We blocked a kick and a punt and blocked a field goal that day. After suffering a gruesome injury in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, McGahee entered the 2003 NFL Draft knowing he would have to sit out a season to rehab. The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered by some experts and historians to be the greatest team in college football history. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? It was unreal, just to see the trophy come out. That openness allowed us to truly get to know the players and coaches, and develop a rapport with them, so we could tell their stories in a deeper way -- and share a fair narrative as the season unfolded. We were winning, but we left a lot of points on the field. Dorsey That gave us a chance. / The Hurricanes were led by first-year head coach Larry Coker and played their home games at the Orange Bowl. It seems like that every year. Nobody was too "big time" for anything. And they had a great defense. You had Sean Taylor behind him. Let's go, man! Jump inside of it. The dominance of the team during its 2001 campaign combined with the legacy those players left -- both in college and the pros -- makes a strong argument that this is the best college football team ever assembled. But a diving, game-saving interception by Ed Reed sealed the Miami victory, 2624. / They were cracking jokes at us, and they thought that they were gonna just drag us all over the football field and just pound us. The consensus among college football analysts is that the 2001 Hurricanes had the most talented roster in history. From there, this iconic team started its journey toward greatness. The fourth quarter was fun for us, because at that point, the game was kind of in hand, and everybody got to enjoy and be part of it: first, second, third string guys, everybody was getting in and getting to play. We'd been through so much pain. Oh, absolutely I was scared. Its hard to say in the case of Willis McGahee. Gonzalez However, in the final minute of the fourth quarter, with Miami clinging to a 127 lead, BC quarterback Brian St. Pierre led the Eagles from their own 30-yard line all the way down to the Hurricanes' 9-yard line. Renew Now Close Topbar. Rankings for the 2023 NFL draft: Top prospects at every position from Kiper, McShay, Miller, Reid, Kiper's new Big Board rankings for the 2023 NFL draft: Top 25 prospects, Syracuse QB Shrader to miss spring practice, Sources: Asst. 3 back. Walters Like Portis, McGahee was a two-time Pro Bowl player and a national champion in 2001. Romberg Media Requests / Reed has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A lot of people talk about the struggles against Florida State, but we had those struggles against Virginia Tech. We win, and we're in that locker room, and when you work for something for so long, and you achieve it, there's a certain sadness. In interviews with players and coaches, here . Hurricanes Can Finish With Best Regular Season in Program History. As the 2001 Miami Hurricanes celebrated a fifth national championship in the . Miami didn't have that edge. How good is that? "We really had leaders on that team, and I don't think that can be matched," Reed said. The team's first-, second- and third-string running backs all later became running backs with a start in the NFL, a feat only done at least five other times. But I remember a few days before the game we did a two-minute drill, our No. Guys rallied behind him. 1 in both polls -- was sitting at No. When Butch left, we were kinda stuck, and I remember we all went upstairs to talk to Mr. Dee, myself, Bryant McKinnie, Ed Reed, Ken Dorsey and a couple more guys. But these guys wanted to win that two-minute drill as bad as they wanted to win the Rose Bowl. He was like, "You serious?" Miami started with a 90 lead over the Boston College Eagles, but Miami's offense began to sputter as Dorsey struggled with the swirling winds, throwing four interceptions. We let the country know what this whole season was going to be about. I have covered more national champions since 2001 Miami that could make their own claim, too. Do you have a sports website? But I feel like if you look at the history, every team that's won a national title has had a game like that, where it comes down to the last minute and if you lose, your season's over. 1 defense. The environment was pretty spectacular. "They were the hardest workouts we ever did," cornerback Mike Rumph said. It didn't really hit me until afterward. That's how much we've been around each other. In doing so, Portis ran for 1,200 and 10 touchdowns with a 5.5 yards per carry average for the Canes. They could have scored a touchdown or kicked a field goal and that season has an asterisk next to it. We knew when I was there, but in 2001, it became reality. Less than 24 hours to renew your football tickets! Rumph If we needed to win it on defense, let's go win it on defense. Privacy Policy "It was literally, you're doing the same thing that I'm doing. Shannon A stacked running back room, which featured Frank Gore as the No. That's what you love about great leaders is they respect their teammates, they love their teammates, but they're going to hold their teammates accountable. We knew a kid could run and be athletic and we had the blueprint for that. Vilma played for the 2001 Hurricanes; Bush played for the 2004 Trojans, widely regarded as two of the most talented teams ever assembled. That was it for Miami. I'll never forget, he said he really liked our team. How about 2013 Florida State, a team so loaded with talent all 22 of its offensive and defensive starters that year ended up on an NFL roster? Former