Fifty Fabulous Floridians: Numbers 45-41

This article was written for Canespace by SolarCane...

 

First, thanks for all the kind words to Six and me on the first installment.  We don’t claim to be experts and your criticism, advice, disbelief, and head shaking is most welcome.  It is fun to see your responses and it proves that you have been taking time to read the bios and learn more about these Florida born stars.  Like last time Six will unveil his 45 through 41 on Wednesday so I don’t catch hell alone all week.

 

Here we go with the second group of Fab Floridians.  The stakes are getting higher and the athletes are getting better known.  Enjoy!

 

#45 Danny Wuerffel: Daniel Carl "Danny" Wuerffel (born May 27, 1974) is a former American football player. Wuerffel won the 1996 Heisman Trophy and 1996 national football consensus championship while playing quarterback at the University of Florida. He later played for several National Football League teams, and retired from professional football in 2002. Since then, Wuerffel has engaged in charitable work in New Orleans, Louisiana and Atlanta, Georgia.

 

Early life

Danny Wuerffel was born in Pensacola, Florida, the son of a Lutheran minister and chaplain in the United States Air Force. While he was growing up, he lived in South Carolina, Spain, Nebraska, and Colorado before attending Fort Walton Beach High School in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where he was a standout football and basketball player.

 

College career

Wuerffel attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played quarterback for head coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1993 to 1996. One of the most decorated players in Florida's football history, Wuerffel won the 1996 Heisman Trophy while quarterbacking the Gators to the consensus national championship.

 

He led the Florida Gators to four consecutive Southeastern Conference titles between 1993 and 1996, and the 1996 national championship, won in decisive fashion (52–20) over archrival Florida State University at the 1997 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the only Heisman Trophy recipient to also receive the Draddy Trophy, which is presented by the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame to the nation's top football scholar-athlete.

 

He finished his Gator career by completing 708 of 1,170 passes for 10,875 yards with 114 touchdown passes, the best in SEC history and second-most in major college history. His career pass efficiency rating of 163.56 was the best in major college history and his percentage of passes which went for a

touchdown (9.74) ranked first in collegiate history.

 

Professional career

His National Football League career started with being drafted in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. After playing six seasons in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Washington Redskins, Wuerffel retired. One highlight of his professional career was winning the MVP award in World Bowl 2000 while playing for Rhein Fire in NFL Europa (the game was won by Fire 13-10 over the Scottish Claymores).  On September 30, 2006, Wuerffel was inducted into the Gator Football Ring of Honor alongside his former coach Steve Spurrier and two other Gator legends, Jack Youngblood and Emmitt Smith. 

 

#44 Devin Hester:  Devin Hester (born November 4, 1982) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He is an alumnus of the University of Miami, where he became the first person in the university’s recent history to play on all three teams of American football (offense, defense, special teams). Hester began his professional career with the Bears in 2006, and quickly made an impact as a kick returner. Dubbed the "Windy City Flyer" and "Anytime", Hester holds the league's all-time record for most kicks returned for a touchdown in a single season.

 

Early years

Devin Hester was born to Juanita Brown and Lenorris Hester Sr. in Riviera Beach, Florida. His parents separated when he was a toddler. Before he became a teenager, his mother was severely injured in car accident, while his father died of cancer two years later. His step-father, Derrick Brown, and brother, Lenorris Jr., helped Hester escape his depression, and rebuild his life by introducing him to football. He soon returned to his normal life, and began to excel in sports and academics

 

Hester attended Suncoast High School, where he played football as a cornerback, wide receiver, return specialist, and running back. He earned recognition from SuperPrep.com as the top high school prospect in Florida, and Parade, who named Hester onto their All-American team. Hester also participated in the 2002 CaliFlorida Bowl, where he returned a kick for an 80-yard touchdown. His success prompted his teammates to nickname him "Sugar Foot".

