Former Canes TE and FOX NFL analyst Greg Olsen recently appeared on the Bussin' On the Boys Podcast to discuss his memories of the Canes. A transcript of the discussion is below:
Greg Olsen: I’m a huge Miami guy. This is a Miami house. My wife, my whole family — we’re Miami people. Mario is one of my favorite people in the world. He coached me. He recruited me.
I met Mario when he was a GA at Miami. My rising sophomore year, the summer between my freshman and sophomore year, my dad brought me down because my older brother was being recruited. Butch Davis was the head coach. Mario Cristobal was the offensive GA and assistant tight ends coach. I was 15 years old. I met him then and we developed a relationship.
He then went with Schiano to Rutgers. I’m from Jersey. They recruited me hard there. Then he came back to Miami and coached me my last two years. So we go way back. I love him. He was the guy for the job. I always said if Mario couldn’t bring Miami back, nobody could.
So we are riding with Miami always.
Taylor Lewan: You really want Miami to win.
Greg Olsen: I do. I’ve yearned for that. My junior and senior years of high school, Miami was in back-to-back national championships. That was my whole recruiting era. That was early 2000s — 2001, 2002.
We beat Nebraska. Then we lost in overtime to Ohio State. I ended up going to Notre Dame with my older brother, then transferred to Miami. I met my wife there. My brother and sister-in-law went there. My younger brother went there.
We are Miami people. We are riding with them. You yearn for those moments. I want to see Miami back on top again. We’ve been saying “The U is back” for 15 years. It would be nice to actually say it and have it be true.
Will Compton: I’m with you. Anytime a documentary comes out about Miami, something about the white facemask, the orange and green — I remember my first PlayStation game was Miami-Florida State after they won a national title. You could see the glare off the helmet for the first time and it looked unreal. There’s just that fantasy of the Miami logo and everything coming back.
Greg Olsen: I had this argument with my kid. He wanted them to go all black with the black helmets. I was like, “How dare you?”
Will Compton: The Miami white helmet — white helmet, white jersey, white cleats — that’s iconic.
Greg Olsen: The white helmet with the running facemask and the little bar.
Will Compton: Back in those legendary Miami games, the national titles, all those Hall of Fame guys wore the white helmet with the U on the side. That was the helmet.
Greg Olsen: I still have mine right here. Hold on.
Taylor Lewan: Show it off.
Greg Olsen: With the dark visor.
Will Compton: He’s got two Emmys in the background but can’t display the helmet.
Taylor Lewan: That’s the one. The running-back three-bar.
Will Compton: You want to see this guy lined up over you on third-and-seven in man coverage. You know he’s going to lean into your body and hook it up right at the sticks.
Taylor Lewan: Look at all that scuff.
Greg Olsen: That’s just bodies.
(laughs)
Will Compton: How did we not die with those helmets?
Greg Olsen: I think we slowly are.
(laughs)
Taylor Lewan: My high school helmet was brutal on the inside.
Greg Olsen: If it was cold, you had to leave it on for 15 minutes just to warm it up. Sometimes I wouldn’t take it off all practice.
That three-bar face mask at Miami, especially as a linebacker, that was the one. My redshirt freshman year I wore it. I’ve got pictures of myself with the two-bar Dion and the bottom bar. Just terrible.
Taylor Lewan: How long before guys told you to change it?
Greg Olsen: At the time we all thought it was cool. Now I look back and think, questionable decisions.
Will Compton: Shoulder pads back then were massive. Cowboy collars. Giant pads with little skinny arms sticking out.
Greg Olsen: Looking like straws coming out of a box.
Taylor Lewan: That’s every 90s Miami picture. Ray Lewis with the pads up to his neck.
Greg Olsen: That’s the image. That’s Miami.
Greg Olsen: I’m a huge Miami guy. This is a Miami house. My wife, my whole family — we’re Miami people. Mario is one of my favorite people in the world. He coached me. He recruited me.
I met Mario when he was a GA at Miami. My rising sophomore year, the summer between my freshman and sophomore year, my dad brought me down because my older brother was being recruited. Butch Davis was the head coach. Mario Cristobal was the offensive GA and assistant tight ends coach. I was 15 years old. I met him then and we developed a relationship.
He then went with Schiano to Rutgers. I’m from Jersey. They recruited me hard there. Then he came back to Miami and coached me my last two years. So we go way back. I love him. He was the guy for the job. I always said if Mario couldn’t bring Miami back, nobody could.
So we are riding with Miami always.
Taylor Lewan: You really want Miami to win.
Greg Olsen: I do. I’ve yearned for that. My junior and senior years of high school, Miami was in back-to-back national championships. That was my whole recruiting era. That was early 2000s — 2001, 2002.
We beat Nebraska. Then we lost in overtime to Ohio State. I ended up going to Notre Dame with my older brother, then transferred to Miami. I met my wife there. My brother and sister-in-law went there. My younger brother went there.
We are Miami people. We are riding with them. You yearn for those moments. I want to see Miami back on top again. We’ve been saying “The U is back” for 15 years. It would be nice to actually say it and have it be true.
Will Compton: I’m with you. Anytime a documentary comes out about Miami, something about the white facemask, the orange and green — I remember my first PlayStation game was Miami-Florida State after they won a national title. You could see the glare off the helmet for the first time and it looked unreal. There’s just that fantasy of the Miami logo and everything coming back.
Greg Olsen: I had this argument with my kid. He wanted them to go all black with the black helmets. I was like, “How dare you?”
Will Compton: The Miami white helmet — white helmet, white jersey, white cleats — that’s iconic.
Greg Olsen: The white helmet with the running facemask and the little bar.
Will Compton: Back in those legendary Miami games, the national titles, all those Hall of Fame guys wore the white helmet with the U on the side. That was the helmet.
Greg Olsen: I still have mine right here. Hold on.
Taylor Lewan: Show it off.
Greg Olsen: With the dark visor.
Will Compton: He’s got two Emmys in the background but can’t display the helmet.
Taylor Lewan: That’s the one. The running-back three-bar.
Will Compton: You want to see this guy lined up over you on third-and-seven in man coverage. You know he’s going to lean into your body and hook it up right at the sticks.
Taylor Lewan: Look at all that scuff.
Greg Olsen: That’s just bodies.
(laughs)
Will Compton: How did we not die with those helmets?
Greg Olsen: I think we slowly are.
(laughs)
Taylor Lewan: My high school helmet was brutal on the inside.
Greg Olsen: If it was cold, you had to leave it on for 15 minutes just to warm it up. Sometimes I wouldn’t take it off all practice.
That three-bar face mask at Miami, especially as a linebacker, that was the one. My redshirt freshman year I wore it. I’ve got pictures of myself with the two-bar Dion and the bottom bar. Just terrible.
Taylor Lewan: How long before guys told you to change it?
Greg Olsen: At the time we all thought it was cool. Now I look back and think, questionable decisions.
Will Compton: Shoulder pads back then were massive. Cowboy collars. Giant pads with little skinny arms sticking out.
Greg Olsen: Looking like straws coming out of a box.
Taylor Lewan: That’s every 90s Miami picture. Ray Lewis with the pads up to his neck.
Greg Olsen: That’s the image. That’s Miami.
