I had a dream that all football teams are not created equal. Where the orange and the green would live forever in victory. I had a dream.
I had a dream that Randy Shannon would rule all of college football. I had a dream that DVD would start the season and bring us back to glory. I had a dream.
I had a dream that Kirby Freeman would breathe new life into the Canes offense. That points would rain down from heaven to crush any opponent. I had a dream.
I had a dream that Calais Cambell would consume opposing quarterbacks. That Kenny Phillips would dominate the field of play. I had a dream.
This is my dream. Tell me yours. What will the score of the Miami vs Marshall game be? In addition to your "dream" score prediction, we need to know:
The long awaited answer to the question every Canes fan wanted to know has finally been answered. The starting Quarterback for the 2007 season opener against Marshall is...
KIRBY FREEMAN!!!
After months (that seemed like years) of waiting, Canes fans finally learned today from Coach Shannon that Kirby would take the opening snap when the Canes take the field for their home opener in the Orange Bowl at noon on September 1, 2007. Canespace bloggers had gone back and forth for several months and numerous predictions (to follow later) that were Vaulted for safe keeping.
Those that argued for Kirby saw his mobility, ability to throw deep and his leadership skills as the key factors. Those that argued for Kyle saw his potential, strong arm and HS pedigree as reasons he should start for the Canes after two years of below average performance. Coach Shannon was true to his word that the competition was open and named Kirby his starter today during an 11:30 AM press conference.
So Canes fans, what say you about the decision and some of the other surprises on the opening day starting line ups?
Programming note: Don't forget to join Manny tonight when he hosts the LIVE chat session called "Ask Manny" on the Eye on the U" blog at the Miami Herald blog site from 8-9 PM. Discuss the starting line ups and other Canes news of the week with Manny, the ultimate Canes insider tonight!
Offensive starters | Backups QB: Kirby Freeman | Kyle Wright RB: Javarris James or Graig Cooper | Derron Thomas FB: Jerrell Mabry or Dedrick Epps FL: Khalil Jones | Darnell Jenkins | Leonard Hankerson SE: Lance Leggett | Ryan Hill LT: Jason Fox or Chris Rutledge | Cyrim Wimbs LG: Andrew Bain | Orlando Franklin C: John Rochford | A.J. Trump RG: Derrick Morse | Joel Figueroa RT: Reggie Youngblood or Chris Rutledge | Tyrone Byrd TE: DajLeon Farr or Chris Zellner | Richard Gordon
Defensive starters | Backups LE: Eric Moncur | Vegas Franklin LT: Dwayne Hendricks | Josh Holmes RT: Teraz McCray | Antonio Dixon RE: Calais Campbell | Courtney Harris SLB: Colin McCarthy | Eric Houston MLB: Tavares Gooden | Darryl Sharpton | Allen Bailey WLB: Spencer Adkins | Kylan Robinson LCB: DeMarcus Van Dyke | Tervaris Johnson RCB: Randy Phillips or Carlos Armour SS Kenny Phillips | JoJo Nicholas | Jared Campbell FS: Willie Cooper or Lovon Ponder
Special Teams K: Francesco Zampogna | Daren Daly P: Matt Bosher | Daren Daly KO: Daren Daly | Francesco Zampgona PR: Graig Cooper | Chavez Grant KR: Ryan Hill and Richard Gordon
I recently got a chance to speak to former Hurricanes Wide Reciever Ethenic Sands(JBoy for short) about his football career. It started with the Scott Lake Vikings, his Optimist team from Carol City. He worked hard at becoming a Quarterback for his team. Nights were spent practicing footwork and running extra laps. His father (Whitfield Sands) instilled a demeanor that never accepted complacency. The 5th youngest of 6, J had a good ammount of family support growing up.
That extra work and support payed off for J. As a true freshman at Carol City high school he became the starting Quarterback. By the end of his 4 seasons as starting QB he was 44-3 with 2 state titles. With only one of those losses coming from within Dade county. After an exceptional career he was recgonized by the Miami Herald as one of the Miami-Dade County's 100 greatest high school football players of all time.
