Steve Kim: Saying Good-bye to an Old Friend

Published Nov 7, 2007

Saying Good-bye to an Old Friend

This Saturday night marks the last time the Miami Hurricanes will call the Orange Bowl home when
they face the Virginia Cavaliers. Starting next season, Dolphin Stadium, with all its million-dollar renovations and modern amenities will be where the team called 'The U' lays down its helmets.

Being a life-long native of Southern California, I really haven't been to that many games at the Orange Bowl, but being a long-time Hurricane fan, I do feel a part of my childhood and fandom is being taken away.

In the mid-80's as Miami became a national power, I can still recall the electricity of the 1984 Orange
Bowl Classic when an underdog Miami squad led by Howard Schnellenberger and Bernie Kosar stunned the nation and the mighty Nebraska Huskers to win its first national title. Then there was the rabid intensity of the 1989 grudge match against the top-ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. People in South Florida still talk of this magic night. If there was ever a game where South Florida came together to support the Canes like other programs in college towns, this was it. Or who can forget the images of Brian Bosworth being burned in effigy before the 1986 showdown with Oklahoma ? Then there was the 31-0 whitewashing of pre-season #1-ranked FSU in 1988, a game that was moved up in the schedule to accommodate CBS.

As I grew older and made some money, eventually I'd make my way to South Florida . My first Orange Bowl experience was 'The Hurricane Bowl' of 1998 against UCLA that took place on December 5 th, after the original September date was postponed because of an oncoming hurricane. Coming off a 66-13 drubbing at the hands of Syracuse the week before, and led by the hard-churning legs of Edgerrin James - who would rush for 299 yards - the Canes overcame a 38-21 third-quarter deficit to upset the Bruins 49-45.

The game was attended by only 48,000-plus die-hards, some of whom left after UCLA had put up its 38th
point. But as Miami had cut the lead to ten on its next possession and Al Blades forced a key fumble soon
after, with the sun setting and lights coming on, it became one of those special nights that was the trademark of this venue. Scott Covington played the game of his life, as did Andre King, who filled in for an injured Reggie Wayne. And it got loud - so loud that by the time Miami was driving for the winning touchdown, Covington had to ask the crowd to quiet down as the Canes approached the fabled West End Zone Crew. As Cade McNown's last desperation heave fell incomplete, jubilant Miami fans rushed the field - which happens as often as sell-outs for noon games against Temple .

I was one of those who rushed the field - and proud of it. A group of fans celebrated with players at midfield. Covington and James were carried off the field as conquering heroes. No goalposts were torn down, lest the local police department be allowed to take batting practice, but I did take home a chunk of the Orange Bowl turf with me. And yes, I have it to this day.

Since then, I have seen Wide Right III and Wide Left I against FSU, the miraculous comeback versus Florida in 2003 engineered by Brock Berlin, and unfortunately, some losses that signaled the decline of the program under Larry Coker, live and in person at the Orange Bowl.

In the era of the modern luxury arena and state-of-the-art stadiums, the Orange Bowl had become a relic. At one point it played host to Super Bowls and historic prizefights like Aaron Pryor-Alexis Arguello. But now, it doesn't even play host to the bowl game that shares the name of the stadium. The Orange Bowl Classic long ago moved to the Hurricanes' soon-to-be-new home.

At one time, long ago, the Orange Bowl represented the greatest home-field advantage in all of sports. For a whole decade, from 1985 to 1994, Miami went 58 games there without a single blemish. It's still an NCAA record. But presently, it's just another road trip for ambitious teams looking to win a conference game. Since 2003, Miami has dropped at least one home game each season. And those losses have come to mediocre clubs like Georgia Tech (twice), Clemson (who had lost to Duke a few weeks earlier in 2004) and most recently, North Carolina State .

How's this for irony? If Miami fails to beat the Cavs, the Canes will leave the Orange Bowl on a three-game losing streak. Some would say it's symbolic of where the program is today. And it signals that perhaps a change is needed.

Nostalgia and tradition are great, but the reality is that the 'Grand Old Lady' has aged irreparably and had become more trouble than it was worth. Home-field advantage is only as good as the team that defends its turf. Recently, Miami hasn't exactly been doing the Under Armour routine in protecting this house.

They say there is a price for progress. Unfortunately, the fiscal realities of running an athletic department
made the Orange Bowl an economic liability. So, beginning next September as Hurricane fans enjoy their plush new surroundings, they leave behind an indelible piece of their history; the Canes' and their own. Fathers, who once went to games years ago with their dads at the Orange Bowl, will now take their children to Dolphin Stadium. Generations of Hurricane fans who spent countless hours and had cherished memories at the rusty, decaying erector set of a stadium located in a working class area of Dade County, now will have to make the trek to suburbia to watch their beloved Canes. There was a certain grittiness about the Orange Bowl. By contrast, Dolphin Stadium is the very definition of antiseptic and stale.

But, to Randy Shannon's heralded new recruits, who most likely have no sense of the history of the Orange
Bowl, the new digs represent modern luxury, a palpable taste of the NFL and a chance to carve out their own history. For the football program, it's a new silo that can be shown to prospective recruits in what has
become an arms race in college football.

Yeah, the Orange Bowl was behind the times, oftentimes dirty, unkempt, rusty, falling apart and decrepit. But it was our home and we wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I wasn't there often, but it was still my college football cathedral.

And I'm gonna miss it.

Steve Kim is a frequent contributor on CanesOverHere.com and runs his own website, Maxboxing.com. He can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com

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