 

Collegiate career

After completing high school, Hester enrolled into the University of Miami. As a sophomore, he earned national recognition after being named onto the "Walter Camp All-America Team" and “The Sporting News' All-America team”. Hester’s recognition was influenced by his prodigious success as a kick returner. His ability to thrust laterally and breakaway from pursuers made him one of the nation’s most dangerous return specialists.

 

During his freshman year, Hester returned an opening kick for a 97-yard touchdown against the University of Florida. In a game against Duke University in 2005, Hester broke six tackles while returning an 81-yard punt.

 

Ultimately, Hester completed his college career with a total of six touchdowns from kick returns, including one blocked field goal return. He also scored one rushing and receiving touchdown, and recorded five interceptions as a defensive back.

 

Professional career

 

2006

Hester began his professional career in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears, who selected him in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. The team originally drafted Hester as a cornerback, but they intended to play him as a return specialist, following the retirement of Jerry Azumah, and departure of Bobby Wade.  In thirteen weeks as a professional football player, Hester recorded six return touchdowns, including a punt return in his NFL debut, and a then-record tying 108-yard touchdown from a missed field goal against the New York Giants.  He also returned a punt for a clutch 83-yard game-winning touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals, and two kickoff returns in one game against the St. Louis Rams.

 

The Bears won both NFC playoffs rounds, and advanced to Super Bowl XLI to play the Indianapolis Colts. He started the game on a high note for the Bears by returning the game’s opening kick for a touchdown.

The feat was the first touchdown return of an opening kickoff in Super Bowl history. It also marked the quickest lead ever taken by any team. Following the kick, the Colts did not kick the ball directly to Hester, significantly limiting the Bears’ return efforts.  Hester's feats in 2006 earned him three NFC Special Teams Player of the week Awards, and a trip to the 2007 Pro Bowl. After the 2006 season ended, he was named as the "NFC’s Player of the Month" for December, and was a finalist in the 2006 Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year voting

 

2007

Shortly after losing Super Bowl XLI, Hester and special teams coach Dave Toub spent a significant amount of time working on new return strategies and formations. Ultimately, Lovie Smith converted Hester into a wide receiver in order to increase the number of opportunities he would receive during a game.  The Bears’ coaching staff eventually persuaded Hester to make the transition over the summer. During the 2007 off-season, Hester won the Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award.  Hester returned his first touchdown of the season, a 73-yard punt return, against the Kansas City Chiefs during week two.

 

Hester established himself as a threat on offense, when he caught an 81-yard touchdown pass from Brian Griese against the Minnesota Vikings.  He also returned a punt for a 89-yard touchdown, though the Bears lost the game. In the weeks to come, many opposing special teams began to kick the ball away from Hester, contributing to a 132% increase in kickoffs that went out-of-bounds.

 

Before the Bears’ week twelve match-up against the Denver Broncos, Todd Sauerbrun infamously stated that he would kick the ball to Hester.  Hester, who had not returned a kick for a touchdown in almost a month, responded by returning a punt and kick-off for touchdowns. Keith Olbermann, a commentator for NBC Sunday Night Football, awarded Sauerbrun with the dubious “Worst Person in the NFL Award” for kicking the ball to Hester, and failing to tackle him. The two touchdowns gave Hester the most kick returns for touchdowns in the Bears’ franchise history. Hester concluded the season with 64-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 55-yard touchdown reception against the New Orleans Saints.

 

Hester finished the season with six kicks returned for touchdowns, which set a league record.  He finished the season ranking fourth on the League’s all-time combined kick return list, behind Brian Mitchell (13), Eric Metcalf (12), and Dante Hall (12).  Additionally, he amassed 299 yards on twenty receptions as a receiver, though he was often used as a decoy. Nevertheless, Hester concluded the season with four Player of the Week Awards, giving him a franchise high total of seven in his career, and an invitation to the 2008 Pro Bowl.

 

2008

Prior to the beginning of the 2008 season, Hester stated that he would not attend the Bears' summer camp unless the team offered him a new contract. He further voiced his displeasure in a phone interview with the Chicago Tribune, with his current contract, commenting, "I can’t go out and play this year making $445,000. Come on, man." The team later offered him a new four-year contract extension, which is reportedly worth up to $40-million dollars.

