Canes Bowling Tournament Brings Back Memories

BY David Villavicencio

Last night was one of the coolest Mondays a Hurricanes fan could ask for.

The UM Sports Hall of Fame hosted their first ever Celebrity Bowling Tournament at Splitsville in The Shops at Sunset Place and it was a huge success.

The event gave Canes fans an opportunity to bowl with a former UM athlete. There was also an auction that featured signed memorabilia and a 2001 National Championship ring.

I was invited to bowl on a friend's team and we bowled with former Canes basketball star, Steve Edwards. Steve was engaging, entertaining and fun to bowl with. We all had a great time.

In addition to Edwards, there were tons of excellent former Canes athletes who were happy to interact with anyone who approached them. Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Gino Torretta was there. So were Reggie Wayne, Brett Romberg, Randall "Thrill" Hill and Bubba Franks.

Me and former Canes standout Reggie Wayne

One of this year's inductees, former offensive lineman Rich Mercier, bowled in the lane next to ours. Duane Starks, Earl Little and Darrin Smith added some defensive flair to the event. Former offensive lineman and president-elect of the UM Sports Hall of Fame KC Jones was there and so was former Canes baseball star Alex Santos.

All of the athletes were happy to take pictures, sign autographs and interact with the many Canes fans in attendance. I was able to meet many of these talented athletes that I grew up watching at the Orange Bowl, Mark Light Stadium and the Miami Arena.

As someone who has always loved the Canes, Monday's bowling event was a great opportunity to meet and interact with many of my favorite players from when I was a kid.

I hope they put the event on again next year because I am already looking forward to it.

For more pictures from the event, check out this photo gallery from procanes.com.

Canes snag a stud DB

BY David Villavicencio

Tracy Howard is staying home.

The top-rated cornerback in the country announced he would play for the hometown Hurricanes and join a group of freshman defensive backs that could see a ton of playing time next season.

Howard will be a candidate to play early and potentially start as a freshman. Miami does not have any standouts returning at corner and Howard is expected to be the type of player that can make an impact from the minute he steps on a college campus.

While Howard is the highest rated corner Miami has signed, there are several other outstanding talents that will be joining him as freshmen next season.

Deon Bush from Columbus High School in Miami is a big, physical corner that could pair with Howard to form one of the best cornerback tandems in the country by the time their college careers are done.

Vernon Davis and Larry Hope, two more local cornerbacks, will have a chance to earn some playing time early as well. Davis was a shutdown corner for Miami Coral Reef and Hope is a talented corner from Miami American.

Tracy Howard shows the world what it's all about

The Canes also picked up three more corners from outside their backyard.

Antonio Crawford is one of the newest additions to Miami's class. The corner from Plant HS is Tampa, Fla. committed to Miami following a visit this past weekend. Previously committed to Georgia Tech, Crawford has looked impressive on his highlight film and stood out when he covered future teammate Malcolm Lewis in this year's state title game.

Ladarius Gunter is a Junior College transfer that is expected to play early. At 6-foot-2, Gunter can match up with an opponent's biggest receiver and he can use his 4.4 speed to run with their fastest one too.

Nate Dortch is another bigger cornerback at 6-foot-1. Dortch hails from South Fort Myers HS and he is expected to add depth and develop into a contributor in the defensive backfield over his career.

Coach Al Golden addressed a huge need at defensive back in this class. With Howard, Bush, Davis and the rest of those talented corners coming in, Miami's secondary could become a strength very soon.

National Signing Day: A College Football fan's Christmas

BY David Villavicencio

National Signing Day is here!

In a few hours, high school seniors from across the country will announce their college choices and fax in their letters of intent.

NSD is a holiday for college football fans. It's kind of like Christmas. You know what most of your presents are going to be but there are always a few surprises.

Signing Day is no different as most schools have the majority of their recruiting class committed. Those young men will fax in their letters of intent and officially join their school's Class of 2016.

But like Christmas, there are some surprise gifts that you may not know about. Those come by way of announcements from undecided players. NSD is full of these announcements that fans from across the country will be eagerly awaiting.

Fans will all be hoping the talented player will "make the right decision" and choose their school over their bitter rival. Some will be happy and others will be disappointed. Those emotions are a part of NSD that every college football fan experiences.

I covered National Signing Day a few years in a row while I was in college. I was at Miami Northwestern when Tommy Streeter and Brandon Washington picked the Canes. I was also at Booker T. Washington when Brandon Harris picked Miami that same year. I was at Killian the day Lamar Miller announced he would join the lineage of great Hurricanes running backs three years ago.

While I have plenty of good memories from covering National Signing Day, I also remember some announcements that did not go in favor of my beloved Hurricanes. I was at Pace the day Kayvon Webster decided to join two of his high school teammates and sign with USF after being committed to Miami for nearly a year.

Tomorrow will be be an interesting National Signing Day for the Hurricanes. It will be the first full class for Al Golden and it is a good one. Coach Golden addressed many needs and has pulled in a ton of top talent. Local stars like Duke Johnson and Deon Bush are just some of the headliners in Golden's class but he could be adding some more.

