1987 Miami Hurricanes football team
Encyclopedia
The 1987 Miami Hurricanes
were the national champions of the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season
. The national championship was the second of five won by the University of Miami
in football.
had a winning record, but some critics questioned whether he could gain a national championship.
In 1985, Miami finished the regular season 10-1, and had a chance to win the national title with Penn State's loss to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. Needing a victory over Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl, Miami jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Tennessee then scored 35 unanswered to derail Miami's title hopes.
In 1986, Miami achieved a perfect 11-0 regular season record. Led by Heisman Trophy
-winner Vinny Testaverde
, a record breaking offense, and the 5th-ranked defense in the country, #1 Miami was a prohibitive favorite heading into its Fiesta Bowl
matchup against #2 Penn State. However, Penn State was able to disrupt the Miami passing game and force the Hurricanes into seven turnovers. Penn State won the national championship with a 14 to 10 victory over Miami that was sealed when a Testaverde pass from the Penn State 6-yard line was intercepted in the endzone by linebacker
Pete Giftopoulos with 0:18 left in the game.
After losing three key players (Testaverde, Alonzo Highsmith
, and Jerome Brown) from the '86 squad who were selected within the first nine picks of the 1987 NFL Draft
, 1987 was expected to be somewhat of a reloading year for Miami, which began the season ranked 10th in the nation by the AP poll.
Steve Walsh
and a defense that returned nine starters, Miami opened the regular season with a win over rival Florida, 31-4. The game would prove to be the last in a series that had been played annually since 1944. The teams would not meet in the regular season again until the 2001 season. The victory over Florida was followed by a 51-7 victory over #10 Arkansas Razorbacks in Little Rock
, which would catapult Miami to a #3 ranking.
Miami's rigorous early season schedule continued the next week with a showdown with #4 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee
. The October 3 game featured not only high drama, but also an astounding 56 players who would go on to play in the NFL. Miami scored first with a second quarter field goal, but Florida State, fielding a team many consider to be the best in school history, took control of the game after that. A 67-yard run by Florida State running back
Sammie Smith was followed by a 1-yard touchdown run from Dayne Williams, giving FSU a 7-3 lead. A 36-yard field goal from Derek Schmidt pushed the Seminoles' lead to 10-3 at the half.
After Schmidt missed a third quarter field goal wide right, Miami took over, but went three-and-out and was forced to punt. The ensuing punt by Jeff Feagles
was blocked and returned by Florida State for a touchdown, increasing the Florida State lead to 16-3 (Schmidt missed the extra point). Miami was foced to punt again, and a big return by FSU's Deion Sanders
put Florida State in position to add another Schmidt field goal to make the score 19-3.
With Miami having been unable to mount any offense to that point, the Hurricanes looked to be in dire straits late in the third quarter. Spurred on by an impassioned speech from receiver Michael Irvin
, the Hurricanes were able to keep their focus and climbed back into the game when Walsh found a streaking
Melvin Bratton for a 49-yard touchdown. Miami went for two, which they converted when Walsh was able to hook up with receiver Brian Blades
, trimming the FSU lead to 19-11 heading into the fourth quarter.
The final quarter was filled with back-and-forth drama
. Irvin started things off when he was on the receiving end of a 26-yard touchdown pass from Walsh. With the score now at 19-17, Miami again went for two, which Miami, again, converted, this time on a pass from Walsh to Warren Williams. With the game now tied at 19-19 and its 16-point lead evaporated, Florida State staged a drive of its own, taking the ball down to the Miami 17-yard line before quarterback Danny McManus fumbled the snap, which was recovered by Bennie Blades
. Miami wasted little time in capitalizing on the miscue, as four plays later Walsh hooked up with Irvin for one of the most famous plays in University of Miami history. Walsh walked to the line, read the FSU defense, and called an audible for Irvin, who was appropriately nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays. Walsh took a quick three-step drop and hung the ball up perfectly for Irvin on a fly route. Irvin was in double coverage, but was able to get behind the coverage, catch the pass, and take it 73-yards for a Miami touchdown. With 2:22 left to play, Miami led 26-19.