 

After a week eight bye week, Hester caught 4 passes for 42 yards and had an 11-yard run against the Detroit Lions. He eventually lost his kick return duties to Danieal Manning, but began receiving more playtime as a wide receiver. Between weeks 12 and 15, Hester caught 17 passes for 250 yards, and one touchdown. He concluded the season by catching 51 passes for a team high 665 yards.  Hester was also selected to play in the 2009 Pro Bowl as a third alternate.

 

2009

After the acquisition of Jay Cutler, Hester took on the role as the de-facto number one wide receiver. In the first game of the season, Hester caught seven passes from Cutler for 90 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown reception. In the following weeks Hester began to develop a rapport with Cutler, and amassed 634 receiving yards and three touchdowns though the first twelve weeks of the season. He played the best game of the season on October 25, 2009 against the Cincinnati Bengals, catching eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.

 

Despite missing the three starts, Hester lead the team with 757 receiving yards, and finished behind Greg Olsen in receptions. Hester built his reputation around his kick returning abilities, but his kickoff-returning duties decreased significantly following the 2007 season-finale.

 

NFL records

• Most touchdowns returns in a season (6) - (2006, 2007)
• Most touchdowns kick and punt returns in a season - (6) (2007)
• Most touchdown returns as a rookie (6) - (2006)
• Most touchdown returns in one game (2)**  

#43 Anthony Carter: Anthony Carter (born September 17, 1960 in Riviera Beach, Florida) is a former American football wide receiver. He finished his college career as the University of Michigan's all-time leading receiver, and played professionally for thirteen years in the United States Football League and the National Football League. He was also known as 'AC'.

 

College career

Anthony "the Darter" Carter played for Michigan from 1979-1982. Although the Wolverines employed an offense that relied mostly on its running backs, he was one of the most productive receivers in the school's history. Standing five feet, eleven inches tall and weighing only 160 lbs., Carter relied on his speed to make plays, and provided an effective counterpoint to coach Bo Schembechler's slow-and-steady game plan.

 

By his sophomore year, Carter was the Wolverines primary option at receiver. That season he became the first second-year player to be voted Michigan team Most Valuable Player. A three-time All-American, he was named Big Ten Conference MVP his senior season, and finished fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.  In 2001 Carter was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

 

Professional career

Upon graduating from college, Anthony Carter chose to play in the upstart USFL, rather than in the NFL. The league employed a territorial draft, aimed at sending players to teams whose fans were already familiar with them. Because of this unique system, the Michigan Panthers were allowed to select Carter prior to the league's traditional draft.

 

1983 was Carter's first season with the Panthers and one of his most successful as a professional. Although the team started 1-4, they finished the regular season 12-6 and went on to defeat the Philadelphia Stars to win the first USFL championship.

 

When the USFL folded after the 1985 season, Carter signed with the NFL's Miami Dolphins, who drafted Carter back in 1983 in order to secure his NFL rights. However, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings before playing a game with the team. He led the Vikings in receptions five of his first six seasons with the team, and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1987 and 1988. In the 1987 season, Carter helped his team reach the NFC championship game by recording 10 receptions for a then NFL playoff record 227 yards, along with 1 carry for 30 yards in the Vikings 36-24 upset win over the 13-2 San Francisco 49ers in the divisional playoff round. The 642 all purpose yards he gained in the 1987 playoffs remain a single postseason record.

 

Carter finished his 11 NFL seasons with 486 receptions for 7,733 yards and 55 touchdowns. He also rushed for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns, returned 15 punts for 165 yards, and returned 4 kickoffs for 65 yards.

 

#42 Ray Bellamy:  A Sports Illustrated writer who's given a vast swath of real estate to tell a story can still find himself frustrated at not having enough space. That's especially so if the subject is rich enough, and the subject of my report in this week's magazine -- on the black pioneers who integrated college football in the Deep South during the '60s-- proved to be rich as Croesus.

