Hurricane Bowl History: The 1980s /Part I

Publish Post

Bernie Kosar was the MVP of the 50th annual Orange Bowl, which Miami won to claim the school's first national title on January 2nd, 1984/Photo from Huskerpedia.com


By Kartik Krishnaiyer
Canes Rising Staff

Miami's bowl history did not begin in 1980. It began in 1935, and included back to back bowl games against Clemson after 1950 and 1951 seasons which determined the top ranked southern team in the AP Poll both seasons. But for me, a fan who came of age in the early 1980s, we'll start our retrospectives with the first game I actually recall: the 1980 Peach Bowl victory over Virginia Tech.

Miami had a winning record every season in the 1980s, only missing a bowl game in 1981 and 1982 thanks to NCAA Probation.

During the decade, Miami beat the #1 team in the AP Poll, four times while never losing to a #1 ranked team. The wins were against #1 Penn State in 1981, versus Oklahoma in 1986 and 1987 and versus Notre Dame on an occasion dubbed "fate night" in 1989.

Miami's ascendancy began into the upper echelons of College Football began in 1980 when the Hurricanes upset #2 Florida State 10-9. Entering 1980, Florida State was a top five team while the Canes were coming off a 5-6 season, and Florida had finished 1979 without a single victory.

The Canes finished the regular season 8-3 and were invited to the Peach Bowl to face Virginia Tech in front of a nationally televised CBS audience. Miami and Virginia Tech both had not gone bowling since after the 1966 season when ironically they played one another, with Miami winning 14-7 in the Liberty Bowl.

A first quarter TD pass from Jim Kelly to Rocky Belk gave Miami a 7-0 lead and the Canes never looked back, winning 20-10. Smokey Roan led the Canes offense with close to a 100 yards rushing while Jim Burt led the defense and was named the most outstanding defensive player of the bowl game.

During the 1981 season Miami was cruising towards a bowl birth, perhaps even a major bowl birth when the NCAA struck. In November with just weeks left in the season, Miami was placed on two years probation including a bowl ban. With no bowl game to play for, the Hurricanes massacred Notre Dame in the season finale 37-15. It was only the Canes second win ever against the Irish but would set up what would become the premier rivalry of the 1980s in college football.

After a rocky 1982 which featured Miami playing four QBs after Jim Kelly was injured (including current Georgia coach Mark Richt and future Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testeverde) the Canes entered 1983 unranked in the preseason and seemingly in a rebuilding mode. Not only was Kelly gone, but so were Fred Marion, Ronnie Lippett, Speedy Neal and just about every other impact player the Canes had the previous few seasons.

After a crushing season opening loss to Florida in Gainesville, the Canes rattled off 10 straight win culminating in a November come from behind win against Florida State in Tallahassee. This put Miami in the Orange Bowl against Big 8 champion, and #1 Nebraska. The Huskers of 1983 were one of the most intimidating teams in recent college football history. Led by QB Turner Gill, Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier, and all American Irving Fryar, the Nebraska offense was an unstoppable force.

Miami had overachieved in 1983 behind an awkward redshirt freshman QB Bernie Kosar. The Canes offense featured a freshman FB Alonzo Highsmith, and two great TEs in Willie Smith and Glen Dennison. But the player who made Miami on offense was WR Eddie Brown, who time after time made big plays with the game on the line.

The Canes entered the game as a 10 1/2 point underdog but raced out to a shocking 17-0 lead in the first quarter. Then the tables turned because of one unforgettable moment in the annals of College Football. Facing a 3rd and long down 17 in the second quarter Tom Osborne unveiled the Fumblerooski. Dean Steinkuhler took the play to house for a TD and brought Nebraska new life.

Leading 31-17 in the 4th quarter Miami's Jeff Davis missed FG attempt. Jeff Davis replaced an injured Rozier and led two Nebraska TD drives. With the score 31-30, Nebraska went for two and the win even though tie would have won the undefeated Huskers the title. But Kenny Calhoun knocked down Turner Gill's pass and the Canes had won the first national championship ever by a school from the state of Florida and by a pro style offense.

Florida State had their chances in the late 1970s and early 1980s to win a title before Miami did. But each time FSU played Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, ultimately the option beat the Noles, and FSU's passing game was thwarted. But in the 1984 Orange Bowl, Miami did just enough to slow down the Nebraska option, and unlike FSU was able to exploit the lack of speed the Big 8 champions had defensively to win.

Howard Schenellenberger had led Miami to a title in just five years on the job. In 1978, Schnenellenberger had inherited a team that lost its all everything RB Ottis Anderson and had finished 6-5 the previous year. Within two seasons, Miami won a bowl game and within five were national champions, thanks to an innovative pro style offense that perplexed defensive coordinators.

TOMORROW: PART II 1980S/ MIAMI UNDER JIMMY JOHNSON

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'M IN ORLANDO COVERING A HOLIDAY YOUTH SOCCER TOURNAMENT AMONG OTHER THINGS SO MY POSTS MAY NOT BE EXACTLY ON SCHEDULE BETWEEN NOW AND FRIDAY BUT WE WILL COVER ALL OF MIAMI'S BOWL GAMES SINCE 1980 BY THE TIME THE EMERALD BOWL KICKS OFF SATURDAY NIGHT.