Looking through his professional bio I noticed the same consistencies; 1000yd seasons in the AFL2, big time game changing plays. In his rookie season of 2004 he made a key kick off return to put the Firecats ahead on his first ever kick return in a playoff game and averaged nearly 15 yards per catch. That year his team the Florida Firecats won the championship. In 2005 he led Orande Gadsen's team the Miami Morays(NIFL) with 65 catches 849yds 21 TD's and was selected as an all star. In 2006 he played in the slot for the Firecats and scored 89 catches 895 yds and 35 TD's. He's won championships at every level with a team first attitude. He plays for the love of the game.
Here is the interview from a true Miami Hurricane, ultimate team player, Ethnic Sands in his own words:
Aqua: So what QB's did you watch growing up?
JBoy: Rodney Peete and Todd Marinovich. USC ran the option back in the day and Marinovich did it all. I liked those option QB's, they were fast and could throw deep to keep the defense guessing.
AM: Who helped you develop as a QB?
J: Originally, it was my coaches at Miami Lakes Optimist. Then when I got to Carol City coach Walt Frazier helped me develop my play-making abilites. I went to Florida's QB camp and did well. Steve Spurrier gave me some tips while I was there.
AM: Who recruited you to the U?
J: Randy Shannon, he recruited me as an athlete so I could play both QB and WR. You know my sohomore year I backed up Dorsey at QB and played Wide Reciever. I loved Randy, he's gonna treat you like a you're a grown-up. He's a guy you want to work for.
AM: So you grew up a Canes fan?
J: Oh yeah man, everyone around here(Carol City) grows up being a Canes fan. I knew playing for the Canes was something I always wanted to do.
AM: Let's be honest, those UM teams you played for were downright dominant. What was mentality of those teams?
J: You could say we were cocky, but we kept each other in line, so no one was bigger than the team. If we were off our game it was because of us not respecting the other teams talent. We were worried about ourselves, not them.
AM: Outside of the National Champonship games what was the biggest game you played in?
J: You know every game is important, but I guess it was the the Florida game(2002 in the swamp). I had a pretty big game up there. It was important getting that win on their field.
AM: What type of coach/leader is Andrew Swasey?
JB: Swasey stays down the street from me(in Carol City). He is one of the biggest influences you get at Miami. He's so much more than strength coach, he's a life skills coach. Twenty percent of the game is physical, the other Eighty percent is mental. He makes sure you stay mentally tough on the off-season.
AM: So how difficult was the transition from QB to WR?
JB: Well, now it's easy. I know exactly where and when the ball comes out, how to get open and make it easy for the QB to get me the ball. I know exactly how each play is run from the lineman to the skill positions. I feel like now I'm a complete wide-out. It takes time to learn the little things about being a WR. How to get off the line, how to create separation, takes work. Going up against Antrell Rolle, Mike Rumph, Phillip Buchannon they(coaches) know what I can do.
AM: You just had another big season for the Florida Firecats (1196 yards 98 catches and 24 TD's). What do you think comes next?
JB: Well you know it's me, Brad Kunz, Magic Benton, and Jon Peattie (on the Firecats roster). We all had good seasons. You know I want to play for the Dolphins, comeback home and play for my family. I know I can play at that level. I'm taking this year seriously, I want to be in (NFL)training camp come this time next year. I feel real good right now.
With the 2007 football season just over one week away it is time for our season record predictions for the Miami Hurricanes.Randy Shannon takes over as Head Coach for Larry Coker after a disappointing 2006 season marred by the loss of Brian Pata and The FIU Brawl.Many question marks from last year still remain for this Hurricane team:Who will be the starting QB?Will the Special Teams be special again?Who are the starting linebackers?Will any play makers emerge from the wide receiver position or the freshman class? How will the new position coaches and offensive and defensive coordinators perform?
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In addition to these issues and questions about key positions on the 2007 team, we thought it would be helpful to give Canes fans some perspective by documenting how the last five Head Coaches have fared during their first seasons.Here are the results:
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In 1979, Howard Schnellenberger went 5-6 in his first year as Hurricanes head coach.That is a .455 winning percentage.
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In 1984, Jimmy Johnson went 8-5 in his first year as HC of the Hurricanes.That is a .615 winning percentage.
