the #1-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Orange Bowl. Almost immediately, the lightly-regarded Hurricanes were listed as a double-digit underdog, as Miami was not considered to be a threat to the juggernaut Cornhuskers, who boasted Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier and the then-most prolific offense in the history of college football.

As Bowl Day unfolded, #2 Texas was upset 10-9 by Georgia, #4 University Of Illinois was blown out by UCLA and #3 Auburn won unimpressively versus Michigan 9-7, all setting the table for Miami to take the National Championship should they win.

In front of a decidedly pro-Hurricanes crowd, Miami came out of the gates throwing, and Nebraska had no early answer for it, and Miami jumped out to a 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Using a trick play known as the fumblerooski at a critical point in a drive, Nebraska scored in the 2nd quarter to make it 17-7 and by the 3rd quarter tied the game at 17. Kosar responded by leading Miami's next two drives down the field, making it 31-17, with Nebraska responding in the 4th quarter with reserve HB Jeff Smith (in for an injured Rozier) scoring two touchdowns, including one in the last minute to make it 31-30. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne then made a fateful decision: rather than win the national title by having the game end in a 31-31 tie, he elected to go for a 2-point conversion, which failed due to Miami DB Ken Calhoun deflecting the attempted pass, giving Miami its first-ever national championship.

The Jimmy Johnson Era (1984-1988)

In the aftermath of Miami's national championship, Schnellenberger elected to take a job offer from the USFL's Washington Federals, contingent on them moving their franchise to Miami, which never happened. Having already resigned at UM, Schnellenberger ended up accepting an offer as head coach of the University of Louisville, which was Schnellenberger's hometown.

Miami, scrambling to find a head coach, hired Oklahoma State University head coach Jimmy Johnson, who was met with a loud chorus of "Jimmy Who?" by the local alumni, fans and media. Johnson was also met at the job by a slighted staff of Schnellenberger's assistants who partially resented Johnson for being selected over someone within the program as coach.

The Johnson-led Hurricanes started off strong, with wins over Auburn and Florida, but then Miami would lose to both Michigan and rival Florida State. However, towards the end of the season, Miami would find itself in two of the most improbable games in NCAA history back-to-back, losing both. First blowing a 31-0 halftime lead versus Maryland to eventually lose 42-40 and then the next game losing to Boston College 47-45 on the famous "Hail Flutie" pass thrown by Doug Flutie. Miami would be invited to the Fiesta Bowl, only to lose to UCLA 38-35.

The next year, with Bernie Kosar deciding to make himself eligible for the NFL Supplemental Draft, the keys to the offense were handed over to Vinny Testaverde. 1985 would begin with a home loss to Florida, which would be the last home game Miami would lose until 1994. From there, Miami would win its next ten straight, including a road win over top-ranked Oklahoma and an embarrassingly convincing win over Notre Dame 58-7. #3 Miami received an invite to the Sugar Bowl to play Tennessee, and despite still having a chance to be voted National Champions if Oklahoma were to lose, Miami got thumped by the Vols 35-7.

In 1986, Miami would have its first undefeated regular season in school history, with the exclamation point being a victory over #1 Oklahoma for the second year in a row. Testeverde would become the first Hurricane to ever win the Heisman Trophy and were favored heavily to win their second national championship over #2 Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl. In contrast to the jacket-and-tie Nittany Lions, Miami roamed around Tempe most of the week wearing camouflage fatigues and walked out of a midweek steak fry attended by both teams in lockstep. Miami would end up committing seven turnovers in the course of the game, losing 14-10. Two nationwide perceptions of Miami came from this: 1) that Miami was a renegade football program, and 2) that Jimmy Johnson wasn't capable of winning "the big one."

With 1986's team leaders Testaverde, Alonzo Highsmith and Jerome Brown gone to the NFL, Miami inserted sophomore QB Steve Walsh as their new starter. Despite the loss of the dominant DT Brown, Johnson felt that his defense was the best in the nation. Only one time that season would Miami give up more than 17 points, and that was to rival Florida State, who by this time were also a Top-5 team in their own right. Miami started the year with a 31-4 farewell beating of Florida (it wouldn't be until the 2001 Sugar Bowl that the two schools would play again) with the Gators' only points coming on two punt snaps by Miami that sailed out of the end zone for safties and a 51-7 drubbing of Johnson's alma matter Arkansas. After a midseason scare from an excellent Florida State team, during which Miami had to come back from a late 19-3 deficit to win 26-25, Miami rolled to an Orange Bowl birth with another matchup versus top-ranked Oklahoma. Miami proceeded to limit Oklahoma to under 200 rushing yards and win 20-14 to snag their second National Championship.

