Miami Hurricanes


The Miami Hurricanes are the intercollegiate varsity sports teams that represent the University of Miami, located in the Coral Gables suburb of Miami, Florida. In box scores for sporting events, the Hurricanes sports teams are usually referred to as Miami to differentiate from the Miami RedHawks, an NCAA Division I school located in Oxford, Ohio. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports. Men's teams compete in baseball, basketball, cross-country, diving, football, tennis, and track and field. Women's teams compete in basketball, cross-country, swimming and diving, golf, rowing, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. UM has approximately equal participation by male and female varsity athletes in these sports.
The athletic department's colors are orange, green, and white. The school mascot is Sebastian the Ibis. The ibis was selected as the school's mascot because, according to university legend, it is the last animal to flee an approaching hurricane and the first to reappear after the storm, making it a symbol of leadership and courage. The school's athletics logo is a simple green and orange, color of an orange tree, letter "U." The school's marching band is the Band of the Hour.
Aside from being an independent in baseball, the Hurricanes were a full member of the Big East Conference from 1991 to 2004. In 2004, the school became a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Teams

Baseball

UM has won four national championships and reached the College World Series 22 times in the 34 seasons since 1974. Five UM graduates are currently active on MLB teams.
The team is currently coached by Jim Morris, the former head coach of the Georgia Tech baseball team. Former coach Ron Fraser was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2006. The team plays its games on the UM campus, in Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. Morris' contract as coach has been extended through 2015. Morris has established a record of 850–344–3 in 19 seasons at Miami. His teams reached the College World Series in his first six seasons at UM, an NCAA record. The Mascot for the baseball team is The Miami Maniac.
Miami holds the longest consecutive post season appearance streak at 44 consecutive years. This streak is the longest of any men's NCAA Div. 1 major sport, topping the football post season streak of 35 seasons and the basketball streak of 27 seasons.

Men's basketball

The Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team has produced three players who are currently on NBA rosters. Rick Barry, who played his collegiate basketball at UM, is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Barry is the Hurricanes' only consensus All-American in basketball and led the nation in scoring his senior year with a 37.4 average during the 1964–65 campaign. The team plays its home games at the Watsco Center on the University of Miami's Coral Gables campus.
The Board of Trustees attempted to shut the program down in the middle of the 1970 season, which forced Will Allen to organize his teammates and strike because it was not sufficient notice for the players to transfer schools. They held a press conference and this caught the attention of the national press, and the university actually dropped the program after the 1971 season, with the board citing inadequate facilities, sagging attendance, and serious financial losses as the reasons for the decision. The program was revived before the 1985–86 season, though UM would be minimally competitive over the next several years. The program's fortunes turned around in 1990 when Miami hired Leonard Hamilton as head basketball coach and accepted an invitation to join the Big East. By the end of the decade, Hamilton had turned UM into one of the better basketball programs in the Big East and had guided UM to three straight NCAA tournament appearances, including a #2 seed in the 1999 tournament and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2000. The 1998 tournament appearance was UM's first since 1960.
Hamilton left at the end of the 2000 season to become head coach of the NBA's Washington Wizards and was replaced by Perry Clark. During Clark's second season the team won 24 games and a #5 seed in the NCAA tournament. With the 2002–03 season, the team moved into its newly completed on-campus arena, the Watsco Center. Despite a win over powerhouse North Carolina to christen the new arena, Clark's teams performed woefully over the next two seasons, leading to his dismissal following the 2003–04 season. Clark was replaced by Frank Haith, whose teams were competitive in UM's first two seasons as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In the 2007/2008 season, after being picked to finish last in the Atlantic Coast Conference the Hurricanes finished the year 23–11 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to the second seeded University of Texas at Austin. This was the team's first NCAA tournament bid since the 2001–2002 season.
For the 2009/2010 season, Miami had a winning record overall, but finished in last place in the ACC with a record of 4–12.
On April 4, 2011, Miami coach Frank Haith accepted a head coaching position at the University of Missouri.
On April 22, 2011, George Mason Patriots head coach Jim Larranaga accepted the head coaching position after coaching the Patriots for 14 seasons.
For the 2012–2013 season, Miami knocked down No. 1 Duke 90-63, won their first 13 ACC games, and attained the highest AP ranking in school history, attaining a #2 ranking. However, the Hurricanes lost to Wake Forest, 80-65, ruining at the time, a perfect record in ACC play. Miami clinched an ACC regular season title with a home triumph over Clemson. Miami entered the ACC Tournament as the #1 seed, and won said tournament with a win over the North Carolina Tar Heels. Thanks to this very successful season, multiple members of the program were recognized. Starting point guard Shane Larkin was named the ACC Player of the Year, senior shooting guard Durand Scott was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and Jim Larranaga was named the ACC Coach of the Year. Miami was selected to be the No. 2 seed in East Region of the NCAA Tournament. Their first opponent would be Pacific University. They defeated the Tigers 78-49. Their next opponent would be the University of Illinois. They defeated the Fighting Illini 63-59, allowing them to advance into the Regional Semifinals, where they would lose to Marquette