 

One of my breakfast companions that day was Dr. Henry King Stanford, the 89-year-old former president of the University of Miami. Not long after arriving in Coral Gables in 1962, Stanford received a courtesy call from football coach Andy Gustafson. The two chatted until Gustafson, his hand on the doorknob as he prepared to leave the president's office, asked if there was anything in particular he might do to please the new boss. In fact, there was, Stanford said: Recruit a black football player.

 

"That doorknob turned to molten metal," Stanford says today, recalling the moment.

 

Gustafson pointed out that LSU would cancel its scheduled game with the Hurricanes. "Who's making policy at the University of Miami?" Stanford snapped back. "We or LSU?" "Other parts of the university had been desegregated," Stanford told me matter-of-factly. "I just decided we should be doing this."

 

Joining Dr. Stanford at breakfast was the remarkable man who ultimately desegregated Miami football -- and indeed, if you don't consider Maryland part of the Southeast, was the first black football player to sign with a big-time college in that part of the country.

 

Today, Ray Bellamy is 57, still lean and rangy enough that he looks as if he could still line up and catch passes, as he did in his trailblazing days. Bellamy grew up in a family of nine children, with migrant-worker parents who kept their kids busy during the summer picking vegetables.  "The plan was, join the Army and stay in the Army, because anything was better than the life I was living," he says, with a nod to the Vietnam War. "It would have been fine if I'd been killed in the line of duty."

 

But thanks to Stanford's leadership, a new Miami coach named Charlie Tate followed up on a tip from a bird dog, signing Bellamy to a grant-in-aid. Before the end of his senior year in high school he began receiving the "Dear Nigger" letters. "I call 'em my love letters," Bellamy says. Once he had arrived on campus, a car swerved and nearly hit him. "I didn't know what I was getting into," he says.

 

The night before the Miami freshman played Florida in 1967, Bellamy dreamed of getting loose on a long touchdown run. "[Florida coach] Ray Graves had said he'd never play any blacks, so I was the original Gator hater," Bellamy says. A 67-yard run on a pass play the next day almost perfectly duplicated that run of his dreams.

 

Today, Bellamy is an assistant football coach at Fort Valley State, a lazy hour's drive from the retirement community in Americus, Ga., that houses his old patron. The two speak constantly and visit often, and the warmth and respect they share is palpable.  "It hasn't always been a smooth ride," Bellamy says of his life. "It hasn't always been a rough ride. But I'm ridin'."

 

#41 Lou Piniella: Louis Victor Piniella (pronounced /pɨˈnɛlə/) (born August 28, 1943 in Tampa, Florida, United States) is the current manager of the Chicago Cubs and a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He has been nicknamed "Sweet Lou," both for his swing as a major league hitter and, facetiously, to describe his demeanor as a player and manager. He presently ranks 14th all-time on the list of Managerial Wins.

 

Early life

Piniella grew up in West Tampa, Florida. He attended Jesuit High School of Tampa where he was an All-American in basketball. After graduation, he attended the University of Tampa where he was an All-American in baseball.

 

Playing career

Piniella, at the age of 21, played in his first major league game in 1964 with the Baltimore Orioles. At 24, his second major league season was with the Cleveland Indians. He joined the Seattle Pilots during their 1969 preseason, but was traded at the end of spring training.He was prominently mentioned in Jim Bouton's classic book about the Seattle Pilots, Ball Four.

 

Piniella played for the Kansas City Royals from 1969-73, and was the American League's AL Rookie of the Year in 1969. He was the first player to come to bat in Royals history. That was followed by 11 years as a member of the New York Yankees, which won five AL East titles (1976–78, 1980 and 1981), four AL pennants (1976–78 and 1981), and two World Series championships (1977–78). After center fielder Mickey Rivers was traded, during the 1979 season, Piniella became the Yankees leadoff hitter. One of the more underrated players of the 1970s (he made just one all-star team), he compiled 1705 lifetime hits despite not playing full time for just under half of his career.