Miami started their 1988 season with a convincing 31-0 win over top-ranked Florida State and after escaping with a victory in Ann Arbour versus Michigan ran into South Bend and the start of the infamous "Catholics vs. Convicts" rivalry. On this day, Miami would lose a nail-biter to Notre Dame 31-30, a game that was painted by both a pre-game fight in the tunnel between the two teams and a couple of shoddy referee calls on both sides. Having lost to Notre Dame, Miami went 10-1 for the season but had to settle on an Orange Bowl birth versus Nebraska (won handily by Miami) rather than getting a rematch versus Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Dennis Erickson Era (1989-1994)

Not long after the 1988 season ended, a whirlwind story appeared regarding the purchase of the Dallas Cowboys by an Arkansas oil prospecter named Jerry Jones. Jones' first order of business was removing Tom Landry as head coach and offering the job to Johnson, his former teammate at The University of Arkansas. Johnson accepted, and once again Miami was forced to scramble to find a head coach. Again, they bypassed their own staff in hiring a relative unknown coach, this time Washington State head coach Dennis Erickson, which caused a minor rift within the program as longtime offensive coordinator Gary Stevens, who was not hired by Dallas to go along with Johnson as Miami assistants such as Butch Davis and Dave Wannsteadt were, resigned from UM in protest of not getting the head coaching job and quickly found other work as an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins. With Steve Walsh also gone to the NFL supplemental draft, Miami's new starting QB would be Craig Erickson, although future Heisman winner Gino Torretta would start a few games due to injury this season. Led by All-American Cortez Kennedy, Miami's defense from 1989 is considered to be one of its best in school history, giving up only one touchdown in a 10-quarter stretch. Despite a midseason loss to Florida State, Miami would gain a large measure of revenge versus Notre Dame in front of a then-record crowd at the Orange Bowl, dominating the top-ranked Irish 27-10. However, it was Notre Dame who was chosen to play in the Orange Bowl against #1 Colorado, while Miami had to settle for Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Ironically, with its win over Colorado, Notre Dame paved the way for Miami to win its third National Championship following its win over Alabama 33-25.

In 1990, Miami would open the year with a loss to BYU and eventual Heisman winner Ty Detmer and later on in the year lose their final encounter with Notre Dame (to date, Miami and Notre Dame haven't played since) to a 9-2 record. Miami was then invited to the Cotton Bowl to play #3 Texas, a team that the week before the game, began to produce a number of quotes (mainly by Texas OT Stan Thomas and Texas DB Stanley Richards) that would end up on Miami's locker room wall. Miami's response was a 5-turnover, 9-sack 46-3 blowout. Although Miami's dominance was marred by amassing 206 penalty yards and taunting Texas at every opportunity. So much so that the NCAA redefined most of their taunting rules (known among some circles as "The Miami Rule") the following offseason.

With Gino Toretta now as the full-time starter in 1991, Miami would roll through its first 8 games leading up to a high-noon showdown versus #1 Florida State in Tallahassee. FSU would jump out to a 16-7 lead going into the 4th quarter, from which Miami would come back to score 10 4th quarter points to make it 17-16. FSU attempted one last desperate drive and with time running out, Seminole kicker Gerry Thomas missed an attempted field goal to the right of the upright, which would be the first of repeated instances where FSU would lose to Miami due to a missed field goal.

However, Miami was hurt in the polls for looking unimpressive in their last two wins versus Boston College and San Diego State, a game "highlighted" by a bench-clearing brawl which involved the San Diego State mascot being chased around the field by an agitated Miami defensive lineman--and future WWE Champion/action movie hero-- named Dwayne Johnson. Because of this, some voters were compelled to vote for undefeated Washington at #1, the result being Miami ranked #1 in the AP Poll and Washington ranked #1 in the coaches' poll. Because of Washington's Pac-10 commitment to play Michigan in the Rose Bowl, Washington and Miami would not end up playing for an undisputed national championship. Instead, Washington would handily defeat Michigan in the Rose Bowl and Miami would shut out Nebraska 22-0 in the Orange Bowl, with both schools splitting the two major polls, giving both schools claim to a National Championship.

