On paper it doesn’t sound like much. New Miami Hurricanes athletic director Kirby Hocutt heard of a small public outcry, got involved and righted what looked to be a wrong.
In reality, it was a great PR move by the new AD for a fan base that’s felt burned by Miami’s athletic department and past regime.
The Canes are headed to Dolphin Stadium as the Orange Bowl and all its history have been reduced to a pile of recently removed rubble. Miami’s athletic department will get a financial shot in the arm from the move, but will have contend with a fiery fan base questioning their every move and resisting change.
The latest dilemma? No midfield “U” logo on game day. One of many long-time Miami traditions looked to be extinct as the Canes are competing for field space with the Dolphins and Marlins.
When the news was announced last weekend, the message board jockeys were out in full force, voicing their opinions on matter.
It wasn’t pretty.
To his credit, Hocutt sprang to action – setting up Monday morning meetings in an effort to find a compromise that would keep Miami’s tradition alive, without stepping on the toes of its new stadium ‘roommates’.
The verdict? The “U” will resurface as soon as late September, barring the Marlins’ post-season agenda. Dolphin Stadium will grow a special patch of grass with the “U” on it and that turf will be transplanted onto the field for 5 of this season’s 6 home games.
The result is similar to what is currently done for Dolphins home games regarding doing away with the Marlins’ pitching mound on Sundays.
It’s a small step for Miami fans, yet a giant leap for a new athletic director trying to win over a fickle fan base. The action itself is important, as tradition continues – but more importantly, it proves that Hocutt has his ear to the ground and is listening to the concerns of the fan base.
If there was a cause worth taking up, Hocutt chose a good one out the gate. Over time, this fan base will continue to have issues with the athletic department’s decision-making.
Winning a small battle up front will definitely keep some of that heat off… for now.
Nice move, Kirby.
In other news, Hocutt struck another exciting chord when he mentioned wanting to renew a rivalry with Miami and Notre Dame. He stated that The U is done playing the likes of FIU and is interested in booking “marquee opponents”.
Once the Irish get a new athletic director in place, Hocutt is interested in a prime-time showdown with the former rivals in one of their neutral site NBC games.
I smell one of two things here (1) the Irish going for a ‘bigger name’ opponent, like another service academy or (2) ND wanting that ‘neutral’ site to be in Chicago, at Soldier Field.
If Hocutt can get the dream match up of Notre Dame and Miami on the books again, this new AD will achieve rock star status in no time.
I knew this was going to happen when they decided on moving to Dolphin Stadium. Most of the Dolphins games i have been to in the past had no fins logo, and the baseball field was in full view. I thought it looked cheap, and more so like sh*t. Atleast we’ll eventually get a U logo, of the Marlins don’t make it into the playoffs. First the OB is gone, then Canesfest is just for the season ticket holders, and now we “might” get a U logo on the field.
-Joel
Being in Columbus, I hadn’t heard about this. My reaction is that The U logo needs to be on the field too. It may be small but with not having our own stadium, we need to have everything else we can, to get a feeling of belonging. I just hope there’s some sort of home field advantage. Nothing can be worse in college football, than a sterile, quiet environment. This isn’t an opera fans want to go to. I understand the administration’s need for new revenue streams, but they also have to realize that any streams are based on this team and program should be presented in as good a light as possible. I think The U logo is an important gesture. We have enough against us.
-Columbus Cane
-Columbus Cane
Not a bad move… What about the rumors swirling of a a renewed rivalry with Notre Dame… Any truth to that?
Now that we got painting out of the way, lets focus on winning games.
ESPN schedules a documentary about Miami Hurricane football — and hold your breath…
ESPN has ordered a documentary on the University of Miami’s football program. But don’t expect a rah-rah booster flick. It’s being produced by Alfred Spelman and Billy Corbin, whose last documentary was Cocaine Cowboys, a searing recollection of the 1980s when narcotrafficker corpses piled up so fast that Dade County had to rent refrigerated trailers to handle the morgue overflow. (Spelman and Corbin have produced a sequel about narcoqueen Griselda Blanco — Cocaine Cowboys II: Hustlin’ With The Godmother — that’s scheduled for DVD release this month.)
The UM documentary will air as part of a series called 30 for 30 — 30 films covering sports events of the past 30 years, commemorating ESPN’s 30th anniversary in 2009. No air date has been set. But ESPN’s announcement of the acquisition noted pointedly: “No program’s style has been more of a lightning rod for simultaneous excellence and controversy than the University of Miami.”
Sun Sports is also doing one that a 26 part series but I can’t find anything about that one because it’s actually going to speak good of the program.
PLEASEEEEEEEE let me know if you hear of anything of dates & times.
Not a bad move… What about the rumors swirling of a a renewed rivalry with Notre Dame… Any truth to that?
—————————-
From what I’ve read, ND wants to play at a neutral site.
This ESPN documentary has me pretty upset. I can’t expect that network to have anything nice to say about our program. I can’t understand why the administration has allowed this. Some oversight by Dr. Donna, Colcutt and the BOT is needed over WHAT these clowns are allowed to put in this (expected) travesty, even if it means threatening a lawsuit!
Enough is enough as far as ESPN is concerned.
