This week the Rakontur guys released their fifth deleted scene from “The U”, titled ‘Jimmy In, Olivadotti Out’. Long-time fans of the program recall the era very well – with many most likely afraid to admit where their loyalties lied.
Tom Olivadotti was the fan favorite, while Jimmy Johnson was a virtual unknown from then-Big 8 country. Many wanted to “keep it in the family”, which you see late in the clip below as tackle Dave Heffernan pushed for the then-defensive coordinator.
In Heffernan’s defense, the 2000 Hurricanes did the same thing when Butch Davis headed to the NFL, singing the praises of then-offensive coordinator Larry Coker.
The rest is obviously history.
Olivadotti headed to the Miami Dolphins in 1987, after a tumultuous relationship with Johnson. (Anyone who thinks Randy Shannon got a cold reception at The U – JJ’s was absolutely arctic.) From there he enjoyed stints with the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Houston Texans, before retiring a few years back.
As for Jimmy, an 8-5 inaugural season … followed by 10-2, 11-1, 12-0 and 11-1. Two national title game appearances, one championship and a 52-9 record at Miami, before heading to Dallas and winning three Super Bowls.
In hindsight, a no-brainer but at the time, a very bold and aggressive move by then-athletic director Sam Jankovich. One can only imagine the lambasting Jankovich would’ve taken if sports talk radio, the Internet, ESPN and everything else media-related was as in your face twenty-five years ago as it is today.
Check out the clip below and remember that “The U” will be released on DVD on Tuesday August 17th. allCanes.com will start taking pre-orders in the coming days and we’re still working on an in-store appearance with Billy Corben and the Rakontur guys. Stay tuned.