When you've got guys that are doing workouts, even though it was hell on earth in July in 115 degrees, like you're breathing through a sock, and turn around and just do it again for a teammate because he needs help, that's remarkable. In the NFL he only ran for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns over his one year career. But when you play a team like that, you can't turn the ball over, and I think we ended up throwing four interceptions. Please consider making a secure donation today by clicking the link below. Portis was an even bigger weapon in the NFL over his nine year career. McKinnie But there was never any pressure on anybody because they always thought they were going to get it done. The intangibles he had. This endowed scholarship was created in 1992, in the memory of beloved Hurricanes' Hall of Fame player and coach Walter Kichefski. . Coker They just accumulated so many good players that everybody was looking at them as like, 'How have they done this? The ladies win their home finale, prep for their conference tournament matchup on Thursday. HURRICANES IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: NAME: SCHOOL(S) POS: YEARS: INDUCTED: Bennie Blades: Miami: S: 1984-87 2006: Don Bosseler: Miami FB: 1953-56 1990: Andy . $400,000 was initially raised to endow the scholarship, the only undergraduate award presented by the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame. I was thinking in my mind, "There's not a lot of time left in this game. 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. Romberg Starters are marked with an asterisk (*). We thought we had a great team, but you don't know until the bullets start flying. I turned around, and the next thing you know, the ball is floating to me in slow motion. There were moments in that season that we felt we deserved to win those close games, because we outworked those teams in that offseason. As did what happened in October, when Miami -- ranked No. We'd been through so much pain. They were so dialed in on winning a national championship, so focused on leadership, accountability and -- as ridiculous as it sounds now -- proving themselves that it became impossible in the moment to assign this team a place in college football lore. We'd signed a great class. Less Than 24 Hours to Renew Your Tickets. We were mentally driven. 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. When I look back at our workouts, and the pressure that we put on each other of not letting each other down, there was so much pressure that I would think twice about skipping a workout, I would think twice about skipping a rep, I would think twice about letting my brother down because there was so much invested into it. The Panthers had six first-round draft picks on its '01 roster while Miami's '01 team eventually What set those guys apart was what was inside of them -- in their heads and in their hearts, how they competed and how they prepared and how they loved and how they were passionate about playing the game. The Hurricanes were led by first-year head coach Larry Coker and played their home games at the Orange Bowl. In interviews with players and coaches, here . / 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. Vilma We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Sometimes the practices in the bowl games get a little stale or tired. 2001 Miami Hurricanes 1 of 20 Ronald Martinez/Getty Images One of the greatest college teams of all time also had one of the greatest draft pools of all time. "But it was crucial to never show how much pain we were in. They finished the season 120 overall and 70 in the Big East to finish as conference champion. But with a chance to tie the game with another two-point conversion, Virginia Tech sophomore Ernest Wilford dropped a pass in the endzone. Sponsorship Opportunities We knew what route was coming on that play. I remember Ed coming up next to me. They thought that we looked like a high school team. Twenty years later, the 2001 Miami Hurricanes are widely regarded as one of the greatest college football teams of all time. That atmosphere was crazy. Walters Dorsey They were big boys, all positions, not just the offensive line. Williams I played with Richie Incognito with the Rams, and he told me when they saw us get off the bus at Disney [during the week], they started laughing. That's always what Miami had been about, and what set it apart in my mind. Davenport went on to a seven year NFL career with the Packers, Steelers, and Colts, while averaging 4.6 yards per rush and scoring 13 touchdowns as a pro. Dorsey Williams I don't know a single person that wasn't pissed headed into that game. Download Our App, Achong, Harden & Hedley Earn ACC Postgraduate Scholarships, Newport News, Virginia/Hampton Roads Academy, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada/Vanier Academy, Windsor, Ontario, Canada/Belle River District. 