 

Managerial career

Known for his often aggressive and sometimes explosive behavior, Piniella has been ejected 61 times in his managerial career. Among active managers, only Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa and all-time leader Bobby Cox have received more ejections. He often sends his pitching coach to remove a pitcher from the game. He once got into a clubhouse scuffle with pitcher Rob Dibble while with the Reds, which was caught on video, ending with the two being pulled apart and Lou screaming, "You don't want to be treated like a man!"

 

New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds

After retiring as a player, Piniella joined the Yankees coaching staff as batting coach. He managed the Yankees from 1986 to 1987. Piniella was promoted to GM to start the 1988 season and took over as manager after the firing of Billy Martin on June 23. Piniella managed the Cincinnati Reds between 1990 and 1992, a tenure that included winning the 1990 World Series against the heavily-favored Oakland Athletics.

 

On August 21, 1990, in a home game against the Chicago Cubs, Piniella argued with umpire Dutch Rennert after Barry Larkin was called out at first at the end of the fifth inning. After throwing his hat down, Piniella was ejected. Afterwards, Piniella ripped first base out of the ground and threw it twice toward right field. The Reds went on to win the game 8–1.

 

Seattle Mariners

From 1993–2002, he managed the Seattle Mariners, winning the AL Manager of the Year Award in 1995, and again in 2001 when he led the Mariners to a record-tying 116 wins. After winning the 2001 AL Division Series, the Mariners dropped the first two games of the AL Championship Series, and

Piniella and Don Wakamatsu are the only managers in Mariners history to have a winning record in his tenure with the team, while serving at least one season.

 

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

In his first two seasons with the Devil Rays, Piniella was able to improve the team somewhat, and they won a franchise-record 70 games in 2004, which was also their first season in which they did not finish last in their division, which he also guaranteed (he also jokingly said, after saying it several times, "If I say it any more times I might have us winning the World Series!") During the 2005 season, Piniella was very critical of the Rays front office for focusing too much on the future and not enough on immediate results, and for not increasing payroll quickly enough to field a competitive team (they started the season with a $30 million payroll, which was the lowest in the major leagues; the Yankees payroll in 2005 was over $208 million).

 

Tensions eventually made Piniella step down as the Devil Rays' manager on September 21, 2005. Sweet Lou had one more season remaining on his contract from October 2002, but agreed to a $2.2 million buyout, in lieu of $4.4 million that he was due, had he decided to manage the team for one more season. He would have also received $1.25 million in deferred salary from 2003.

 

Chicago Cubs

On October 16, 2006, Piniella agreed to a three-year contract to manage the Chicago Cubs. The contract is for $10 million over three seasons with a $5 million option for a fourth year. Famous for his anger and meltdowns, he showed it during a press conference after a Cubs-Reds game on April 13, 2007, when Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano blew a five run lead in the 5th inning in which the Reds scored 6 runs, winning the game 6–5. A reporter asked him what was not working for the Cubs. He responded in a loud, angry voice, "What the hell do you think isn't working?! You saw the damn game!

 

Despite Pinella's Cubs dominating the National League for most of 2008, clinching the Central Division with the best record in the NL, the tide turned when the Cubs went up against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2008 NLDS. Pinella could only watch as the Cubs' offense suddenly sputtered, scoring only 6 runs in all three games, and his defense committed 4 errors in Game 2 to pick up talk of the Curse of the Billy Goat once again.

Comments

[NativeCane]

Yo

[William Runyan]

second

[DrewZ2]

3rd

good article solar

funny cause I'm watchin Lou coach as I post

[NativeCane]

Devin Hester, capable of giving his fans the most exciting 12 seconds of their life.
.....Well except for that one thing. ha

Go Canes!!!

[SOUP]

TEST

[ChicagoCane]

Safety from Plantation, I think his last name is Cash just committed to the Suckeyes.

How the hell is OSU pulling guys from Plantation?

[solarcane]

This is the last part that will be so involved with long lists of facts.
After these five truly great Floridians the articles will lean be more pointing out facts you might not have known and athelets you might have overlooked.
The bios of some will be much more condensed in thinking you will know most of them.