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In 1989, Dennis Erickson went 11-1 in his first year as HC of the Hurricanes.That is a .917 winning percentage.
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In 1995, Butch Davis went 8-3 in his first year as HC of the Hurricanes.That is a .727 winning percentage.
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In 2001, Larry Coker went 12-0 in his first year as HC of the Hurricanes.That is a 1.00 winning percentage.
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Larry Coker leads the list by winning 100% of his games in his first year as HC of the Hurricanes.Next at #2 is Dennis Erickson at 91.7%.At #3, Butch Davis weighs in with 72.7%.Jimmy Johnson comes in at #4 with 61.5%.Howard Schnellenberger finishes fifth at 45.4%.
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Now your mission, should U choose to accept it, is for the Legion to predict Randy Shannon’s season record or winning percentage for his first year as head coach.I know the popular pick will be undefeated (or 100%).They are several people on the blog, however that don’t believe we will go undefeated.Please post your predictions and which team(s) (if any) the losses will be to.
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*This feature article was written by guest author Hurricane Mitch for Canespace-
We have an extraordinary history and tradition at the Orange Bowl: The players running through the smoke tunnel. “Touchdown Tommy” and his cannon. The Ring of Honor. An incredible winning streak of 58 consecutive home wins. And three of our five national championships were won on that field. I love the Orange Bowl—we all do!
As many of you are aware, the University has been working closely with the City of Miami to assess the feasibility of making much-needed renovations to the Orange Bowl. It has long been our goal to have a first-class football stadium.
The City of Miami has been a wonderful partner with us at the Orange Bowl for many years, and they understand how hard we have wrestled with a very difficult decision. Mayor Manny Diaz has been heroic in his efforts to meet our future needs. After much thought, analysis, and discussions with many, many of our trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and fans, we have concluded that we must move our football games to a better facility. The more than $200 million in renovations that the city has proposed would only provide basic and mostly infrastructural upgrades. A part of those funds are not in hand and may or may not be determined until after the proposed construction would be well underway. Overall, the renovations clearly would not address the long-term needs of our athletes and our fans.
The Orange Bowl chapter of our history—in which we can all take great pride—will never close, and we are confident that the legacy of Miami Hurricanes football will live on and thrive as we move to a new location. After an assessment of all options available to us, we have decided reluctantly and painfully to move to Dolphin Stadium for the 2008 season.
Dolphin Stadium is one of the premier football stadiums in the country. At our new home, our student-athletes will have the opportunity to compete in a first-class facility that plays host to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, the FedEx Orange Bowl, BCS National Championship Game, and that has been the site of recent and upcoming Super Bowls.
Our fans will experience outstanding amenities including one of the world’s largest plasma TV displays, high-definition video boards, club seating and suites, chairbacks on every stadium seat, approximately 14,000 parking spaces, and a large variety of concessions and restaurants.
The end zones will be redone so that our shared home will reflect both Miami teams’ pride. The Dolphins are actively pursuing a corporate sponsor so that by 2010 the stadium will have a neutral name.
I want to assure all members of our University community—students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, donors, friends—and the tens of thousands of fans who regularly cheer us on, that we looked exhaustively into every aspect of the choices in front of us, and that your needs figured prominently in our final decision. The quality of your experience at our games is of the utmost importance to us.
As always, we would like to hear from you. Please contact us at an e-mail address we have established for your comments: umfootball@miami.edu. If you have any further questions, please go to the Official Athletic Department Web site at hurricanesports.com or call 1-800-GO-CANES.
History will remember that the only real major difference between the two sides in the Orange Bowl/Dolphin Stadium debate was that one group had history, tradition and emotion on their side while the other group had progress, modernization and money on their side. From the beginning, it was really a no-brainer as to who would win that argument. In today's world, money trumps emotion hand down. Money talked and tradition walked.
But if you look closely, there in the distance, from atop the upper deck of the Orange Bowl, you can probably see them now, a small throng of orange and green clad fans slowly moving west down NW 7th Street, looking lost and confused.Somewhere in the background the last two remaining fans can be heard shouting from one of the OB ramps “Got some Canes over here… whoosh, whoosh!”