Miami is in the running for a pair of big time talents that will be announcing their decision on NSD and many believe they will get at least one of them. Cornerback Tracy Howard will announce his intentions early Wednesday morning while offensive lineman Avery Young will tell the world where he is going to school in the afternoon.

Even if Miami misses out on both talented players, they should be commended for their talented class. Coach Golden and his staff did an excellent job of recruiting what is expected to be a pivotal class for the Golden regime. This year's recruits will go a long way towards determining how soon the Hurricanes return to national prominence and that is something every Canes fan is excited about.

Ten years ago seems like forever

It's been a long time since this happened. Ten years, to be exact.

BY David Villavicencio

A full decade has passed since the last time the Miami Hurricanes won a national championship in football.

Some would argue that it really should be nine years and that the Canes were robbed against Ohio State but I think everyone would agree that it has been far too long since Miami was at the pinnacle of the college football landscape.

The 2001 Canes were the greatest team in college football. People will argue that their own school's team from whatever year is the best ever but I can't think of any team that was more dominant than the group led by legendary quarterback Ken Dorsey and the incomparable Ed Reed.

Miami's football program looks nothing like it did ten years ago. They aren't even close to what they had from 2000-2002. No one could touch Miami's talent in that period. No one has come close to building what they had back then either.

Just because Miami is rebuilding doesn't mean that it won't return to national prominence. The turn around has taken longer than anyone had hoped, expected or would have liked but the Canes' return to greatness will happen.

Many believe Miami will get there under Al Golden's tutelage. No one knows for sure if that will be the case but Golden definitely has a plan in place to bring the Canes back to where they belong.

Proud Miami fans and alumni like me will have to endure some more tough years before we get there but we are all confident that it will happen again.

People said the Canes would never recover from probation and they proceeded to build the greatest team college football has ever seen.

Even with potential NCAA sanctions looming and a decade of less than stellar results by Miami's standards, we still know we will be back on top again one day. Coach Golden and his staff will not accept anything less than complete success.

Miami's future will soon mirror its past success. Until then, let's remember the greatness that was the 2001 team with some highlights of their victory over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl exactly 10 years ago today.

Canes self-impose bowl ban

 BY David Villavicencio 

Al Golden will have to wait at least one more year before he coaches Miami in a bowl game for the first time.

The University of Miami has decided to self-impose a one-year bowl ban one day after becoming eligible for post-season play. Miami has now self-imposed any other penalties.

"We understand and share the disappointment that our student-athletes, coaches, staff, supporters and fans are feeling," the university said in a statement. "But after lengthy discussions among university leaders, athletic administrators and outside counsel, it is a necessary step for our university."

The bowl ban does not come as a surprise as the Hurricanes are currently under NCAA investigation for their connection with rogue booster Nevin Shapiro. It seems like the right decision and could ultimately help the football program when the NCAA decides to rule on their situation. By self-imposing sanctions, the Hurricanes could find themselves receiving a more lenient penalty from the governing body that oversees collegiate athletics.

There are downsides to skipping a bowl game.

First, the Canes could use the extra practice time as they continue to develop under Golden and his staff. Extra practice is never a bad thing but it is especially helpful for a team in transition like Miami. Also, more practice could help some of the younger players accelerate in their development as they look to fill in for the departing seniors and any early entry candidates for the NFL draft.

Second, Miami has not won a bowl game since 2006 when they survived against Nevada, 21-20, in the MicronPC Bowl. That streak will live on at least one more year. This year’s senior class will finish 0-3 in bowl games for their career.

Speaking of the seniors, it means their season and collegiate careers will come to an end next Friday as the Hurricanes host Boston College. I am guessing that is now the way they imagined things would end for them when they signed with Miami four years ago.

But it was a group of seniors that played a role in putting the Hurricanes in the mess they are in with the NCAA. Jacory Harris, Sean Spence and Travis Benjamin were all suspended for receiving improper benefits from Shapiro.

Maybe it is fitting that these seniors will have their final bowl opportunity snatched away from their grasp because of something they did. Unfortunately, their teammates will also miss out on playing in a bowl this year despite having nothing to do with Miami’s pending investigation.

So the Canes will miss out on playing in the Music City Bowl or the Sun Bowl or any other lower tier bowl with ACC ties. The seniors will see their career end without a bowl win and Coach Golden will have to wait another year to add a bowl win to his legacy at Miami.

Sounds like a lot of negative but this is the best thing that could have happened to the Canes.

Golden has a plan for success

Miami will grow from this. Golden won’t let them do anything but persevere. The rumors of the self-imposed bowl ban have lingered from the minute the Shapiro scandal made national news.

Canes fans should be disappointed that their team’s season will end in November. That is not what Miami football is about.

But they should also remember that missing out on a lower tier bowl this year means Miami could be eligible to play in a bowl game next season. As long as the NCAA does not add to the bowl ban, Miami could be playing for the right to represent the ACC in the Orange Bowl next season.

The Canes are 6-5 heading into their final game and have been headed for another disappointing season for a while now. At Miami, you don’t play for finishing with a winning record. Hurricane Nation sets its sights much higher than that.

Golden does too. He is all about rebuilding this program the right way. The man has a plan to get the Canes back to national prominence and this bowl ban is just a speed bump in the road to greatness.