Remembering the Orange Bowl 2007 Football Program insert

Today, $360,000 will buy you a decent house in the farMiami suburbs. In 1937, it got you the Orange Bowl.

And that, in turn, got the University of Miamiits home for football for 71 years.

“A stadium of which any city can feel proud,”said a story in the game program when the fieldwas dedicated. “It is believed that no stadium inthe country is better lighted.”

And perhaps no stadium in the country hasseen more electrifying moments in football.

As the stadium grew from 22,324 seats to 72,319,it also served as home to the Orange Bowl Classic, theMiami Dolphins and five Super Bowls.

But most of all it has been home of the Hurricanes. Home

to a football program that was barely a blip on thenational map until 1950, that was nearly dropped in

the 1970s and was resurrected into the premier pro-gram in the nation over the last 25 years.

Home to three of the five national champi-onship games the Hurricanes have won. Site of thelongest home winning streak in NCAA history.Home to seven victories over a No. 1 team.

Home to Wide Right III and Wide Left. To third-and-44 against Notre Dame. To Al Hudson’s 89-yard

interception return as time expired in the 1946 OrangeBowl Classic.

And home today for the final time. The Hurricanes will begone. The memories will live on.

O c t o b e r 1 , 1 9 3 7 - N o v e m b e r 1 0 , 2 0 0 7

The Orange Bowl in 1950

by Jim Martz

OrangeBowlInsert07.qxp 11/19/2007 11:07 AM

games. An estimated 100,000 people greeted the team uponits return to Miami the next day, including an estimated30,000 who surged through police barricades at the airportwhen the charter plane arrived. The plane had to circle theairport several times while police begged the crowd to clearthe runway.

Coach Andy Gustafson’s squads continued to make nationalheadlines and attendance grew as the Hurricanes earned a Top10 ranking at the end of the 1954 season for the first time ever,and they were ninth at the close of the 1956 season.Attendance at the Orange Bowl averaged 9,323 in 1937, doubledto 20,000 by 1942 and dou-bled again by the end of thedecade.

Heading into the 1960s,major concerns facing UMand the community includedthe expected arrival of profootball and the integrationof college football in the South. In 1950, UM broke a Southerntradition by playing against Africa-American players in a gameagainst Iowa in the Orange Bowl. In the late 1950s, the schoolwon a battle with the city to open seating to African-Americans in the entire Orange Bowl.

The early 1960s became known as The Age of MIRAcles, asGeorge Mira led the Hurricanes to two bowl games while twiceearning All-American honors. Nicknamed “The Matador,” hebroke most of the school’s passing records and finished fifth inHeisman Trophy voting in 1963 despite the Hurricanes’ 3-7record. He was the first of several great UM quarterbacks.

Later in the decade, defensive end Ted “The Mad Stork”Hendricks became the most feared pass rusher in the nation.He is still UM’s only three-time All-American.

After trips to the Liberty Bowl in 1966 and the BluebonnetBowl in 1967, the program fell on difficult times. Following

When the University of Miami began playing football in1926, plans were unveiled for a 50,000-seat stadium on cam-pus suitable for football, soccer, baseball and track. It lookedsomething like the Rose Bowl, but the plans fizzled, as didmany other on-campus stadium proposals over the years.

Even hopes for a temporary, 8,000-seat stadium on campuswent awry. Work started on Sept. 15, 1926, and one day latera hurricane leveled much of South Florida, killing more than130 people and damaging more than 10,000 homes. Amakeshift grandstand was built; it was grassless field consist-ing of coral rock overlaid with mulch.

The great bowl the Hurricanes would play in would be theOrange Bowl in Miami, and it wouldn’t be built for a decade.Home games moved to the new Moore Park stadium at 7thAvenue and 36th Street in Miami in 1930. At the end of the1932 and 1933 seasons, UM played there in the Palm Festival,forerunner to the Orange Bowl Classic.

In 1934, the American Legion met in Miami and built a4,000-seat grandstand at the site of the present Orange Bowl.Earnest Seiler, recreation director for the City of Miami,bought the grandstand for $1,000. Aided by the Works Progress

Administration, additionalseats were set up and thestadium was known as theWooden Bowl but also wascalled Miami Stadium. TheHurricanes played their firstgame there Jan. 1, 1935,against Bucknell before8,000 fans.

Following the 1936 seasonand the Jan. 1, 1937, Orange

Bowl Classic, construction began on a massive steel and con-crete stadium that seated 22,324. It was called the BurdineOrange Bowl in honor of the Burdine’s department store headand area sports leader Roddey Burdine. UM played its firstgame at the new structure on Oct. 1, 1937, and defeatedGeorgia Southern 40-0.

The seating capacity was increased to 37,000 in 1946 and to60,000 in 1948 when upper decking was added. The perma-nent capacity went to 75,000 in 1955, but on several occasionsbleachers were added in the east end zone, allowing as manyas 81,927 fans to squeeze in.

The Hurricanes were barely on the national college footballradar screen until Oct. 14, 1950. That’s the day they upendedPurdue 20-14 at West Lafayette, Ind., one week after theBoilermakers had ended Notre Dame’s unbeaten streak at 39

Do You Remember?FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTSIt was a tradition for many seasons from the1950s to the early 1970s to play most homegames on Friday nights. The reasons: It wastoo hot for fans in the afternoon, there was notelevision coverage and UM received primerecognition on the radio, often nationally. Andthere was good press covereage because itwas the only college playing, resulting innewspapers coast to coast the next day.Moreover, most high school games in Miamiwere played on Thursday nights. As the popu-lation grew and more high schools played onFriday nights, UM switched to Saturdays and,with the advent of ESPN, some Thursdaynights beginning in the 1986.

Do You Remember?THE FIRST HEROEddie Dunn, a running back who served ascaptain of the 1938 team, is generally consid-ered the Hurricanes’ first football hero. He setseveral game, single-season and career recordsfor rushing, scoring and punt returns. Hebecame interim head coach and athletic direc-tor when Jack Harding was called to serve inWorld War II in 1943 and 1944.

