forums

Thank God for OJ Anderson in the 70s

Cane since 1060 said:
One of my most proud moments as a Canes fan was finally whipping Notre Dame in the OB. Last game of his career Kelly hits Rodney Belk for 2 long bombs in a 31 to 14 rout.That team would miss a bowl game and put on a one game suspension. Of course the next year we would win it all.
Click to expand...

I was at that game too. The Orange Bowl was going nuts. That was the game fans were looking at each other and saying out loud "WTF is going on......is this for real...is this really happening?" Incredible Canes memories between 78-83. Absolutely magical.
 
Advertisement
In 83' we pummeled ND 24-0 . And that day really showed me the impact of the OB. We had maybe 50,000 for that game but it sounded like 150,000. It was raucous.
 
Cane since 1060 said:
One of my most proud moments as a Canes fan was finally whipping Notre Dame in the OB. Last game of his career Kelly hits Rodney Belk for 2 long bombs in a 31 to 14 rout.That team would miss a bowl game and put on a one game suspension. Of course the next year we would win it all.
Click to expand...
Yea, the 82 year was my first season ticket year in the Howling Hurricane section and I remember the game... but barely cause I used to party way too much until I got it out of my system in subsequent years... then just stuck to beer until halftime.
 
Ottis’ run for the Giants in the Super Bowl was awesome. Forget the Bills DB he set up for a forearm shiver.
 
Advertisement
rex karz said:
OJ in his senior year was the single best running back I ever saw here. Better than Edge, better than them all - and I've been a fan since 71. He was literally a one man show on a team with no passing game to speak of and with every defense gunning for him. His late game winning TD run on 4th down vs the Gators at Florida Field in 1978 was the single greatest run in UM history - I was there and will never forget it. The entire stadium knew who was getting the ball, and OJ took on 6 or 7 defenders and beat them all get into the corner of the end zone to win the game. It was truly the beginning of the Miami programs change of fortune. Earlier that year, late game heroics by OJ led the Canes to their first important upset of a highly ranked Auburn team - that was the first significant Canes upset I can remember.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I've been a fan since the late '60s and no question O.J. Anderson is the best running back. Gore had a chance to overtake him with perfect health. None of the other backs had the combo of lateral instincts and power and relentless athletic arrogance of those two.

I was at that 1978 game at Florida Field. It remains one of the most satisfying Canes games I have ever attended, given the atmosphere and the unlikely nature of that comeback. I always despised the Gators but until that day I didn't understand the lowlife nature of their home crowd. Truly barbaric. Two years later I was away at college at USC but when I heard about Schellenberger's rub-it-in late field goal I didn't have to ask why.

It's just too bad that Anderson went to a poor team and an obscure team in the Cardinals. Someone mentioned his 193 yards in the opening game of his rookie season against the Cowboys. Yes, including a long touchdown run in the 4th quarter. But that was when the city of Miami was frantically preparing for Hurricane David, which was heading our way and had already caused immense destruction and many casualties elsewhere. Nobody really cared about the NFL games that day, including Dolphins at Buffalo. I remember my dad chastising me for occasionally looking at the television instead of helping to secure the house.

David fortunately turned just enough east in the wee hours of Monday morning to skirt the coast and barely scrape Miami, very similar to Matthew in 2016.

The '70s weren't really that bad from a fan perspective, despite the poor records. We always had a spattering of great players at important positions like running back and/or defensive tackle. But not until Jim Kelly showed up at Penn State did anything point to meaningful success ahead.
 
Gatorhater said:
Fran Curci didn’t put them to good use, but he did tell a bunch of Gator donors that we would win NC before they won SEC. OJ was speed and moves. Then in later years in nfl he became power beast for Giants. Put him on any of our NC teams and he wins Heisman. Foreman could of too. He was unbelievable out of the backfield but we didn’t exactly throw much back then.
Click to expand...
I remember watching him practice. Practices were often open back then. Foreman was versatile. Played multiple positions for us. He had a bit of the injury bug at the U as well as with the Vikings. He was before OJ though. Loved watching both those dudes play.
 