Florida State would not go meekly, though, as the Seminoles valiantly fought back after taking possession on their own 25-yard line. Before long, the Seminoles were in the endzone when McManus hit Ronald Lewis on a perfect corner route for 18-yards. With college football not having overtime
at the time, Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden
was faced with a decision: attempt the extra point and settle for a 26-26 tie, or attempt a two point conversion and go for the win. Complicating matters was the fact that Schmidt, FSU's kicker, had looked shaky on this day, already missing on a field goal attempt and on an extra point attempt. Nevertheless, Bowden initially had decided to kick the extra point and settle for the tie, as he had stated when asked before the game what he would if he found himself in this exact predicament. But after the FSU offense protested and urged their coach to go for the win, Bowden changed his mind and decided to go for the two, betting both FSU's and Miami's national championship hopes on the outcome. FSU called a pass play. McManus took the snap, looked for a receiver, and then threw into the right corner of the endzone. The ball was underthrown and broken up by Miami defensive back Bubba McDowell before it could reach its intended target. With Miami up 26-25, Florida State attempted an onside kick
on the ensuing kickoff, but Miami recovered the ball with 0:42 left and was able to run out the clock, sealing the Hurricane victory.
Having successfully negotiated its brutal early season schedule, Miami won its next six games with ease, beating Maryland (46-16), Cincinnati
(48-10), East Carolina (41-3), (54-3), (27-13), and (24-14).
Next up for the now 2nd-ranked Hurricanes was a date with #10 Notre Dame in Miami. Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz
brought an upset minded Irish squad to the Orange Bowl, but they proved to be little match for Daniel Stubbs and a relentless Hurricane defense. Miami continued its dominance over Notre Dame, shutting out the Irish, 24-0, and beating them for the fourth straight time. It was also the first time Notre Dame had been shutout since 1983, when they were also shutout at the hands of the Hurricanes.
Miami's final regular season game came at home against #8 . South Carolina played a spirited game and gave the Hurricanes all they could handle. Eventually, Miami was able to walk away from the nail biter with a hard fought 20-16 victory, capping an 11-0 regular season.
featured "Game of the Century"-type billing as the undefeated and top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners
faced off against undefeated and second-ranked Miami for the national championship.http://www.orangebowl.org/OB.php?sec=history6 Adding to the hype was the recent on-field history between the teams. Oklahoma was a dominant force in college football, winning the national championship in 1985 and losing just one game in each of the preceding two years. Miami, though, had proven to be the thorn in Oklahoma's side, as the Sooners' losses in '85 and '86 had both come at the hands of Miami. Now, with the national championship on the line, Miami sought to make it three-losses-in-three-years for Oklahoma. Further fuel for the fire was provided by the growing personal animosity between Johnson and Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer
.
Miami's vaunted defense set the tone early, forcing the Sooners to punt
on their first five possessions. Meanwhile, Walsh settled into a nice rhythm, putting Miami on the board first with a 30-yard touchdown pass to fullback Melvin Bratton, who caught 9 passes for 102 yards for the game. Oklahoma got on the board with a second quarter touchdown to tie things up, but Miami responded with 10 unanswered third quarter points, coming on a 56-yard field goal
by kicker Greg Cox and a 23-yard touchdown pass from Walsh to Irvin. Oklahoma would add a fourth quarter touchdown to trim the score to 20-14, but Miami held on for the win and the national championship. Johnson received a Gatorade bath, which messed his trademark impeccably coiffed hair, and was carried off the field, having finally won "the big one" at Miami.
The Hurricane defense held Oklahoma to just 255 yards of offense, while Walsh's efficient play (18 of 30, 209 yards, 2 touchdowns) paced the Hurricane offense. Middle linebacker Bernard "Tiger" Clark- a backup middle linebacker who was forced to start after starting MLB George Mira Jr. was suspended for failing a drug test- was named the MVP of the Orange Bowl after recording 14 tackles (12 unassisted).
With the win, Miami completed its first ever undefeated season. In winning their second national championship, the Canes once again had to go through the nation's top-ranked team at the Orange Bowl, just as they had done in 1983
.