As the fans turn north along 27th Avenue, their beloved OB and 58 game win streak no longer in sight, they shuffle along, heads down, on their way to Dolphin Stadium behind the slowly fading drum beat of the UM Band of the Hour. As they cross under the 826 expressway, Sebastian the Ibis, now in tears, is followed closely by the few remaining west end zone crazies, dragging behind, still crying “Why? Why? Why?” all the way to their new home.
It’s now September 2008 and suddenly, shockingly, they begin to realize what has really happened.The UM football games will soon start again in another stadium named for another team somewhere across town. And then, only then, the coaches, players and fans will collectively understand that things will never be the same again.
The University of Miami football games may move to Dolphin Stadium, but the fans, the true fans, will testify that the soul of the Miami Hurricanes, and even the “U” itself, was left behind to always reside in the wonderful memories of that familiar place we called The Orange Bowl.
This feature article, written by Canespace reporter Justin Alavi, is the second in a series of exclusive interviews with former UM kicker Jon Peattie.
I recently spoke to former Hurricanes kicker Jon Peattie. Peattie is currently in the Area Football League competing for a shot to the NFL. While speaking to him I could sense some familiar characteristics. You sense his ambition, his desire to prove himself. The confidence he has is unshakable, yet in an easy manner he dismisses the pressures of being a kicker. All Canes have this drive, Jon Peattie has it. Here's what this former Miami Hurricane had to say about some interesting issues...
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Justin Alavi: So what are the some of the differences between the AFL and College Football?
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Jon Peattie: It's a lot of fun [in the AFL], each game I'm involved in about 18-20 plays. I get to run around make tackles and break a sweat. Last season I went 6 games without a field-goal attempt. So it was difficult being on the bench.
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JA: So kicking between those uprights [AFL] isn't any more difficult?
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JP: You can't look at them [the uprights], you gotta be perfect. Just get good contact, get a hit on the ball. That's when you know if it's good or not.
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JA: So what do think about the pending move from the Orange Bowl to Dolphin Stadium?
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JP: I like Dolphin Stadium, the facility is nice. The field is great to kick on. You know I had one of my best games on that field [Dolphin Stadium] so I should like the stadium! The kickers don't really enjoy kicking on the dirt infield but it's doable. The turf is going take some abuse with the Marlins, Dolphins, and Canes playing on it days apart. Ideally I'd love to see the Canes playing downtown, but it makes sense to have both football teams playing in the same facility and the Marlins play in a baseball only stadium.
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JA: I gotta ask you about the brawl, could you give us an idea of what it was like?
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JP: [chuckles] The brawl? You know I'm not gonna point the finger at anyone, we were reserved most of the game. After the PAT, some guys were hand-checking on the line. I was walking toward them, then I saw Matt Perrelli wrestling with someone from FIU. Then it erupted, you couldn't get out. Just keep your helmet on and strap up. I was lucky, I had a DB on me that I slammed to the ground and wrestled with.
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JA: What did the coaches say after the brawl happened?
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JP: Obviously the coaches weren't very happy about what happened, but on the other hand, they had to be happy with how we backed each other up.That's where you find out what you are made of and who your true friends are. The entire team had each others back and that was probably the only good thing about the brawl. Hopefully, it will never happen again and this match up can become a BIG rivalry. I don't doubt this could happen sometime in the future with Coach Cristobal leading that team. He's an unbelievable coach.
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JA: OK time for a tough one, Jessica Alba or Angelina Jolie?
Here at Canespace we like to recognize UM players past and present. We pay our repsects to those players who have laid the foundation for the greatnees that has followed.
Consistent with that effort we are starting a new feature titled: Legion of Honor where you, the true Cane fans will select who gets voted into our own version of the "Ring of Honor" that the UM has established and is recognized at the Orange Bowl.
We will kick this off by selecting our Legion of Honor players on offense.
We will list the players that we think are worthy of making it into the Legion and then narrow it down until we have 4 QBs, 4 RBs, 4 WRs, 2 TEs and 8 OL.
Your job is to choose from the players on the list below. You may vote for four players from the list of 8.
