1979 S.I. article on FAMU upsetting Miami 16-13(Very Interesting Read)

[Big Dawg]

As a younger generation Rattler, I had heard of this article, but I had never seen it. Go ahead a check it out.

"...Last Saturday afternoon in Florida State's Doak Campbell Stadium, the Rattlers again came to the corner and then stampeded around it. The occasion was a game with the University of Miami, an intrastate Division I school with a fat football budget and more than twice the enrollment of A&M. The 1-2 Hurricane came to Tallahassee with the 10th-ranked defense in the nation against the run, one that had allowed opponents an average of just 97.7 yards rushing a game. The Rattlers not only beat Miami 16-13, but they ran for 296 yards and two touchdowns. And so it is that Florida A&M is now 4-0, has won its last 11 games in a row and 28 of 29, and is ranked No. 1 in I-AA.

"We've got the hottest program in the country," Hubbard says. "If you say USC—because it's tops in I-A—is the hottest, I disagree. Where can they go from where they are now? We can play some I-A teams and win and keep going up. The bottom line is winning, and we're winners."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1095492/1/index.htm

[JMU Newbill]

Very interesting. Thanks for the post!

[andy7171]

was The U good in the 70's? I didn't think they were any good until Schnellenberger adn Jimmy Johnson came to town in the 80's?

[Big Dawg]

was The U good in the 70's? I didn't think they were any good until Schnellenberger adn Jimmy Johnson came to town in the 80's?

But they were supposed to beat us...xwhistlex

[andy7171]

But they were supposed to beat us...xwhistlex

No doubt that is what the article was about. xthumbsupx

[WestCoastAggie]

This was the turning point in the history of The U. If FAMU didn't win the game, then Schnellenberger probably would have never came to Coral Gables.

[mrklean]

This was the turning point in the history of The U. If FAMU didn't win the game, then Schnellenberger probably would have never came to Coral Gables.

Yeap, you are right about that.

[GannonFan]

This was the turning point in the history of The U. If FAMU didn't win the game, then Schnellenberger probably would have never came to Coral Gables.


Yeap, you are right about that.

Uh, wasn't Howard Schnellenberger the coach of Miami during this loss to FAMU? 1979 was Howard Schnellenberger's first year at the U? xreadx

[Appinator]

The SI vault is literally one of the coolest things on the internet. I could spend hours flipping through the issues and articles. You can even look at the actual old magazines themselves and see the old adds, it's awesome.

The article is great too.

[Big Al]

Yeah, it talks about Schnellenberger in the article.

[Franks Tanks]

Uh, wasn't Howard Schnellenberger the coach of Miami during this loss to FAMU? 1979 was Howard Schnellenberger's first year at the U? xreadx

Yes---

"Although Hubbard downplayed its significance, A&M fans and Hurricane Coach Howard Schnellenberger, the former Baltimore Colts coach who is in the first year of a rebuilding program at Miami, felt the game had special significance for A&M. "It'll be the pivotal game for them this season," Schnellenberger said early in the week. "It will give them credibility."

It was his first year at the U

[ASU_Fanatic]

Great post man!

[Bearvision]

Uh, wasn't Howard Schnellenberger the coach of Miami during this loss to FAMU? 1979 was Howard Schnellenberger's first year at the U? xreadx

This is correct. It was also QB Jim Kelly's freshman year. No, Miami was not good at all in the 70's, and really didn't start to get decent until 1981. In 1982 they laid the groundwork for the 1983 championship team (a team that lost their first game of the year, big time to Florida, then won them all from there). Schnellenberger is the person who turned the U around, not Jimmy Johnson.

People always think it was Jim Kelly who won the title in 1983, but it wasn't. It was redshirt freshman Bernie Kosar, in the game that made this man a Miami Hurricanes fan (a 4 year old at the time). Watching them run the smoke still gives me chills, and is the reason I wanted them to win, because I thought that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

[Bearvision]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't "Bullet" Bob Hayes play for that FAMU team?