Miami Dolphin and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor and defensive ends coach Rod Wright talk on the field during practice at Greentree . Back then, we had availabilities three times a week with players, an open locker room after games and access to practice, too. A lot of us were going into our senior year, and we didn't want to have to risk playing a little slower, still trying to learn something. Employment They thought that we looked like a high school team. That's to win the national championship. We were bad that day. They had confidence. Whats taking Mario so long to find Coaches? Going into the locker room after the win at Virginia Tech, it was special. Shockey had been there and done that, but we had new guys stepping in who weren't first-round draft picks yet. Employment Can the Lions fix their defense? We all had our careers that take off from there, but from my eyes, I was like, "What now?" We felt very disrespected, for the simple fact that we were coming into the season highly ranked, and they had a White Out game. And he comes to me when we're in Pasadena, he's like, "Look, don't worry, it's gonna be easier in the game. To me, it was special, and I knew it was going to be a tough game. I went to the University of Florida, where as a freshman in 1995, the Nebraska Cornhuskers staked their claim to the greatest-of-all-time throne after dismantling the Gators in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl. One of the greatest safeties in college football history, Reed twice earned first-team All-America honors while guiding the Hurricanes to a national championship in 2001Led the Hurricanes to four consecutive bowl victories, ending career with perfect 12-0 record and 2001 national championship win over Nebraska2001 BIG EAST Defensive Co-Player It was grit and toughness for him, and it was important he was in there the whole time. Larry coming in, two new coordinators, there were a lot of questions. We had it in us, and we knew we had it in us. There were moments in that season that we felt we deserved to win those close games, because we outworked those teams in that offseason. Vince Wilfork, Frank Gore, Kellen Winslow, Sean Taylor -- they were all NFL first-rounders and they were all back-ups on that team. It was the other intangibles we were looking for.". He didn't care about scolding players if they didn't do their jobs. Some of our most beloved Canes shared a meeting room in 2001. That off-season, the team resolved to take the matter entirely out of the discretion of the computers by going a perfect 120. We go to the sideline, and Randy Shannon, after the first series he's like, "Hey, how do they look?" They made sure their offseason workouts were the most intense of their lives. Dorsey there was no mention of GOATs or legacies, just one line at the bottom that noted: "This UM team has joined elite company.". But nobody wanted to waste the opportunity in front of them, either: A shot at the school's first national championship in 10 years. We let them drive right before the half and Ed Reed wasn't in that drive because he had dinged up his shoulder. Men's Basketball . Coker If you look at the film, at the last second as he's falling to the ground, he looks up to see if it's Ed, and he lets the ball go. I turned around, and the next thing you know, the ball is floating to me in slow motion. It was a program that was meant to sink or swim guys. Behind Portis were Gore, McGahee and Payton with Davenport blocking for. But there were a few things in the contract we were having a difficult time agreeing on. It wasn't something given. Fitzgerald Kenny was the perfect guy. Schumann returning to Georgia, Adelson: 2001 Canes make case for college football's GOATs, Miami's turnover chain set a celebratory standard across the college football landscape. Coker It was a competitive culture and accountability was huge and he built a family environment. There are vivid moments that stand out to me that season. It started as a joke first, but it just went to like, no matter what you put us through, we can't be hurt. We knew that was going to be a tough game. I think the next year, we had the mindset that, no matter what happens, we have to take care of business. The thing that was most impressive about that team is that, at any point in time, a younger player could take your position. . 13. This Week in Miami Hurricanes Basketball: 2/27 Edition. They remain the only team to have its first-, second-, third- and fourth-string running backs all later become running backs with a start in the NFL. You look back on it, and man, that was a great play by Mike, by me, by Ed. At the time, [Paterno] wasn't taking JUCO transfers, and that was one of the schools I would've went to, so when I got a chance to play against them I said, "I'm gonna show him. Vilma We're intense, pulling up on the buses. 2001 Miami (FL) Hurricanes Roster Previous Year Next Year Record: 12-0 (1st of 117) ( Schedule & Results ) Rank: 1st in the Final AP poll Conference: Big East Conference Record: 7-0 Coach: Larry Coker (12-0) Points For: 512 Points/G: 42.7 (3rd of 117) Points Against: 117 More Team Info Miami (FL) School History 2001 Miami (FL) Statistics But Larry was a perfect fit for that team. The scholarship recipient is chosen each year by the football coaches . And I've debated that, and it's like, 'Yeah, whatever, you can talk.' Mark Richt - 171-64- (72.8%); Georgia (2001-15), Miami [FL] (2016-18) New Hurricanes transfers The Canes have secured pledges from two talented transfers in the past two days: Purdue defensive . We're tougher than you think.". It didn't matter who stood in the way, they didn't stand a chance against us. I think also, what rattled them was how much fun we had while being violent and being intense. Six players were drafted in the. Gore has added another 77 rushing touchdowns on his way into the NFL record books. 