When Six was explaining Lou Piniella's long term impact on Major League Baseball, I was astounded by everything Piniella has accomplished, I had to get him into my 50 for sure.

[solarcane]

the most exciting 12 seconds of their life.
.....Well except for that one thing. ha

LMAO that's a completely different List!

[Zakkee]

Great picks guys, especially Jerome Brown and Rusty Medearis! Man did I love Russ..I'll never forget the way he used his helmet in that Colorado brawl.

[Old Skool]

If Weufffel's there, I guess we'll soon be seeing Charlie Ward. Unless being born in Thomasville disqualifies him.

[roachcane77]

Nice work Solar... (was wondering if Neal Colzie or Gerald Tinker made your list?)

[LatinCane]

Yesterday while watching the 2003 (replay game) between UM vs. Gators I noticed something very interesting. With 6 plus minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Bob Griese made the comment that Brock Berlin (with the Canes down 23 points mind you) should ask Coker to come out of the game and have his back up D. Crudup take over. SAY WHAT??? I couldn't believe it. He also mentioned that the Canes should forget about the game and get mentally prepared for next week's game. I guess he was thinking that Crudup was Earl Morral.

[roachcane77]

Griese has ALWAYS hated the Canes... don't really know why. But everytime he's got anything to say about the Canes it's negative. I could just picture him throwing in the towel for us on the air.

I was AT that game in '03, and that old stadium was ROCKIN'!

[solarcane]

roach
I always felt Griese disliked the Canes because after 83 the Canes were Miami's team,
The Dolphins had there time in the spotlight, but even the 72 Dolphins never got the admiration the Decade Of Dominance Hurricanes received.

[solarcane]

roach,
I can't give away any of the future picks. Six and I made a deal we would let the picks stay hidden until their number is called.
This would give people a chance to speculate and build their cases as to why Six and I should never make another list.

skool,
I put Wuerffel on there mostly because he won four SEC Championships plus the Heisman and a NC in the same year.
Beating the crap out of FSU in the 90's had to be considered pretty impressive too

[Loco]

Hmm... I wonder where 43 and 44 went to high school....

And does Grossman or Spurrier open up the next set up rankings?

[Rashad Reed]

Safety from Plantation, I think his last name is Cash just committed to the Suckeyes.

How the hell is OSU pulling guys from Plantation?

Posted by: ChicagoCane | April 19, 2010 at 07:33 PM
I bet that loser Chris Carter is driving around Broward trying to get the best kids to go to OSU.. I hate him!!

[TJL]

Elvis Peacock

[solarcane]

loco,
I think Grossman was born in Indiana or Michigan

Spurrier could well be on that list but he played his high school sports in Tennessee which got him booted off.

Florida born, Florida Bred was the first requirement.

[solarcane]

loco,
I think Grossman was born in Indiana or Michigan

Spurrier could well be on that list but he played his high school sports in Tennessee which got him booted off.

Florida born, Florida Bred was the first requirement.

[TJL]

Silvio "The Cuban Comet" Cardosa

[JCane]

..and Jeff Driskel, one of the top QB recruits for 2011, out of Oviedo, FL, has verbaled to FU....

Nice ongoing article and list, and a nice weekend sweep of the Heels on the diamond, along with the last inning (okay, the 8th, but it worked) winning run off of a wild pitch.

[Loco]

Posted by: solarcane | April 19, 2010 at 10:24 PM

I just figured you'd continue the trend ;)

[solarcane]

TJL
yea Peacock was a guess by JW I think
Elvis was one of the guys being considered

He only played in the pros three years and his yds per game was only around 37.
If he made the list you will see him real soon because there are some real studs farther on down the line.

[solarcane]

I thought Carlos Alverez was the Cuban Comet??

[solarcane]

loco yea it did look like it was gonna be a Gator lead off every week huh? lol!

[solarcane]

Cardoso was born is Cuba TJL , the entire list are Florida born, Florida raised ( through high school)

[TJL]

what can I say? too many shots of Vodka tonight!

