The Miami Hurricanes
represent the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Their traditional athletic rivals include the Seminoles of Florida State University and the Gators of the University of Florida. However, since 1987, the Hurricanes have only played the Gators in football five times (three times during the regular season and twice for bowl games in the 2001 Sugar Bowl and the 2004 Chick-fil-A Bowl). The Hurricanes and the Gators have only played twice since UM began ACC play in the 2004 season, but the rivalry was renewed in 2008 when UM met the Gators in Gainesville.
In order to comply with Title IX equality requirements, the university only fields 15 athletic teams. Men's teams compete in football, baseball, basketball, cross-country, tennis, and track and field. Women's teams compete in basketball, cross-country, swimming and diving, golf, rowing, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Notably, the university does not field a men's soccer team and had to cut its men's rowing team and men's diving team (which had produced a number of Olympic medalists, including Greg Louganis), in order to comply with Title IX.
Team colors are green, orange, and white. The school mascot is 'Sebastian the Ibis'. The ibis was selected as the school's mascot because, according to university legend, it is the last animal to flee an approaching hurricane and the first to reappear after the storm, making it a symbol of leadership and courage. The school's athletics logo is a simple green and orange, color of an orange tree, letter "U." Nike is the official supplier of uniforms, apparel, and various athletic equipment to all University of Miami sports teams.
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MIAMI HURRICANES TICKETS
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Football
The University of Miami is the most successful
Division I collegiate football program of the past quarter century, winning more
national championships than any other Division I collegiate football program in that time frame. During this era, the University of Miami has won five Division I national football championships (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, and 2001); the
University of Florida and the
University of Nebraska are tied for second during this period with three.
UM has produced two
Heisman Trophy winners,
Vinny Testaverde (in 1986) and
Gino Torretta (in 1992). Four former UM football players—
Ted Hendricks,
Michael Irvin,
Jim Kelly, and
Jim Otto—have been voted into the
Pro Football Hall of Fame following their
NFL careers. Two other former UM players,
Ottis Anderson and
Ray Lewis, have been named
Super Bowl MVPs (
Super Bowl XXV and
Super Bowl XXXV respectively).
On November 24, 2006, following one of the worst seasons in decades (7-6), UM dismissed its current head football coach,
Larry Coker, who helped lead UM to its 2001 National Championship and came close to winning another one in 2002 but then stumbled greatly in subsequent seasons. Two weeks following Coker's dismissal, UM Defensive Coordinator
Randy Shannon was promoted to the position of head coach. On November 10, 2007, the Hurricanes played their final game ever at the Orange Bowl, losing 48-0 to the
University of Virginia. UM signed a 25 year lease to play its home games at
Land Shark Stadium in
Miami Gardens beginning in 2008.
Baseball
In addition to its success in football, UM has experienced national success with its baseball program, winning four national championships (1982, 1985, 1999 and 2001) and reaching the
College World Series 22 times in the 34 seasons since 1974. Five UM graduates are currently active on MLB teams.
The team is currently coached by Jim Morris, the former head coach of the
Georgia Tech baseball team. Former coach
Ron Fraser was inducted into the
College Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2006. The team plays its games on the UM campus, in
Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
Men's basketball
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UM's men's basketball team has produced three players who are currently on
NBA rosters.
Rick Barry, who played his collegiate basketball at UM, is a member of the
Basketball Hall of Fame. Barry is the Hurricanes' only consensus All-American in basketball and led the nation in scoring his senior year with a 37.4 average during the 1964–65 campaign.
The university actually dropped the program after the 1972 season, with the Board of Trustees citing inadequate facilities, sagging attendance, and serious financial losses as the reasons for the decision.
[1] The program was revived before the 1985–86 season, though UM would be minimally competitive over the next several years. The program's fortunes turned around in 1990 when Miami hired
Leonard Hamilton as head basketball coach and accepted an invitation to join the
Big East. By the end of the decade, Hamilton had turned UM into one of the better basketball programs in the Big East and had guided UM to three straight
NCAA tournament appearances (1998–2000), including a #2 seed in the 1999 tournament and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2000. The 1998 tournament appearance was UM's first since 1960.
Hamilton left at the end of the 2000 season to become head coach of the
NBA's Washington Wizards and was replaced by Perry Clark. Clark had some success in his second season (2001–02), leading UM to a school record 24 wins and a #5 seed in the NCAA tournament. The 2002–03 season saw Miami move into its newly completed on-campus arena, the
Convocation Center. Despite a win over powerhouse
North Carolina to christen the new arena, Clark's teams performed woefully over the next two seasons, leading to his dismissal following the 2003–04 season (UM's last season in the Big East). Clark was replaced by
Frank Haith, whose teams have proven competitive in UM's first two seasons as a member of the
Atlantic Coast Conference.
In the 2007/2008 after being picked to finish last in the
Atlantic Coast Conference by many experts the Hurricanes proved competitive and started off the season 12-0. They eventually finished the year 23-11(8-8 in the ACC) and reached the second round of the
NCAA Tournament before falling to the second seeded
University of Texas. This was the 'Canes first tournament bid since the 2001-2002 season.
References
- 2006 University of Miami Basketball Media Guide