Women's basketball

UM forward Shenise Johnson, during the summer of 2009, competed on the gold medal-winning USA Team at the 2009 U19 World Championships. The team plays its home games at the Watsco Center on the University of Miami's Coral Gables campus.
In 2009–10, Miami finished last in the ACC. A year later, the Lady Canes went 26–3 in the regular season to finish alongside Duke as regular season ACC champions. Miami went undefeated at the Watsco Center extending their home winning streak to 24 straight games. Despite a quarterfinal exit in the ACC Tournament, Miami's performance was enough to merit the program's first NCAA tournament bid since 1992. After cruising past Gardner–Webb in the first round, they lost to Oklahoma in the second. Head coach Katie Meier won National Coach of the Year, along with Connecticut's Geno Auriemma and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer. Junior guards Shenice Johnson and Riquana Williams were named to the All-ACC first team, sophomore forward Morgan Stroman was named to the all-conference third team, and Johnson was a third-team All-American.
The 2011–12 team returned every player from the 2010–11 squad and was picked in the preseason to win the ACC, though they finished 2nd. In the past seasons, they have made the NCAA Tournament five times.

Cross country

On July 22, 2008, Amy Deem was promoted to Director of Track and Field/Cross Country and heads both the men's and women's cross country running programs. She was head women's track and field coach for the prior seven years.
In the 2006 ACC Cross Country Championships, UM's men finished 12th out of 12 teams, and UM's women finished also finished last out of 12.
At the 2009 ACC Cross Country Championship, UM's men and women again finished last out of 12 teams.

Diving

UM has both men's and women's diving teams. In 2008, the men's team finished 11th at the ACC Championships and finished 18th at the NCAA Championships.

Football

Historically, the Hurricanes are one of the most predominant college football programs in the nation. They have won five Division I national football championships, and are currently tied for fourth on the list of all-time Associated Press National Poll Championships, with Ohio State and USC, behind Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Alabama. The Hurricanes have the sixteenth highest win percentage in NCAA Division I history as of 2018, at.635, and hold the second longest streak of weeks ranked #1 with 20, from October 14, 2001, to October 28, 2002,
, UM has produced two Heisman Trophy winners, Vinny Testaverde and Gino Torretta. Seven former UM football players—Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Warren Sapp, Ted Hendricks, Michael Irvin, Jim Kelly, Cortez Kennedy and Jim Otto—have been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame following their NFL careers. Two former UM players, Ottis Anderson and Lewis, have been named Super Bowl MVPs. Twelve members of the College Football Hall of Fame either played or coached at the school: Ed Reed, Vinny Testaverde, Russell Maryland, Gino Toretta, Arnold Tucker, Bennie Blades, Don James, Don Bosseler, Ted Hendricks, and coaches Jimmy Johnson, Andy Gustafson and Jack Harding. Since the 2008 demolition of the Miami Orange Bowl, the team has played its home games at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
As of the 2018 National Football League season, UM had the fourth-most players active in the NFL of any university in the nation, with 36.

Women's golf

The Hurricanes won the national golf championships in 1970, 1972, 1977, 1978 and 1984. In 1959, 1965, 1972 and 1977, Judy Eller, Roberta Albers, Ann Laughlin and Cathy Morse, respectively, won the women's intercollegiate individual golf championship. The team plays its home matches at Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club in Coral Gables, Florida.

Women's rowing

In July 2009, Andrew Carter, a former assistant coach at Clemson University, was selected as head rowing coach at UM. Carter has over 20 years of experience coaching at the collegiate and international levels. Marc DeRose was hired as assistant coach.

Women's soccer

Miami added a soccer team in 1998. The Cobb Stadium for Soccer, Track and Field was built on the Coral Gables campus in 1998 for the program.

Women's swimming

In 2009, the team finished 8th at the ACC Championships and 24th at the NCAA Championships. The team won the AIAW national championship in 1975 and 1976. UM does not currently have a varsity men's swimming team.

Tennis

played number one singles for the University of Miami in 1996–97. He was named 1997 NCAA Rookie of the Year and an All-American, and finished No. 7 in collegiate rankings. His 39 singles-match wins were a school record, and he was the first freshman since 1986 to win the Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, defeating Fred Niemeyer in the final. He was also named to the 1997 Rolex Collegiate All-Star Team, selected by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and Tennis Magazine, and the Big East Championship Most Outstanding Player.
Julia Cohen was All-ACC for the women's team.
, Kevin Ludwig was the head coach, and there were 9 men and 7 women on the tennis team. The men's team is coached by Mario Rincon, and women's team by Paige Yaroshuk-Tews.