Jarrin’ Jim Dooley was Miami’s 60-minute halfback from 1949-51; hestarted both ways as a junior and senior and was an All-American


lackluster seasons in 1968 and 1969, Charlie Tate was replacedas coach two games into the 1970 season. That was also theyear the AFL and NFL merged, Don Shula arrived as Dolphinscoach and Dolphins mania engulfed South Florida.

In the 1970s, the Hurricanes failed to produce a winningseason. They were underfunded, outmanned and oversched-uled. In both 1973 and 1975 they played four teams that fin-ished ranked among the top nine in the nation. And in 1975they played No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 Nebraska and No. 13Colorado on consecutive weekends.

Ray Bellamy was UM’s firstAfrican-American footballplayer

Tackle Al Carapella was UM’sfirst All-American (1950)

George “The Matador” Mirawas an All-Americanquarterback in 1960s

In 1949 line coach HartMorris, Sam David, JoeMarcian and head cheer-leader Bill Horton celebrate another UM win

Burdine Stadium

Carl Selmer, the coach in 1975-76, noted there were 126major-college football teams “and we may be better than atleast 100 of them. But unfortunately we usually have to playthe other 26.”

UM President Henry King Stanford added, “We’re a bunch ofDaniels venturing into the dens of unmuted lions.”

In addition to the revolving door of coaches (seven in the1970s), attendance slumped to an average of 17,236 in 1976.UM began playing fewer home games, including four each in

Cheerleaders have been thecatalyst for school spirit

Tackle Al Carapella was UM’sfirst All-American (1950)

George “The Matador” Mirawas an All-Americanquarterback in 1960s

In 1949 line coach HartMorris, Sam David, JoeMarcian and head cheer-leader Bill Horton celebrate another UM win

Cheerleaders have been thecatalyst for school spirit

Ray Bellamy was UM’s firstAfrican-American footballplayer


1978 and 1979. In fact, the 1979 home game against NotreDame was moved to Tokyo, Japan, because it would generate

more revenue.The foundation of success

in the 1980s was laidthrough the recruiting of LouSaban in 1978 and HowardSchnellenberger in 1979.Signs of progress included

better attendance at the Orange Bowl, upsets of Penn State in1979 and Florida State in 1980, and the Hurricanes’ firstappearance in a bowl game in 13 years when they played

1960 Constuction began onthe elevators

1959 Orange Bowl

Ottis Anderson (1975-78)holds the career rushingrecord of 3,331 yards The Band of the Hour in 1962 “Lil’ Joe” in 1962

Defensive end TedHendricks hounded Floridaquarterback Steve Spurrier.

The Orange Bowl was theplace to be on Friday nightsin the 1950s and 1960s

1949 UM vs. Purdue: WhiteyCampbell, Hart Morris andAndy Gustafson

Virginia Tech in the Peach Bowl at the end of the 1980 season.After a 20-10 victory, UM football administrative assistant BillyProulx went to work on a new bumper sticker: “YOU AIN’TSEEN NOTHING YET.”

About the Author: Jim Martz is editor of Canesport magazine and publisher-editor of Florida Tennis magazine. He covered the Hurricanes for the Miami Herald in the 1970s and 1980s. Martz has written fourbooks on UM football: Hurricane Watch, Hurricane Warning, Hurricane Handbook and Tales from the Miami Hurricane Sidelines, as well as one book on UM baseball: Hurricane Strikes!

Do You Remember?THE SCOOTERHarry Mallios, a running back on the 1950through 1952 teams who was nicknamed “TheScooter,” served as UM director of athleticsfrom 1979-83 and was an academic advisor forathletes for several years.

1949 UM vs. Purdue: WhiteyCampbell, Hart Morris andAndy Gustafson

The Orange Bowl was theplace to be on Friday nightsin the 1950s and 1960s

Defensive end TedHendricks hounded Floridaquarterback Steve Spurrier.

Ottis Anderson (1975-78)holds the career rushingrecord of 3,331 yards The Band of the Hour in 1962 “Lil’ Joe” in 1962


A University of Miami football game in the Orange Bowl ismore than football. It’s the “smoke” during the entrance ofthe players. It’s Sebastian our mascot. It’s the Band of theHour. The cheerleaders. The Sunsations. Four Fingers.Touchdown Tommy. The “U.” And, of course, its fans cheeringfor the Hurricanes.

The NicknameBefore they were the Hurricanes, they had no name. The

school played its first game in 1926 without a nickname, andonce the name Hurricanes was adopted, a storm erupted.

Some reports say the players on the 1927 team held ameeting and selected Hurricanes, hoping they would sweepaway opponents just as the devastating storm did on Sept. 16,1926. Another story says Porter Norris, a player, was the firstto use the nickname Hurricanes and it caught on quickly. Somelocal dignitaries and school officials wanted to name the teamfor a local flora or fauna. (Imagine the Miami Ferns?). ButNorris said players wouldn’t stand for that.

The name Hurricanes was offensive to several people in thearea who felt all reference to the storms should be eliminated

The “U” logo was developedin 1973

The Band of the Hour wasnamed after the march “TheMan of the Hour.”

The Sunsations have enter-tained fans for 21 years

The “Smoke” on Thursday night September 20, 2007 when UM defeated Texas A&M 34-17

The Band of the Hour wasnamed after the march “TheMan of the Hour.”

The Sunsations have enter-tained fans for 21 years


“in word and thought.” In the 1930s, a journalist campaignedto get rid of the nickname because he felt it was bad publicrelations in the area’s efforts to lure tourists and new develop-ment. In 1960, one developer tried to stir up another effort tochange the nickname. One UM official replied: “Does anyonethink that Chicago is full of bears just because the town has afootball team by that name?”