The following year would be one of ups and downs, even in the process of Gino Toretta winning the 1992 Heisman Trophy and Miami going through the regular season undefeated and at #1 leading into the Sugar Bowl versus #2 Alabama. The aftermath of Hurricane Andrew was a year-long distraction, with Erickson even taking in several Miami players into his home because their own homes were destroyed. Also, after nearly losing to unhearlded |Arizona, Miami also barely defeated Florida State, who missed a game-tying field goal attempt wide to the right yet again. Miami's luck ran out versus the hard-nosed defense of Alabama, who dominated Miami in the Sugar Bowl to win the national title by a score of 34-13.

With a high amount of turnover after the Sugar Bowl (with mainstays like Torretta, Michael Barrow and Jesse Armstead all gone), Miami needed to rely on a new cast of characters. One thing that was never settled through the whole year was a quarterback controversy between Frank Costa and Ryan Collins. Despite the transition year, Miami still managed to go 9-2 and be invited to the Fiesta Bowl. However, it was a hungry Arizona team that pounced a listless and apathetic Hurricanes squad 29-0.

In 1994, under the promise that the team would improve itself from the embarrassment that took place in January, Miami raced to a 10-1 record in 1994 with the emergence of new stars such as Warren Sapp and Ray Lewis with the one regular season loss being a 38-20 loss to Washington at the Orange Bowl, ending the home win streak at an NCAA-record 58 games. Miami, however, would end the season ranked #3 and would get a chance for a piece of the national title against Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

Miami started out strong, but eventually Nebraska's dominant offensive line wore down the Hurricane defense and the Huskers were able to score 14 fourth quarter points (via two up-the-middle runs by Huskers FB Cory Schlesinger) to win the National Title 24-17. This was doubly embarrassing for Miami in that they lost on their home field and they lost the game in the 4th quarter, where they prided themselves on being dominant, so much so that a long time tradition had always been the team (and subsequently the crowd) to hold up four fingers at the end of the 3rd quarter, indicating that the 4th quarter belonged to Miami.

The Butch Davis Era (1995-2000)

Not long after the loss to Nebraska, Dennis Erickson, who was long-maligned by Hurricanes fans/alumni despite having the best win percentage of any Miami coach in history (a mark that still stands), resigned as coach in order to accept the job as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. Because of the impending investigation by the NCAA regarding the Pell Grant Scandal (see below) among other things, and also that Erickson had done a less impressive job in recruiting than his predecessors, Miami had a slight bit of difficulty convincing anyone to take the job. Eventually, they settled on former UM Assistant and Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Butch Davis, whose credentials were familiarity with the program with ties to the Johnson Era (Johnson had taken Davis with him as an assistant when he took the job as head coach with the Cowboys), a reputation for being an outstanding recruiter and a reputation for being a disciplinarian, which was the image that the university wanted for its image-tarnished football program.

The results were slow in coming, however. Miami was wiped out in their first game of the Davis era versus UCLA and had a 1-3 start that had fans frothing at the mouth and lamenting how far the program had fallen. Miami would respond by winning its last 7 games and finishing 8-3 to win a share of the Big East Championship. Right around the same time they should have been mulling over bowl invites (including a reported invite to play Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl), however, the NCAA announced that Miami would be subjected to severe sanctions for numerous massive infractions (described in further detail below), including a loss of institutional control of the football program. Luckily, Miami was given the option by the NCAA to take the bowl-game sanction of their punishment that year or the year after. In order to get the punishment over with, Miami elected to have the santion imposed that year, breaking an 11-year bowl appearance streak.

Miami, also now short on scholarships, would go into 1996 a with a bit more confidence in the wake of how they had finished the previous year, although Miami also had to cope with the loss of linebacker Marlin Barnes, who was found bludgeoned to death along with his girfriend in his apartment. After winning their first two games, they would fall prey to #2 Florida State, who in winning won on the road versus Miami for the first time since 1984. That would almost spark a 3-game losing streak, which was narrowly avoided via a miraculous blocked punt with 29 seconds left versus West Virginia that would leave them at 9-3, but still winning a share of the Big East championship that year, going on to win the Carquest Bowl over Virginia, which marked the first non-New Year's bowl appearance since Miami played in the Peach Bowl in 1981.