! Position
! Name
|-
| RE
| Bill Hawkins
|-
| DT
| Greg Mark
|-
| DT
| Derwin Jones
|-
| LE
| Daniel Stubbs
|-
| WLB
| Rod Carter
|-
| MLB
| Bernard "Tiger" Clark
|-
| SLB
| Randy Shannon
|-
| RCB
| Tolbert Bain
|-
| LCB
| Bubba McDowell
|-
| FS
| Bennie Blades
|-
! Position
! Name
|-
| K
| Greg Cox
|-
| P
| Jeff Feagles
|-
| KR
| Randal Hill
|-
| KR
| Alex Johnson
|-
| PR
| Cleveland Gary
|-
|}
|-style="background: "
|Name||Position||Year ||Alma mater
|-
|Jimmy Johnson|| Head Coach
|| 4th || Arkansas
, 1965
|-
|Dave Wannstedt
|| Defensive Coordinator
/Linebackers || 2nd || Pittsburgh
, 1974
|-
|Gary Stevens|| Offensive Coordinator
/Quarterbacks || 8th || John Carroll
, 1965
|-
|Hubbard Alexander|| Wide Receiver
s || 9th || Tennessee State, 1962
|-
||Butch Davis
|| Defensive Line || 4th || Arkansas
, 1974
|-
|Dave Campo
|| Defensive Back
s || 1st || Central Connecticut State
, 1969
|-
|Joe Brodsky|| Running Back
s || 10th || Florida
, 1956
|-
|Don Soldinger|| Tight End
s || 4th || Memphis
, 1967
|-
|Tony Wise|| Offensive Line || 3rd || Ithaca College
, 1972
|-
|Art Kehoe|| Assistant Offensive Line || 3rd || Miami
, 1982
|-
| Bill Foran|| Strength Coach || 3rd || Central Michigan University
, 1977
|}
! Date || Rank# || Opponent || Result || Stadium · City
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| September 5, 1987 || #10 || #20 Florida || W 31-4 || Orange Bowl
- Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| September 26, 1987 || #5 || @ #10 Arkansas || W 51-7 || War Memorial Stadium
- Little Rock, AR
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| October 3, 1987 || #3 || @ #4 || W 26-25 || Doak Campbell Stadium - Tallahassee, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| October 10, 1987 || #3 || Maryland || W 46-16 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| October 24, 1987 || #3 || @ || W 48-10 || Nippert Stadium
- Cincinnati, OH
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| October 31, 1987 || #3 || @ East Carolina || W 41-3 || Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
- Greenville, North Carolina
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| November 7, 1987 || #3 || || W 54-3 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| November 14, 1987 || #3 || || W 27-13 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| November 21, 1987 || #3 || || W 24-14 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| November 28, 1987 || #2 || #10 Notre Dame || W 24-0 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| December 5, 1987 || #2 || #8 || W 20-16 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| January 1, 1988* || #2 || vs. #1 Oklahoma
|| W 20-14 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-
| colspan=7 | *Orange Bowl game #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.
|}
Consensus All-Americans
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
were the national champions of the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season
1987 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its second national championship during the 80s in an Orange Bowl match-up featuring a rare #1 vs...
. The national championship was the second of five won by the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
in football.
Pre-Season
After taking over as head coach in 1984, Jimmy JohnsonJimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
had a winning record, but some critics questioned whether he could gain a national championship.
In 1985, Miami finished the regular season 10-1, and had a chance to win the national title with Penn State's loss to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. Needing a victory over Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl, Miami jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Tennessee then scored 35 unanswered to derail Miami's title hopes.
In 1986, Miami achieved a perfect 11-0 regular season record. Led by Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
-winner Vinny Testaverde
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...
, a record breaking offense, and the 5th-ranked defense in the country, #1 Miami was a prohibitive favorite heading into its Fiesta Bowl
1987 Fiesta Bowl
The 1987 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game sponsored by Sunkist. It was part of the bowl season of the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. The game was the 16th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, played annually since 1971. The 1987 game was played on January 2, 1987, at the Sun...
matchup against #2 Penn State. However, Penn State was able to disrupt the Miami passing game and force the Hurricanes into seven turnovers. Penn State won the national championship with a 14 to 10 victory over Miami that was sealed when a Testaverde pass from the Penn State 6-yard line was intercepted in the endzone by linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Pete Giftopoulos with 0:18 left in the game.
