We dominated those guys from start to finish, and Happy Valley wasn't so happy. We liked what we had already, and we really wanted to just keep what we had. OL Joel Rodriguez That atmosphere was crazy. What I remember most, though, is the sheer dominance. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. "But it was crucial to never show how much pain we were in. Prior to the 2006 Rose Bowl, ESPN's SportsCenter ran a special in which the 2005 USC Trojans, led by stars Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White, were compared with the greatest college teams of the past 50 years, as picked by sports fans voting on ESPN.com, to determine their place in history. And obviously you can point out all the talented guys on the team, but at the time, they weren't the biggest recruits and the five-star guys. There were moments in that season that we felt we deserved to win those close games, because we outworked those teams in that offseason. February 26, 2023 11:32 AM. It was the other intangibles we were looking for.". In all, an extraordinary 17 players from the 2001 Miami football team were drafted in the first-round of the NFL Draft (5 in the 2002 NFL Draft: Buchanon, McKinnie, Reed, Rumph, and Shockey; 4 in 2003: Johnson, Joseph, McDougle, and McGahee; 6 in 2004: Carey, Taylor, Vilma, Wilfork, Williams, and Winslow; 1 in 2005: Rolle; and 1 in 2006: Kelly Jennings). There are currently 44 players in the NFL who were brought up at the "U." One NFL team has quite a collection of Miami alumni. I said to our athletic director Barbara Hodges, "Let's reschedule that game for another year," and she was like, "No, We have to go." Miami clinched a spot in the national title game against Nebraska at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., and felt confident this game would be its crowning achievement. We gave up the bowl in 1995. Gambling problem? I say five minutes into the game, they knew in their hearts that they were going to be outclassed and outmatched. The 2001 Hurricanes, who are . I had so many friends from high school who were there to support me, guys I grew up with and loved and had always been there for me. Most people think that UM must have been losing, but no. We didn't know it was going to come down to a 2-point conversion, but the football Gods were with us on that day, and that kid dropped that ball. Players lobbied then-athletic director Paul Dee to elevate offensive coordinator Larry Coker to become head coach. Dorsey Randy Shannon told me, "If you come back to school, I'm not going to promise you or guarantee it, but there's a good chance you will never lose another college football game.". The season began on the road against Penn State, a matchup Miami viewed as a "statement game.". The final hurdle to the Rose Bowl BCS National Championship Game was at Virginia Tech. / We knew what we had on paper, but to see how we were dominating, and the energy we produced in such a hostile environment, it was like, "OK, wow, we are who we think we are.". That felt good for all of us. ACC Network FAQs Reed is seen shouting at his teammates, "I'm hurt dog! It was my first game ever to be a head coach and it was against Joe Paterno. It was so scary. We want somebody from in-house who knows us, and that's Coach Coker." People always say the great teams have to overcome a scare along the way. Coach had taught me for four years to get my hands down, get on his helmet and push his head down on the ground so that he doesn't get to your legs. You can make the argument it's the most talented team to ever play. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. Their closest test came on road against the Boston College Eagles in an 18-7 victory, that included a late Ed Reed-Matt Walters pick-six. He was leading stuff, telling guys what to do, up and down the court with the ball in his hands, and you could just see this guy had that magical feel for how to play team games. That was it for Miami. They embraced it, and that's when I learned the great ones want to be driven. But Ernest Wilford dropped it. Strength coach Andreu Swasey We felt very disrespected, for the simple fact that we were coming into the season highly ranked, and they had a White Out game. Sterling, sadly, had. It was a bunch of these things that made us feel disrespected. [6] [7] The Hurricanes have had at least one former player make the Pro Bowl every season since 1985, 31 years in a row. / "We felt like we couldn't miss on anyone in recruiting," said Andreu Swasey, who was the strength and conditioning coach at Miami in 2001. And to stand up at the podium with guys like Andre Johnson, who was my suite mate since my freshman year, and hold up that trophy -- that was special. Starters are marked with an asterisk (*). Internships Ed was definitely yelling my name, "Matt! He made good decisions and he made everyone around him better. It got a lot of attention. There are vivid moments that stand out to me that season. We knew that was going to be a tough game. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. McGahee ran for 4.7 yards per carry and three touchdowns in reserve duty behind Clinton Portis in 2001. If Greg Schiano had not left and gone to Rutgers it would've been a potential for him to get the job, but I was glad for the staff and players that there wouldn't be a blow-up. RB Najeh Davenport Coker Its hard to say in the case of Willis McGahee. #14. Portis is now a member of the Miami Hurricanes Hall of Fame. That 2001 Miami team, led by head coach Larry Coker in his first season, went undefeated and had just two games finish within 20 points. ET on Feb. 10. That goes for everybody. McGahee didnt have the most prolific career, but the two years he suited up in his orange and green gear were exciting. They were big boys, all positions, not just the offensive line. I couldn't get off the ground fast enough to go give him a hug. I'll never forget, he said he really liked our team. The 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. They had no chance of winning that game. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Gore finished his Miami career with 1,975 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. When the team takes ownership of its success, you know you have a championship culture. Williams RBs coach Don Soldinger Given all the challenges associated with the 2020 season, the Crimson Tide could easily make their case. Miami (2001) Michigan (1947) Notre Dame (1947) Oklahoma (1956) How many NFL players came from Miami? / Sponsorship Opportunities And they had a great defense. A lot of people don't realize the rivalry between Miami and Virginia Tech. The environment was pretty spectacular. No team past that's been here [at Miami]. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. I knew this. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. It was intense. Washington coach Rick Neuheisel Miami jumped on Virginia Tech early, leading 203 at halftime, and 2610 in the fourth quarter. Because when Jimmy [Johnson] left after winning two national championships, they really changed the whole program, and I didn't want that to happen to those kids. But that goes to the larger point: The focus was not on their talent, but on gaining the respect those players felt had been denied to them going back to high school. We used to say that was the easiest workout and we would suck our fingers, like that was pie. NFL draft questions for teams in the top 10: Will the Colts trade up? The way Miami broke the will of Syracuse and Washington in back-to-back games, outscoring them by a combined 124-7. I would have got drafted higher and everything. It didn't matter who stood in the way, they didn't stand a chance against us. So the following year was definitely a salt-in-the-wound, chip-on-the-shoulder type of season where we wanted to obviously take no prisoners and rectify what happened the year before. We hadn't been there. I turned around, and the next thing you know, the ball is floating to me in slow motion. Najeh Davenport was in the three headed monster backfield of the 1998 season with Edgerrin James and James Jackson before injuring his knee. / University of Miami; UM Sports Hall of Fame; Tickets. I still have visions of Tommie Frazier leaving Gator defenders in his wake. Last edited by a moderator: Jan 7, 2009. A stacked defensive backs room, with Sean Taylor and Antrel Rolle as backups. Our team was beat up and tired and the kids wanted to go home for Thanksgiving, and now we're having to go to Miami, a team that I knew was gonna want revenge. Rumph Don't ask me if I'm alright. It happened twice in the Coliseum. The Canes became arguably the greatest team in CFB history 20 years ago, finishing 12-0, winning the national title and producing 38 NFL draft picks. ", Flashback: Ed Reed strips ball from teammate for Hurricanes pick-six (0:44), 'It's the most talented team to ever play': An oral history of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes, Breaking down the latest in 2024 football recruiting, from top commits to March visits, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, ACC boss: Rule changes backed by FBS leaders, Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash, Stoops: QB Leary (pec) 'close to full go' for UK, Hall of Fame coach Ault named to CFP committee, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, Ex-Vols staffers agree to show-cause penalties, UNC hires ex-Browns HC Kitchens as assistant, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? Chudzinski They were driven by the snub they all felt the previous year, after Florida State got into the BCS national title game instead of Miami -- even though the Hurricanes won their regular-season matchup. When I look back at our workouts, and the pressure that we put on each other of not letting each other down, there was so much pressure that I would think twice about skipping a workout, I would think twice about skipping a rep, I would think twice about letting my brother down because there was so much invested into it. [17] The offense set the school scoring record, while the defense led the nation in scoring defense (fewest points allowed), pass defense, and turnover margin. I just remember on that play that the offensive lineman tried to cut my knees, and I remember finally getting it right. Davis We just hope that this train just doesn't go off the track. Miami led 12-7 with under a minute to play, but BC had first-and-goal at the Miami 9-yard line. And I've debated that, and it's like, 'Yeah, whatever, you can talk.' But a diving, game-saving interception by Ed Reed sealed the Miami victory, 2624. Baseball. We could see with our own eyes what made that team go. In my game story, headlined "UM-BELIEVABLE!" Payton ran for 985 yards and 7 touchdowns as a senior and averaged 5 yards per carry over his career. But Larry was a perfect fit for that team. It was the Hurricanes' 76th season of football and 11th as a member of the Big East Conference. That's how it goes in those games. [14] Defeating Virginia Tech earned the top-ranked Hurricanes an invitation to the Rose Bowl to take on BCS #2 Nebraska for the national championship. We thought we had a great team, but you don't know until the bullets start flying. Imagine that, a team with 38 future NFL picks feeling disrespected. In addition, Vilma, Shockey, Wilfork, Joseph, Rolle, McKinnie, and Reed have won the Super Bowl. Schumann returning to Georgia, 'It's the most talented team to ever play': An oral history of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes, Miami's turnover chain set a celebratory standard across the college football landscape. Like Portis, McGahee was a two-time Pro Bowl player and a national champion in 2001. You may win one, but we're gonna win 20 of them, and it's not gonna stop.'". A stacked defensive line room, with Vince Wilfork as a backup, too. It was always like a family. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. Three trades in a chaotic top five, The new law changing service academy football, and the coaches pushing back, Realignment chatter: How the Pac-12 holds the key to it all. We were exhausted. Football. He almost had to come out of the game. Romberg Dorsey and Johnson were named Rose Bowl co-Most Valuable Players. Internships We watched that, perfected that. Joaquin said dominate, and we're not doing it! The intelligence he had. You had Sean Taylor behind him. If you look at the film, at the last second as he's falling to the ground, he looks up to see if it's Ed, and he lets the ball go. We're dead. The atmosphere was too much for them. / I'll never forget the speed and tempo and competitiveness. These guys were special people. I remember Ed coming up next to me. However, in the final minute of the fourth quarter, with Miami clinging to a 127 lead, BC quarterback Brian St. Pierre led the Eagles from their own 30-yard line all the way down to the Hurricanes' 9-yard line. As a coach and players, you don't want to talk about it too much, but it's hard not to. He didn't care about scolding players if they didn't do their jobs. Less than 24 hours to renew your football tickets! Davis Miami beat opponents by an average of 32.9 points per game, the largest margin in the school's history, and set the NCAA record for largest margin of victory over consecutive ranked teams (1247). Rumph Ed Reed, Kenny Dorsey -- they took ownership of everything: Lifting, the workouts in the summer, coming in to watch film. Every one of those games was a physical, physical affair. After that, there are issues like roster. In interviews with players and coaches, here . Miami also holds a number of NFL Draft records, including most first-round selections in a single draft and most consecutive drafts with at least one first-round selection. When Butch left, we were kinda stuck, and I remember we all went upstairs to talk to Mr. Dee, myself, Bryant McKinnie, Ed Reed, Ken Dorsey and a couple more guys. Walters Wayne and Moss were Seniors on that . At that point, it was like, all right, the last game then we're going to ship. Davis Everybody's fired up. How good is that? It was cold. ", Reed The motivation of being upset and disappointed, that played a huge role in going to the Sugar Bowl and what we did against Florida to make a statement that we probably should've been the champs. Whats taking Mario so long to find Coaches? They've never seen an atmosphere like that. 14 Syracuse, 59-0", "No. However, the ball ricocheted off the leg of Miami cornerback Mike Rumph, landing in the hands of defensive end Matt Walters. The Pro Football Hall of Fame class will be inducted during NFL Honors, which airs on ABC at 9 p.m. Where . Renew Now Close Topbar. We let them drive right before the half and Ed Reed wasn't in that drive because he had dinged up his shoulder. Kenny was the perfect guy. Truthfully, the players and coaches felt relief that they had reached the goal they set for themselves 12 months earlier. This Week in Miami Hurricanes Basketball: 2/27 Edition. . It's one of those weird ones you can't explain, but you've got to get through. The guys before us set an expectation of how hard you had to work and what that standard was, and we knew we had to live up to that. And he comes to me when we're in Pasadena, he's like, "Look, don't worry, it's gonna be easier in the game. Mission Statement It started as a joke first, but it just went to like, no matter what you put us through, we can't be hurt. McGahee played in the NFL from 2003-2013 including the year of rehab in 2003. We were confident. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. After an interception, Ed Reed strips the ball from his teammate and takes it for a touchdown to seal Miami's win vs. Boston College during the 2001 season. Dorsey Nobody was too "big time" for anything. (From 1937 to 2001, bowl games did not count towards season statistics). When I caught it, I wasn't thinking about running it back for a touchdown. The offense was terrible. And when he spoke, the coaches listened. At the time, [Paterno] wasn't taking JUCO transfers, and that was one of the schools I would've went to, so when I got a chance to play against them I said, "I'm gonna show him. After a blocked punt returned for a touchdown cut Miami's lead to 26-24, Virginia Tech lined up for a 2-point conversion to tie the game. Terms of Service We all had our careers that take off from there, but from my eyes, I was like, "What now?" Rumph Davenport went on to a seven year NFL career with the Packers, Steelers, and Colts, while averaging 4.6 yards per rush and scoring 13 touchdowns as a pro. I had to make it tough tough. "I mean, football, no question, I don't think anybody in college football could play with us. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Fitzgerald Reed In 2002, Miami again played for a national title, losing in overtime to Ohio State. Additional contributors included future stars Kellen Winslow II, Sean Taylor, Antrel Rolle, Vernon Carey, and Rocky McIntosh. Adelson: 2001 Canes make case for college football's GOATs, Breaking down the latest in 2024 football recruiting, from top commits to March visits, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, ACC boss: Rule changes backed by FBS leaders, Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash, Stoops: QB Leary (pec) 'close to full go' for UK, Hall of Fame coach Ault named to CFP committee, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, Ex-Vols staffers agree to show-cause penalties, UNC hires ex-Browns HC Kitchens as assistant, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? I think the next year, we had the mindset that, no matter what happens, we have to take care of business. On the field in front of me, Alabama beat down Ohio State to close a 13-0 season with three Heisman Trophy finalists on offense -- including winner DeVonta Smith. No. And I am a firm believer in that team, too. Media Requests 1 Hurricanes Stomp West Virginia, 45-3", "No. The deck was loaded. I don't know a single person that wasn't pissed headed into that game. "We had that mentality of, 'You may get a run, but I promise you for the next 60 minutes, we're gonna kick your ass. We knew what route was coming on that play. You go into the locker room and everybody is just elated. We had 31 scholarships lost. That's always what Miami had been about, and what set it apart in my mind. C Brett Romberg After the close win over Boston College, Miami went on to win over #14 Syracuse, 590,[12] and #12 Washington, 657,[13] in consecutive weeks in the Orange Bowl. I was thinking in my mind, "There's not a lot of time left in this game. I'm talking about the energy, the heat. BC was certainly a good team, and it looked like we weren't supposed to win it, but somehow we did. A lot of us came back just for this game. I grew up in South Florida, and watched the previous four Miami national champions closely. But the number of great players, first-round draft choices and players who got drafted, it's amazing really. They beat us 59-0 and we finished that season with 10 wins. Back then, we had availabilities three times a week with players, an open locker room after games and access to practice, too. The Canes became arguably the greatest team in CFB history 20 years ago, finishing 12-0, winning the national title and producing 38 NFL draft picks. And we're in the buses going right through this wave of red, and it seemed like they all flipped us off in unison. Have won the Super Bowl the team takes ownership of Its success, you can talk. you! Coach Don Soldinger Given all the challenges associated with the 2020 season, the ball is floating to that... Cornerback Mike rumph, landing in the way up his shoulder used to say that was pie Dorsey Johnson. Vernon Carey, and that 's always what Miami had been about and! Of Its success, you know, the Crimson Tide could easily their! 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