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Ottis Anderson

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It's almost a crime that we let these players and these performances slip from our memories. Or, worse yet, pretend like it didn't happen because we weren't alive at the time.

We've had great players in the past. Don't ignore them.
 
Dingaan1828 said:
It's almost a crime that we let these players and these performances slip from our memories. Or, worse yet, pretend like it didn't happen because we weren't alive at the time.

We've had great players in the past. Don't ignore them.
Click to expand...

Three most underappreciated Canes greats of all time Jim Otto, Ted Hendricks and Ottis Anderson. GOATS before the U was the U.
 
Heals85 said:
Dingaan1828 said:
It's almost a crime that we let these players and these performances slip from our memories. Or, worse yet, pretend like it didn't happen because we weren't alive at the time.

We've had great players in the past. Don't ignore them.
Click to expand...

Three most underappreciated Canes greats of all time Jim Otto, Ted Hendricks and Ottis Anderson. GOATS before the U was the U.
Click to expand...

Otto was not a great player at UM. His success in the AFL has caused many to revise history. He was a good player, but not even drafted by the NFL. He was very undersized coming out of college.
 
Dingaan1828 said:
Heals85 said:
Dingaan1828 said:
It's almost a crime that we let these players and these performances slip from our memories. Or, worse yet, pretend like it didn't happen because we weren't alive at the time.

We've had great players in the past. Don't ignore them.
Click to expand...

Three most underappreciated Canes greats of all time Jim Otto, Ted Hendricks and Ottis Anderson. GOATS before the U was the U.
Click to expand...

Otto was not a great player at UM. His success in the AFL has caused many to revise history. He was a good player, but not even drafted by the NFL. He was very undersized coming out of college.
Click to expand...

True. Was decent his sophomore year and pretty good his senior year.
 
Dingaan1828 said:
Heals85 said:
Dingaan1828 said:
It's almost a crime that we let these players and these performances slip from our memories. Or, worse yet, pretend like it didn't happen because we weren't alive at the time.

We've had great players in the past. Don't ignore them.
Click to expand...

Three most underappreciated Canes greats of all time Jim Otto, Ted Hendricks and Ottis Anderson. GOATS before the U was the U.
Click to expand...

Otto was not a great player at UM. His success in the AFL has caused many to revise history. He was a good player, but not even drafted by the NFL. He was very undersized coming out of college.
Click to expand...

Holy crap you're old... :)
 
Miami82 said:
Dingaan1828 said:
Heals85 said:
Dingaan1828 said:
It's almost a crime that we let these players and these performances slip from our memories. Or, worse yet, pretend like it didn't happen because we weren't alive at the time.

We've had great players in the past. Don't ignore them.
Click to expand...

Three most underappreciated Canes greats of all time Jim Otto, Ted Hendricks and Ottis Anderson. GOATS before the U was the U.
Click to expand...

Otto was not a great player at UM. His success in the AFL has caused many to revise history. He was a good player, but not even drafted by the NFL. He was very undersized coming out of college.
Click to expand...

Holy crap you're old... :)
Click to expand...

That's what my great-grandson tells me.
 
Great player even late in his nfl career. He's one of my dad's favorite all time Giants for putting them on his back to win that Super Bowl.
 
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MoSikes said:
Great player even late in his nfl career. He's one of my dad's favorite all time Giants for putting them on his back to win that Super Bowl.
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You mean Ottis right? not Otto....U or not U Ottis was a monster both at UM and at the NFL with the Giants. Both Ottis and Cane Jim Burt were stars at that SuperBowl.
 
BoriCane said:
MoSikes said:
Great player even late in his nfl career. He's one of my dad's favorite all time Giants for putting them on his back to win that Super Bowl.
Click to expand...
You mean Ottis right? not Otto....U or not U Ottis was a monster both at UM and at the NFL with the Giants. Both Ottis and Cane Jim Burt were stars at that SuperBowl.
Click to expand...

Ottis was rookie of year with St Louis cardinals and had his best years with them.
 
Ottis was a monster, both with mediocre Canes and St Louis teams. Hooked up late in career with Giants for Super Bowl. Want to say was SB MVP. Can make solid argument he is best Canes back. So yeah, no brainer to invite him back.
 
Heals85 said:
Dingaan1828 said:
It's almost a crime that we let these players and these performances slip from our memories. Or, worse yet, pretend like it didn't happen because we weren't alive at the time.

We've had great players in the past. Don't ignore them.
Click to expand...

Three most underappreciated Canes greats of all time Jim Otto, Ted Hendricks and Ottis Anderson. GOATS before the U was the U.
Click to expand...

Ted Hendricks was NEVER underappreciated. Maybe by the children on this board, but I lived through the Hendricks era and remember what O.J. Simpson said about him on the Tonight Show after his spectacular senior Heisman season. Somebody asked who the hardest hitting player was that he played. He said the "hardest hitter" was Kevin Hardy of Notre Dame. He said the "best" was "a guy by the name of Ted Hendricks at the University of Miami...". He said it that way because UM was not as well known and he knew that. He went on to say that Hendricks would never stay blocked.

Now Otto was underappreciated because he spent so much time on defense and never got any real appreciation as a center until he got to the Raiders and blew up.

Every now and then I mention Don Bosseler, who is our only RB in the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a true dominator from the '56 team. Coach Gus built a whole offense around him, the "Miami Drive," or "belly" series, a forerunner of the option or wishbone, except he was the guy who got the ball often enough as the dive fullback and pummeled defenses.

My namesake, the real Matador, was one of the most exciting players to ever put on a Canes uniform. He was a magician on the field.

