*sniff*
Today is the final game for the University of Miami Hurricanes in the beloved and historic Orange Bowl. While many look on it as an eye sore and a money pit, others revere it as an icon and an old friend. The stadium seems to have it's aches and groans like anyone growing older. It leaked from every corner, flooded in the concession areas(I know, I worked cooking hot dogs in 2 inch deep slime water)and seem to always need a new paint job...there has to be like 50 layers on paint on that stadium.
This stadium boasts a unique history in Miami. It's the site of many super bowls in the early days, thousands of concerts and even a soccer game or two. My first memorable visit was to a UM home game against the Florida Gators. I was 16 years old and going with my best friend and her dad. We had a blast, and I was officially hooked on Miami Hurricanes football. As a college student, I attended UM for a few years, and marched in the band for 3 years on the drumline. My pride for the school, the team and the bowl increased with each victory and game. It was my second home during those days. My favorite game....the last game vs. Notre Dame. The Bowl was never louder than that day. My most memorable concert was seeing the Micheal Jackson and his brothers in the Victory Tour. I also worked many concerts like the Monster's of Rock for the band boosters.
I'm sure the alumni and current students are going to miss this old rickety stadium. The residents around the stadium are going to miss it too. The stadium is in a unique place, smack in the middle of an old style Miami neighborhood. The residents around the bowl would sell lawn space as parking spots and pregame tailgaing locations. This is a major source of income for these people. Some could fit 10 cars on their property and make $20.00 off of a car....you do that math for a weekend of fun. Those residents will be missing that extra money as the OB is torn down to make way for the new Marlins stadium. So what is hoped to strengthen the economy in that area, is going to be hurting the residents in the mean time.
I don't envy those students at UM now. They are going to have to drive all the way to the Broward/Miami-Dade County lines for a college game. This will most definitely have an effect on the student attendance at future games. Hopefully the school will provide free bus transportation for the students, with plenty of time for them to tailgate and celebrate a win at the end.
R.I.P. my Orange friend, you will be missed, but you will always be in my heart.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Na na na na...hey hey hey....good bye....
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Memories- My memories of the Orange Bowl are more than 50 years old. My sister would sneak me into the football games when she was a student at UM in the 50’s. They introduce Don Bossler during the pre-game. I saw him play at UM and for the Washington Redskins – a great full back. They introduce George Mira Sr. Again I saw him play in the 60’s – an exciting quarterback to watch. Now it is Otis Anderson – a great half-back who played with little talent around him in the 70’s. The 80’s are represented by Russell Maryland. How well I remember when teams would have 2nd and 2 or 3 yards and we would say now they are in trouble. They would try to run the middle against Russell and Cortez Kennedy at tackles. Invariably they will have 4th and 5 or more yards to go. Gino Toretta the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback represents the 90’s and Andre Johnson, there because his pro team has the weekend off is the new generation Cane. I am seated in the second row on the south side at the 50 yard line. My son the firefighter has obtained the tickets so that we can help unfurl a banner on the field after the game. The band walks by in front of us. My memories turn to my daughter who played cymbals and base drum in the Band of the Hour for 3 years. How proud I was and what memories Punky has of these days. The DCI dream never came true but many others did. I remember the lows. I was there when Flutie threw the bomb to beat Miami with no time on the clock and when Maryland recovered from 31-0 to win the game. I also remember the highs. The 1989 Notre dame game was unbelievable. Three hours before the game the stadium was packed and rocking. Only the USC-UCLA games are equal in my memories. The Championship game in the 2002 Rose Bowl! Sitting in a sea of red Nebraska fans and clearly being the best team. It is sad to see an old stadium with so many memories retire. It was pretty clear that neither the fans nor the UM players were there for the game. We were there to honor the stadium and the memories it held.
-John
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