The ColorsThe school’s colors of orange, green and white were select-

ed by a UM committee in 1926. They chose the colors from aFlorida orange tree: orange symbolizing the fruit of the tree,green representing the leaves and white for the blossom.

The UThe “U” logo was developed in 1973 when UM’s Athletic

Federation, the fund-raising arm of the athletic department atthe time, commissioned a local public relations expert tocome up with a distinctive logo.

The school had gone for several years with a variety of hel-met and uniform changes. Some years the helmets had a largeblock “M”, some years they had red and black hurricane warn-ing flags, and other years the helmet read “UM”. TheFederation noted that several colleges have the initials UM.

Bill Bodenhamer, a Miami designer, suggested the “U” idea,which lent itself to distinctive logos for each sport (forinstance, a tennis player or swimmer was depicted inside the“U”) as well as slogans like “U gotta believe” and “U is great.”

In recent years, many players, students and fans havereferred to the school as “The U”, and there has been a mar-keting theme called “It’s All About the U”.

The IbisAccording to folklore, the ibis is a symbol of knowledge

found in the Everglades and Egypt. It is the last sign of wildlifeto take shelter before a hurricane and the first to return afterthe storm. The ibis is a large wading bird with long legs and along, slender, curved bill. The bird was considered UM’s firstunofficial mascot when the school yearbook adopted the name“Ibis” in 1926.

It’s popularity grew among the students in the 1950s. In1957, a dormitory on campus called San Sebastian Hall spon-sored an ibis entry in the homecoming celebration. Accordingto historical reports, the mascot Sebastian the Ibis was namedafter the residential hall. And in 1958, student John Stormontperformed at games in an ibis costume that was glued, sewnand pinned together and was the forerunner of today’s bird.Over the years Sebastian the Ibis has become one of the mostrecognizable college mascots in the nation.

The “Smoke”The traditional “smoke” entrance by the Hurricanes in the

Orange Bowl was the brainchild of UM transportation director

The Ibis has been UM’s mas-cot since 1926The Ibis has been UM’s mas-cot since 1926


Bob Nalette. In an attempt to increase fan interest in the1950s, he developed the idea of using fire extinguishers toproduce the now famous “smoke” the players run through asthey enter the field for the opening kickoff. In his spare time,Nalette welded a pipe together that billowed smoke from thetop of the entrance tunnel.

Originally there also were flashing lights, two large hurri-cane flags and a tape recording of a hurricane blaring over theloud speaker system.

The CheerleadersUM’s cheerleaders are the catalyst for school spirit. There

are two squads: the Co-Ed and All Girl Squads, and both areconsistently rated among the nation’s top squads. The UMSunsations dance team is in its 21st year of entertaining fans.

Marching BandUM’s marching band has existed in one form or another

since 1928. The band’s name, “The Band of the Hour,” wasgiven in 1948 as it played Henry Filmore’s march “The Man ofthe Hour” during a halftime show in the Orange Bowl. Thepublic address announcer said, “Here’s ’The Man of the Hour’played by the ‘Band of the Hour,’” and the name caught on.The “Band of the Hour” is considered the largest and mostspirited student organization on campus and draws its mem-bership from the entire student body.

Fourth QuarterIt’s a tradition at every home game for Hurricane players

and fans to hold up four fingers at the beginning of the fourthquarter. The sign indicates a belief that a game is won in thatcrucial final period. True Hurricane fans and players use thesign as a symbol they own the last quarter.

Over the last 22 seasons, the Hurricanes have won 198 of204 regular-season games in which they led going into thefourth quarter.

Touchdown TommyA cannon, called Touchdown Tommy, is fired by the Sigma

Chi fraternity after each Hurricane score in the Orange Bowl.The cannon’s forerunner was called “Lil’ Joe.”

War Canoe TrophyIn 1955, the city of Hollywood, Florida, donated an authen-

tic Seminole war canoe as a trophy for the annual Miami-Florida game. The six-foot long canoe was hand carved andpainted by Seminole Indians from a 200-year-old Evergladescypress tree felled by lightning. A Seminole would stand guardduring the game, and the winning team would carry the canoearound the field. Today the canoe is on display at UM’s SportsHall of Fame on campus.

The Ibis costume hasevolved over the years

The name Sebastian waspicked in a 1957 contest

The Ibis costume hasevolved over the years

The name Sebastian waspicked in a 1957 contest


Miami’s Hurricanes have been giant killers over the years,especially at the Orange Bowl. Nine times they have defeatedthe top-ranked team in the nation, with seven of those gamesat home. And 10 times they have ended opponent winningstreaks of 10 or more games, seven times the streaks ended inthe Orange Bowl. And all of those victories have come since1983.

Each time the Hurricanes ended a winning streak, it hascome against a team ranked among the top three, and eighthave come against the No. 1 team. During the last two

decades, Miami has snappedfour winning streaks of 20 ormore games. That’s the mostof any school in the nation.And Miami is one of only twoschools in college football

history (Princeton is the other) to end winning streaks of 20games or more on four occasions.

Notre Dame’s 23-game winning streak was the longest theHurricanes toppled. The Irish were the defending nationalchampions and ranked No. 1 when they came to the OrangeBowl on Nov. 25, 1989. On a raucous Saturday night, coach LouHoltz’s Fighting Irish lost 27-10 before the second-largest regu-lar-season crowd in the Orange Bowl, 81,634.

The Hurricanes ended top-ranked Nebraska’s 22-gamestreak in the Orange Bowl Classic 31-30 to win the 1983national championship. They also halted the 20-game streak ofanother No. 1 team, Oklahoma by a score of 20-14, in theOrange Bowl Classic to win the 1987 national championship.

Another 20-game winning streak fell in a high-scoringshootout when the Hurricanes knocked off third-ranked UCLA

49-45 at the Orange Bowl toruin the Bruins’ national titlehopes in 1998. The Canesamassed a school-record 689yards of total offense asEdgerrin James ripped off ateam-record 299 rushingyards.