The low point for Miami would come the following year when they posted a 5-6 record. They lost their home opener versus Arizona State and never really got on track the whole year, the lowest point being a 47-0 loss at Tallahassee versus Florida State. However, it was around this time when the program was rebuilt. While a number of local recruits were headed north for Gainesville and Tallahassee, Davis was able to convince enough of them that the current status of the program was only temporary. Also, to make up for the lack of scholarships, Miami resorted to methods such as admitting WR Santana Moss on a track scholarship and bringing in players such as OL Joaquin Gonzalez, who was eligible for academic scholarships.

As Miami continued to struggle to reassert themselves, they pulled themselves back to a respectable 7-2 record in 1998 going into the Carrier Dome to play Syracuse in what would decide the Big East championship. The result was a 66-13 rout by the Orangemen and as in previous years, Miami had difficulty stopping Syracuse QB Donovan McNabb. That was supposed to be their last game of the regular season, but redemption came in a very odd form. In late September, Miami was forced to postpone their game versus UCLA due to Hurricane Georges. The game was postponsed until "Championship Day" (the same day the major conference title games were being decided) and for the #2-ranked Bruins, a trip to the National Championship game was at stake. The highly-touted UCLA offense was unstoppable, rolling up 670 yards in offense, but so was Miami's Edgerrin James, who tallied 299 yards rushing and the Hurricanes put up over 600 yards in offense themselves. The result was Miami winning a 49-45 shootout that put an exclamation point that Miami was returning to prominence. They would go on to the Micron PC Bowl, rolling past NC State.

1999 would begin with Miami playing #12 Ohio State in the Kickoff Classic, winning 23-14. However, Miami's season would be knocked off-balance by #1 Penn State rallying to defeat them in the 4th quarter on a last minute pass after Miami had failed to hold onto the ball in the last minutes so that they could run out the clock. The effect carried over the next week versus East Carolina, where Miami blew a 23-3 lead to lose 27-23. Also losing to Florida State and Virginia Tech that year, Miami would go 7-4 overall. However, there were two silver linings that year: first was the fact that they were invited to the Gator Bowl (their first New Year's Day bowl since 1995) where they defeated Georgia Tech, and the other was an injury that occurred to oft-struggling Miami QB Kenny Kelly, clearing the way for a freshman QB named Ken Dorsey to spark the team at the end of 1999. Kelly would soon leave the team in order to concentrate on baseball (as of now he is playing for the AAA afiliatte of the Washington Nationals).

But by this point, Davis' recruiting (and at this point with all of UM's available scholarships returned), Davis had restocked the cupboard higher than how he had found it (especially after 1998, where he used the UCLA win as a key point to sell to recruits) with most of them contributing to the final steps of Miami's resurgence to their former perch, which were forthcoming.

The Larry Coker Era (2001-)

2001 National Champions

The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered one of the greatest teams in college football history, and some would argue the greatest. [1]

In 2000, Miami was shut out of the Orange Bowl BCS National Championship Game by the BCS computers. Despite Miami beating Florida State head-to-head that season and being higher ranked in both human polls, it was Florida State, and not Miami, that BCS computers selected to challenge the Oklahoma Sooners for the national championship (Oklahoma would win, 13-2). The experience led to alterations in the BCS rankings system to ensure that the situation would not repeat itself in the future. Nevertheless, Miami was left with a bitter sense of disappointment, believing they had been deprived of a national championship, and stewed over an early-season loss at Washington, 34-29, that was their only slipup in an 11-1 campaign. That off-season, the team resolved to take the matter entirely out of the discretion of the computers by going a perfect 12-0. However, they had to do so under a new head coach, Larry Coker, who was named to the post after Butch Davis left to become head coach of the NFL's Cleveland Browns.

Coker was promoted to the job amidst rumors that Wisconsin Head Coach Barry Alvarez-- who had close ties to former UW President and current Miami President Donna Shalala-- was the Hurricanes' first choice. Alvarez eventually turned down the offer. At the same time, feeling that a new system would be counterproductive when they were so close to winning a championship, the players lobbied to Shalala and UM Athletic Director Paul Dee to promote Coker rather than bringing in anyone outside the program, which Shalala and Dee eventually agreed to.