After losing three key players (Testaverde, Alonzo Highsmith
Alonzo Highsmith
Alonzo Walter Highsmith is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for the Houston Oilers, Dallas Cowboys, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
, and Jerome Brown) from the '86 squad who were selected within the first nine picks of the 1987 NFL Draft
1987 NFL Draft
The 1987 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987...
, 1987 was expected to be somewhat of a reloading year for Miami, which began the season ranked 10th in the nation by the AP poll.
Regular Season
Under the direction of sophomore quarterbackQuarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Steve Walsh
Steve Walsh (NFL)
Stephen John "Steve" Walsh is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Personal life:...
and a defense that returned nine starters, Miami opened the regular season with a win over rival Florida, 31-4. The game would prove to be the last in a series that had been played annually since 1944. The teams would not meet in the regular season again until the 2001 season. The victory over Florida was followed by a 51-7 victory over #10 Arkansas Razorbacks in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, which would catapult Miami to a #3 ranking.
Miami's rigorous early season schedule continued the next week with a showdown with #4 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
. The October 3 game featured not only high drama, but also an astounding 56 players who would go on to play in the NFL. Miami scored first with a second quarter field goal, but Florida State, fielding a team many consider to be the best in school history, took control of the game after that. A 67-yard run by Florida State running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Sammie Smith was followed by a 1-yard touchdown run from Dayne Williams, giving FSU a 7-3 lead. A 36-yard field goal from Derek Schmidt pushed the Seminoles' lead to 10-3 at the half.
After Schmidt missed a third quarter field goal wide right, Miami took over, but went three-and-out and was forced to punt. The ensuing punt by Jeff Feagles
Jeff Feagles
Jeffrey Allan Feagles is a retired American football punter. He was originally signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 1988. He played college football at the University of Miami, and most recently played for the New York Giants of the National Football League.Feagles is...
was blocked and returned by Florida State for a touchdown, increasing the Florida State lead to 16-3 (Schmidt missed the extra point). Miami was foced to punt again, and a big return by FSU's Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders
Deion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst...
put Florida State in position to add another Schmidt field goal to make the score 19-3.
With Miami having been unable to mount any offense to that point, the Hurricanes looked to be in dire straits late in the third quarter. Spurred on by an impassioned speech from receiver Michael Irvin
Michael Irvin
Michael Jerome Irvin is a former American football player for the Dallas Cowboys, and actor. He is also a former broadcaster for ESPN's NFL Countdown and currently an analyst for NFL Network. Irvin was self-nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his...
, the Hurricanes were able to keep their focus and climbed back into the game when Walsh found a streaking
Streaking
Streaking is the act of running nude through a public place.-History:On 5 July 1799, a Friday evening at 7 o'clock, a naked man was arrested at the Mansion House, London, and sent to the Poultry Compter...
Melvin Bratton for a 49-yard touchdown. Miami went for two, which they converted when Walsh was able to hook up with receiver Brian Blades
Brian Blades
Brian Keith Blades is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League.Blades graduated from Piper High School in Sunrise, Florida in 1983....
, trimming the FSU lead to 19-11 heading into the fourth quarter.
The final quarter was filled with back-and-forth drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
. Irvin started things off when he was on the receiving end of a 26-yard touchdown pass from Walsh. With the score now at 19-17, Miami again went for two, which Miami, again, converted, this time on a pass from Walsh to Warren Williams. With the game now tied at 19-19 and its 16-point lead evaporated, Florida State staged a drive of its own, taking the ball down to the Miami 17-yard line before quarterback Danny McManus fumbled the snap, which was recovered by Bennie Blades
Bennie Blades
Horatio Benedict "Bennie" Blades Sr. is a former American football cornerback and safety in the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Miami.-University of Miami:...
. Miami wasted little time in capitalizing on the miscue, as four plays later Walsh hooked up with Irvin for one of the most famous plays in University of Miami history. Walsh walked to the line, read the FSU defense, and called an audible for Irvin, who was appropriately nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays. Walsh took a quick three-step drop and hung the ball up perfectly for Irvin on a fly route. Irvin was in double coverage, but was able to get behind the coverage, catch the pass, and take it 73-yards for a Miami touchdown. With 2:22 left to play, Miami led 26-19.