And of course, there was Bill Cichoke, the greatest redshirt ever. I still remember some symbol he made to the camera at the end of some game in '84 that was obviously the best forerunner of the "U" that I remember. I don't know what symbol he was making with his hands, but it was unique and memorable. (I wish I could remember which game, maybe that shootout with Flutie that year). That's why Cichoke, who never lasted past his redshirt year at UM, is one of my all-time greats.

Oh, yes. Father Leo, Arbruster, I think. Our greatest all time chaplain. I remember him praying over Bruce Fleming who was recovering from a nick on the bench in an '84 game. Father Leo gave it his all when it came to making the God connection during times of trouble and travail for the U. That's why we got killed by BC and Flutie and the great comeback by U-MD, that year. I jest. Father Leo was obviously a failure and couldn't get anything for us upstairs. That's why he probably was discharged as chaplain (no different from a strength coach--produce or get out.) I wonder if he's related to our LB, Thruston Arbruster (who is a producer at what he does).

The next year, before the rematch with U-MD in Baltimore I spoke with Bruce Fleming's mom. I asked her about the episode with Father Leo. She said that Bruce said "Who the **** is the goddam priest stickin his face over me?"
 
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It was an absolute treat to watch Ottis Anderson for 4 years. Greatest feet of any Canes back. He'd plant and dart in any direction. The first defender was paralyzed and had no chance.

Plus he was tough with great understanding of leverage. Speed was good but not great, somewhat similar to Duke Johnson. If everything broke perfectly a young Anderson could take it the distance but he relied on the early burst and separation, not the late throttle.

Anderson carried those Cane traits to his early years with the Cardinals, particularly as a rookie. I remember when he terrorized the Cowboys in his NFL debut and Hollywood Henderson was absolutely stunned, raving about Anderson.

Unfortunately Anderson got too heavy after a couple of years and also somewhat nicked. His prime as a jitterbug guy with power wasn't as long as it should have been. Consequently many younger fans remember him from the plowhorse days as a Giant, and have no clue how special and elusive he was as a youngster.

Anderson was very well known as a Cane. I remember the local media campaign entering his sophomore year, "Come see O.J. run." His image as #47 was all over the newspaper ads for season tickets. But it wasn't nearly the extent of Ted Hendricks, who was already a legend as a collegian. I think it was Luther Evans who tagged him with the great nickname, "The Mad Stork." Evans covered the Canes beat for the Herald and then switched to horse racing late in his career. He had a very, very popular low key local Sunday night radio show from 10:30 PM to 1 AM every Sunday night on WKAT. Those were the years in which sports talk radio was almost exclusively at night, particularly the prime time hours. Daytime sports talk was virtually unheard of.

I can't comment on the Jim Otto years. Before my time. I saw him as a pro with the Raiders. Based on everything my dad told me, I'm confident Otto wasn't a star in college. Dad raved about Don Bosseler. I have a YouTube clip on my channel from 1956 that includes the final half of Bosseler's famous long touchdown run at Gainesville. Dad also mentioned Mario Bonofiglio quite often. I think he was a clever quarterback from my parents' era as Canes students in the early to mid '50s.
 
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UM's Athletic Department is really a low class outift.

Ottis, one of the many proud fighting Falcons of Forest Hill High School, btw.
 
Awsi Dooger said:
It was an absolute treat to watch Ottis Anderson for 4 years. Greatest feet of any Canes back. He'd plant and dart in any direction. The first defender was paralyzed and had no chance.

Plus he was tough with great understanding of leverage. Speed was good but not great, somewhat similar to Duke Johnson. If everything broke perfectly a young Anderson could take it the distance but he relied on the early burst and separation, not the late throttle.

Anderson carried those Cane traits to his early years with the Cardinals, particularly as a rookie. I remember when he terrorized the Cowboys in his NFL debut and Hollywood Henderson was absolutely stunned, raving about Anderson.

Unfortunately Anderson got too heavy after a couple of years and also somewhat nicked. His prime as a jitterbug guy with power wasn't as long as it should have been. Consequently many younger fans remember him from the plowhorse days as a Giant, and have no clue how special and elusive he was as a youngster.

Anderson was very well known as a Cane. I remember the local media campaign entering his sophomore year, "Come see O.J. run." His image as #47 was all over the newspaper ads for season tickets. But it wasn't nearly the extent of Ted Hendricks, who was already a legend as a collegian. I think it was Luther Evans who tagged him with the great nickname, "The Mad Stork." Evans covered the Canes beat for the Herald and then switched to horse racing late in his career. He had a very, very popular low key local Sunday night radio show from 10:30 PM to 1 AM every Sunday night on WKAT. Those were the years in which sports talk radio was almost exclusively at night, particularly the prime time hours. Daytime sports talk was virtually unheard of.

I can't comment on the Jim Otto years. Before my time. I saw him as a pro with the Raiders. Based on everything my dad told me, I'm confident Otto wasn't a star in college. Dad raved about Don Bosseler. I have a YouTube clip on my channel from 1956 that includes the final half of Bosseler's famous long touchdown run at Gainesville. Dad also mentioned Mario Bonofiglio quite often. I think he was a clever quarterback from my parents' era as Canes students in the early to mid '50s.
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Good stuff. Mario Bonifiglio was from Kenosha WI, and was a HS teammate of Alan Ameche. He also fumbled away a game vs Auburn in 1954 that prevented Miami having a perfect season. We led 13-0 @ Auburn and lost 14-13. I was 9 years old and devastated. Bosseler, Losch, Varone and a few others were my favorites back then. The 54-56 teams were really good. Jim Otto was a fan favorite and a good player, but played at 195-200 lbs. He was recognized by Miami fans as a good player, but nothing like what he became with the Raiders.
 
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