Article: The de-volution of a Miami Fan

ghost2
4 min read
I haven't made a full-on post here in a while - been busy with work and new baby and life and stuff - but it's time for a personal catharsis and y'all get to be my collective Psych couch...

I've always admired the Miami Hurricanes and their style, innovation, and dare I say - swagger - but I didn't become a full-time fan until I started attending grad school at Miami in 2002. I was working as a grad assistant with the Band of the Hour (I'll wait until the laughter dies down...) First game was a night game vs. FAMU at the Orange Bowl. I was hooked from the moment "In The Air Tonight" started being piped in over that lousy crapbox sound system. I was there for Wide Left, the Fiasco Bowl, the Comeback, The Devin Hester Show (Louisville 04), and yes, for the L$U Peach Bowl - the beginning of the end, IMO.

I graduated UM in 05. Since then, like most of us here, I've witnessed the slow decay of a once-proud program. I've watched the iconic "U" turn from feared borderline gang-sign to ironic laughing-stock. I've suffered through destruction of a home stadium, a revolving door of hopeful yet ultimately disappointing coaching staffs, and a community of fans and athletes alike who quite frankly deserve better.

What pains me most though is my own personal affectations regarding UM football. As a younger fan, losses were aberrations. I would be sick for a week after a loss - both with the pain of the loss itself, but also with the general unfamiliarity with the feeling. Miami doesn't lose. That's not normal. Over time, the losses began to pile up and my mindset began to change until suddenly I woke up last Sunday morning feeling...well...fine. And it scared the **** out of me.

I've pretty well owned up to the idea that Golden and staff will be here next year. Between the Presidential search, the mythical buyout drama, and whatever residual goodwill may yet remain from the dreaded "Cloud Navigation", I believe he gets 2015. After that, we'll probably have to start over. Again. And the numbness I feel is staggering.

All that said, I will never just "turn in my Cane Card" and go root for somebody else. Fandom just doesn't work that way, no matter how much we believe we can't take any more hurt. We endure - we linger, like the proverbial boil that just won't go away no matter how much you pick at it. And when the time is right, we explode and give the whole **** college football world a collective case of leprosy.

A post D$ made a week or two ago gives me hope for the long-term future of Miami football. Miami will ALWAYS have the potential to be not only relevant, but dominant. The talent in this area is just too great, too deep to be put aside forever. Another post Lu made yesterday I believe also gives me reason to believe - when that talent stays home, the coach will follow. The right coach - a MIAMI coach - is like a Miami player. They just want to be the best, no matter what. The right coach will take Miami's $2 million salary, underfunded facilities, high academic standards, and lackluster fan support and say "this is still the quickest path to greatness in all of college football."

Until that day, I'll hang around and offer my .02 here and there on this and other sites. I briefly considered taking hiatus from the message board scene but like I said, obsessive fan behavior just doesn't allow it. So gentlemen, ladies, and lurking WEZzies I say to you - endure, linger. Don't be happy. Don't stop flying banners. ****, boycott every game if you want. Just know that the Hurricanes are still out there - somewhere - waiting for the right moment. It might not be in the air tonight, but it's definitely in the air.

I'll get off your couch now and go back to avoiding doing work at my job. Carry on!
 

Comments (63)

I was born a canes fan and will die one. And I subscribe to the a coach doesnt build or destroy a team over night, but hes actually not doing anything better hes actually doing worst and then the worst is the way he tries to downplay how ****** the team is from one week to the next. All that being said i just dont see Al getting the boat this year. He's already lined up a good set of excuses he can bring to his aide, which will buy him time. Tragic yes, but also true.
 
To me, this is worse. It's not like Zook at UF where he brought in some good guys but was just a lousy coach and the next guy (Meyer) could just clean up and win quickly. This was a slow, painful erosion on multiple fronts that slowly sucked the soul from the program. That's why, as much as I'm for Golden getting the boot, it's equally depressing to be staring ANOTHER rebuild in the face after the fact.

That said, I do honestly believe Golden has brought in some players and if there is to be a next coach in the short term, I don't think we'd be looking at 4-5 more years of "wait till next season." Maybe I'm just being hopeful though...
 
I think it's been said better by others, but I think the biggest concern for me is the complete loss of the mindset that used to permeate the Canes' program. It was an "us against the world," "no one works harder than us," "Saturdays are the easy part" mentality that raised this perennial loser to an all-time "they aren't supposed to be doing this to us" program. Where once we were the innovators, we now question whether we even know the basics. Where once we relished and dominated late in games, we now wilt and get left in the dust. Where once we would take on #1 ranked teams, at their house or ours, and embarrass them (or at least take our style of play to them, not have them dictate their style on us), we now have to hear how good the other team was or how difficult night games are to our players.

I'm with you, OP. There is nothing that this administration or coaching staff can do to completely stamp out the potential that is THE U. It just may take a while before anyone really gets to enjoy that potential should this remain status quo.
 
Al Golden will not be here next year (not insider info, just a hunch).
 
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To me, this is worse. It's not like Zook at UF where he brought in some good guys but was just a lousy coach and the next guy (Meyer) could just clean up and win quickly. This was a slow, painful erosion on multiple fronts that slowly sucked the soul from the program. That's why, as much as I'm for Golden getting the boot, it's equally depressing to be staring ANOTHER rebuild in the face after the fact.

