In a June 1995 cover story headlined “Broken beyond repair,” Sports Illustrated told the University of Miami to drop football.
Presented as an open letter to university President Tad Foote, the story chronicled the powerhouse’s off-the-field abuses, including an alleged pay-for-play scheme, financial-aid fraud and failure of a school drug policy. Foote dismissed the magazine’s suggestion, as did most of the program’s supporters. But Miami’s flamboyant orange and green had taken on a permanent stain that would only spread.
By the end of 1995, the NCAA took away 24 scholarships over two seasons, crippling the program. Two years later the Canes went 5-6, their first losing season in 18 years and suffered a humiliating 47-0 thumping by archrival Florida State. The next autumn Miami watched helplessly as Syracuse clinched a Big East title with a 66-13 rout in the Carrier Dome.
But don’t look now. The Hurricanes are back. Well, almost back. With second-ranked Virginia Tech rolling into the Orange Bowl on Saturday, No. 3 Miami is at least back in national title contention. In Coral Gables, Fla., the Hurricanes won’t officially be back until they can produce the school’s fifth national championship trophy.
It has been a long, painful road.
“They haven’t taken shortcuts,” Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese said this week from conference headquarters in Providence, R.I. “They didn’t lower their standards to let kids in. The university didn’t all of a sudden go out and get 20 junior-college kids. They were patient and it’s paying off.”
To many college football observers, it seemed only a matter of time before the Hurricanes bounced back. They are rich in two of the main ingredients for success at the highest level of the game. They have a winning tradition. Perhaps more important, they are located in fertile recruiting territory.
But at a time of rampant parity, Miami’s revival was hardly a given. The Hurricanes were among five bowed but storied programs that considered themselves contenders for national or conference titles when this season kicked off.
One, Oklahoma, rides atop the polls. Another, No. 20 Texas, is improving after a 63-14 drubbing the Sooners administered.
But two of the others are in the throes of disastrous autumns. Alabama has announced the dismissal of coach Mike DuBose. And Southern California, winless in the Pac-10, is said to be considering the same fate for coach Paul Hackett.
The fifth program is Miami. Devastated by NCAA penalties, it bottomed out three years ago. Back then, coach Butch Davis could sell recruits only on opportunity created by hardship, whereas previous Miami coaches lured blue-chips by promising–and producing–almost annual runs at No. 1.
A trace of bitterness remains for Davis, who said the NCAA hammered the Hurricanes after “Auburn and some other programs” bounced back quickly from probation.
“The NCAA decided they’re going to take players away,” Davis said. “It’s devastating. You can’t play without players.”
Hokies coach Frank Beamer knows it. He also overcame NCAA-mandated scholarship losses at Virginia Tech.
“That’s the toughest penalty you can get,” Beamer said. “[Davis] has done great.”
Foote hired Davis, a former assistant to Hurricanes legend Jimmy Johnson, and charged him with rebuilding the program. But Davis, an intense disciplinarian, would not have the same leeway as his predecessor, Dennis Erickson, on whose watch the NCAA violations occurred.
“There are certain schools, because of who they are and where they’re located, they’re going to bounce back,” Tranghese said. “That’s the nature of college football. But in Miami’s case, there was a caveat attached. They had to bounce back the right way. They were going to do it with good kids and they were going to do it by the rules.
“Butch came under heat from what I call the crazies in South Florida because they weren’t interested in doing it the right way. They just wanted to win.”
There’s only one way to get better in college football: recruit. Temple coach Bobby Wallace, whose Owls fell to Miami 45-17 two weeks ago, was amazed by Miami’s talent.
“Overall the great athletes they have everywhere–they didn’t even play them all against us,” Wallace said. “Great athletes from top to bottom.”
Davis’ most important recruiting catch may have come two years ago when he lured quarterback Ken Dorsey out of Orinda, Calif. Tennessee, coming off a national title, also sought Dorsey, as did local power USC. In only his second year on campus, Dorsey is filling the role played in the past by such stars as Jim Kelly, Vinny Testaverde and Gino Torretta. Every Miami powerhouse seems to have a dart-throwing passer standing in the pocket.
This is only Dorsey’s first full season as a starter. But Canes fans will note 1983 was Bernie Kosar’s first year as a starter too. That’s one of several eerie similarities between this year and 1983, when the modern Hurricanes dynasty was hatched.
Miami opened the 1983 season with a 28-0 loss at Florida. This year the Hurricanes dropped their second game at Washington 34-29.
In the ’83 season, Miami bounced back to upset mighty Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. This year’s title game also will be played in the Orange Bowl.
The 1983 Canes seemed charmed. So has this year’s bunch. The Hurricanes survived Florida State’s late rally when the Seminoles’ kicker narrowly missed a game-tying field goal at the final gun.
Miami might have caught another break when Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick sprained an ankle last Saturday. Beamer has said senior Dave Meyer will start but that Vick might see action.
A victory in the first Big East game between top five teams will propel Miami to No. 2 in both major polls, but it won’t guarantee the Hurricanes an Orange Bowl berth.
The Bowl Championship Series formula might leave the once-beaten Hurricanes below once-beaten Florida State even though they won the head-to-head confrontation.
The possibility of a BCS slight raised an uproar in Coral Gables. But if it bothered Davis, he wouldn’t admit it publicly. All he’ll say is that he has led his program too far to take anything for granted now.
“The worst thing you can do in a season like this,” Davis said, “is reach a plateau and stop improving.”