The 2000 Miami team snapped two long streaks in theOrange Bowl. Florida State brought in the No. 1 ranking and a17-game string on Oct. 7 and left after a 27-24 loss, and sec-ond-ranked Virginia Tech had won 19 in a row but lost 41-21on Nov. 4. In a drive for the ages, Ken Dorsey completed six ofseven passes for 73 yards and a touchdown to Jeremy Shockeyin the final minute and a half to defeat the Seminoles. AndDorsey threw for three touchdowns and 283 yards in the victo-ry over Virginia Tech.

A 14-game FSU winning streak came to a halt in the OrangeBowl in 1990 when Miami knocked off the second-ranked

Seminoles 31-22 behind the running of Stephen McGuire (176yards) and Leonard Conley (144)

Oklahoma owned a 10-game winning streak and the topranking when the Hurricanes prevailed 28-17 at the OrangeBowl in 1986. That was the day Vinny Testaverde solidified hisHeisman Trophy hopes as he threw four touchdown passes.

Miami’s first victory over a top-ranked team came in 1981against Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Curt Warner enteredthe game as the NCAA rushing leader, but the Hurricanes heldthe entire Nittany Lions’ground attack to 69 yards.Jim Kelly threw an 80-yardtouchdown pass to LarryBrodsky and Danny Millerkicked three field goals inthe 17-14 triumph.

The most lopsided victoryagainst the No. 1 team camein the 1988 opener at theOrange Bowl. Florida Statesought revenge for its 26-25loss at Tallahassee in 1987,the lone setback of the season, but the Hurricanes dominatedfrom start to finish in winning 31-0. They intercepted fivepasses, Steve Walsh threw for two touchdowns and CraigErickson threw for another.

Only twice did top-ranked teams leave the Orange Bowlwith a victory over the Hurricanes. Oklahoma prevailed 20-17in 1975 and went on to win its second straight national cham-pionship. And Nebraska won the 1994 national title with a 24-17 victory in the Orange Bowl Classic.

Bernie Kosar led the upset over Nebraska onJan. 1, 1984 as UM won its first national title

Al Hudson returned an interception 89 yardsfor touchdown on last play to beat Holy Cross13-6 in 1946 Orange Bowl Classic

Vinny Testaverde was the quarterback when Miami’s 58-game home winning streakbegan in 1985

Do You Remember?MIRACLE IN MIAMIFor the fifth-ranked Hurricanes to win theirfirst national championship, they needed helpbefore they played top-ranked Nebraska in theJanuary 1, 1984, Orange Bowl Classic. Thatafternoon, in domino fashion, No. 2 Texas lostto Georgia 10-9 in the Cotton Bowl; No. 3Auburn was not impressive in edging Michigan9-7 in the Sugar Bowl; and No. 4 Illinois lost toSouthern California 45-9 in the Rose Bowl.That evening in the Orange Bowl, UM openedleads of 17-0 and 31-17, but Nebraska cut thelead to 31-30 with 24 seconds left. Nebraskacoach Tom Osborne called for a two-point con-version pass. Quarterback Turner Gill rolledright and under pressure lofted a pass towardtailback Jeff Smith in the end zone. UM strongsafety Ken Calhoun stepped in front to tip thepass away with three fingers on his left handto seal the Hurricanes’ victory.

Do You Remember?SYLVESTER STALLONE NIGHTUM held “Sylvester ‘Rocky’ Stallone Night” atthe Sept. 29, 1979, game in the Orange Bowlagainst Louisiana Tech in honor of the formerstudent who wrote and starred in “Rocky”,which won an Oscar for Best Picture.

Do You Remember?DEJA VU MVP’SIn UM’s first two national championship gamesat the Orange Bowl Classic, a linebacker cameoff the bench and earned Most Valuable Playerhonors. They were Jack Fernandez, whofilled in for injured Ken Sisk in the 1984 victo-ry over Nebraska, and Bernard Clark, thereplacement for George Mira Jr. in the 1988victory over Oklahoma.


Kevin Patrick makes a tackle against OklahomaState en route to the 1991 national title

Jeremy Shockey scores on a 44-yard pass from Ken Dorsey in a 41-21 victory over second-ranked Virginia Tech in 2000.

Melvin Bratton rushes for the Hurricanes tobeat top-ranked Notre Dame 27-10 in 1989

Willis McGahee was an All-American runningback who contributed to many big wins in 2002

Santana Moss caught seven passes for 115yards in 27-24 upset of top-ranked FSU in 2000


When long-time Miami Hurricane fans reminisce about thegreat rivalries over the years, three things that often come upin conversation are:• Wide Right II and Wide Left against Florida State• Third and 44 against Notre Dame• The Gator Flop

The team the Hurricanes have played the most in theOrange Bowl is Florida State, with 31 games between the twoschools. Though Miami boasts a 30-22 lead in the overallseries, it holds a slim 16-15 lead in games at home. TheSeminoles won eight in a row at the Orange Bowl from 1963through 1974, but the Hurricanes have won nine of the last 14since 1980.

The schools have met annually since 1969, and nine ofthose games (including four from 2003-06) were decided by

three points or less or inovertime. In one of thegames that signaled theemergence of the Hurricanesas a power, middle guard JimBurt batted down a two-point conversion pass to pre-serve a 10-9 victory over theninth-ranked Seminoles in1980.

Several times both teams were ranked in the top 10 whenthey squared off in the Orange Bowl, including 1992 when No.2 Miami beat No. 3 FSU 19-16. The Seminoles’ Dan Mowrymissed a 39-yard field goal with eight seconds left in thatclash, a play known as Wide Right II. The previous year theHurricanes won at Tallahassee 17-16 in Wide Right I. Wide Leftoccurred in 2002 at the Orange Bowl when FSU’s Xavier Beitiamissed a 43-yarder as time expired and the top-rankedHurricanes escaped with a 28-27 victory over No. 9 FSU.