Track and field

In July 2008, Mike Ward, who served for five years as an assistant and 11 years as head coach in the University of Miami's track and cross country programs, retired. Amy Deem, who had been the women's coach for 17 years became the Director of Track and Field/Cross Country. Perhaps UM's most notable athlete is Lauryn Williams '04, who earned nine All-American honors. Internationally, Williams won the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, gold at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, and finished 5th at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics., all in the 100m dash. The team plays its home games at Cobb Stadium on the University of Miami's Coral Gables campus.

Volleyball

The women's volleyball team had a 26–6 2008 season overall with a record of 14–6 in conference matches.

Former varsity sports

UM has sponsored other varsity sports in the past. The University of Miami polo team was undefeated in tournament play from 1948–1951. However, the games were poorly attended and the program ran a $15,000 deficit in 1950. The sport was dropped the following year. Boxing was one of the most popular and successful athletic programs on campus through the 1950s. Varsity boxing matches attracted sizeable crowds. A sanctioned men's soccer team played for a handful of years from the mid 1970s through the early 1980s, but the program received little funding and no scholarships, before finally being dropped.

Club sports

Co-ed Sailing Team

The University of Miami Sailing Team qualified for the Gill Co-ed National Championship in 2016 and 2018.
Founded in 1961, the Sailing Canes are one of the oldest club sports on campus. In 2004 they formed the first competitive sailing team at the "U".
Governed by the ICSA, The University of Miami Sailing team joined the South Atlantic District in 2004 and competes against universities such as College of Charleston, University of South Florida, Eckerd College, UNC, UGA, Duke, and the University of Florida.
With the ideal sailing conditions in Miami and Biscayne Bay, UM is the perfect place for a collegiate sailing team. The team currently practices at the United States Sailing Center in 8 Flying Juniors owned by the team.. The majority of collegiate regattas are held in two-person Club 420s and Flying Juniors, or one-person Lasers.
They are a student run organization who have 4 dedicated volunteer coaches from the Miami sailing community, enabling them to hold practice 3 days per week and accommodate students different class schedules. Team members are required to attend at least half of all practices and meetings to be considered "active members".
The University funds about half of their budget through the Student Activities Fund Committee, covering practice/facility expenses and travel within their district plus championships. Expenses for travel to out-of-district intersectionals are funded solely through private donations.

Championships

NCAA team championships

Miami has won 5 NCAA team national championships.
Below are 16 national team titles that were not bestowed by the NCAA:
The University of Miami, as articulated by its former president Donna Shalala, has been very supportive of achieving gender equity and complying with Title IX. Shalala wrote of her support in a Miami Herald column on the 30th anniversary of that law. However, in the past, female athletes filed complaints with the federal government in the 1970s and 1980s alleging unequal funding and facilities for UM women's sports.
Of the $46.8 million in annual athletic expenditures, $23.9 million were spent on men's team, $9.8 million were spent on women's teams, and $13 million can not be allocated based on gender.
Miami has notable differences between the graduation rates of male and female student athletes., UM graduation rates had 70% graduating within 4 years, 80% graduating within 5 years, and 82% graduating within 6 years. Male student athletes have a 57% graduation rate, and 67% of female student athletes graduate.
Some critics of Miami's allocation of fiscal resources within the Athletics Department have blamed the decision to drop certain men's teams on Title IX compliance.

Rivalries

Miami's traditional athletic rivals include the Seminoles of Florida State University and the Gators of the University of Florida. The Hurricanes have played more football games against the Seminoles than against any other opponent ; the series began in 1951, and has been played annually since 1969. The teams' only bowl meeting was the 2004 Orange Bowl, prior to Miami leaving the Big East Conference to join the Atlantic Coast Conference As of the 2019 meeting, the Hurricanes hold a 34–30 series lead against the Seminoles.
The Hurricanes first played the Gators in football in 1938; and the teams played annually until 1987. Since then, Miami and Florida have met only six times. The Hurricanes and the Gators last scheduled meeting was the game in Miami on September 7, 2013. As of the fall of 2013, Miami holds a 29–26 series lead against Florida.

UM Sports Hall of Fame

The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame is located next to the Hecht Athletic Center on campus. It houses many artifacts and memorabilia from the Hurricanes' athletic teams over the last 80 years. Each year, the Hall of Fame inducts former athletes who have been out of school at least 10 years, or coaches and administrators, in an annual banquet.
Since its inception in 1966, the UMSHoF has inducted over 250 of the greatest student-athletes.

Notable alumni