File:LarryCoker2.jpg
University of Miami head coach Larry Coker hoisting the 2001 National Championship Trophy, Miami's fifth in a span of 18 years.

Led by quarterback Ken Dorsey, running back Clinton Portis, free safety Ed Reed, tight end Jeremy Shockey, and offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, Miami dominated the 2001 season from start to finish.

The Hurricanes began the season with a nationally televised primetime rout of Penn State in Beaver Stadium. After the Hurricanes put together a 30-0 halftime lead, coach Coker pulled his starters and Miami cruised in the second half to a 33-7 victory. The 26-point margin tied for Penn State's worst home loss under Joe Paterno. Miami followed up the victory with blowout wins over Rutgers, Pitt, and Troy State University. After building up a 4-0 record, the 'Canes defeated Florida State in Doak Campbell Stadium, 49-27, ending the Seminoles' 54-game home unbeaten streak and 37-game home winning streak. The 'Canes then defeated West Virginia, 45-3, and Temple, 38-0, before heading to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College.

Miami was put to the test against Boston College. After jumping out to a 9-0 lead over the Eagles, Miami's offense began to sputter as Dorsey struggled with the swirling winds, throwing four interceptions. The Hurricane defense picked up the slack by limiting BC to just seven points. However, in the final minute of the fourth quarter, with Miami clinging to a 12-7 lead, BC quarterback Brian St. Pierre led the Eagles from their own 30-yard line all the way down to the Hurricanes' 9. With BC on the verge of a momentous upset, St. Pierre attempted to pass to receiver Ryan Read at the Miami 2-yard line. However, the ball ricocheted off the leg of Miami cornerback Mike Rumph, landing in the hands of defensive end Matt Walters. Walters ran ten yards with the ball before teammate Ed Reed grabbed the ball out of his hands at around the Miami 20-yard line and raced the remaining 80-yards for a touchdown, icing an 18-7 victory for the Hurricanes.

After surviving the scare from Boston College, Miami played inspired and utterly dominating football, demolishing #14 Syracuse, 59-0, and #12 Washington, 65-7, in consecutive weeks. The combined 124-7 score is an NCAA record for largest margin of victory over consecutive ranked opponents.

The final hurdle to the Rose Bowl BCS National Championship Game was at Virginia Tech. Miami jumped on Virginia Tech, leading 20-3 at halftime, 23-10 after three, and 26-10 midway through the fourth quarter. Virginia Tech added a couple of late touchdowns, but it was not enough against a stifling Hurricane defense and an offense that outgained Virginia Tech by 134 yards, gained 12 more first downs, and controlled the ball for nearly 10-minutes more than Hokies. Miami's 26-24 victory earned the top-ranked Hurricanes an invitation to the Rose Bowl to take on BCS #2 Nebraska for the national championship.

Nebraska proved to be no competition for Miami. Miami roared to a 34-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 37-14 rout of the Huskers to capture Miami's fifth national championship and put the finishing touches on a perfect 12-0 season. Dorsey passed for 362-yards and 3 touchdowns, while receiver Andre Johnson caught 7 passes for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Miami defense shut down Heisman-winner Eric Crouch and the Huskers offense, holding Nebraska 200-yards below its season average. Dorsey and Johnson were named Rose Bowl co-MVPs.

The 2001 Miami Hurricanes scored 512 (42.6 ppg) points while yielding only 117 (9.75 papg). The Hurricanes beat opponents by an average of 32.9 points per game, the largest margin in the school's history, and set the NCAA record for largest margin of victory over consecutive ranked teams (124-7). The offense set the school scoring record, while the stout defense led the nation in scoring defense (fewest points allowed), pass defense, and turnover margin. Additionally, the Hurricane D scored eight touchdowns of its own. Six players earned All-American status and six players were finalists for national awards, including Maxwell Award winner, Ken Dorsey, and Outland Trophy winner, Bryant McKinnie. Dorsey was also a Heisman finalist, finishing third.