That said, I do honestly believe Golden has brought in some players and if there is to be a next coach in the short term, I don't think we'd be looking at 4-5 more years of "wait till next season." Maybe I'm just being hopeful though...

I disagree with this. I think the Golden and Zook situations are very comparable. Like Zook, Golden has brought in a lot of talent. With the right coaching, this ship can reverse course in a hurry.
 
cliff notes, please

thanks

There are plenty of ****** posts or, alternatively, quickly stated opinions in other threads. Please don't dissuade one of the better posters from writing out his thoughts. You don't feel like reading the whole thing? Move along.

Next post like this gets deleted. And, so on. Not personal. Just trying to make the board better.
 
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lol no worries Lu - if I couldn't take it, I wouldn't be here.
 
To me, this is worse. It's not like Zook at UF where he brought in some good guys but was just a lousy coach and the next guy (Meyer) could just clean up and win quickly. This was a slow, painful erosion on multiple fronts that slowly sucked the soul from the program. That's why, as much as I'm for Golden getting the boot, it's equally depressing to be staring ANOTHER rebuild in the face after the fact.

That said, I do honestly believe Golden has brought in some players and if there is to be a next coach in the short term, I don't think we'd be looking at 4-5 more years of "wait till next season." Maybe I'm just being hopeful though...

I disagree with this. I think the Golden and Zook situations are very comparable. Like Zook, Golden has brought in a lot of talent. With the right coaching, this ship can reverse course in a hurry.


You may be right. I think I was more comparing the idea that UF got off and back on-track in a **** hurry, and for us it's been going on a decade. It'd be like if before Zook UF had Gerry Faust, Jeff Bowden, and Ty Willingham as their coaches...
 
I remember when I was hardcore about it. Now...I might not even watch the game this Saturday. Noon is when my 3 yr old takes a nap. Maybe I will too.
 
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From the quotes of our players, it seems as if they have accepted losing too. Especially the players that will most likely be in the NFL next year.
 
Very good post, just wanted to talk about this below:

A post D$ made a week or two ago gives me hope for the long-term future of Miami football. Miami will ALWAYS have the potential to be not only relevant, but dominant. The talent in this area is just too great, too deep to be put aside forever. Another post Lu made yesterday I believe also gives me reason to believe - when that talent stays home, the coach will follow. The right coach - a MIAMI coach - is like a Miami player. They just want to be the best, no matter what. The right coach will take Miami's $2 million salary, underfunded facilities, high academic standards, and lackluster fan support and say "this is still the quickest path to greatness in all of college football."

I'm not worried about the amount of money but how we spend it. In addition, we can pay more then $2 Million. When we gave Larry Coker his contract extension in 2005 it was one of the highest at the time and it was around that amount (yearly). Since then, we make more money from TV contracts, more revenue from the ACC and more money from the change in stadium (allegedly).

They should at this point be familiar with the cost of terrible decisions based on the following:

1. Coker's Extension

2. Coker's Buyout

3. Hiring RS

4. RS's Extension

5. RS's Buyout

6. Hiring AG

7. Extending AG

8. (soon to be) AG's Buyout

I think the Admin has learned first hand at what a quality hire can do (Coach L) and the additional revenue it can bring into the program. Now the question is whether the Admin and the school understands why they made so many errors and why they find themselves in the same situation aka Groundhog's Day over and over again.

We need to be smart with this next hire and learn from the mistakes above.
 
Don't leave out Perry Clark and his contract how much more evidence do we need to realize that this Administration didn't give a **** about athletics!!!
 
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Good post. I'll never understand people who "switch" teams. Is that possible? If I stopped rooting for the Canes, I'll stop watching college sports altogether. There is no other option.
 
cliff notes, please

thanks

Cliff notes- we don't need stupid posts like yours on something that was good. Not even a good try at being funny. Feel free to not post, we wont miss your contribution.
 
To me, this is worse. It's not like Zook at UF where he brought in some good guys but was just a lousy coach and the next guy (Meyer) could just clean up and win quickly. This was a slow, painful erosion on multiple fronts that slowly sucked the soul from the program. That's why, as much as I'm for Golden getting the boot, it's equally depressing to be staring ANOTHER rebuild in the face after the fact.

That said, I do honestly believe Golden has brought in some players and if there is to be a next coach in the short term, I don't think we'd be looking at 4-5 more years of "wait till next season." Maybe I'm just being hopeful though...

CFB has proven that provided you have some key pieces, you can turn a program around overnight. It's happened before (Auburn, Florida, etc) and I have no doubt it can happen again here. This talent right now is an 8 win team. With a solid coaching staff, it's a 9 win team for another year or 2 and then we can look at elite.
 
...What pains me most though is my own personal affectations regarding UM football. As a younger fan, losses were aberrations. I would be sick for a week after a loss - both with the pain of the loss itself, but also with the general unfamiliarity with the feeling. Miami doesn't lose. That's not normal. Over time, the losses began to pile up and my mindset began to change until suddenly I woke up last Sunday morning feeling...well...fine. And it scared the **** out of me...
From the age of 9, up until around the '03 to '05 season, I would avoid any and everything Miami related the entire week after a loss just to not be reminded of it. And as recently as 2011 I would be an absolute mess after losses. I've been numb to losses for a while too ghost, and it's not because we've grown up or matured. I'm still a 15 year old trapped in the body of someone in their early 30's. It's what makes Golden's tenure so frustrating. I really bought in with him. I honestly felt he was the guy, and anyone who said otherwise was a simpleton.
 
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