[orange 'n green in the vein]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5115990

Glorified scrimmages can be dangerous.

[Fighting Ibis]

Hey SOUP what's your email? I want my free canespace shirt and ACC gear.

[orange 'n green in the vein]

Grossout was born in Indiana, leading to the infamous Spurrier quote about him, "We don't recruit Indianna, if he wants to play at Florida, he can walk on and prove he can play first."

[solarcane]

TJL
its cool, keep the suggestions coming, I'm sure I missed a couple gems and probably have a few everybody will think suck

Six has some I don't have anywhere on my list

[solarcane]

ogv
that sucks for Love.
He was gonna get to be the top dog now he isn't gonna even play.

[Lurker]

Safety from Plantation, I think his last name is Cash just committed to the Suckeyes.

How the hell is OSU pulling guys from Plantation?

Posted by: ChicagoCane | April 19, 2010 at 07:33 PM

Remember Randy has only 15 schollies.He has to be real picky this year. He has to make those 15 count. We need LBs, DBs, at least 3 WRs, and one really good QB prospect.

[solarcane]

ogv,
I was close, I only remember he went to high school somewhere in the vicinity of Notre Dame.

[solarcane]

and one really good QB prospect.

and maybe a a real field goal/ kick off guy

[SOUP]

Hey SOUP what's your email? I want my free canespace shirt and ACC gear.

Posted by: Fighting Ibis | April 19, 2010 at 10:40 PM

U get NOTHING, and U will like it! LOL

[email protected]

[SOUP]

Hay que Huerta!

[Lurker]

and maybe a a real field goal/ kick off guy

Posted by: solarcane | April 19, 2010 at 11:06 PM

Hopfinger (sp?) covers half, maybe more, of that equation. But yeah, we may need a field goal kicker, maybe. Hate to use a schollie for that when you only have 15.

[CanesFanStuckInCali]

Just finished watching the "NFL's Top 10 Draft Classes" on NFL Network. Check out the list as (unsurprisingly) there are Canes all over the place!!!

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d80798fca&template=with-video&confirm=true

GO CANES!!!

[shwarma]

Soup and the guys writing these article, you have been bringing straight fire lately. Great job!

In terms of Cash, there are limited spots and at Safety we only need 1 (maybe 2 based on how they feel about next years class), so as long as we get our one we are fine.

[IraqiCane]

Great article Solar, can't wait for the rest!

GO CANES!!!

[IraqiCane]

The Final Word: University of Miami Football Head Coach Randy Shannon
by Cory Alpert Contributor Written on April 18, 2010
Doug Benc/Getty Images

Whether you like it or not, Randy Shannon is the coach of the University of Miami Hurricanes.

The school has said before that Randy is their guy. They will stick with him no matter what.

Recent polls have shown that Randy not only has the support of the public, but they also want him to be paid above the ACC average head coach pay of $1.75 million dollars.

Here is why Randy will be the head coach for the next few years:

1.He has the support of the entire Miami administration. Donna Shalala wants to be the college president who hired the first black national championship coach. She will keep him at almost any cost. Kirby Hocutt has also voiced immense support for Shannon, stating after Shannon's momentous win over Oklahoma, that Shannon "was their guy."

2.Players. Shannon is a player's coach. The player's love him. They got him this job and they sure as hell won't take it away from him.

3.Record. Shannon's record is improving dramatically. He has improved two wins every season, so we are looking at 11-3 next year. I factor in the extra post-season game as winning the ACC Championship and an Orange Bowl berth. I hope he can break the tradition and make it 14-0, but we shall see soon enough.
4.Former Players. Andre Johnson, Willis McGahee and Ed Reed. You might know of these players if you have watched ANY Pro Bowl of the last few years. They were also Stand-out Miami players. All of them support Randy and all of them support the team. Trust me that counts for a lot with the Athletic Department.
5.Randy. He is a likable guy and the Board of Directors is utterly in love with him. They have shown him an immense amount of support and respect, in return for his support and respect for them.

