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Rush ing the Field
Staff Editorial
Seventy-one years of tailgates, touchdowns and triumph come to an end on Saturday when the Hurricanes play their last game at the Orange Bowl. While new memories will surely be created at Dolphin Stadium in years to come, students and faculty alike are hoping to make this game one to remember.
The game, against the Virginia Cavaliers, will kick off at 7:15 p.m. on Nov. 10. A committee consisting of representatives from the athletic department, student affairs and the president’s office, among others, has been working on the events surrounding the game throughout the semester.
“We are excited about celebrating this last game,” said Donna Arbide, associate vice president of alumni relations and executive director of the UM Alumni Association. “We have a pre-game party planned for over 1,000 alumni donors and exciting pre-, post- and halftime shows.”
Among the notable alumni that will be in attendance are 200 former football players, including Bernie Kosar, Michael Irvin and Andre Johnson. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will do the coin toss and Grammy award winner Jon Secada will sing the national anthem.
In addition to guest appearances, UM will also give out posters to all fans in attendance. Students will receive T-shirts designed by the winner of a contest hosted by Student Government and Category 5.
“We will be giving out 7,500 T-shirts before the game,” said SG President Danny Carvajal. “SG is playing a supporting role at the last game alongside Category 5. They are taking the lead and we are devoting 100 percent of our resources to them.”
Category 5 also has a pep rally planned today at 12:15 p.m. and is coordinating the senior walk.
“I didn’t do the freshman walk and it’s the last UM game at the Orange Bowl,” said Colin Summers, a senior. “I really can’t pass that up.”
Many students have family members and friends coming to town for the game. John Nolan, a senior graduating in December, will be hosting his mother, father and three brothers for the weekend.
“It’s my last game as a student at Miami and the last game at the Orange Bowl, a stadium with so much history,” Nolan said. “My family wanted to be a part of it.”
Nolan also has the special privilege of watching the game at field level. As a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, he will be on hand to set off Touchdown Tommy, the cannon the fraternity shoots at the beginning of both halves, the end of the game and after every touchdown and extra point. Touchdown Tommy has been an Orange Bowl staple since 1937.
“Being on the field and shooting the cannon is going to be one of the best parts about the game,” Nolan said. “It’s a tradition, and it’s cool that I get to be a part of that history.”
Veronica Sepe may be contacted at v.sepe@umiami.edu.
Halftime special guests
Harry Mallios: Fullback from 1950-52 and Director of Athletics from 1979-83.
Don Bosseler: Running back from 1953-56. Named a first-team All-American in 1956. Later played for the Washington Redskins. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990. Elected to the UM Ring of Honor in 1999.
George Mira, Sr.: Played quarterback from 1961-63. Named an All-American in 1962 and 1963. Played for several professional football teams. Was elected to the UM Ring of Honor and had his number 10 retired in 1997.
Pete Banaczak: Running back from 1963-65. Went on to play professionally for the Oakland Raiders from 1966-78.
Ray Bellamy: Wide receiver from 1968-69. The first African American student-athlete at the University of Miami.
Burgess Owens: Defensive back from 1970-72. Named an All-American after his senior season. Went on to have a long professional career. Inducted into the UM Ring of Honor in 1999.
Ottis Anderson: Running back from 1975-78. Played for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants in the NFL from 1979-92. Named MVP of Super Bowl XXV in 1991. Inducted into the UM Ring of Honor in 1999.
Bennie Blades: Played safety from 1985-87. Named an All-American in 1986 and 1987. 1987 winner of the Jim Thorpe Award as college football’s best defensive back. Had a long pro career with the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Bernie Kosar: Quarterback from 1982-84. Passed for nearly 6,000 yards and was the starting quarterback on UM’s first championship team. Went on to a stellar pro career. Inducted into the UM Ring of Honor in 1999.
Michael Irvin: Wide receiver from 1985-87. Played 12 years for the Dallas Cowboys where he was a member of three Super Bowl champions. Inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2007.
Russell Maryland: Played nose tackle from 1986-90. Named an All-American in 1990. Was UM’s first recipient of the Outland Trophy, honoring college football’s best interior lineman, that same year. Had a 10-year pro career with the Cowboys, Raiders and Packers.
Darren Smith: Linebacker from 1989-92. Named an All-American in 1991 and 1992. UM’s first National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholarship recipient. Played 12 seasons in the NFL.
Gino Torretta: Quarterback from 1989-92. Was the quarterback of the 1991 national champion Hurricanes. Became UM’s second Heisman Trophy winner (along with Vinny Testaverde) following his senior season.
Andre Johnson: Wide receiver from 1999 to 2002. Co-MVP of the 2002 Rose Bowl victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He caught seven passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns in that game as UM claimed its fifth national title. Currently plays for the Houston Texans.
– Compiled from Hurricanesports.com