UM Running Backs nominated for the Legion of Honor:
This exclusive Canespace feature article was written by reporters Michael Bradley and Justin Alavi.
Special teams play a bigger role in deciding football games than most fans realize. They contribute to wins and losses in many ways, some obvious like getting a quick score on a kick off return or a punt block, and some not so obvious like momentum swings and the all important field position battle. When it comes down to it, special teams account for one third of any game and are a critical part of any team's performance, game plan and overall success.
In 2006 UM special teams were, well, not so special. The return game was lackluster and ineffective at best. The punting somewhat inconsistent. The kickoff and field goal performance was solid, but not spectacular. When the offense sputtered or stalled completely, the special teams were simply unable to give the team the boost they needed to turn the game around in their favor.
In 2007 much uncertainty about the Canes special teams still exists. Last year's starters, Brian Monroe and Jon Peattie, are no longer with the team, having graduated as Seniors. And going into Fall practice the starting punter and place kicker still have not yet been determined. Head Coach Randy Shannon and Special Teams Coach Joe Pannunzio are trying to sort out the contenders from the pretenders at both positions. While much of the media and fans attention is on Kyle or Kirby, or James or Cooper, all of the special teams' positions are among the most hotly contested battles on the team this year.
Early reports from Fall practice from Coach Pannunzio is that Matt Bosher may lead for both positions early in the competition. Coach Shannon says the competition is still wide open. This position is going to play a critical role in the teams success this year so this decision looms large for the Canes coaching staff as the September 1 kickoff against Marshall in the Orange Bowl quickly approaches.
Also undecided are the punt and kickoff return specialists for this years team. Many of the contenders for these important roles are true freshmen such as Craig Cooper, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Lee Chambers and Shawnbrey McNeal. Jermaine McKenzie was in the running until the nearly tragic car accident involving him, Robert Marve and Colin McCarty happened that took him out of the running and maybe the season. Even former DE and now TE Richard Gordon was put to the test in the first scrimmage returning kickoffs. Now that must be a scary sight for the coverage team!
To try to find out a little more about the Canes kicking game and what goes through a kickers mind before, during and after a big kick, Canespace reporters Michael Bradley and Justin Alavi caught up with Jon Peattie for a two part interview recently to get the inside scoop on the kicking process, his own performance last year, and the competion for 2007.
Here is Part I of that interview:
MB: How are the kickers and punters affected by Randy Shannon taking over as Head Coach?
JP: I don’t really think the punter will be affected by Randy Shannon taking over as Head coach, but it may affect the kicker. My reasoning is that since Coach Shannon knows how stingy our defense is, he will be more willing to just take the points and kick a short field goal rather than risk failing to convert a short 4th down and goal. This mentality could also come from his years spent in the NFL, where kickers are a very vital position due to great defenses and close games.
MB: How involved is Coach Pannunzio with the kickers?
JP: He is very involved. He knows how important kickers and punters are in order to having a great team. Field position is one of the most important parts to this game and by having a solid punter and kickoff specialist, can be a real weapon.
MB: How do you see the kicking competition playing out going into the fall?
JP: It is going to be tight. I believe Francesco Zampogna has a slight advantage due to his experience, but Matt Bosher is a great young talent and Daren Daly is solid. The coaches are going to have a tough time making this decision, but it’s a great problem to have.
MB: What do you feel were the reasons for the inconsistency for the last couple of years? How did you correct it?
JP: It was a combination of many things. Whether it was making the transition with a new coaching staff or the changing of snappers and holders throughout my Sophomore and Junior year. I felt like I had gotten all of the kinks out, but I just didn’t have that many opportunity’s to kick my Senior year. I had 6 games this past season where I didn’t even attempt a field goal. When comparing my Freshmen year to my Senior year, this is evident. I had 28 field goal attempts and 103 total points as a Freshmen, and only 18 field goals and 65 total points as a Senior.
MB: Is there more football ahead for you? How is that going?
JP: Yes, I hope so. Currently, I have a normal job as a Purchasing Analyst for Subway Corporation, but I’m also playing for an Arena 2 football team located in Ft. Myers on the weekends. I’m just trying to stay in shape and hopefully get a shot at the NFL.
