When quarterback Carson Beck and the No. 10-ranked Miami Hurricanes take the field at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Monday night to face the top-ranked Indiana Hoosiers and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Hurricanes will look to add to the school’s national championship history.
Monday night’s game is the College Football Playoff National Championship finale, and it promises to be entertaining. Fielding entertaining teams, though, has been a staple of Miami’s national championship squads. Players like wide receiver Michael Irvin, “The Playmaker” himself, have etched their names in Miami Hurricanes football lore.
The Hurricanes, or better known as “The U” to their fans, have not been a stranger to winning college football’s national championship. They’ve been able to put the national championship trophies into their own trophy case over the years.
Miami Hurricanes’ National Championship History
Miami has five national championships in its college football history. Let’s take a look at how the Hurricanes built their national championship history.
1983: Miami 31, Nebraska 30
With head coach Howard Schnellenberger leading the charge, the Hurricanes pulled off a major upset. The Nebraska Cornhuskers entered the Orange Bowl, where Miami played its home games at the time, as the top-ranked team in college football.
In front of the hometown fans in Miami, the Hurricanes denied the Cornhuskers a go-ahead two-point conversion with less than a minute left. After Miami won the game, voters in the Associated Press’ Top 25 poll put the Hurricanes in the No. 1 spot, giving the Hurricanes their first national championship title.
1987: Miami 20, Oklahoma 14
In another bowl game at the Orange Bowl, the Hurricanes entered this clutch game as the No. 2-ranked team in the Associated Press’ Top 25 poll. Oklahoma entered the bowl game ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The Hurricanes, in head coach Jimmy Johnson’s fourth season, pulled off a 20-14 victory over the Sooners. After the Orange Bowl win, Miami was ranked No. 1 and took home its second national championship. The Hurricanes finished with a perfect 12-0 record, too.
1989: Miami 33, Alabama 25
For their third national championship, the Hurricanes headed to New Orleans, La., for a Sugar Bowl showdown with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
In head coach Dennis Erickson’s first season leading Miami, the Hurricanes went into the Sugar Bowl and toppled Alabama 33-25. The victory led voters in the Associated Press’ Top 25 poll to put the Hurricanes on top of the college football world.
Quarterbacks Craig Erickson and Gino Torretta led the Miami offense throughout the season, while running back Leonard Conley anchored the rush attack.
1991: Miami 22, Nebraska 0
Erickson was in his third season as Miami’s head coach. He was attempting to win his second national championship in three seasons.
Once again in its history, Miami played in the Orange Bowl, hoping to secure its fourth national championship against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Hurricanes’ defense threw a shutout, leading the Hurricanes to a 22-0 victory.
But this season, the Hurricanes did not win the national championship outright. In the Associated Press Top 25 poll, Miami was ranked No. 1 by its voters. But in the coaches’ poll, the Washington Huskies earned the No. 1 spot.
2001: Miami 37, Nebraska 14
Larry Coker had taken over as the Hurricanes’ head coach, following in the footsteps of Butch Davis. Coker wanted to make a big splash in his first season and, well, consider that mission accomplished.
Coker’s Hurricanes finished a perfect 12-0 on the season, topping it all off with a 37-14 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Miami was ranked No. 1 throughout most of its season. The Hurricanes entered the Rose Bowl as the college football world’s top-ranked team and made sure that it stuck.
The Rose Bowl served as the BCS National Championship Game that season. Quarterback Ken Dorsey and wide receiver Andre Johnson were the key players in defeating the Cornhuskers.
On Monday night, the Hurricanes hope to add a sixth national championship to their illustrious history.