Florida State would not go meekly, though, as the Seminoles valiantly fought back after taking possession on their own 25-yard line. Before long, the Seminoles were in the endzone when McManus hit Ronald Lewis on a perfect corner route for 18-yards. With college football not having overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
at the time, Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
was faced with a decision: attempt the extra point and settle for a 26-26 tie, or attempt a two point conversion and go for the win. Complicating matters was the fact that Schmidt, FSU's kicker, had looked shaky on this day, already missing on a field goal attempt and on an extra point attempt. Nevertheless, Bowden initially had decided to kick the extra point and settle for the tie, as he had stated when asked before the game what he would if he found himself in this exact predicament. But after the FSU offense protested and urged their coach to go for the win, Bowden changed his mind and decided to go for the two, betting both FSU's and Miami's national championship hopes on the outcome. FSU called a pass play. McManus took the snap, looked for a receiver, and then threw into the right corner of the endzone. The ball was underthrown and broken up by Miami defensive back Bubba McDowell before it could reach its intended target. With Miami up 26-25, Florida State attempted an onside kick
Onside kick
In American and Canadian football, an onside kick is a type of kick used at a kickoff or other free kick, or scrimmage kick or other kick during play, in which the ball is kicked favorably for the kicking team to avoid giving away the ball...
on the ensuing kickoff, but Miami recovered the ball with 0:42 left and was able to run out the clock, sealing the Hurricane victory.
Having successfully negotiated its brutal early season schedule, Miami won its next six games with ease, beating Maryland (46-16), Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bearcats football
The Cincinnati Bearcats football program represents the University of Cincinnati in a college football. They compete at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level as members of the Big East Conference. The Bearcat football program is one of the nation's oldest, having fielded a team as...
(48-10), East Carolina (41-3), (54-3), (27-13), and (24-14).
Next up for the now 2nd-ranked Hurricanes was a date with #10 Notre Dame in Miami. Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States...
brought an upset minded Irish squad to the Orange Bowl, but they proved to be little match for Daniel Stubbs and a relentless Hurricane defense. Miami continued its dominance over Notre Dame, shutting out the Irish, 24-0, and beating them for the fourth straight time. It was also the first time Notre Dame had been shutout since 1983, when they were also shutout at the hands of the Hurricanes.
Miami's final regular season game came at home against #8 . South Carolina played a spirited game and gave the Hurricanes all they could handle. Eventually, Miami was able to walk away from the nail biter with a hard fought 20-16 victory, capping an 11-0 regular season.
The Orange Bowl
The 1988 Orange Bowl1988 Orange Bowl
The 1988 Orange Bowl was a postseason American college football bowl game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Oklahoma Sooners. It was the 54th edition of the Orange Bowl and took place at the Orange Bowl stadium in Miami, Florida on January 1, 1988. Miami was coached by Jimmy Johnson and Oklahoma...
featured "Game of the Century"-type billing as the undefeated and top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners
1987 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 1987 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1987 NCAA Division I-A season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where...
faced off against undefeated and second-ranked Miami for the national championship.http://www.orangebowl.org/OB.php?sec=history6 Adding to the hype was the recent on-field history between the teams. Oklahoma was a dominant force in college football, winning the national championship in 1985 and losing just one game in each of the preceding two years. Miami, though, had proven to be the thorn in Oklahoma's side, as the Sooners' losses in '85 and '86 had both come at the hands of Miami. Now, with the national championship on the line, Miami sought to make it three-losses-in-three-years for Oklahoma. Further fuel for the fire was provided by the growing personal animosity between Johnson and Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer is a former football coach, active in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a...
.
Miami's vaunted defense set the tone early, forcing the Sooners to punt
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
on their first five possessions. Meanwhile, Walsh settled into a nice rhythm, putting Miami on the board first with a 30-yard touchdown pass to fullback Melvin Bratton, who caught 9 passes for 102 yards for the game. Oklahoma got on the board with a second quarter touchdown to tie things up, but Miami responded with 10 unanswered third quarter points, coming on a 56-yard field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
by kicker Greg Cox and a 23-yard touchdown pass from Walsh to Irvin. Oklahoma would add a fourth quarter touchdown to trim the score to 20-14, but Miami held on for the win and the national championship. Johnson received a Gatorade bath, which messed his trademark impeccably coiffed hair, and was carried off the field, having finally won "the big one" at Miami.