Home Slice said:
I remember watching him practice. Practices were often open back then. Foreman was versatile. Played multiple positions for us. He had a bit of the injury bug at the U as well as with the Vikings. He was before OJ though. Loved watching both those dudes play.
Click to expand...
Practices were surely open then...those were my first days at Greentree (77 & 78)....Some of the names mentioned above have me reminiscing...I love it when @Awsi Dooger and @Home Slice chime in....brings back so many memories.
 
caneinorlando said:
Maannn...Sooo underrated....That TD run in 78 (where he ran through & over 4 Gators is HOF worthy....To all Young Cane fans, he was all that...
Click to expand...
before my time but i hear hes doing a lot to help raise the standard of Forest Hill football in WPB... his alma mater. Playoffs last year and they went 8-2 this year but missed out on the playoffs? New FHSAA system is hella biased to dade and broward, creating some power rankings but they should be in the playoffs too being a district runner up.
 
Advertisement
caneinorlando said:
Practices were surely open then...those were my first days at Greentree (77 & 78)....Some of the names mentioned above have me reminiscing...I love it when @Awsi Dooger and @Home Slice chime in....brings back so many memories.
Click to expand...

Yeah man, I was blessed with a football loving dad. He'd get me over there often. I'd stand right next to the field. Foreman ran me over once along with a host of Canes players. Man, I was the happiest kid in Dade county. Dreamed of playing for them. Foreman helped me up. Great experience for a kid.
 
I agree somewhat in ref to the Auburn Win as UMs 1st noteworthy Win...but 1981's Win vs #1 Penn St too me was even more important....Auburn Win & Penn St Win in 79 (Happy Valley) were huge....but I'll stick with 81 Penn St as the defining moment.
 
I'll never, ever forget Brodsky's 80yd TD as long as I live...Right past Penn St sidelines....Dove into the Endzone....I remember it rained for 3 quarters....Who would've thought I was watching UM History....might have been 35,000-40,000 in the OB...
 
Advertisement
Home Slice said:
Yeah man, I was blessed with a football loving dad. He'd get me over there often. I'd stand right next to the field. Foreman ran me over once along with a host of Canes players. Man, I was the happiest kid in Dade county. Dreamed of playing for them. Foreman helped me up. Great experience for a kid.
Click to expand...

Foreman was a big dude at leas 6-2 230 lbs. Foreman was a upright slashing type back Otis who was also tall and big was more of a juking back. I remember standing on Greentree and how they both had great size.
 
In fact practices and scrimmages were open to the public all the way through the Erickson era. Those were great days fields were completely lined full of fans. It truly was a way for the fans to bond with the players.
 
Advertisement
I would say the most prolific player of the 60' was Ted Hendricks. And the biggest game was when the hated Ara Parseigan ( Mr run it up) came to the OB ended up in a 0-0 tie before 70,000. In fact our avg home attendance was 60,000 until the the Dolphins came in 66'

Those days there were no scholarship limits
there was a great advantage for the Alabamas and Nebraskas etc. in Those days high school football Miami High vs Coral Gables drew 40,000 fans. Gables had a legendary coach named Nick Koty's. Miami was like a small town back then.
 
Last edited:
Home Slice said:
I remember watching him practice. Practices were often open back then. Foreman was versatile. Played multiple positions for us. He had a bit of the injury bug at the U as well as with the Vikings. He was before OJ though. Loved watching both those dudes play.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah. I am pretty sure they were together at least one year but I think Curci moved Chuck to WR that year. Problem was we threw like five passes a game. If OJ was high school senior today, Saban would be offering him that helicopter he flys around in.
 
Gatorhater said:
Oh yeah. I am pretty sure they were together at least one year but I think Curci moved Chuck to WR that year. Problem was we threw like five passes a game. If OJ was high school senior today, Saban would be offering him that helicopter he flys around in.
Click to expand...
They missed each other by 3yrs
 
caneinorlando said:
They missed each other by 3yrs
Click to expand...

This getting old stuff sucks. I was busy in those days, college, law school, staying that Nam crap and all. Guess I fused some memories together. You’re right. I was under grad when chuck played and in law school when OJ came aboard. Of course I can remember saying they played together a good 20 years ago, so blaming old age could be a weak excuse. Hey, maybe I can be a coach.
 
Advertisement
Back
Top