The Hurricanes began playing Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish in1955, and the teams met annually (except 1986) from 1971through 1990. The Hurricanes were 1-6-1 in the Orange Bowlagainst the Irish until they swept all five meetings at home inthe 1980s by a combined score of 186-32.

Notre Dame came to the Orange Bowl on Nov. 25, 1989, asthe defending national champion and boasting the No. 1 rank-

ing and a 23-game winning streak. Before the second-largestregular-season crowd in Orange Bowl history (81,634), the sev-enth-ranked Hurricanes prevailed 27-10 and went on to wintheir third national title. The defining moments of the gameand season came in a 22-play drive that lasted 10 minutes and47 seconds at the beginning ofthe third quarter. The driveofficially covered 80 yards,but it actually was 97 yards. A15-yard penalty, a sack ofCraig Erickson and a fumblethat center Bobby Garciarecovered at the Miami threeput the Hurricanes into a thirddown and 44 situation.Erickson then threw deep toRandal Hill for 44 yards and a first down. The drive ended witha five-yard pass to Dale Dawkins.

The team Miami has played the most is Florida, 53 times,with the Hurricanes owning a 28-25 lead in the series. Theywere 12-14 against the Gators in the Orange Bowl but won thelast two meetings.

One of the most memorable: The last meeting in Miami, in2003, as the Hurricanes overcame a 33-10 third-quarter deficitbehind the passing of Brock Berlin to win 38-33. One of theleast memorable: 1971 whenthe Gators literally floppedonto the turf to allow Miamito score and give John Reavesa last-minute shot at theNCAA passing record, which hegot in a 45-16 victory.

Other long-standing rival-ries were with Pittsburgh (Miami leads 21-9-1, including 12-4-1at the Orange Bowl); Boston College (23-3, 16-1; Virginia Tech(16-8, 9-4); and West Virginia (16-3, 9-2).

Ninth-ranked FSU tries to stop Jim Kelly as theHurricanes recorded a 10-9 upset in 1980.

UM was 16-1 in the Orange Bowl against BostonCollege, the lone loss being “Hail Flutie” in 1984

Eddie Brown slips away from a Pittsburghdefender

Do You Remember?MILLER TIMEIn the opening game of the 1981 seasonat the Orange Bowl, Danny Miller kickeda 55-yard field goal as time expired todefeat the Florida Gators 21-20. Thatcapped a fourth-quarter comeback ledby quarterback Mark Richt, who cameoff the bench to replace injured JimKelly.

Do You Remember?FIFTH DOWNOne of the strangest situations in OrangeBowl history occurred early in the 1972 sea-son when officials inadvertently gave a fifthdown to the Hurricanes that resulted in thewinning score in a 24-21 victory overTulane. On fourth down, Ed Carney threwincomplete and Miami players headed forthe sideline with 54 seconds remaining.Officials called them back and said it wasfourth down, though play by plays in thepress box indicated there had been fivedowns. Carney then threw 32-yard touch-down pass to Witt Beckman for the winningtouchdown.

Do You Remember?DOUBLE FUMBLEROOSKISThe opponent in UM’s first two national cham-pionship games at the Orange Bowl Classicsuccessfully pulled off a “fumblerooski” trickplay. In 1984, Nebraska quarterback TurnerGill purposely fumbled and guard DeanSteinkuhler picked up the ball and rumbled19 yards for its first touchdown in theHurricanes’ 31-30 victory. In 1988, Oklahomaquarterback Charles Thompson deliberatelyfumbled and guard Mark Huston rambled 29yards for a touchdown. But it wasn’t enoughas Miami won 20-14.

Jim Burt was an All-American middle guard in 1980


FSU kicker Xavier Beitia was wide left on a 43-yard field goal attempt as time expired in UM’s 28-27 victory in 2002

Dale Dawkins was the leading receiver on the1989 national champions

Brock Berlin helped the Hurricanes overcome a23-point deficit to beat Florida 38-33 in 2003

The Hurricanes went 9-4 at home against theVirginia Tech Hokies

West Virginia’s Mountaineers won only twice in11 games at the Orange Bowl


Three of the Hurricanes’ five national championships1983, 1987 and 1991 were won in the Orange Bowl Classic.And all three games were against teams from the Big Eight(now the Big 12) Conference.

Only a few years after there had been open talk of drop-ping the football program, the Hurricanes jolted the collegefootball world by defeating the top-ranked NebraskaCornhuskers, 31-30, in the 50th Orange Bowl Classic on Jan. 1,1984.

It was a monumental moment. Several veteran observershad hailed the Cornhuskers as the greatest college team ever,but the game actually heralded the emergence of a newdynasty. The Hurricanes, who built leads of 17-0 and 31-17,clinched the victory when safety Ken Calhoun tipped awaytwo-point conversion pass in the end zone in the finals sec-onds.

Many called it the most exciting game in college footballhistory. The victory, combined with losses by second-rankedTexas in the Cotton Bowl and fourth-ranked Illinois in the RoseBowl, vaulted a Miami team that had started the seasonunranked to its first national championship.

Quarterback Bernie Kosar, who passed for an Orange BowlClassic record of 300 yards, was named the Most Valuable

Player of the game. AndHurricane linebacker JackFernandez was named theDefensive MVP.

“It’s unlikely that anyteam in the history of col-lege football ever got higher

for a game than Miami did for Nebraska,” wrote JohnUnderwood of Sports Illustrated. “And if you missed Mondaynight’s game, you missed an emergence ... Down wentNebraska’s 22-game winning streak, and up went the burgee ofa team that may well be the next great name in the game.”

Prophetic words. The Hurricanes came close to winning thenational title in 1985 and 1986, then in what was supposed tobe a rebuilding year (1987), they went undefeated.

Once again in the Orange Bowl Classic, played on Jan. 1,1988, the Hurricanes faced the top-ranked team OklahomaSooners. But this time they didn’t need last-minute heroics asthey won, 20-14.