6.they have no reason to fire him. As a matter of fact, they like him so much that they are probably going to raise his salary to around the ACC Median.

I called this article the final word because there has been so much talk and debate around Shannon's new contract that I decided it was time to quash the rumors and the stories.

Randy will get a new contract and hopefully a nice new raise. He has the support of the public and the school's administration.

So, stop worrying about if Randy is going to get a new contract or not. He will, as they are just hammering out the details. So, let's look forward to next season instead of worrying about this whole mess.

Oh and by the way, I would like to see everyone write their take on the Miami-Ohio State game.

Give me your own preview of the game. Post the link in comments to this article.

GO CANES!!!

[SOUP]

Can't sleep...carry over from the last blog:

From NBC6 in Miami:

The Clinton Global Initiative University brought 1,300 students from more than 80 countries to Coral Gables, where they discussed their plans for community improvement with leaders who have already seen their own ideas realized. What better way to close an idealistic brainstorm than with actual community service?

100 student-athletes from The U, including football players Jacory Harris, Marcus Forston, Orlando Franklin, and Damien Berry, agreed.

So did Dolphins players Lousaka Polite, Patrick Cobbs, and Greg Camarillo; defensive line coach Kacey Rogers; and former wide receiver Nat Moore.

So did Oakland Raider Nnamdi Asomugha and former Heat star Alonzo Mourning.

From the Miami Herald:

Nickel, 49, started her job as a 25-year-old intern in 1986. Two weeks later her boss quit, and she began working on projects for former athletic director Sam Jankovich.

``She has definitely paid her dues and done so much for the Hurricanes,'' Routh said. ``She's always accessible to the students as well as the staff and has dedicated much of her life to UM. She bleeds orange and green -- which ain't bad for someone who went to Michigan.''

Joining her in the Hall will be Bubba Franks and Jim Cox (football); Jason Michaels and Alex Santos (baseball); Sid Schwartz (tennis); Jenny Keim Johansen (diving); and Ed Morris (basketball).

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/19/1586058/university-of-miami-shines-spotlight.html?utm_source=bleacherreport.com#ixzz0laIVCoUH

From www.hurricanesports.com:

University of Miami senior right-hander David Gutierrez has been named Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday. The award is the third ACC weekly honor for the `Canes this season.

Making just his second start of the season, Gutierrez tossed seven perfect innings in Miami's 9-0 win over Florida Gulf Coast last Wednesday. Gutierrez (3-0) kept the first 21 FGCU batters off the bases through seven - inducing six ground-outs, seven strikeouts and eight fly-outs. Working on a pitch count, Gutierrez was then relieved to start the eighth after his pitch total had reached 84.

Relievers Eric Whaley and Daniel Miranda finished the game as Miami posted its first one-hitter since Scott Maine and Jon McLean combined to accomplish the feat against Wake Forest on May 12, 2006.

[Cat 5 Cane]

Thanks...for the read!

[Cat 5 Cane]

Q: Manny, we all know that Miami has the NCAA record for longest home winning streak at 58 games. Who has the current longest streak in Division 1 and what is the number?

A: Boise State is up to 44 in a row. I believe that's the longest current active streak. The Broncos are hosting Oregon State on Sept. 25 this year. The rest are pretty much cupcakes.
......................................

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/qna/forum/um_sports/index.html#ixzz0ldLd4q8Z

[Cat 5 Cane]

draft

http://sports.miamiherald.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=miami2&page=nfl/draft/2010/index.aspx

[canechic]

Speaking of Ohio (Nick's hated state) his new hero is J. Noah of the Bulls with his quote about the lovely city of Cleveland.......

"I don't know about Cleveland, man, there is nothing going on," Noah said Sunday, lamenting the options for his off day on a typical cloudy and chilly spring day. "It's bad, man."

[Lurker]

IraqiCane

Great write up. Did you write that? If so, fantastic. But either way, thanks.

[Cat 5 Cane]

Draft
I think Graham goes second round to New England