Among the numerous stars on the 2001 Miami squad were: Dorsey; running backs Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Najeh Davenport, and Frank Gore; tight end Jeremy Shockey; wide receiver Andre Johnson; tackles Bryant McKinnie and Joaquin Gonzalez; defensive linemen Jerome McDougle, William Joseph, and Vince Wilfork; linebackers Jonathan Vilma and D.J. Williams; and defensive backs Ed Reed, Mike Rumph, and Phillip Buchanon. Additional contributors included future stars Kellen Winslow II, Sean Taylor, Antrel Rolle, Vernon Carey, and Eric Winston. In all, an extraordinary 16 players from the 2001 Miami football team were drafted in the first-round of the NFL Draft (5 in the 2002 NFL Draft: Buchannon, McKinnie, Reed, Rumph, and Shockey; 4 in 2003: Johnson, Joseph, McDougle, and McGahee; 6 in 2004: Carey, Taylor, Vilma, Wilfork, Williams, and Winslow; and 1 in 2005: Rolle).

Individual Season Recaps

Miami Hurricanes Football Seasons
1920s 1927 1928 1929
1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Rivalries

Miami's traditional rivals are the University of Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles.

Since 2002, the Florida Cup has been awarded to the team that finishes with the best head-to-head record in years where Miami, Florida, and Florida State all face each other. Three Florida Cups have been awarded, and Miami has won all three.

Florida

Miami's rivalry with Florida dates all the way back to 1938, when the Hurricanes defeated the Gators, 19-7, in the first meeting between the geographic rivals. The Seminole War Canoe was carved in 1950 out of a cypress struck by lightning and is given to the winner of the Miami-Florida game. The canoe is meant to symbolize the fighting spirit of the Seminole people that is often on display during games between the Hurricanes and Gators.

Miami holds the edge in the all-time series with a 28-25 record against Florida. The two schools met every year from 1944 until 1987, but have not played regularly since then. Nevertheless, the rivalry remains incredibly intense, with many Hurricane fans still considering Florida a more "hated" rival than Florida State. Miami has won the last six meetings between the schools dating back to 1986, including victories in the 2001 Sugar Bowl and the 2004 Peach Bowl.

Florida State

The Miami-Florida State rivalry dates to 1951, when the Hurricanes defeated the Seminoles 35-13 in their inaugural meeting. The schools have played uninterrupted since 1966, with Miami holding the all-time advantage, 29-21.

During the 1980s and 90s, the series emerged as perhaps the premier rivalry in college football. Between 1983 and 2002, the Hurricanes and Seminoles combined to win 7 national championships (5 for Miami, 2 for Florida State) and play in a whopping 14 national championship games (83, 85, 86, 87, 89, 91, 92, 93, 96, 98, 99, 00, 01, and 02). The rivalry has been popular not only because of its profound national championship implications and the competitiveness of the games, but also because of the immense NFL-caliber talent typically present on the field when the two teams meet.

The games have been characterized by remarkable team speed, big plays, hard hitting, and missed field goals (see: Wide Right). In 2004, the intensity of the rivalry was dialed up another notch when Miami joined the Atlantic Coast Conference and the teams became inter-conference rivals.

Football program controversies and scandals

While the University of Miami has been the most successful collegiate football program of the past quarter century, the program also has been one of the most controversial. Various controversies, scandals and incidents, including repeat violations and actions by players, alumni, boosters and university staff of both NCAA guidelines and state and federal laws, have resulted in severe NCAA sanctions, suspensions, arrests and negative publicity for the university that have sometimes overshadowed the program's extraordinary success as one of the greatest programs in the history of collegiate football.

1980s: Luther Campbell's "pay for play"

A long-time booster of Hurricanes Football, 2 Live Crew member and local philanthropist Luther Campbell was said to have been behind what was referred to as a "pay-for-play" system, which involved cash rewards for things such as touchdowns as well as big hits. His ties to the program were at one point so close that former Hurricanes coach Dennis Erickson used to occasionally call upon Campbell as an intermediary when he was having a problem with his players.