Against a defense that allowed the fewest points in thenation, quarterback Steve Walsh completed 18 of 30 passes for209 yards and two touchdowns. Fullback Melvin Bratton caughtnine passes for 102 yards and ran eight times for 18 yards, andGreg Cox kick field goals of 56 and 48 yards.

The Sooner offense had averaged 428.8 yards per game, butthe second-ranked Hurricanes limited them to 255 yards.Middle linebacker Bernard Clark earned MVP honors as hemade 14 tackles, 12 unassisted.

“People didn’t think we could do anything in 1987,” said

wide receiver Michael Irvin. “We had just lost shots at twonational titles. We could have lost our intensity. But we hadthe character to keep fighting till we won one.”

Miami culminated another undefeated season by whippingNebraska, 22-0, in the Orange Bowl Classic on Jan. 1, 1992, tocapture the school’s fourth national title in nine years.

The Hurricanes’ offense was led by freshman Larry Jones,who ran for a 144 yards and earned MVP honors. TheCornhuskers were shut out for the first time since 1973 andwere held to just 82 yards rushing. The Canes’ defense record-ed two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and five sacks,four by end Rusty Medearis.

Earlier that day the Washington Huskies, coached by formerHurricane quarterback Don James, soundly defeated Michiganin the Rose Bowl. The next day the AP poll picked theHurricanes as the national champions and the coaches’ pollselected Washington.

1983 National Champions11-1 Record(L-R) Row 1: TBD, David Kintigh, Rodney Bellinger, TBD, Brian Blades, Albert Bentley, Todd Stanish, JeffDavis, Mark Seelig, Darryl Oliver, Tony Griffin, Mike Griffin, Keith Griffin, Anthony Scheller, FitzgeraldDavis, Mark Fisher, TBD. Row 2: Jimmy Austin, Lawrence Thompson, Selwyn Brown, Ed Brown, StanleyShakespeare, John Smatana, Jacinto Fernandez, Tony Fitzpatrick, Ken Sisk, Reggie Sutton, AlonzoHighsmith, Eddie Williams, Warren Williams, Keith Walker, Richard Tuten, Willie Smith, Daniel Perinovic,Billy Watson, Greg Jones. Row 3: Melvin Bratton, Dallas Cameron, Kenny Oliver, Tolbert Bain, KenCalhoun, Steve Minie, Bruce Fleming, Julio Cortes, Owen Stephens, Willie Martinez, Chris Hembrough,Kyle Vanderwende, Darin McMurray, Shon Flaharty, George Mira, Jr., Matt Patchan, TBD, MattMcCloskey. Row 4: William Schaefer, Ron Harris, Michael Moore, Paul O’Connor, Fred Foster, WinstonMoss, Jerome Brown, Tom Deming, Darrell Fullington, Juan Comendeiro, Lenny Moore, David Ditthardt,Doug McFadden, Alvin Ward, Stuart Schnellenberger, Rob Canei, Robert Neal, Danny Brown, DavidAlekna, Kevin Kelly. Row 5: Jay Brophy, Willie Lee Broughton, Paul Bertucelli, Ed Davis, AndrewDickerson, Kevin Fagan, Joe Kohlbrand, Vinny Testaverde, Glenn Dennison, Lucious Delegal, Chris Ley,Charles Henry, Maurice Maddox, Daniel Stubbs, Fred Robinson, Ian Sinclair, David Heffernan, BernieKosar, Gregg Rakoczy, Alfredo Roberts, John McVeigh, Victor Morris.

Ken Calhoun deflected a two-point conversionto give Miami the 1983 national championship

Quarterback Steve Walsh was 23-1 as a starter and led UM to the1987 national championship

Do You Remember?QUARTERBACK UQuarterbacks on the 1982 team were: JimKelly, Mark Richt, Kyle Vanderwende, BernieKosar and Vinny Testaverde. Their coach: EarlMorrall, who shared quarterback duties on theundefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins.


1987 University of Miami Football12-0 Record(L-R) Row 1: Chris Bell, Mike Pigza, Eric Miller, Derwin Jones, Willis Peguese, Mark Evans, Bill Schaefer,Bill Hawkins, Jimmie Jones, Greg Cox, Andre Brown, Scott Provin, Mike Sullivan, Kevin Harris, TolbertBain, Dan Stubbs. Row 2: Carmen Grosso, Al Bellamy, Kevin O’Neill, Mike Short, Bobby Revilla, DanWerner, Tony Wise, Steve Hoffman, Bill Johnson, Tom Tuberville, Joe Brodsky, Butch Davis, JimmyJohnson, Dave Wannstedt, Don Soldinger, Gary Ghormley, Art Kehoe, Ron Meeks, Dave Campo, BillForan, Mick Smith, David Scott, Gary Stevens, Hubbard Alexander. Row 3: Melvin Bratton, Leon Searcy,Claude Jones, Darren Bruce, Luis Cristobal, Bobby Garcia, Dennis Kelleher, Greg Mark, Michael Johnson,Gary Mahon, Kirk Sandifer, Darrell Fullington, Kenny Berry, Craig Erickson, Joe Moore, Alfredo Roberts,Charles Henry. Row 4: Leonard Conley, Mike Green, Alex Johnson, Roland Smith, Robert Bailey, Tahir Al-Shayeb, Carlos Huerta, Lance Prince, Sung Kim. Row 5: Earnest Parish, Randal Hill, Gerard Orr, MikeIrvin, Doyle Aaron, Mike Azer, Selwyn Brown, Bennie Blades, Brian Blades, Brett Perriman, Kelvin Harris,Shannon Crowell, Maurice Crum, Hilton Mobley, Herbert James, Bud Nemeth, Ken Gary, Eric Ham. Row6: Alan Karras, Brad Vespe, Bukasa Kalombo, Steve Rosinski, Rod Carter, Warren Williams, ClevelandGary, Edgar Benes, Darren Handy, Rod Holder, Russell Maryland, Barry Panfil, Matt Britton, TracyWaiters, Shon Williams, Trevor Weeks, Rob Chudzinski, Milton Biggins, Darius Frazier. Row 7: FreddyHighsmith, Sandy Jack, Steve Walsh, Bobby Harden, George Mira, Jr., Dale Dawkins, Derrick Golden,Randy Bethel, Marty Golloher, Jason Hicks, Anthony Hamlet, Bernard Clark, Bubba McDowell, RandyShannon, Don Ellis, Jeff Feagles.