[Franks Tanks]

This is correct. It was also QB Jim Kelly's freshman year. No, Miami was not good at all in the 70's, and really didn't start to get decent until 1981. In 1982 they laid the groundwork for the 1983 championship team (a team that lost their first game of the year, big time to Florida, then won them all from there). Schnellenberger is the person who turned the U around, not Jimmy Johnson.

People always think it was Jim Kelly who won the title in 1983, but it wasn't. It was redshirt freshman Bernie Kosar, in the game that made this man a Miami Hurricanes fan (a 4 year old at the time). Watching them run the smoke still gives me chills, and is the reason I wanted them to win, because I thought that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

Howard didnt turn anything around, he built it from scratch.

When Howard came Miami wasnt a "has been" they were a "never was"

[Bearvision]

Howard didnt turn anything around, he built it from scratch.

When Howard came Miami wasnt a "has been" they were a "never was"

Semantics my friend...Schnellenberger made the U, the U.

I also got a kick out of the reference to enrollment. FAMU must be a tiny school, because Miami is a very small private school, with a tiny budget. They hired Randy Shannon in the first place because they couldn't afford to pay anyone else. Their facilities are a joke for a BCS program, and their tiny enrollment and alumni base, make it nearly impossible to compete with the state universities in recruiting budgets. This is why they recruit so much in S. Florida (a good plan due to the talent available).

[Franks Tanks]

Semantics my friend...Schnellenberger made the U, the U.

I also got a kick out of the reference to enrollment. FAMU must be a tiny school, because Miami is a very small private school, with a tiny budget. They hired Randy Shannon in the first place because they couldn't afford to pay anyone else. Their facilities are a joke for a BCS program, and their tiny enrollment and alumni base, make it nearly impossible to compete with the state universities in recruiting budgets. This is why they recruit so much in S. Florida (a good plan due to the talent available).

No really semantics. It much harder to build something from relatively nothing than turn a program around.

[WestCoastAggie]

Uh, wasn't Howard Schnellenberger the coach of Miami during this loss to FAMU? 1979 was Howard Schnellenberger's first year at the U? xreadx

My apologies for the incorrect information however I believe this was loss was a turning point for the Miami program. xthumbsupx

I believe that Rodriguez & Michigan is following the footsteps of Miami after their loss to App. St. in 2007. At the rate they are going now, they should play for the national champ. by 2011/2012.

[mrklean]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't "Bullet" Bob Hayes play for that FAMU team?

no, but he did attend FAMU.

[Big Dawg]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't "Bullet" Bob Hayes play for that FAMU team?

He played at FAMU in the 60's

[Sader87]

Miami was down in the late 70's but they weren't terrible. They had some wins against SEC schools in that era.

Historically they had been ranked throughout the 1950's and 1960's and as a Holy Cross alumnus, I know they beat us in the Orange Bowl in 1946....they were not a "never was" in 1979.

[I-AA Fan]

was The U good in the 70's? I didn't think they were any good until Schnellenberger adn Jimmy Johnson came to town in the 80's?

you are correct sir.

[Sader87]

Miami wasn't "good good" like they were to become in the 80's...but as I mentioned earlier, they were a solid D1 program throughout the 50's and 60's, going to bowls, playing a national schedule etc.

http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/acc/miami/in_the_polls.php

[caribbeanhen]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't "Bullet" Bob Hayes play for that FAMU team?


well, ya just never know, he did go back to get his degree after his Dallas Cowboy career

[JohnStOnge]

The Miami team that lost to Florida A&M finished 5-6. So, no, it was not a good team by I-A standards. It was still a great accomplishment by Florida A&M. But the Rattlers beat a I-A team that was mediocre at best. That's no disgrace. That's what's almost always the case when a I-AA/FCS beats a I-A/FBS.