1980s-1990s: Extra benefits, Pell Grant scandal, and NCAA sanctions

In 1994, Tony Russell, a former University of Miami academic advisor, pleaded guilty to helping more than 80 student athletes, 57 of whom were football players, falsify Pell Grant applications in exchange for kickbacks from the players themselves. The Pell grant scandal dated all the way back to 1989 and secured more than $220,000 in federal grant money. In late 1995, the NCAA concluded that, in addition to the fraudulent Pell Grants facilitated by Mr. Russell, the university had also provided or allowed over $400,000 worth of other, improper payments to Miami football players. The NCAA also found that the university had failed to implement its drug testing program, and that certain players had gone unpunished for positive tests. Finally, the NCAA concluded, the university had lost institutional control over the football program.[2] Miami lost seven scholarships as a result of a self-imposed sanction in 1995, and another 24 scholarships were disallowed by the NCAA over the next two years, but Miami narrowly avoided the so-called 'death penalty. Additionally, as a result of the scandal, Sports Illustrated in the summer of 1995 argued in a much-discussed cover story that Miami should shut down its football program, both for the good of the university and for the good of college football.[3]

2004: 7th Floor Crew

In 2004, an informal hip hop music group called the 7th Floor Crew, reportedly comprised of several UM football players and named for the 7th floor of UM's Mahoney Residential College[4], recorded a lewd rap song[5], called "7th Floor Crew". The song ultimately fell into the hands of national media, including ESPN and Sports Illustrated. Sung to the beat of Aaliyah's "If Your Girl Only Knew," the song's lyrics are filled with lewd sexual and racial references. Following ESPN's coverage of the song and the role of several UM football players in creating it, the university issued a statement condemning its lyrical content.

2005: Chick Fil-A Peach Bowl Brawl

On December 30, 2005, Miami suffered its worst loss in more than seven years, a 40-3 defeat to Louisiana State University (LSU) in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. Afterwards, there was a brawl in the tunnels leaving the game.

2006: FIU Brawl

Further information: Miami-FIU brawl
File:FIUUMHBrawl.PNG
Timeline of Miami-FIU brawl (left to right first row, followed by left to right second row): The extra point attempt before the brawl insued; the brawl originating immediately after the extra point attempt; the brawl near its peak; the referee declaring ejections and 15 yard penalty on kickoff

On October 14th, 2006, Miami and the Florida International University Golden Panthers brawled after a PAT. The brawl engulfed the entire field of play. This was the first meeting between Miami and FIU. The FIU student body is largely made up of students from the local Miami area, whereas over 75% of the students at UM are from outside of Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The evening culminated in the fight on the field. [6].

After Miami's second touchdown made it 14-0, H-back James Bryant bowed to a section of the crowd. He drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. On the point after, FIU's Chris Smith wrestled Miami holder Matt Perrelli to the ground and punched him. While Perrelli was still on the ground, FIU's Marshall McDuffie, Jr. kicked Perrelli in his helmet. Miami's Derrick Morse jumped on top of McDuffie, and the benches emptied.

The climax of the fight saw one player use his helmet as a weapon, and an injured FIU player swinging crutches menacingly. Miami's Carlos Armour was a prominent figure in the fight when he lifted an FIU player completely off the ground and slammed him to the grass. The fight lasted five minutes, and it took the officials longer to sort out the penalties. In all, 13 players were ejected from the game (8 from FIU and 5 from Miami).

The next day, 13 players were handed one-game suspensions by the school and conference--Carlos Armour, Chris Barney, James Bryant, Tyrone Byrd, DajLeon Farr, Ryan Hill, Bruce Johnson, Charlie Jones, Brandon Meriweather, Brian Monroe, Derrick Morse, Randy Phillips and Anthony Reddick. The suspensions were not staggered, which is surprising given the large number of players involved. As a result, they will all have to sit out Miami's next game, against Duke University. Morse, Barney, Jones, Armour, and Johnson already faced one-game suspensions under ACC and NCAA regulations since they had been ejected. In addition, Coker had suspended Bryant, Merriweather and Reddick indefinitely earlier in the day, but only Reddick was actually handed a indefinite suspension on Monday.