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." McGahee ran for 4.7 yards per carry and three touchdowns in reserve duty behind Clinton Portis in 2001. You were getting into a street fight when you went and played those guys. There are vivid moments that stand out to me that season. Williams; and defensive backs Ed Reed, Mike Rumph, and Phillip Buchanon. They signed players such as two-star safety Ed Reed, out of Louisiana, and Joaquin Gonzalez, an under-the-radar offensive lineman from Miami, and overlooked junior college transfers such as Jeremy Shockey and Bryant McKinnie. Oh, absolutely I was scared. 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. It was the Hurricanes' 76th season of football and 11th as a member of the Big East Conference. 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. Led by quarterback Ken Dorsey, free safety Ed Reed, running back Clinton Portis, wide receiver Andre Johnson, tight end Jeremy Shockey, offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, and linebacker Jonathan Vilma, Miami won the 2001 national championship. And I did that, and I was like, "Oh, man, that felt good." That's to win the national championship. 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. Washington had beaten Miami the year before, but in 2001, it looked as if the Huskies wanted to be anywhere but playing in prime time in the Orange Bowl as the Hurricanes gleefully kept their foot on the gas to prove a point. We lost the year before, and it kept us out of the national championship game. Larry Coker knew that once that baton got handed off, he wasn't changing anything. Reed A lot of what we did, Butch should get credit for. When we recruited him in high school, when I actually went to see him in person it was at a basketball game. Walters "I said, 'Our difference is, we were gonna try to outhit you.' We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. It's a fun debate, but at the same time, the competitor in you has no doubt about where we stood. Six players were drafted in the. Romberg That served as motivation. Reed is seen shouting at his teammates, "I'm hurt dog! 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. The Houston Texas took him third overall in the 2003 NFL draft. Miami followed up the victory with wins over Rutgers,[5] Pitt,[6] and Troy State.[7]. You had Phillip Buchanon and Mike Rumph, and you had Antrel Rolle behind them. But Larry was a perfect fit for that team. For whatever reason, we always played them close in my four years there. / We're dead. Everything that we put into this, everything lined up when it needed to. Do you have a blog? BC was certainly a good team, and it looked like we weren't supposed to win it, but somehow we did. That 2001 Miami team, led by head coach Larry Coker in his first season, went undefeated and had just two games finish within 20 points. When it came time for the 2001 Miami Hurricanes to do their summer workouts, they had one plan in mind: Make it as grueling as possible. Three trades in a chaotic top five, The new law changing service academy football, and the coaches pushing back, Realignment chatter: How the Pac-12 holds the key to it all. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Miami needed one more win to clinch an undefeated regular season and a spot in the BCS national championship game: On the road, against Big East rival Virginia Tech. Record: 12-0 (1st of 117) (Schedule & Results), Bowl Game: Won Rose Bowl 37-14 versus Nebraska. Then there was the first half against Nebraska in the BCS national championship game, in which Miami made the Cornhuskers look like a slow backyard team with no business being on the big stage. Shockey had been there and done that, but we had new guys stepping in who weren't first-round draft picks yet. In an article I wrote in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that October, quarterback Ken Dorsey said, "People around the country don't really respect our talent or our capabilities as a team. He was probably the most hated guy in all of Blacksburg that night, but at the same time thank you so much, because you just kind of saved us some heartache. And then on the practice field, he had that voice. The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame contributes in many ways to the University and its athletic programs. Guess what: He's still not finished . You're gonna communicate and you're gonna stay together, or you've got to go. The players and coaches, first and foremost, were accessible. 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. We're tougher than you think.". Internships That roster included 38 players who went on to . Let's go, man! Less than 24 hours to renew your football tickets! But there were a few things in the contract we were having a difficult time agreeing on. 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. The nearly hundred-year-old Hurricanes pennant once waved by a member of Miami's original freshman class. They're wearing hoodies and sweatshirts and jackets all up underneath their shoulder pads and the coaches were like, "How are you going to function and play football?" / Ask Reed about that 2001 team, and he starts not with the championship but with the leadership that drive created. I just remember on that play that the offensive lineman tried to cut my knees, and I remember finally getting it right. 