MB: Do you have any superstitions or routines that you go through before games? Kicks?
JP: I mink oil my shoes before every game. I used to do it before all of my soccer games when I was growing up and I just kept the tradition going.
MB: What goes through your mind as you're about to kick? Does the size of the crowd affect your thought process?
JP: I try not to think about anything and sing a song in my head. Nope. I actually prefer larger crowds and louder stadiums because then I can’t here what the opposing players are saying. It’s hardest to kick in games where there isn’t a big crowd because then you can even hear what the people in the stands are saying.
MB: Does an opposing coach taking a timeout before an attempt affect you? If so, how and why?
JP: It has never affected a kick that I have attempted, but it sure gives you more time to think about the kick, which is never good.
MB: What type of treatment do you receive after a big kick? What about after a miss?
JP: It’s the best feeling in the world to make a big kick and help your team win, but it doesn’t outweigh how bad it feels to miss an important kick. Luckily, I never missed a game winning field goal in my career at UM, but I have missed a kick early in the first quarter which would have helped us win if I had made it. Those missed kicks just eat you up inside, but you have to forget about it and move on if you want to be successful.
Part II of Jon's interview will be posted next Friday at 3 PM.
Last basketball season (senior night I believe) there was a campaign for all fans to wear Green to the game in support of the team. As those of us who watch college sports, this is a growing and lasting display of support when done in mass numbers.
Here in South Florida, we have all seen, and perhaps participated in the Miami Heat’s “White Hot” campaign that plays on this very idea. Penn State, Clemson, VT, UT, Nebraska, etc. all have campaigns in which they encourage their fans to wear a particular color for games in a show of unified support.
It is long past time to bring this tradition to the University of Miami! I tried last year to get the word out but was met with very limited success for the VT game. It is my hope that, with the upcoming season, the excitement of the Randy Shannon regime taking over south Florida, and the air around an improved and successful team we could get this very thing done, with your help, for the first game against Marshall. Those of us involved have dubbed it, “The Orange Revolution”, and we need your help to make it a meaningful and powerful display of support.
Just in the last week, Susan Degnan of the Miami Herald wrote a piece in her Cane Fest report for last Sunday’s paper on the The Orange Revolution. Greg Cote of the Miami Herald wrote a small piece in one of his latest blog at miamiherald.com. Allcanes.com has written about The Orange Revolutionin their blog, and all 3 have pledged their continued support (see website for all links to stories).
Alex Kushel, the sports director of WVUM campus radio has pledged the stations support and will be discussing the campaign on all sports shows and broadcasts between now and game time. He has also pledged to create fliers to pass out and post around the campus. Danny Carvajal, the student body president his pledged his support in the whole idea. He will be working with school administrators and other student organizations to help spread the word. Category 5, the student government branch in charge of athletic event support has recently joined in and are now beginning to help spread the word. The Miami Hurricane, UM’s student run newspaper is now on board and will begin regular articles and ads when they start up again for the fall semester. A few other student organizations are currently discussing their own game plans as how to get involved and help spread the word of The Orange Revolution.
There is now a Facebook Group and a myspace page http://www.myspace.com/theorangerevolution_canes. Both of these outlets are helping to spread the idea and make this a success. We handed out nearly 800 fliers this past Canes Fest and received great appreciation and support. We continued the flier distribution at the Canes first practice, this past Saturday morning at 7:00 am, handing out nearly 400 more fliers. The website is continually being updated with new info, pics, stories, video, etc., and word of it is constantly spreading. I encourage you to stop by and check things out, sign our guest book and pass on the word to all your cane fan friends.
We have been on the radio a few times last week (790 the ticket and 560 wqam, am sports radio), most noteably last Saturday and Wednesday with Joe Zagacki on 560 WQAM. Others have called in and promoted the idea, and we are organizing radio call blitz’s in which we call one after the other, to discuss the Canes and The Orange Revolutionidea.