1991 National Champions12-0 Record(L-R-) Row 1: George Michaels, Joe Moore, Matt Britton, Eric Miller, Marty Golloher, Bobby Byrd, CarlosHuerta, Derrick Golden, Anthony Hamlet, Hurlie Brown, Todd Seiple, Carl Petetti, Claude Jones, LeonSearcy, Kelvin Harris, Nestor Lubowicz, Sean VanBeber, Charles Pharms, Herbert James. Row 2: AlShuford, Shawn Jones, Rohan Marley, Jonathan Harris, Jessie Armstead, Kevin Williams, Jean Stiverne,Paul White, Dexter Seigler, Darryl Spencer, Harry Anderson, Larry Luttrell, Chris Zannini, Ed Breslin,Michael Schwartz, Darren Saunders, David Geoerg, Thomas Patterson, Lamar Thomas, Horace Copeland,Chris Jones. Row 3: Carmen Grosso, Joel Beam, Mike Short, Randy Shannon, Scott Auker, JimMichalczik, Ed Orgeron, Tommy Tuberville, Brad Roll, Bob Karmelowicz, Dennis Erickson, Gregg Smith,Sonny Lubick, Bob Bartkowski, Dave Arnold, Eddie Gran, Alex Woods, Gary Ghormley, Art Kehoe, DavidScott, Pete Garcia, Andy Clary. Row 4: Robert Woodus, Candido Cerda, Christopher Watkins, CorwinFrancis, Derrick Harris, Willie Phillips, Dane Prewitt, C.J. Richardson, Donnell Bennett, Jason Marucci,Scott Barnwell, Paul Snyder, John Shaw, Terris Harris, Ryan Collins, David Dziczkowski, Larry Jones,Malcolm Pearson, Stephen McGuire. Row 5: Darren Krein, Tyrone Philpart, Chris O’Connell, SeanThompson, Darrin Smith, Micheal Barrow, Robert Bass, Bruce Eberst, Dietrich Clausell, KevinBrinkworth, Ryan McNeil, Marcus Carey, Darryl Williams, Warren Sapp, Jessie Mitchell, Alan Symonette.Row 6: Damon Bethel, James Stewart, Travis Cooper, Shayon Tresvant, Kenny Lopez, Tirrell Greene,Baraka Short, David Holliman, Mark Caesar, Dwayne Johnson, Corries Hardy, Robert Cobuzio, A.C.Tellison, Coleman Bell, Carlos Etheredge, Rudy Barber, Syii Tucker. Row 7: Zev Lumelski, Diego London,Jason Owens, Kipp Vickers, Rusty Medearis, Gino Torretta, Kevin Patrick, Kevin Kirkeide, Alan Hall,Mario Cristobal, Brad Shirey, Jason Budroni, Frank Costa, Anthony Lewis, Kyle Stranahan, Patrick Riley.

Coaches Tom Osborne of Nebraska and HowardSchnellenberger of UM meet before the 1984Orange Bowl Classic

Lamar Thomas skies high to catch a pass in a1991 game at the Orange Bowl

Randy Shannon was a graduate assistant coachbefore moving up the ranks to head coach

Craig Erickson was the quarterback for the1989 national championship team

Gino Torretta,winner of the 1992 HeismanTrophy, led UM to the 1991 national championship

Bernie Kosar quarterbacked the 1983 nationalchampions

Rusty Medearis pulls down a Nebraska player inthe 1991 national championship game


For nearly a decade, not one opponent celebrated on theOrange Bowl field. That’s because the Hurricanes won anNCAA-record 58 games in a row at home.

This streak for the ages lasted through three U.S.Presidents, two headfootball coaches(Jimmy Johnson andDennis Erickson) andeven Hurricane Andrew.It began on Oct. 12,1985, with a 38-0 routof Cincinnati, and did-n’t end untilWashington won 38-20on Sept. 24, 1994.

The Hurricanesbroke the record of 57in a row set byAlabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium inTuscaloosa from 1963-82. And Miami’s streakwas clearly more formi-dable.

The Crimson Tidenever played a top-ranked team, didn’tface arch-rivals Auburnor Tennessee, and metLSU only once duringthe streak becausetheir major games were played in Birmingham. The Hurricanesdefeated 17 ranked teams, including 12 in the top 10 and sixin the top five.

Four times they toppled the No. 1 team – Oklahoma 28-16in 1986; Oklahoma 20-14 in the 1988 Orange Bowl Classic;Florida State 31-0 in 1988; and Notre Dame 27-10 in 1989.

The most common opponent during the streak was FloridaState, which lost four times. Notre Dame and Cincinnati eachlost three times, with Notre Dame being outscored 109-17 andCincinnati being outscored 151-3.

Miami was the top-ranked team 25 timesduring the streak.Network televisioncarried 26 of the 58 games.

The streakleaders:

Passing: GinoTorretta: 4,638 yards,33 touchdowns

Rushing: LeonardConley, 1,245 yards

Receiving: MichaelIrvin, 78 catches,1,316 yards

TouchdownsRushing: StephenMcGuire: 20

TouchdownReceptions: LamarThomas: 15

Interceptions:Bennie Blades: 12

Players and coach-es said the atmosphere and the fans made the Orange Bowlspecial. “It’s about as tough and intense an atmosphere as I’veever had to take a team,” said Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz.Hurricane runing back Melvin Bratton said, “As a player, youare so pumped up you could run through a brick wall.”