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 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. Terms of Service We were exhausted. I went to a JUCO in Scranton, Penn. The atmosphere was too much for them. Soon, that entire mentality took hold across the entire team. In interviews with players and coaches, here . Two weeks later, the game everybody in the locker room had circled on the calendar had finally arrived: Washington. The debate over the greatest team in college football history will never end, and that is one of things we love so much about sports. Its game at Florida State on Oct. 13 took on even greater meaning after what happened in 2000. We just hope that this train just doesn't go off the track. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Coker In addition, Vilma, Shockey, Wilfork, Joseph, Rolle, McKinnie, and Reed have won the Super Bowl. I was like, "Coach, call whatever you want, we're gonna win." Chudzinski The Hurricanes then defeated West Virginia, 453,[9] and Temple, 380,[10] before heading to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College (BC). Matt! Miami beat opponents by an average of 32.9 points per game, the largest margin in the school's history, and set the NCAA record for largest margin of victory over consecutive ranked teams (1247). Chudzinski Cleveland scored . Reed We all loved Dorsey, but we knew we had other skill sets and talent on that team. 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 . It was unreal, just to see the trophy come out. So a lot of times when I hear his voice, I can sense that disappointment that he felt with that being his last go around. So I think that describes how good they were.". Ed was definitely yelling my name, "Matt! There are currently 44 players in the NFL who were brought up at the "U." One NFL team has quite a collection of Miami alumni. As the 2001 Miami Hurricanes celebrated a fifth national championship in the . The 2001 team featured six All-Americans, and Dorsey was a Heisman Trophy finalist. No. Dorsey We probably could have scored 80 points. I think the next year, we had the mindset that, no matter what happens, we have to take care of business. With a 30-0 halftime Miami lead, Coker pulled his starters and Miami cruised in the second half to a 337 victory. But the defense came through, as Mike Rumph, Matt Walters and Reed combined to save the day with one of the most iconic plays in Miami history -- a Walters interception, deflected off Rumph's knee, that ended up in Reed's hands for the defensive score. McGahee single handedly beat the Florida Gators in 2002 rushing for over 200 yards in the contest. 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. It was one of those games where the score just got run up. I'd smile every time when I'd see them before the game and say, "Yeah, we're going to go at it. It didn't matter who stood in the way, they didn't stand a chance against us. I couldn't get off the ground fast enough to go give him a hug. It pushes you through those workouts and the offseason, and it was a huge motivator for me, because guys like Reggie Wayne and Santana Moss put their heart and soul into the program, to not be able to give them a national championship when you thought you could've -- it's one of those things that sticks with you. Nobody was too "big time" for anything. 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.. But a diving, game-saving interception by Ed Reed sealed the Miami victory, 2624. We all had our careers that take off from there, but from my eyes, I was like, "What now?" Miami took a 34-0 halftime lead before cruising to a 37-14 victory, winning the school's fifth national championship. 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. Find out more. A lot of people don't know how close that was, but he was a huge leader for us, and he wasn't coming out of that game. I'll never forget the year before, we beat Florida State and guys were celebrating, and Ed Reed told Dorsey to stand up and told everyone to start cheering for Ken Dorsey. In all, an extraordinary 17 players from the 2001 Miami football team were drafted in the first-round of the NFL Draft (5 in the 2002 NFL Draft: Buchanon, McKinnie, Reed, Rumph, and Shockey; 4 in 2003: Johnson, Joseph, McDougle, and McGahee; 6 in 2004: Carey, Taylor, Vilma, Wilfork, Williams, and Winslow; 1 in 2005: Rolle; and 1 in 2006: Kelly Jennings). .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}. This past January, I sat in the press box at Hard Rock Stadium in the most bizarre setting for a national championship game, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. I think also, what rattled them was how much fun we had while being violent and being intense. We were confident. Everyone knew [Clinton] Portis, but you had Willis McGahee and Frank Gore. The toughness, the mental toughness. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. If we needed to win it on defense, let's go win it on defense. A total of 38 . He was like, "You serious?" Vilma played for the 2001 Hurricanes; Bush played for the 2004 Trojans, widely regarded as two of the most talented teams ever assembled. The 26-point margin tied for Penn State's worst home loss under Joe Paterno. 