The Hurricane defense held Oklahoma to just 255 yards of offense, while Walsh's efficient play (18 of 30, 209 yards, 2 touchdowns) paced the Hurricane offense. Middle linebacker Bernard "Tiger" Clark- a backup middle linebacker who was forced to start after starting MLB George Mira Jr. was suspended for failing a drug test- was named the MVP of the Orange Bowl after recording 14 tackles (12 unassisted).
With the win, Miami completed its first ever undefeated season. In winning their second national championship, the Canes once again had to go through the nation's top-ranked team at the Orange Bowl, just as they had done in 1983
1983 Miami Hurricanes football team
The 1983 Miami Hurricanes were the national champions of the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. The national championship was the first of five won by the University of Miami.-Offense:-Defense:-Special teams:-Coaching staff:-Schedule:...
.
Offense
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| QB | Steve Walsh Steve Walsh (NFL) Stephen John "Steve" Walsh is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Personal life:... |
| FB | Melvin Bratton Melvin Bratton Melvin Bratton attended the University of Miami, where he played running back for the Miami Hurricanes and starred in the national championship game at the 1988 Orange Bowl against Oklahoma, where he blew out his knee... |
| HB | Warren Williams |
| TE | Charles Henry |
| SE | Brian Blades Brian Blades Brian Keith Blades is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League.Blades graduated from Piper High School in Sunrise, Florida in 1983.... |
| FL | Michael Irvin Michael Irvin Michael Jerome Irvin is a former American football player for the Dallas Cowboys, and actor. He is also a former broadcaster for ESPN's NFL Countdown and currently an analyst for NFL Network. Irvin was self-nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his... |
| LT | Matt Patchan |
| LG | Mike Sullivan |
| C | Bobby Garcia |
| RG | Scott Provin |
| RT | John O'Neill |
Defense
{| class="wikitable"! Position
! Name
|-
| RE
| Bill Hawkins
|-
| DT
| Greg Mark
Greg Mark
Gregory S. Mark is a former American football defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1990 NFL Draft...
|-
| DT
| Derwin Jones
|-
| LE
| Daniel Stubbs
|-
| WLB
| Rod Carter
|-
| MLB
| Bernard "Tiger" Clark
|-
| SLB
| Randy Shannon
Randy Shannon
Randy Lennard Shannon is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010. Shannon played football at Miami and then with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL....
|-
| RCB
| Tolbert Bain
|-
| LCB
| Bubba McDowell
Bubba McDowell
Bubba McDowell was an American football safety who played seven seasons in the National Football League for the Houston Oilers and Carolina Panthers. He played college football at the University of Miami. He is currently a defensive backs coach at Prairie View A&M University....
|-
| FS
| Bennie Blades
Bennie Blades
Horatio Benedict "Bennie" Blades Sr. is a former American football cornerback and safety in the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Miami.-University of Miami:...
|-
Special Teams
{| class="wikitable"! Position
! Name
|-
| K
| Greg Cox
|-
| P
| Jeff Feagles
Jeff Feagles
Jeffrey Allan Feagles is a retired American football punter. He was originally signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 1988. He played college football at the University of Miami, and most recently played for the New York Giants of the National Football League.Feagles is...
|-
| KR
| Randal Hill
Randal Hill
Randal "Thrill" Hill is a former professional American football player in the NFL who was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 1991 NFL Draft, then later traded to the Cardinals. A 5'10", . wide receiver from the University of Miami, Hill played in 7 NFL seasons from 1991 to...
|-
| KR
| Alex Johnson
|-
| PR
| Cleveland Gary
Cleveland Gary
Cleveland Everette Gary also known as Cleveland Edward Gary , is a former professional American football player who was selected in the first round of the 1989 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams...