2001 Football Rosters. The year before, Miami lost at Washington 34-29 -- and that loss ultimately kept the Hurricanes out of the national title game they felt they deserved. The ladies win their home finale, prep for their conference tournament matchup on Thursday. Two Hurricanes have won the Heisman Trophy and nine have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Prior to the 2006 Rose Bowl, ESPN's SportsCenter ran a special in which the 2005 USC Trojans, led by stars Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White, were compared with the greatest college teams of the past 50 years, as picked by sports fans voting on ESPN.com, to determine their place in history. Given all the challenges associated with the 2020 season, the Crimson Tide could easily make their case. Shockey was diving for balls, Ed Reed was coming up full-speed, full-tackle. Odds & lines subject to change. I remember the doctor saying he couldn't really throw the ball. He basically announced to everybody, "This is our guy.". It was always like a family. QB Ken Dorsey That [last] interception was by Ed Reed. Every team has to go through that, because that's how you get calloused to know that no matter what happens, you're going to find a way to win. Vilma played for the 2001 Hurricanes . At that point, it was like, all right, the last game then we're going to ship. The Canes became arguably the greatest team in CFB history 20 years ago, finishing 12-0, winning the national title and producing 38 NFL draft picks. Matt! Reed Miami led 12-7 with under a minute to play, but BC had first-and-goal at the Miami 9-yard line. Fitzgerald Miami won 187.[11]. Davis left Miami after coaching the Hurricanes to an 11-1 season in 2000. After an interception, Ed Reed strips the ball from his teammate and takes it for a touchdown to seal Miami's win vs. Boston College during the 2001 season. "I'm willing to line our 2001 team up against any collegiate institution, anytime, anywhere," center Brett Romberg said. It's almost like that life doesn't exist. Larry wasn't a sexy hire at the time, and it's rare the players have that kind of influence over who gets hired. including 17 first-rounders and at least one Hall of Famer in Ed Reed. The first quarter, we'd always said, once we got the speed of the option down, we'd get it done. 1. Does that mean I didn't root for Vince? They knew he was the straw that stirred the drink. The Hurricane defense picked up the slack by limiting BC to just seven points. In 2000, Miami was shut out of the Orange Bowl BCS National Championship Game by the BCS computers. Former Heisman Trophy Award winner Eric Crouch led the Nebraska Cornhuskers into the Rose Bowl to face the Miami Hurricanes in the 2001 national championship game.. The 2022-23 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team represents the University of Miami during the 2022-23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was the Hurricanes' 76th season of football and 11th as a member of the Big East Conference. Not only that, they were honoring one of their past players who got paralyzed, he was able to walk again so they were going to have him run out. Being from California, playing in the Rose Bowl was special for me. If Greg Schiano had not left and gone to Rutgers it would've been a potential for him to get the job, but I was glad for the staff and players that there wouldn't be a blow-up. Coker It really set the stage -- to not only win but be a dominant team like we were. $400,000 was initially raised to endow the scholarship, the only undergraduate award presented by the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame. Williams; and defensive backs Ed Reed, Mike Rumph, and Phillip Buchanon. Ed was definitely yelling my name, "Matt! Vilma got into a debate several years ago with former USC running back Reggie Bush when the two played for the New Orleans Saints. There will be unsung heroes picking up blitzes. The players coming to my backing was a big asset in me getting the job. As did what happened in October, when Miami -- ranked No. As of 2013, they had earned a combined total of 43 trips to the Pro Bowl: Ed Reed (9), Andre Johnson (7), Frank Gore (5), Vince Wilfork (5), Jeremy Shockey (4), Jonathan Vilma (3), Willis McGahee (2), Chris Myers (2), Clinton Portis (2), Antrel Rolle (2), Sean Taylor (2), Bryant McKinnie (1), and Kellen Winslow II (1). When I caught it, I wasn't thinking about running it back for a touchdown. All rights reserved. Our communication wasn't good. "This was happening in the BCS era, so no one really had an edge from a College Football Playoff perspective that all the great talent is going to go to those participants, which is kind of what's going on with Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State right now. In the years since Miami's 2001 championship, the team's reputation has only grown. When he spoke, the team listened. That's always what Miami had been about, and what set it apart in my mind. But the number of great players, first-round draft choices and players who got drafted, it's amazing really. The guys before us set an expectation of how hard you had to work and what that standard was, and we knew we had to live up to that. Williams Williams 1 Miami Flattens No. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. The same standings that kept Miami out of the 2000 national championship game. Romberg The motivation of being upset and disappointed, that played a huge role in going to the Sugar Bowl and what we did against Florida to make a statement that we probably should've been the champs. We were trying to showcase how tough we were. Then in 2002, with Frank Gore out, exploded on the scene with 1,753 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns on 6.2 yard per carry. The nearly hundred-year-old Hurricanes pennant once waved by a member of Miami's original freshman class. I think they might have called us Michelin men because some of the guys when they first put clothes on, they literally look like the Michelin tire guy because they were loading up like they were going into a frickin' blizzard. / A lot of people doubted if they should have made the championship. I remember Ed coming up next to me. The final hurdle to the Rose Bowl BCS National Championship Game was at Virginia Tech. Adelson: 2001 Canes make case for college football's GOATs, Breaking down the latest in 2024 football recruiting, from top commits to March visits, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, ACC boss: Rule changes backed by FBS leaders, Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash, Stoops: QB Leary (pec) 'close to full go' for UK, Hall of Fame coach Ault named to CFP committee, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, Ex-Vols staffers agree to show-cause penalties, UNC hires ex-Browns HC Kitchens as assistant, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? And I'll never forget seeing the wave of red of Nebraska fans pulling up that seemed like it went for miles. I was hurt before this game. Chudzinski, Shannon and defensive backs coach Mark Stoops all went on to head-coaching jobs. Najeh Davenport was in the three headed monster backfield of the 1998 season with Edgerrin James and James Jackson before injuring his knee. Coker Chudzinski Sterling, sadly, had. Romberg A lot of us came back just for this game. .mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}. BC was certainly a good team, and it looked like we weren't supposed to win it, but somehow we did. At that point, euphoric adrenaline runs over you. Buy Now. I knew we'd have a good team, but there were a lot of questions because of the coaching changes. Like, literally none. Sports. Walters ran ten yards with the ball before teammate Ed Reed grabbed the ball out of his hands at around the Miami 20-yard line and raced the remaining 80-yards for a touchdown. After that, there are issues like roster. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Miami had zero touchdowns. / I helped cover that team, too. You had Phillip Buchanon and Mike Rumph, and you had Antrel Rolle behind them. They're driving to win, the whole stadium thought they were about to win. Both teams were ranked in the top 15 at the time they played. They pushed each other to the limit, and the one thing that separates that group, they were super, super competitive. Williams, Antrel Rolle, Vince Wilfork, Frank Gore, Willis McGahee, Chris Myers, Andre Johnson No other team is even in the conversation. ", Flashback Friday pic.twitter.com/qCE9gnzI5E. Like you knew in your bones that we were going to pull it out. We knew, we got them out here, with the weather, the physicality, they weren't going to be ready for that. It goes beyond the talent, which speaks for itself: 38 NFL draft picks, including 17 first-rounders and at least one Hall of Famer in Ed Reed. Can the Lions fix their defense? I said to our athletic director Barbara Hodges, "Let's reschedule that game for another year," and she was like, "No, We have to go." I couldn't get off the ground fast enough to go give him a hug. Because when Jimmy [Johnson] left after winning two national championships, they really changed the whole program, and I didn't want that to happen to those kids. Cleveland scored . How deep was the 2001 Miami Hurricane roster? For whatever reason, we always played them close in my four years there. Additional contributors included future stars Kellen Winslow II, Sean Taylor, Antrel Rolle, Vernon Carey, and Rocky McIntosh. Ed Reed, Kenny Dorsey -- they took ownership of everything: Lifting, the workouts in the summer, coming in to watch film. Rumph Walters Dorsey The one newspaper that I still love to this day is the New York Times because they picked us as national champions at the end of the season. It has been achieved by the 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide football teams and the 2012 Wisconsin Badgers football team. Williams Don't ask me if I'm alright. I wanted to play more. Vilma You can make the argument it's the most talented team to ever play. If you don't drive them, you're going to be in trouble. The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered to be the greatest collection of players in college football history, at least as measured by the NFL Draft. This 2001 Miami team crushed Nebraska for the title in the Rose Bowl. Coker That roster included 38 players who went on to . Call 1-800-GAMBLER. . Head coach Larry Coker DC Randy Shannon Still, the resilient Hokies had one more chance to win the game late, taking possession of the ball at midfield and needing only a field goal to take the lead. They embraced it, and that's when I learned the great ones want to be driven. You had to work. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Overall, 38 members of the team would be selected in the NFL Draft. The leaders on that team were their best representatives -- doing all interviews asked of them. 4 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. 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