As soon as I heard the news about The “U” not being put on the damn field – ya, I fired off an email to Mr. Hocutt. There should be no excuse whatsoever to not have The “U” at midfield. I also read this quote from Mr. Hocutt: “it’s too difficult to replicate the same process in the end zones. Instead, we’ll have traditional collegiate striping in the end zone with diagonal lines” .. what? How the hell is it too difficult? I live in Tampa where USF shares Raymond James Stadium with the Bucs – when the Bucs don’t have a home game the next day, USF has both their logo at midfield and also “Bulls” in the endzone. When the Bucs do have a home game the next day, “Buccaneers” is in both endzones with the USF symbol at midfield inside the Buc logo. Here, take a look for yourselves at Raymond James (cut and paste the links) …
Without a Buc home game the next day:
http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/4127/raymondjamesek6.jpg
With a Buc home game the next day:
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/5359/raymondjames2ag3.jpg
I don’t want any damn stripes in the endzones at Dolphin Stadium so it will look like that stadium in South Bend-Over Indiana …. are you f*cking kidding me with that? I’d want nothing – and I mean NOTHING – to resemble that 120 yard waste of grass and soil. If USF and the Bucs can do it, why can’t The “U” and ‘Fins do it? If anything, how about putting two white helmets on either side of the endzone – in both endzones – with The “U” logo in it. Then, paint over it after the game and paint the Dolphin logo in it for Sunday. That’s better than nothing and it’s sure as hell better than the stripes. Am I getting too fired up about this? Maybe. But it’s a since of pride and tradition to have your logo and name on your home turf.
Remember when you moved into a new apartment or different house and it had bare walls? What made it feel like home? It’s when you would put your stamp on it by placing paintings/pictures/posters/etc. on the walls .. then it felt personal, it felt like “home”.
It seems utterly irrelevant, juvenile or just straight up stupid to others when it comes to matters like this involving the team logo. Call me juvenile then – believe me, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it if anyone does. What have you seen cause more “meetings” at midfield between two teams before or after a game? It’s when the opposing team runs and stomps on the logo at midfield … it’s when the opposing team impales their flag at midfield in the logo … it’s when the opposing team strikes their sledgehammer or axe at midfield in their logo. How many ‘Cane fans remember when Ed Reed took the back of his cleat and etched a “U” into the FSU logo at midfield and said “This is our house” in a pre-game walk thru before the Miami/FSU game? I do. Does the sense of pride in your logo just take place in college? Anyone remember George Teague (that name still stings me to mention it) running and trying to knock Terrell Owens out when he ran to midfield and stood in the middle of the Dallas Star with his arms outstretched?
It’s a territorial mindset entrenched in athletes heads – hell, it’s even in the ideal of a slogan used by Under Armour “we must protect this house”. I’ve been in professional locker rooms where the team logo was in the middle of the floor and the players rules were that you NEVER EVER step on the logo – no matter who you are. It wasn’t something that some players that had been in the league a couple of years instituted – it was something that the experienced veterans put into place and drilled into the young players heads. It’s a sense of pride in your team and organization … it’s a sense of home. Seeing how the ‘Canes had their house torn down and they’re now in some antiseptic country club environment rent-a-field – why not try and make it feel as close to home as possible?
Does it just apply to the field that the team plays on? Ever notice training rooms or weight rooms for a school? Notice what’s on the floor, on the head of the benches, at the foot of the racks? (cut and paste links)
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/7269/facilitiestt4.jpg
Notice what’s on Greentree? The PRACTICE field where ‘Canes are born and bred?
http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/6239/greentreebj3.jpg
So is it just me that gets fired up about the most vicious logo ever created not being at midfield, in the endzones, or anywhere else possible that it can be placed? Is it just me that is believes in this juvenile, utterly irrelevant or just plain stupid mindset of territorial thinking? I think not. Why would they go to the trouble of putting The “U” on Greentree? Why would they go to the trouble of putting The “U” on the benches in the weight room, the floor of the squat racks, on the floor of the weight room, etc.? It’s because that symbol is a source of strength, pride, dedication and hard work by those prior to you who bled orange and green to make it so. You want it on your field to remind you. You want it in your weight room to remind you. You want it on your practice field to remind you.
I applaud Mr. Hocutt for listening and responding to the uproar. I also applaud him for understanding the enormous sense of pride and tradition it symbolizes by having The “U” at midfield. Hopefully Mr. Hocutt shoots Head Coach Jim Leavitt a call at USF to ask how he and the Bucs crew are able to do what they do with Raymond James. I’m sure Leavitt won’t mind talking with one of his former players. Hopefully, another step will be taken to add more “U” to the field.
Another thing, I know there’s no way around this for now but I abso-f*ckin-lutely hate a dirt infield on a football field. Move the Marlins to The Light and make them play there .. maybe they’ll actually have a sell out for once – ya, I said it. Hopefully they’ll get knocked out of any shot of the post season.
p.s. Teddy “Parlay” Dupay is a complete waste of human life that should be castrated with a hand held can opener.
S.Woodward, well said. I forgot about the Marlins playing there as well and despise part of the diamond being on the football field. The Marlins need to go somewhere else so there can be a football only facility. As far as TwentyBinders talking about a Notre Shame series, I’d tell the Dumbass Domers we play a home and home or nothing. What’s the deal with them wanting to play all these teams at neutral fields? That is not what college footabll is about, and they are definately not above that, having not been relavant in 20 years. But if they want to bring back the hatred (which THEY ended by the way, after we got more than our share of wins), then do it right and play on enemy territory. As I have stated for years, I say no big time teams should schedule the Clover Boys again until they join a conference like everyone else. I put this at the feet of The Big Ten since about 3 or 4 teams play ND yearly. But do the series right or not at all. We don’t need them. Schedule a real team like USC, Georgia or Texas or something.
– Columbus Cane