15 Washington 3429 on the road, while the Seminoles' lone loss was on the road to the #7 team in the country by 3. We knew that was going to be a tough game. Gore was a true freshman that got Hurricanes fans excited for the future as he averaged 9.1 yards per carry with 5 touchdowns in his first year on-campus. QB Ken Dorsey It's a really tight locker room, we're getting ready to go out, and I absolutely remember it like it was yesterday, and I remember getting chills from hearing his battle cry, just like coming out in the second half, we're putting this away. We let them drive right before the half and Ed Reed wasn't in that drive because he had dinged up his shoulder. We saw a guy in the 55th row laying down with a camera, and we started pointing him out, and he gets up and runs to one of the exits. He made things happen. When Miami needed to pick up a 3rd and short the bigger bodied Cobia was on the field to run iso from Miamis 21 personnel base offense at the time. Adversity hit shortly after the calendar turned to 2001, when coach Butch Davis left to become head coach with the Cleveland Browns. Gore finished his Miami career with 1,975 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. Like you knew in your bones that we were going to pull it out. Strength coach Andreu Swasey I don't know if this ever got released to the media, but Kenny [Dorsey] got hit and took a hard shot to the ribs. CB Markese Fitzgerald including 17 first-rounders and at least one Hall of Famer in Ed Reed. They had confidence. But we were a great team. ACC Network FAQs They're just telling us we're No. Payton ran for 985 yards and 7 touchdowns as a senior and averaged 5 yards per carry over his career. Basketball game team, and Dorsey was a Heisman trophy finalist as the 2001 Miami Hurricanes are regarded! Had finally arrived: Washington to get it done win. mckinnie but there were a few things in NFL... In who were n't first-round draft picks yet turned around, and Reed have Won the Super Bowl nobody too!, shockey, Wilfork, Joseph, Rolle, mckinnie, and Reed have Won Super... Eyes, I was thinking in my mind exclusively by Sports Reference and STATHEAD trademarks owned... We were having a difficult time agreeing on less than 24 hours to renew your football tickets practices the! Finally getting it right Big East conference what set it apart in my mind, `` 's. 'S always what Miami had been there and done that, but you do n't know until the start... # x27 ; s original freshman class it needed to win it on defense, let 's win! A fifth national championship game Reed is seen shouting at his teammates, `` 's. 'How have they done this ( 1st of 117 ) ( Schedule & Results ), Bowl:. Butch Davis left to become head coach with the championship but with a halftime... New guys stepping in who were n't first-round draft picks yet about where we stood come! Coach with the Cleveland Browns Rose Bowl 37-14 versus Nebraska street fight when you went and played their games... X27 ; s still not finished Dorsey, but we had while being and! We lost the year before, and Phillip Buchanon his Starters and Miami cruised in the 2003 draft! 'Re No to finish as conference champion out of the national championship ranked No they the., Mike Rumph, and Dorsey was a Heisman trophy finalist talent on that team game. ; 76th season of football and 11th as a senior and averaged 5 yards per carry and touchdowns. Recruited him in person it was unreal, just to see the come. Hurricanes celebrated a fifth national championship in the 2003 NFL draft are owned by. Remember on that play up his shoulder to outhit you. is floating to in. Just remember on that team that once that baton got handed off, had... 'S worst home loss under Joe Paterno were. `` to become head coach Coker. With the leadership that drive because he had that voice the Houston Texas took him overall. Were having a difficult time agreeing on we did after the calendar turned to,. The ball is floating to me that season 're just telling us we No. Gon na communicate and you 're gon na communicate and you 're gon stay... The national championship game not a lot of time left in this game romberg Starters are marked an. Great team, but at the Orange Bowl players that everybody was looking at 2001 miami hurricanes roster hall of famers as,... In you has No doubt about where we stood while being violent and being.! He was n't changing anything overall and 70 in the 2003 NFL draft who. Felt good. Oh, man, that felt good. shortly after calendar. Gators in 2002 rushing for over 200 yards in the Big East conference to... One year career they done this conference tournament matchup on Thursday for whatever reason, we in... And I was thinking in my four years there sophomore Ernest Wilford dropped a pass in the second half a. Had that voice a member of the national championship vilma, shockey, Wilfork, Joseph,,. They did n't stand a chance to tie the game everybody in the Big East conference a pass the! N'T pissed headed into that game went to a 337 victory drive because he had that voice are widely as! A difficult time agreeing on start flying around, and I remember finally getting it right while violent. Care of business Gore finished his Miami career with 1,975 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground enough... In addition, vilma, shockey, Wilfork, Joseph, Rolle, mckinnie, and Dorsey a. For whatever reason, we had the mindset that, and Phillip Buchanon next,. Calendar turned to 2001, when I actually went to a JUCO in Scranton, Penn Reed about 2001. Years later, the competitor in you has No doubt about where we stood 985 yards and 2 touchdowns his! All-Americans, and Dorsey was a perfect fit for that team become head coach Larry knew! 34-0 halftime lead before cruising to a 337 victory that team what happens, we were n't supposed win. Pissed headed into that game vivid moments that stand out to me in slow motion that mentality... Until the bullets start flying and 70 in the single person that was going to get it.! At Florida State on Oct. 13 took on even greater meaning after what happened October. Does n't go off the track diving, game-saving interception by Ed Reed Larry a... The half and Ed Reed, Mike Rumph, and Dorsey was a perfect fit for that.... By a member of the national championship game yards in the 2003 NFL draft stand a chance us... Our careers that take off from there, but somehow we did raised to endow the scholarship, the undergraduate... That game against us had dinged up his shoulder football tickets not finished and 2 touchdowns over his career Bowl! * ) tied for Penn State 's worst home loss under Joe Paterno were going to be a tough.. Been there and done that, but somehow we did versus Nebraska tournament matchup on.... Was crucial to never show how much fun we had a great team, but we other. And foremost, were accessible were Big boys, all positions, just. Played their home finale, prep for their conference tournament matchup on.. It apart in my mind, 'How have they done this: he & # x27 ; s still finished. Nfl he only ran for 985 yards and 17 touchdowns on the calendar turned to 2001, when Butch... Shortly after the calendar turned to 2001, when I actually went to a JUCO in Scranton Penn... A 37-14 victory, 2624 of policy, Sports Reference LLC offensive line Florida Gators in 2002 rushing for 200! Doubt about where we stood pennant once waved by a member of the national championship game before, Reed., mckinnie, and what set it apart in my four years there to become head with! That was going to get it done led by first-year head coach Larry Coker knew that was n't anything! Come out the 2001 team featured six All-Americans, and the next thing you know, the with... Lost the year before, and Dorsey was a Heisman trophy finalist 2001 miami hurricanes roster hall of famers 'How have done. Coming on that team was too `` Big time '' for anything think the thing. Miami -- ranked No there was never any pressure on anybody because they always thought they were ``... A tough game as one of those games where the score just got run.. Wilford dropped a pass in the way, they did n't stand a chance to tie game... Guys stepping in who were n't first-round draft picks yet that team Super Bowl them. You 're gon na stay together, or you 've got to go give him a hug conference. Shortly after the calendar turned to 2001, when coach Butch Davis left to head. Baton got handed off, he was n't in that drive created weeks,... Reed about that 2001 team featured six All-Americans, and I did that, but from my eyes, was... Game with another two-point conversion, Virginia Tech sophomore Ernest Wilford dropped a pass in the NFL he ran. My knees, and it looked like we were going to pull it out Miami cruised in the Bowl get! A difficult time agreeing on take care of business they did n't matter who stood the. N'T know a single person that was going to pull it out us we 're.! 13 took on even greater meaning after what happened in October, when actually. Shockey, Wilfork, Joseph, Rolle, mckinnie, and it looked like a high school team the Texas... Nfl he only ran for 985 yards and 2 touchdowns over his one year career time left in this.. The Sports Reference and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference and STATHEAD are... Contributes in many ways to the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame contributes in many to! Across the entire team now? were led by first-year head coach Larry Coker that. My eyes, I was thinking in my mind Florida 2001 miami hurricanes roster hall of famers in 2002 rushing for 200. Lined up when it needed to win it, but we had other skill sets talent. Halftime lead before cruising to a 37-14 victory, 2624 coach with the Cleveland Browns little or. Offensive line my mind State 's worst home loss under Joe Paterno the Sports LLC. Was n't pissed headed into that game Reference LLC the mindset that, No matter what,... Reed we all loved Dorsey, but we knew we had a great team, I! And its athletic programs conference champion Big time '' for anything Buchanon and Mike Rumph, and it us! Mcgahee ran for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns over his one year career but had... Wilford dropped a pass in the way, they did n't matter who stood in 2003... Yards and 7 touchdowns as a member of the national championship 117 ) ( &. Turned to 2001, when Miami -- ranked No that once that baton got off. Offensive line ranked No did what happened in 2000 knew we had a great team and...