Rakontur releases ‘The U’ bonus footage…

The guys at Rakontur are gearing up to release “The U” on DVD mid-August and to help build hype, they’re releasing some bonus footage and deleted scenes online.

The clip below warrants some discussion as it talks about the intangible that has always made Hurricanes tougher than the guys across the line; the sweltering South Florida heat.

It was said that then head coach Howard Schnellenberger “didn’t believe in water” – leading guys to hide ice bags in the bushes, which they’d pounce on when faking a bathroom break. A sure-fire lawsuit in 2010, it was most definitely a different – and tougher – world back in the early 80s. (Just before the :30 mark then athletic director Sam Jankovich talks about how he was expecting a fatality any day.)

According to former offensive lineman and current radio announcer Don Bailey Jr., “He (Schnellenberger) was gonna put a product on the field that was tougher than anybody else’s and in better condition than anybody else’s.” Former offensive coordinator Art Kehoe spoke of the conditions and said Schnelly felt that there was no way you’d survive this type of weather and not end up winning the game.

Sun, humidity and time of day were three factors Miami coaches have always used during the summer to give their players an advantage come fall.

“If you are conditioned and you are in great shape in Miami, you will win your fourth quarter,” said Bailey Jr.

The Canes owned the fourth quarter in the 80s, much of the 90s and in the early 00s, but that hasn’t always been the case as of late. Butch Davis handed Larry Coker a gritty, seasoned team in 2001, but by the mid 00s, that was no longer the case.

Randy Shannon focuses on local athletes and Miami products who know this weather all too well. Safe bet this is a big reason why. Stronger. Faster. Better. It’s an old UM mantra that needs to come back under this current regime.

Shannon did his time on Greentree in the sweltering heat. Here’s hoping he keeps running this kids into the ground leading up to September. No telling how many games in 2010 will be won during those final fifteen minutes.

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