| Miami Hurricanes | |
| University | University of Miami |
|---|---|
| Conference(s) | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Shawn Eichorst |
| Location | Coral Gables, FL |
| Varsity teams | |
| Football stadium | Miami Orange Bowl (1937–2007) Sun Life Stadium (2008–present) |
| Basketball arena | BankUnited Center |
| Baseball stadium | Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park |
| Mascot | Sebastian the Ibis |
| Nickname | Hurricanes |
| Fight song | Hail to the Spirit of Miami U, Miami U How-Dee-Do[1] |
| Colors | Green, Orange, and White[2]
|
| Homepage | hurricanesports.com |
The Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, (known informally as The U, UM or Miami) are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports.[3] Men's teams compete in football, baseball, basketball, cross-country, diving, 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. UM has approximately equal participation by male and female varsity athletes in these sports.[4]
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." The school's marching band is the Band of the Hour.
Their traditional athletic rivals include the Seminoles of Florida State University[5] and the Gators of the University of Florida.[6] However, since 1987, the Hurricanes have played the Gators in football only 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 played football only twice since UM began ACC play in the 2004 season, but the rivalry was renewed in 2008 when UM met the Gators in Gainesville.
UM has won four national championships (1982, 1985, 1999 and 2001) and reached 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 (baseball coach), 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. Morris' contract as coach has been extended through 2015. Morris established a record of 733–278–3 (.724) at Miami and set an NCAA record in guiding his teams to the College World Series in each of his first six seasons at UM.[7]
Miami holds the longest consecutive post season streak at 37 consecutive years (1973–present). This streak is the longest of any men's NCAA Div. 1 major sport topping the football post season streak of 35 seasons (Nebraska 1972–2006) and the basketball streak of 27 (North Carolina 1974–2001).
On July 22, 2008, Amy Deem was promoted to Director of Track and Field/Cross Country and heads both the men's and women's programs. She was head women's track and field coach for the prior 7 years.[8]
In the 2008 ACC Cross Country Championships, UM's men finished 12th out of 12 teams,[9] and UM's women finished also finished last out of 12.[10]
At the 2009 ACC Cross Country Championship, UM's men[11] and women[12] again finished last out of 12 teams.
UM has both men's and women's diving teams. In 2008, the men's team finished 11th (57 pts.) at the ACC Championships and finished 18th (40 pts.) at the NCAA Championships.[13]
Historically, the Hurricanes are one of the most predominant college football programs in the nation. They have won five Division I national football championships (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, and 2001 and are currently ranked fourth on the list of all-time Associated Press National Poll Championships, behind Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Alabama.[14]
As of 2009[update], 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. Since the 2008 demolition of the Miami Orange Bowl, the team has played its home games at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens.
The Miami Hurricanes 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 team plays its home games at the BankUnited Center on the University of Miami's Coral Gables campus.
The Board of Trustees attempted to shut the program down in the middle of the 1970 season, which forced Will Allen to organize his teammates and strike because it was not sufficient notice for the players to transfer schools. They held a press conference and this caught the attention of the national press, and the university actually dropped the program after the 1971 season,[15] with the Board citing inadequate facilities, sagging attendance, and serious financial losses as the reasons for the decision.[16] 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. During Clark's second season (2001–02) the team won 24 games and a #5 seed in the NCAA tournament. With the 2002–03 season, the team moved into its newly completed on-campus arena, the BankUnited 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 season, after being picked to finish last in the Atlantic Coast Conference the Hurricanes 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 at Austin. This was the team's first NCAA tournament bid since the 2001–2002 season.
For the 2009/2010 season, Miami had a winning record overall (20–13), but finished in last place in the ACC with a record of 4–12.
On April 4, 2011, Miami Coach Frank Haith accepted a Head Coaching position at the University of Missouri.
On April 22, 2011, George Mason Patriots Head Coach Jim Larranaga accepted the Head Coaching position after coaching the Patriots for 14 seasons.
As of 2009[update], there are 9 men[17] and 7 women on the tennis team.[18] The men's team is coached by Mario Rincon, and women's team by Paige Yaroshuk-Tews.
In July 2008, Mike Ward, who served for five years as an assistant and 11 years as head coach in the University of Miami’s track and cross country programs, retired.[19] Amy Deem, who had been the women's coach for 17 years became the Director of Track and Field/Cross Country.[8] Perhaps UM's most notable athlete is Lauryn Williams '04, who earned nine All-American honors. Internationally, Williams won the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, gold at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, and finished 5th at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.,[20] all in the 100m dash. The team plays its home games at Cobb Stadium on the University of Miami's Coral Gables campus.