We are working on getting Randy Shannon news of this directly as he has noted that he prefers the Orange jerseys for home games and is a bit disappointed by the lack of orange released by Nike. Joe Z and Don Bailey discussed The Orange Revolutionon their show from Canes Fest and have pledged to help anyway they can from here on out. A few fan websites are starting to help spread the word and will begin to pledge more of their help in the near future! Even the UM cheerleading squads have agreed to wear their Orange outfits for the game!
The biggest hurdle we have yet to over come is getting official backing by the UMiami, and getting the word out officially to season ticket holders, Miami Hurricane Club members, and the various fan clubs around the nation, although each of those are currently in the works. UMami has stated that they will be backing the idea of all fans wearing Orange to the Marshall game, but we have yet to hear or see anything official. ANY AND ALL HELP IS APPRECIATED AND ENCOURAGED! Feel free to spread the contact info and website to as many people as you want, (theorangerevolution@hotmail.com) with any feedback, suggestions, contact info, pledges of help, etc. All messages will be returned!
Here is the website link, www.theorangerevolution-canes.com, AllCanes.com, Canesport.com, Umiami Student Government, Category 5 promotions, WVUM Student radio, The Miami Hurricane student newspaper, The Miami Herald, and Joe Z and the rest of the Umiami broadcast crew. However, we need the support and word of mouth encouragement by all canes fans in order for this to become a success., it is updated almost daily, and contains all of the links from the various stories and sites The Orange Revolution is mentioned on.
This might be what we hoped it would. There is still work to do, but the future is looking bright! Right now on board with The Orange Revolutionis www.canespace.com.As you can see, there is a lot going on. With your help, I think this will now go to the next level. The Orange Revolution- Its all About the U! - Do your part and help spread the word!
To the University Community:
We have an extraordinary history and tradition at the Orange Bowl: The players running through the
smoke tunnel. “Touchdown Tommy” and his cannon. The Ring of Honor. An incredible winning streak of 58 consecutive home wins. And three of our five national championships were won on that field. I love the Orange Bowl—we all do!
As many of you are aware, the University has been working closely with the City of Miami to assess the feasibility of making much-needed renovations to the Orange Bowl. It has long been our goal to have a first-class football stadium.
The City of Miami has been a wonderful partner with us at the Orange Bowl for many years, and they understand how hard we have wrestled with a very difficult decision. Mayor Manny Diaz has been heroic
in his efforts to meet our future needs. After much thought, analysis, and discussions with many, many of our trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and fans, we have concluded that we must move our football games to a better facility. The more than $200 million in renovations that the city has proposed would only provide basic and mostly infrastructural upgrades. A part of those funds are not in hand and may or may not be determined until after the proposed construction would be well underway. Overall, the renovations clearly would not address the long-term needs of our athletes and our fans.
The Orange Bowl chapter of our history—in which we can all take great pride—will never close, and we
are confident that the legacy of Miami Hurricanes football will live on and thrive as we move to a new location. After an assessment of all options available to us, we have decided reluctantly and painfully to move to Dolphin Stadium for the 2008 season.
Dolphin Stadium is one of the premier football stadiums in the country. At our new home, our student-athletes will have the opportunity to compete in a first-class facility that plays host to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, the FedEx Orange Bowl, BCS National Championship Game, and that has been the site of recent and upcoming Super Bowls.
Our fans will experience outstanding amenities including one of the world’s largest plasma TV displays, high-definition video boards, club seating and suites, chairbacks on every stadium seat, approximately 14,000 parking spaces, and a large variety of concessions and restaurants.
The end zones will be redone so that our shared home will reflect both Miami teams’ pride. The Dolphins are actively pursuing a corporate sponsor so that by 2010 the stadium will have a neutral name.
I want to assure all members of our University community—students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees,
donors, friends—and the tens of thousands of fans who regularly cheer us on, that we looked exhaustively into every aspect of the choices in front of us, and that your needs figured prominently in our final decision. The quality of your experience at our games is of the utmost importance to us.
As always, we would like to hear from you. Please contact us at an e-mail address we have established for your comments: umfootball@miami.edu. If you have any further questions, please go to the Official Athletic Department Web site at hurricanesports.com or call 1-800-GO-CANES.
Thank you, and Go ’Canes!
Sincerely,
Donna E. Shalala