We love the University of Miami and what "The U" stands for. However, after more than a decade of mediocre seasons that are not of Miami Football caliber, fans and alumni demand a change. The 2014 high school class were only toddlers when the University of Miami won its last national championship. While the brand still attracts strong talent, without a supportive system and direction, more and more talent will continue to flock elsewhere, making the brand less and less relevant. 

Many have blamed three different coaching staffs, players, and other factors, but it is now clear the root cause of the problem is at the heart of the administration. 13 years of lackluster administrative support and faulty hiring to save money is just too much. With new executive leadership coming in 2015, we demand a new direction with the following changes so we can quickly return to supporting our University not just with our hearts, but with our wallets:

1. You must publicly accept we have a problem and declare a new vision to set course in the right direction. Acceptance is the first step in effecting change. 

2. You must replace the coaching staff with one that has the Football intellect to take Miami to National Championship contention. While we appreciate the services of prior coaches who will be good for other programs, we will not settle for 3-4 loss seasons or for coaching philosophies that do not fit the Miami culture. We demand investment in an elite head coach of National Championship caliber. 

3. You must publish plans for improved facilities, to be constructed in the next decade. While the Schwartz center is a good start, it is minuscule compared to facilities at competing schools. 

4. You must declare a plan for a new University of Miami stadium that gives our home field advantage back.  

FULL DETAILS BELOW: 

You know the story. The University of Miami built a unique brand with the money, blood, sweat, and tears of many. Anyone who has followed or lived the history of “The U”, friend, alumnus, fan, or foe alike, knows what that orange and green U represented. The University of Miami was much more than just a University. It was a powerful brand. It was a mindset. It was an attitude. Many alumni will remember their job interviews, business deals or just plain conversations that started because of what made “The U” unique. It was the one everyone wanted to talk about. It was the one that opened doors because people wanted to know what it was like to be there. They wanted to know what it was like to be in the Orange Bowl screaming your lungs out with 80,000+ next to you chanting C-A-N-E-S. That’s what the University was about. Sure, it was a good private school, but what differentiated Miami was something that went beyond the classroom. That simple, yet powerful symbol that stood alone in a simple white background, that’s what it was all about: “The U”.

This path to glory, however, changed on June, 1st, 2001. That year, a new president assumed power. Ironically, that was the year of the last National Championship for the University of Miami Football program. That year marked a fundamental shift in program policy, whereby a priority was not going to be Football. Instead, the focus would now me something that sounded great to the students, the parents of the students, and the Board of Trustees. The new leadership was going to turn the University of Miami, which at that time was ranked #65 in the nation by U.S. News, into the “Harvard of The South”. It would be “the Great American research University”.

To achieve this goal, trade-offs would logically have to occur. Budgets, investments, and capital projects needed to change. It was no longer about hiring the best coaches, investing in much needed facilities, or doing what was right for athletics. Now, the priority would be to improve the quality of the academic program at the expense of everything else. and, so the journey began.

While the character of the school was changing, so did athletics; three head coaches (likely four by 2015), three athletic coordinators, salary cuts in 2006, and, worst of all, a decision was made that would change the history not just of “the U’, but of the City of Miami itself. The administration decided to allow the one and only Orange Bowl to be demolished in extraordinary fashion. Like an ancient Roman Coliseum, the walls of the Orange Bowl crumbled to the ground in a spectacle that some equate to unspeakable nightly news images of war or terrorism.

Even with the pleas of many, the leadership had no reason to change course. After all, the revenue from Collegiate brand royalties kept pouring in as fans and alumni were given false hope that this was “our” year.  We kept buying the apparel. They told us we would hire a better coach. They told us there would be a better recruiting class. Nike kept unveiling new jerseys for us to buy.  “Miami would be back”, we believed. We did all of this while the money was being used for other purposes and nothing got better.

Today, we are at risk of becoming irrelevant, and some argue we already are. The 2014 high school class graduates were toddlers when Miami won its last National Championship. Talented local recruits are being swayed to programs that would never have been in the consideration set. Those few star recruits who stay because of what the brand represented to them as they grew up cannot sustain a national championship run when surrounded by a mediocre system.  

Some will argue this is a University, not a sports franchise. However, those who have attended will know that being great and recognized for something is much better than not being recognized at all. The University was ranked a whopping #48 by U.S. News, which is cited by the administration as a tremendous improvement. Sure, #48 is better than #65; but, does that really matter? Is anyone going to be impressed by having attended the school that ranked #48? That is hardly the Harvard of the South. Today, there is pretty much NOTHING the University is known for, except that past that becomes more distant every year. 

The good news is that now we have an opportunity. The president has decided to resign in 2015. This means there will be a newly appointed leader. Therefore, the board of trustees needs to implement change in their new leader. As  Ludwig Von Mises once said, there are three conditions that are necessary for change. One is dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. The second is a different vision, and the third is realistic evidence of progress.

No More Money to UM until we see change. Go Canes.