The women's team had a 26–6 2008 season overall with a record of 14–6 in conference matches.[21]
UM forward Shenise Johnson, during the summer of 2009, competed on the gold medal-winning USA Team at the 2009 U19 World Championships.[22] The team plays its home games at the BankUnited Center on the University of Miami's Coral Gables campus.
In 2009-10, Miami finished last in the ACC. A year later, the Lady Canes went 26-3 (12-2 ACC) in the regular season to finish alongside Duke as regular season ACC champions. Miami went undefeated at the BankUnited Center, extending their home winning streak to 24 straight games. Despite a quarterfinal exit in the ACC Tournament, Miami's performance was enough to merit the program's first NCAA tournament bid since 1992. After cruising past Gardner-Webb in the first round, they lost to Oklahoma in the second. Head coach Katie Meier won National Coach of the Year, along with Connecticut's Geno Auriemma and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer. Junior guards Shenice Johnson and Riquana Williams were named to the All-ACC first team, Sophomore forward Morgan Stroman was named to the all-conference third team, and Johnson was a third-team All-American.
The 2011-12 team returned every player from the 2010-11 squad and was picked in the preseason to win the ACC.
The Hurricanes won the national championships in 1970, 1972, 1977, 1978 and 1984.[23] The team plays its home games on the Don Shula's Golf Resort in Miami Lakes, Florida.[23]
In July 2009, Andrew Carter, a former assistant coach at Clemson University, was selected as head rowing coach at UM. Carter had over 20 years of coaching experience both on the collegiate and international levels of competition. Marc DeRose was hired as assistant coach.[24]
Miami added a soccer team in 1998. It offered scholarships from the beginning by phasing in 3 scholarships per year over a four-year period. The Cobb Stadium for Soccer, Track and Field was built on the Coral Gables campus in 1998 for the program.[25] Since 2001, the team has been coached by Tricia Taliaferro.[26] In 2007, Miami played in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but lost to Florida 3–0.[27] The team plays its home games at Cobb Stadium on the University of Miami's Coral Gables campus.
In 2009, the team finished 8th (219 pts.) at the ACC Championships and 24th (25 pts.) at the NCAA Championships.[13] The team won the NCAA national championship in 1975 and 1976.[28][29] UM does not currently have a varsity men's swimming team.
UM has sponsored other varsity sports in the past. The University of Miami polo team which was undefeated in tournament play from 1948–1951. Polo, however, did not draw spectators and even with three undefeated seasons, the program posted a $15,000 deficit in 1950. Polo was terminated in 1951.[29] Boxing was one of the most popular and successful athletic programs on campus through the 1950s. Varsity boxing matches attracted sizeable crowds.[30]
| Sport | Male Athletes | Female Athletes |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 34 | |
| Basketball | 15 | 18 |
| Diving | 2 | |
| Football | 102 | |
| Golf | 7 | |
| Rowing | 59 | |
| Swimming & Diving | 23 | |
| Tennis | 9 | 7 |
| Cross Country & Track | 45 | 73 |
| Volleyball | 14 | |
| Total | 207 | 228 |
The University of Miami, as articulated by its president Donna Shalala, has been very supportive of achieving gender equity and complying with Title IX. Shalala wrote of her support in a Miami Herald column on the 30th anniversary of that law.[31] However, historically, female athletes filed complaints with the federal government in the 1970s and 1980s alleging unequal funding and facilities for UM women's sports.[32]
Of the $46.8 million in annual athletic expenditures, $23.9 million were spent on men's team, $9.8 million were spent on women's teams, and $13 million can not be allocated based on gender.[4]
Miami has notable differences between the graduation rates of male and female student athletes. As of 2002[update], UM graduation rates had 64.1% graduating within 4 years, 75.1% graduating within 5 years, and 76.8% graduating within 6 years.[33] Male student athletes have a 52% 4 year graduation rate, and 72% of female student athletes graduate within 4 years.[34]
Some critics of Miami's allocation of fiscal resources within the Athletics Department have blamed the decision to drop certain men's teams on Title IX compliance.[35][36][37]
The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame is located next to the Hecht Athletic Center on campus. It houses many artifacts and memorabilia from the Hurricanes' athletic teams over the last 80 years. Each year, the Hall of Fame inducts former athletes who have been out of school at least 10 years, or coaches and administrators, in an annual banquet. In 2009, it inducted football's Edgerrin James and Mike Sullivan, basketball's Tim James, baseball's Aubrey Huff and Warren Bogle, track's Davian Clarke, and women's golf's Cathy Morse.[38]
The Class of 2010 includes football's Bubba Franks and Jim Cox, baseball's Alex Santos and Jason Michaels, basketball's Ed Morris, diver Jenny Keim Johansen, tennis's Sid Schwartz and assistant athletic director Connie Nickel.
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