|-
|}
Coaching Staff
{|class="wikitable"|-style="background: "
|Name||Position||Year ||Alma mater
|-
|Jimmy Johnson|| Head Coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
|| 4th || Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, 1965
|-
|Dave Wannstedt
Dave Wannstedt
Dave Wannstedt is current Assistant Head Coach/Inside Linebackers Coach for the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League. He was most recently head coach of the University of Pittsburgh football team, a position he held for six seasons. Wannstedt is also the former head coach of the Miami...
|| Defensive Coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
/Linebackers || 2nd || Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, 1974
|-
|Gary Stevens|| Offensive Coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
/Quarterbacks || 8th || John Carroll
John Carroll University
John Carroll University is a private, co-educational Jesuit Catholic university in University Heights, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Cleveland. The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus as Saint Ignatius College.The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus, as...
, 1965
|-
|Hubbard Alexander|| Wide Receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
s || 9th || Tennessee State, 1962
|-
||Butch Davis
Butch Davis
Paul Hilton "Butch" Davis, Jr. is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He was the head coach at the University of Miami from 1995 to 2000, the Cleveland Browns of the NFL from 2001 to 2004, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2007 to 2011.-Early...
|| Defensive Line || 4th || Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, 1974
|-
|Dave Campo
Dave Campo
Dave Campo is an American football coach, a former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, and currently secondary coach with the Cowboys.-High school years:...
|| Defensive Back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
s || 1st || Central Connecticut State
Central Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University is a state university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States.The school was moved to its present campus in 1922...
, 1969
|-
|Joe Brodsky|| Running Back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
s || 10th || Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, 1956
|-
|Don Soldinger|| Tight End
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
s || 4th || Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
, 1967
|-
|Tony Wise|| Offensive Line || 3rd || Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
, 1972
|-
|Art Kehoe|| Assistant Offensive Line || 3rd || Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, 1982
|-
| Bill Foran|| Strength Coach || 3rd || Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
, 1977
|}
Schedule & Results
{| class="wikitable"! Date || Rank# || Opponent || Result || Stadium · City
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| September 5, 1987 || #10 || #20 Florida || W 31-4 || Orange Bowl
Miami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
- Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| September 26, 1987 || #5 || @ #10 Arkansas || W 51-7 || War Memorial Stadium
War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas)
War Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. The stadium is primarily used for American football and is the home stadium for the Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes, Catholic High School Rockets, and the secondary home stadium for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks...
- Little Rock, AR
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| October 3, 1987 || #3 || @ #4 || W 26-25 || Doak Campbell Stadium - Tallahassee, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| October 10, 1987 || #3 || Maryland || W 46-16 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| October 24, 1987 || #3 || @ || W 48-10 || Nippert Stadium
Nippert Stadium
Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio is the University of Cincinnati's football stadium, home to their Bearcats football team in rudimentary form since 1901, and as a complete stadium since 1924, making it the fourth oldest playing site and fifth oldest stadium in college football.In 1895, the...
- Cincinnati, OH
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| October 31, 1987 || #3 || @ East Carolina || W 41-3 || Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
Bagwell Field at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the East Carolina Pirates in Greenville, North Carolina. The official capacity of the stadium is 50,000, making it the third largest college stadium in North Carolina. The record attendance for the stadium was on October...
- Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| November 7, 1987 || #3 || || W 54-3 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| November 14, 1987 || #3 || || W 27-13 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| November 21, 1987 || #3 || || W 24-14 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| November 28, 1987 || #2 || #10 Notre Dame || W 24-0 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| December 5, 1987 || #2 || #8 || W 20-16 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| January 1, 1988* || #2 || vs. #1 Oklahoma
1987 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 1987 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1987 NCAA Division I-A season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where...
|| W 20-14 || Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
|-
| colspan=7 | *Orange Bowl game #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.
|}
Consensus All-AmericansCollege Football All-America TeamThe College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
- Bennie Blades, FS
- Daniel Stubbs, LE
Awards Finalists
Bold indicates winners- Bennie Blades, FS - Jim Thorpe AwardJim Thorpe AwardThe Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport legend Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986...
- Daniel Stubbs, LE - Outland TrophyOutland TrophyThe Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
Trivia
- From 1985 through 1987, the Oklahoma SoonersOklahoma Sooners footballThe Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
only lost three games in three seasons, but each of those losses came at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes.