As the new millennium dawned, the Miami Hurricanes football program had returned to a position in the college football world they hadn't seen since 1992, second place. The program had been almost completely derailed by NCAA sanctions that had taken effect in the mid nineties, resulting in several lean years by 'Cane's standards, with the bottom being reached during a 5-6 season in 1997. Coach Butch Davis had shepherded the program through probation, using creative scholarship allocations to allay the worst of the recruiting damage, but the program had obviously fallen from the heights it had grown accustomed to. A monumental upset of #2 UCLA on the final day of the 1998 regular season had ignited a spark however, and by 2000, only the BCS computer rankings had prevented Miami from playing for yet another national title in the Orange Bowl against eventual champion Oklahoma. With a veteran team set to return, it looked like 2001 would be the year of the Hurricanes, until the NFL came calling and everything was thrown into chaos.
Davis bolted for the Cleveland Browns job with just days to go before national signing day and now Athletic Director Paul Dee found himself in a familiar spot for his position, looking for a new coach in a short amount of time. Complicating matters was the fact that several of the leaders on the team went to Dee and laid down a demand, promote offensive coordinator Larry Coker to the vacant coaching position, or they would leave early for the draft. Dee acquiesced and as a result, Coker found himself helming one of the pre-season favorites to win the National Title while in the process collecting National Coach of the Year honors when all was said and done.
Junior Ken Dorsey returned under center for his second year as a starter, on his way to rewriting the Miami record books while assuming the mantle of leadership at Quarterback. He fit the profile perfectly, accurate, smart, a consummate game manager and field general. The young man from OrindaCalifornia would go on to win the Maxwell award that year but only finish third in the Heisman voting. His backfield would provide the traditional "swagger" for the unit in the charismatic persona of Clinton Portis at running back with fullback Najeh Davenport opening lanes for the young man from Gainesville High. All three would be NFL draft picks, with Portis becoming the offensive rookie of the year in the NFL 2002.
Coming into the season, the question on offense was who would replace exemplary wide-out tandem of Reggie Wayne and Santana Moss. The answer would be provided in the form of Andre Johnson on one side and Kevin Beard on the other. Johnson offered size, speed, and athletic ability rarely seen in one combination for a player and would become one of Dorsey's favorite weapons. It would be tight-end Jeremy Shockey, however, that would become Dorsey's favorite target in 2001. The excitable junior-college transfer would lead the team in receptions while being named a first-team All American. In the trenches, Art Kehoe fielded his best five-man unit of his legendary tenure in Coral Gables, anchored by a pair of All-American's at tackle in the brainy Joaquin Gonzalez and the brawny Bryant McKinney. McKinney, a true mountain of a man, would win the Outland trophy that year, be a consensus All-American, never give up a sack in college, and finish eighth in the Heisman voting. Guards Martin Bibla and Sherko Haji-Rasouli would team up with Dorsey's roommate, Canadian Brett Romberg, in the interior of the line to do the dirty work for an offense that was virtually unstoppable both running and passing with coordinator Rob Chudzinki calling the plays.
As imposing as the offensive talent assembled for the Hurricanes in 2001 was, the defense was even more intimidating. Up front they went eight deep along the line with ends Jerome McDougle and Andrew Williams surrounding tackles Matt Walters and William Joseph in the starting lineup. Both Joseph and McDougle would go on to become first round draft picks in the pros. The linebackers featured a pair of future first round starters of their own in the middle with Johnathan Vilma, a future defensive rookie of the year, and outside with D.J. Williams. Chris Campbell was the third man in the unit and was tragically killed in a car accident shortly after the end of the year. As loaded as the front seven of the 2001 defense was, the secondary was without a doubt the highlight of coordinator Randy Shannon's side of the ball. Three first rounders were amongst the starters, as both corners Mike Rumph, providing size, and Phillip Buchanon, providing speed, would be taken 27th and 17th respectively. Buchanon was a dangerous punt returner as well, earning All-American honors at that position while taking two back for touchdowns during the year. Free safety James Lewis would line up next to the heart and soul of the 2001 'Canes defense, two-time consensus All-American Ed Reed. Reed, a future NFL defensive player of the year, filled a valuable leadership role on the team while picking off nine passes during the year and setting the career interception record at 21. Setting the tone with his impassioned play, Reed and the defense would turn in one of the greatest single season set of results ever seen from a college stop unit. Todd Sievers would handle the kicking duties, and earn All-American recognition, while Freddy Capshaw would be on call for the occasional punt when needed.
Opening the season ranked number two in the country, the Miami Hurricanes would waste very little time in staking their claim as the best team in the land by traveling up to Beaver Stadium for a return match against Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions of Penn State in front of a raucous sell-out crowd of 109,313. The largest crowd ever to see a Miami Hurricane's football game was quickly silenced and shown why this team would not allow another repeat of the BCS fiasco that had entangled them the year before as the 'Canes built a 30-0 halftime lead. Coker pulled his starters and cruised to a 33-7 final score, handing the legendary Penn State coach his worst loss at home in his lengthy career.
In most states, mistreating a senior citizen in such a brutal manner would get you jail time, but in the state of speed, the abuse of JoPa earned the Hurricanes recognition as the number one team in the land. They proved their worthiness next week at home, as not even a rainstorm could damper their performance against former Hurricane defensive coordinator Greg Schiano's Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The 'Canes showed no mercy and sent the state packing with a 61-0 shutout. Three days later, the Worl Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked on September 11th, as a result, the scheduled game against the Pitt Panthers was moved to occupy a former bye week two Saturdays later. Showing slight signs of understandable distraction and disruption, the Hurricanes turned in a mediocre, by that year's standards, showing, winning 43-21. As October opened, the Miami defense returned to it's exemplary ways, but some questioned the offense's aptitude after "only" a 38-7 victory at home over new D-I member Troy State.
Finding themselves moved down a spot in the polls back to where they started, the 'Canes traveled to Doak Campbell Stadium the next week to face the 14th ranked Seminoles. The rivals from Tallahassee had been given the opportunity to forge a split title for both schools in the previous year's National Title game, only to be shutout on offense in the process of dashing Miami's claim to the number one ranking in the nation. Now, with a 54 game unbeaten steak on the line at home, FSU was quickly torched by a ferociously charged Hurricane squad looking for revenge. But Bowden's team rallied to pull within striking distance at halftime, not ready to go so quietly into the night at the hands of their traditional tormentors. In the Miami locker-room, an injured Ed Reed rose to address his teammates, imploring them to dominate the second half in order to send FSU, and by extension, the college football world, a message. Coker's team did just what their captain asked, charging back onto the field and driving a stake through the heart of Florida State's home unbeaten streak in runaway fashion, 49-27, making it two wins in a row over the former girl's school after having lost the previous five during probation. Having settled the score from last year's BCS computer slight, Miami was promoted back to the top spot in the polls and would turn in a pair of stellar performances at home versus less than stellar competition, first over West Virginia 45-3, then over Temple 38-0 for the second shutout of the season.
Heading into next week's game in Chestnut Hill against BC, it seemed everything was full steam ahead for Larry Coker's squad. Once inside the unfriendly confines of Alumni Stadium, however, it was a different story. Dorsey struggled with turnovers, suffering possibly his worst game in a 'Cane's uniform outside of an actual loss, and late in the fourth quarter, four Todd Sievers field-goals were all the Hurricanes had to show for themselves. BC quarterback Brian St. Pierre took over on his own 30 with little time in the game and the score 12-7, then proceeded to lead a masterful drive down to the 'Cane nine yard line. Their backs against the wall, the Miami defense was on the spot as the number one team in the country found themselves on the ropes and grasping for anything they could get their hands on to save their perfect season. Pierre dropped back to pass and rifled a bullet towards his receiver only to hit Mike Rumph's leg, the live ball flew back toward the line, into Matt Walters hands for an interception. Walters staggered down field, only to hear a voice in his ear calling for the ball.
The voice belonged to Ed Reed, as did the hands pulling the football out of Walters grasp. Walters completed the exchange, Reed took over from the 20-yard-line, sprinted the length of the field and into the pages of Miami Hurricane lore as time wound down for the finishing touches on a victory over the Eagles that Miami fans could point to as an answer to Flutie's miracle in '84, still the last time the 'Canes had dropped a game to Boston College. Coker and the Hurricanes returned to Miami for a two game home stand, still number one, but barely in the eyes of the college football public. Fourteenth ranked Syracuse came into the Orange Bowl on a tear, having won eight straight games and determined to finish the job that the Eagles had been unable to culminate the week before. But the Hurricanes looked nothing like the mere mortal team that had taken the field wrapped in thermal wear just seven days prior. A 59-0 shutout later, Syracuse left a broken program, still not having recovered to this day, while Miami had a third shutout in the books, and looked primed to face the team that had dealt them their only loss in 2000, the Washington Huskies.
Washington was ranked 12th and looking to make history much as they had the last time they had taken the field at the Orange Bowl, when they had ended the Hurricane's record home winning streak at 58, with the "Whammy in Miami". The only "whammy" being delivered this time was from the team wearing orange and green however, as Washington's President was left crying foul and accusing Coker of running up the score in another 65-7 program-derailing blowout. The combined scoring margin over back-to-back ranked teams was an NCAA record.
The only record Coker's team truly cared about was the win-loss record and the 'Canes could ensure perfection there with a win in their season finale on the road in intimidating Lane Stadium against their hated rivals, the Virginia Tech Hokies next week on December 1st. Frank Beamer's team was ranked 14th as well, and though they fared better than the previous two teams to hold that unlucky number on Miami's schedule, they still found themselves dominated at home as halfway through the fourth quarter Miami led 26-10. Still, the Hurricanes were unable to land the knockout blow and the Hokies would rally with a pair of late scores to pull within two, 26-24 with very little time to go. Beamer went for two to force overtime and as often is the case, the 'Canes would find themselves on the right side of the breaks as Earnest Willford dropped a wide-open pass that bounced off his hands to the turf. The drop would propel the Hurricanes out of Blacksburg Virginia and off to Los Angeles California for Miami's first ever Rose Bowl berth, and a shot at the elusive national title. Just who would face the Hurricanes was still to be decided.
Nebraska had opened number one in the country at the start of the year and had jockeyed with Miami for that honor as the season progressed. Jockeyed, that is, until they were unceremoniously dumped from their saddle by Colorado in a crushing blow-out loss that kept them out of the Big 12 title game. Next in line was the Florida Gators, but Steve Spurrier's team lost at home to Tennessee in a rescheduled contest due to September 11th, sending Tennessee to the SEC title game. Florida's loss promoted Texasto the on-deck circle, but again Colorado struck, defeating the Longhorns in the Big 12 title game. Now Tennessee found themselves on-call for a shot at the 'Canes, but instead tasted defeat at the hands of the LSU Tigers in the SEC title game. Finally, after the storm of upsets subsided and the numbers had been crunched, Nebraska, having lost by more than 30 in their last game of the season, having not even won their division much less their conference title, was tabbed as number two in the BCS formula and received an invitation to meet the Hurricanes on the field to decide yet another national title. Eighteen years and two days after the Hurricanes had pulled the biggest upset in the history of the game and announced their arrival to the top of the summit of college football at the Cornhuskers expense, the two programs would tie it up once again on the other side of the country with the roles reversed.
In 1983, Miami had been the decided crowd favorite in their home stadium, but in the Rose Bowl, it was now a sea of red and the 'Canes were to be treated as the visitors. Nebraska's quarterback, Heisman winner Eric Crouch, kept his team close for about half a quarter, then Dorsey and Johnson would catch fire, along with the rest of the Hurricanes, and the rout was on. New Year's Day 1984 had gone down to the wire, January 3rd, 2002 saw the 'Canes up 34-0 at halftime. The option was dead, the Hurricanes were transcendent, and claimed its fifth championship in less than two decades, 37-14. The program's resurrection was complete, with Ed Reed, fittingly, summing it up after the game by noting that when he was a true freshman in 1997, Miami had gone 5-6. Now he left a red-shirt senior, a champion, and the captain of perhaps the greatest college football team in history. Portis would make the definite claim to being part of the best team in history that night, and Coker would be lauded as having led a dominating team that won with class, something that no one would accuse the previous Miami championship teams of.
The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are a team whose legacy is not yet complete. The team itself has exhausted its eligibility and its collegiate accomplishments are now set in stone. Those are impressive enough as it is. An average scoring margin of 42.7 to 9.8. A turnover margin of positive 27 for the season. Six first team All Americans, 16 first round draft picks. A stingy defense that scored almost half as many points as it allowed all year. An offense that went three deep in NFL talent at some positions. A Broyles Award winner for assistant-coach of the year in coordinator Randy Shannon. The list goes on and on.
However you want to quantify the on field accomplishments, the 2001 Hurricanes will stack up against any team you compare them to. But it is at the next level in years to come that the team continues to solidify its claim as the greatest of all time. Already, multiple Pro-Bowl selections have been garnered by its members. It had both an offensive and defensive rookie of the year in the NFL. Already Ed Reed has been named defensive player of the year in 2004. It is through these avenues that the 2001 Hurricanes will continue to solidify their already strong case for the honor of greatest college football team of all time. Ironically it is the players’ individual, and the team’s collective, greatness that in many ways overshadows the achievements of the man who oversaw their rise to such lofty status. For a man who spent the night of the 2001 Hurricane's ascension to historic status riding onto the field on his players’ shoulders, Larry Coker's ensuing legacy is just as conversely downplayed by a majority of his critics and casual observers. This is a team that has assumed an aura of being so good, they were capable of coaching themselves. If this were true, then it wouldn't have mattered who Paul Dee had decided upon those frantic days before signing day 2001, the same results would have been produced regardless. But perhaps, the only person capable of getting those very results was someone who had been to the bottom with many of the leaders of this team, someone who had experienced the lean years of disappointment, who understood the sense of robbery that had been perpetrated upon the team the year before, who had earned the players trust, loyalty, and respect through his years of collaboration with them. To simply suggest that anyone could be installed on the sidelines and lead a team to this type of performance in a season that included a disruption on the scale of a September 11th, and still remained unhindered, seems at best short-sighted and at worst, callous. Better Miami coaches had taken supposedly better Miami teams through easier schedules and still not come away with a championship, much less with a season such as this to show for their efforts.
Perhaps in time the collective greatness of the roster at the professional level will bear the weight of that judgment, but as it stands today, the 2001 edition of the Miami Hurricanes appears to be the perfect storm. A hungry team, led by a first-time college head coach hungry for recognition, determined to right the wrongs brought to bear against the program not only in it's recent past but upon it's historic reputation as nothing more than a hive of outlaws and cheaters, who won with both style and class, domination and a few bounces for good measure. A team that will stand the test of time as it writes new pages in it's litany of accomplishments in the days to come.
Copyright 2007 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace
Athletics Campaign in January 2007. The initiatives include building new and renovating on campus facilities, expanding our athletic department endowment, establishing a football fund and growing our Hurricane Club membership. The Hurricane Club is the athletic department annual fund supporting the Student-Athlete Scholarship Fund. Donations to the Hurricane Club provide our donors benefits like ticket location priority, invitations to member only events, and eligibility to purchase Bowl, away game and ACC tournament tickets. Everyone who makes a donation to any of the priorities listed above, including their annual contribution to the Hurricane Club, will support The Sprint for Hurricane Athletics Campaign. Every gift, no matter the size or athletic priority designation, is an investment into the future success of Hurricane Athletics. To make a donation to UM Athletics for the Hurricane Club or for any one of the priorities of The Sprint for Hurricane Athletics Campaign, please call 1-800-GOCANES or 305-284-6699 or go to Hurricanesports.com and click on the “donate now” tab.
next three years. Priorities include a goal of $34.8 million for building and enhancing facilities like a new Academic Building, a renovated and expanded Training Room, and a new Basketball Field House & Practice Facility. Additionally, we will renovate the Neil Schiff Tennis Center and Cobb Soccer and Track Stadium, build a football equipment facility and complete renovations to Alex Rodriquez Park at Mark Light Field. We also plan to raise $21 million in support of the Hurricane Club Student-Athlete Scholarship Fund, $10 million for endowed scholarships and $5 million for a designated Football Fund.
match you were speaking about started with a loyal ‘Cane supporter who pledged $500,000 to the campaign. He wanted to challenge our former football student-athletes to match his donation to the Football Facilities Renovation Fund created by Coach Shannon. To date, the fund has raised over $1 million to improve the on campus football facilities including meeting rooms, student-athlete lounge, coaches’ offices, weight room and locker room. The Football Fund campaign goal is $5 million over the next three years. As you can see, we are off to a great start. We are very fortunate that many of our former student-athletes value the education and the athletic opportunities they were given as students and have chosen to support the Athletic Department during this campaign. 
Athletic Director Roger Bell. Athletic Academic services have wonderful support programs that work hand in hand with the University of Miami Toppel Career Center to provide resources in resume writing, interviewing, networking, and career guidance. The athletic department also invites guest speakers, some of whom are alumni and former athletes, to speak to the current student-athletes about career opportunities. Additionally, we have support programs that offer advice on business etiquette, stress management and money management. One of our largest and most ambitious goals for the campaign is the construction of a new Academic Building. It is a $15 
million building that will house our Academic Center, study/tutor space, computer, math and writing laboratories, as well as coach’s and academic staff offices and the Tom Kearns Sports Hall of Fame. This building will give our student-athletes the resources to succeed academically and promote their development as well-rounded individuals.
responsibility to provide our student-athletes with scholarships, world class facilities, support programs and a fiscally responsible infrastructure to preserve their legacy and to maintain a competitive athletics department that attracts the star student-athletes of tomorrow. Personally, I support my team regardless of where the game is played. I would follow the Canes and support our coaches and student-athletes even if they decided to play the game in an abandoned lot. 
2002 season/2003 Fiesta Bowl, I was in New Jersey, working for Seton Hall University and not yet affiliated with the University of Miami. I was cheering for my Alma Mater to win the Fiesta Bowl, as any alumnus would do. Many would agree with me that it was an instant classic and was one of the best college football games of all time, with both teams worthy of winning the National Title. In my years at the University of Miami, I have come to admire the competitive edge of our student-athletes and respect our athletic program in both its legacy and its current staff and coaches. I now feel part of the family that collectively provides an environment that supports our student-athletes to be able to compete at the highest levels. Now, I have the unique opportunity of seeing the game from another perspective. I can empathize with Miami fans and see how upsetting it would 
be to see the way the game ended and the penalty call. However, I also know from being around our football program and coaches, that they realize a game is not won or lost on one flag or one play. Rest assured that when UM plays Ohio State in 2010 and 2011, I will be along side all ‘Canes fans - cheering our UM football student-athletes and coaches onto victory.
The question here is what type of coach Randy Shannon is going to be.
Watching his defense the last couple of years, it seems like Shannon believes in a system. He plays the cover 2 press and expects his players to know everything there was to know in order to successfully run the scheme. Even when it seemed like the coverage was not working, Georgia Tech last year for example, Shannon was slow or reluctant to make adjustments to his game plan. He stuck to his system because he believed in it and because he felt the scheme would provide the best opportunity for his players to make plays. Georgia Tech, with Patrick Nix as Offensive Coordinator, would go on to win the game. 