Leonard Conley was the rushing leader duringthe streak with 1,245 yards

Fans watch the Hurricanes win their record-setting 58th consecutive home game 56-0 over Georgia Southern in 1994

Michael Irvin was the top receiver, catching 78passes for 1,316 yards

Stephen McGuire scored the most touchdownsrushing, with 20

Bennie Blades recorded the most interceptions,pulling down 12 opponent passes


Howard Schnellenberger led UM to its firstnational title in 1983

Dennis Erickson won two national titles in 1989and 1991

Jimmy Johnson’s undefeated 1987 team wonUM’s second national title

Lou SabanYears: 1977-78

Howard SchnellenbergerYears: 1979-83

Jimmy JohnsonYears: 1984-88

Dennis EricksonYears: 1989-94

Butch DavisYears: 1995-2000

Larry CokerYears: 2001-2006

Randy ShannonYear: 2007

Jack HardingYears: 1937-42, 1944-47

Eddie DunnYears: 1943-44

Andy GustafsonYears: 1948-63

Charlie TateYears:1964-70

Walt KichefskiYear: 1970

Fran CurciYears: 1971-72

Pete ElliottYears: 1973-74

Carl SelmerYears: 1975-76

Trivia question: Of the 15 Hurricanes head coaches who ledteams onto the Orange Bowl field, do you know which one hadthe best record at home prior to this season?

Hint: He had the same last name as one of his star quarterbacks.Answer: Dennis Erickson. His six teams (1989-1994) amassed

a 36-2 record, capturing their first 32 as part of the NCAA-record 58-game winning streak en route to winning nationalchampionships in 1989 and 1991.

The next best mark was 25-2 by Howard Schnellenberger(1979-83), who led the Hurricanes to their first national titlein 1983. Jimmy Johnson (1984-88) went 28-4, losing four of hisfirst six at home before reeling off the next 26 to start therecord streak that extended into the Erickson era. His 1987team won the national title.

Larry Coker’s six teams (2001-2006) compiled the fourth-best home record, winning their first 16 home games as hecompiled a 32-6 record in the Orange Bowl and won thenational championship in 2001. Butch Davis (1995-2000) hadthe fifth-best home mark, 27-9.

Jack Harding, one of two Miami coaches inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame, coached the first Hurricaneteam to play in the Orange Bowl (1937) and held the dual

roles of coach and athletic director for nine years. He had twocoaching stints, 1937-1942 and 1944-1947, sandwiched aroundtwo years in the Navy (1943-1944). Eddie Dunn, a star runningback for the Hurricanes in the late 1930s, was head coach dur-ing Harding’s absence.

Andy Gustafson, Miami’s other coach in the College FootballHall of Fame, had the longest tenure of any Hurricane coach,16 years (1948-63). He led Miami to four bowl berths and theschool’s first Top 10 ranking at the end of the season (1954).

Charlie Tate (1964-70) followed Gustafson and took twoteams to bowl games before resigning as coach and athleticdirector two games into the 1970 season. Walt Kichefski, along-time Hurricane football legend and assistant coach, tookover on an interim basis in 1970.

Then, as the program struggled through the 1970s, therewas a succession of four coaches who lasted two years each:Fran Curci (1971-72), Pete Elliott (1973-74), Carl Selmer (1975-76) and Lou Saban (1977-78). Saban laid the foundation for theprogram’s rise to national prominence in the 1980s.

Four of the coaches played for the Hurricanes – Dunn,Kichefski, Curci and Randy Shannon, who became the school’s20th head coach last December 8.


• Most yards passing in a game: 485 yards by Gino Terrettavs. San Diego State in 1991

• Most receiving yards in a game: 220 yards by Eddie Brownvs. Boston College in1984• Most receptions

in a game: 12 by Willie Smith, 12 vs. Maryland in 1984

• Most TD passes thrown in a game: 5 by Bernie Kosar vs. Cincinnati in 1984, Steve Walsh vs. Cincinnati in 1988, and Ken Dorsey vs. BostonCollege in 2000

• Most field goals:5 by Jon Peattie vs. West Virginia in 2003

• Longest pass play: 88 yards, Gino Torretta to Wesley Carroll in 1989

• First game: 40-0 victory over Georgia Southern on Oct. 1,1937

• Games played in the Orange Bowl: 467• Record: 318-142-7• Winning percentage

at home: .688• Records in the

1930s: 15-8• Records in the

1940s: 44-35-2• Records in the






2000s: 42-8• Largest crowd:

81,927 vs. FloridaState in 2002

• Largest averageattendance for aseason: 69,539 in2002

• Won-loss record on Homecoming: 45-24

• Record in Orange Bowl Classic: 6-3• Most points scored in a game by the Hurricanes: 75 vs.

Fordham in 1954• Most points scored in a game by an opponent: 70 by

Texas A&M in 1944• Most points scored in a game by both teams: 94 (Miami

49, UCLA 45 in 1998• Lowest scoring game: 0-0 vs. Notre Dame in 1965, vs.

North Carolina State in 1957, vs. South Carolina in 1944• Most touchdowns scored: 6 by Willis McGahee vs. Virginia

Tech in 2002• Most yards rushing in a game: 299 yards by Edgerrin

James vs. UCLA in 1998

ORANGE BOWL FACTS

• Longest rushing play: 90 yards, Jack Losch vs. Bucknell in1955

• Longest field goal: 55 yards by Danny Miller vs. Florida in1981 and Jon Peattie vs. Virginia Tech in 2006

• Longest punt: 77 yards by Harry Ghaul vs. Florida in 1947• Longest punt return: 92 yards by Devin Hester vs.

Louisiana Tech in 2004• Longest kickoff return: 100 yards by Tim Morgan vs.

Houston in 1975 and Ottis Anderson vs. Utah State in 1978• Longest interception return: 98 yards by Paul Hefti vs.

Fordham in 1954


Remembering the Orange Bowl 2007 Football Program insert

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