AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2007 > August > 18
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Miami should leave Orange Bowl
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When it comes to college football, I’m a traditionalist and I don’t apologize for it. Traditions like Tennessee’s checkerboard end zone, Georgia’s hedges, The Grove at Ole Miss, and Auburn’s Tiger Walk are the glue that bind the generations of fans together. It is why college football is the greatest game in the world.
Having said all that, it is time for the University of Miami to leave the Orange Bowl and go north to Dolphins Stadium.
The decision is probably coming Tuesday when the UM executive board meets. On the one hand the board will hear from the city fathers of Miami, who are willing to put $206 million into renovating the leaking, rusting structure. The Dolphins offer a clean, modern stadium with plenty of parking plus at least another $1.5 million per year for the Miami athletics department.
It’s a no-brainer. The Hurricanes have to go.
Of course it’s always about the money. Miami doesn’t have a lot of it, relative to the richest programs in the ACC, and needs all the help it can get. But it’s also about moving the program forward. Miami, to its credit, has overcome a bad stadium, poor facilities and other obstacles because it won national championships and great athletes wanted to play there.
But moving to the ACC has changed the entire dynamic of the Miami athletics program. Miami is now competing with programs that are pumping millions into their facilities on a regular basis. The stadiums and other support structures for football have become so elegant that it is hard for Miami, even with its tradition of winning, to overcome.
It’s a dangerous thing to lean too long on tradition, thinking it will carry you forever. Just ask Alabama.
In short, the Orange Bowl is not befitting an upper echelon ACC football program, which is what Miami was brought on board to be by the league.
It’s okay to shed a tear for the old girl. She has a lot of history to be proud of. She hosted a 58-game winning streak, five national championships and some of the greatest games and greatest players in the history of the sport.
Miami should play this season as a tribute to the OB. Soak up every minute of every game. Then on Nov. 10, at the end of the last regular season game against Virginia, raise a toast and say thanks for the memories.
Then kiss her on the cheek and say goodbye. It’s time for Miami football to turn the page.