Even this punishment was viewed as too lenient by some. For example, ESPN Radio's Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic thought that they should be suspended even longer than one game, and even suggested that Coker should be fired. They also condemned Lamar Thomas, a former Miami player calling the game for Comcast Sports Southeast, for making light of, and encouraging, the fight. Thomas was fired the following Monday from CSS. However, others at ESPN Radio like Dan Le Batard and Jon "Boog" Sciambi acknowledged that the emotions took over and mistakes were made, and that the suspensions were sufficient. As for Larry Coker, Le Batard, Sciambi, and others at ESPN such as Stephen A. Smith all agree that Athletic Director Paul Dee and University of Miami president Donna Shalala will handle Coker's situation at year's end, and that no action will or should be taken now against him. [7]

"The U"

The University is colloquially known as The U by media, players, students, and fans. The University's nickname derives in part from its distinctive 'split-U' logo, which consists of a green half and an orange half of the letter "U" on a white background. The logo is featured prominently on the sides of Miami's football helmets. The split-U logo was selected as the University's official athletics logo in 1973, after the University's athletic department noted that a number of major colleges had the initials 'UM'. Seeking to distinguish itself, the University came up with the 'U' idea and adopted the split-U as its logo. [8]

The school is also nicknamed "Quarterback U". The 'Quarterback U' designation came about as a result of the football program turning out a number of high-profile quarterback prospects in succession, including Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar, Vinny Testaverde, Steve Walsh, Craig Erickson, and Gino Torretta. Similar nicknames have been bestowed upon Penn State ("Linebacker U") and USC ("Tailback U").

"NFL U"

The University of Miami has had great success in producing players who go on to the National Football League. The Hurricanes hold the record for most players selected in the first round in a single draft (6, in 2004); most first-round draft picks in a two-year period (11, from 2003 to 2004); most first-round draft picks in a three-year period (15, from 2002 through 2004); and most first-round picks in a four-year period (19, from 2001 through 2004). For the past 12 years, from 1994 through 2006, Miami has had at least one player selected in the first round of the NFL draft, a record unmatched by any other college or university.

"Taking over the NFL"

This remarkable pipeline from the University of Miami to the NFL has led to the university being dubbed "NFL U". The predominant role of Miami alumni in the NFL has been the subject of numerous national sports media articles. FHM magazine, in its September 2006 issue, carried a five-page article, titled: "University of Miami Hit Squad: The Hurricanes are taking over the NFL. Deal with It." The article prominently featured up-and-coming Miami alumni in the NFL, including Vernon Carey, Bryant McKinnie, Antrel Rolle, Jonathan Vilma, D.J. Williams, and others.

As of the 2006 season, the University of Miami has more of its alumni on active NFL rosters than any other college or university in the nation. The following is a partial list of University of Miami football players who currently or previously played professional football in the NFL:

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive ends

Defensive tackles

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Punters

Kickers

  • Carlos Huerta
* (UM Sports Hall of Fame)
# (First-Round Selection, NFL Draft)

The smoke

File:Sebastian the Ibis-photo.jpg
Sebastian the Ibis usually leads the Hurricanes onto the field through its famous smoke cloud.

One of the Hurricanes' most recognizable traditions is its dramatic entrance scene. The team enters the field through a large cloud of white smoke billowing from its entrance tunnel, amid a tape of a hurricane blasting over the sound system. The smoke comes from a series of pipes welded together by school transportation director Bob Nalette in the 1950s. Many other college and pro teams have adopted this practice.

Ring of Honor

In 1997, the university established the 'Ring of Honor' as a way to honor outstanding players who have passed through the Hurricane football program. Players are added on a regular basis, by either decade or position played. Their names, as well as their numbers, are then permanently affixed for display on the face of the Orange Bowl's upper deck.

The inaugural class of 1997 included Jim Dooley, Ted Hendricks, George Mira, and Vinny Testaverde. These four players are the only ones in the history of the program to have their numbers retired by the university (on the basis that if the number of every great Miami player were retired, there would not be enough numbers left to issue to current players).

A second group of players were inducted in 1999: Ottis Anderson, Don Bosseler, Bernie Kosar, and Burgess Owens. No players have been inducted since, though the Ring of Honor remains an active tradition.

Team records

Consecutive Wins: 34, 2000-02
Consecutive Wins (Regular season games only): 41, 2000-03
Consecutive Wins at Home: 58, 1985-94 (NCAA record)
Consecutive Road Wins: 20, 1984-86
Consecutive Games Without Being Shutout: 188, 1979-96
Consecutive Shutouts of Opponent: 4, 1926, 1936, 1941

See also

Official University of Miami football site

Unofficial University of Miami fan sites

Other University of Miami football coverage

University of Miami football scouting coverage

University of Miami football video highlights

University of Miami "Band of the Hour"

Books on University of Miami football

DVDs on University of Miami football

October 14, 2006 on-field brawl

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