The Miracle in Miami
Less than a decade removed from a period of uncertainty in which there was open talk of dropping the football program, the University of Miami Hurricanes stunned the college football world by defeating the top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, 31-30, in the 1984 Orange Bowl Classic on January 1, 1984.
The victory was monumental — for UM football and for college football in general. Monumental not only because the Cornhuskers were widely considered to be among the most powerful teams in college football history, but it also heralded the dawn of a new dynasty in the sport from a program that had been all but dead just a few short years earlier. That victory - combined with losses by second-ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl and Illinois in the Rose Bowl - vaulted the Hurricanes into the top spot in the final national rankings.
This was the first national title team without a single player making an All-America first team voted by AP, UPI, the Football Writers Association or the College Football Coaches Association.
One of the keys was a melting pot offensive line — a Canadian (center Ian Sinclair), a Cuban-American (guard Juan Comendeiro), an African-American (guard Alvin Ward), an Italian-American (tackle Paul Bertucelli) and an Irish-American (tackle Dave Hefferman).
Miami was only the second national title team to gain more passing yards than rushing yards.
“It’s a tribute to a lot of gutty players and a real team effort,” head coach Howard Schnellenberger said. “We’ve got a lot of overachievers on our team — or else there has been a poor job of selection done by the All-American selectors.”
1983 (11-1-0)
Head Coach: Howard Schnellenberger
| Date | UM Rank | Opponent | Result | Score |
| Sept. 3 | at (7) Florida | L | 3-28 | |
| Sept. 10 | at Houston | W | 29-7 | |
| Sept. 17 | Purdue | W | 35-0 | |
| Sept. 24 | (13) Notre Dame | W | 20-0 | |
| Oct. 1 | 15 | at Duke | W | 56-17 |
| Oct. 8 | 12 | Louisville | W | 42-14 |
| Oct. 15 | 10 | at Mississippi St. | W | 31-7 |
| Oct. 22 | 8 | at Cincinnati | W | 17-7 |
| Oct. 29 | 7 | (12) West Virginia | W | 20-3 |
| Nov. 5 | 5 | East Carolina | W | 12-7 |
| Nov. 12 | 6 | at Florida State | W | 17-16 |
| Jan. 2 | 5 | *vs. (1) Nebraska | W | 31-30 |
| 313-136 |
*Orange Bowl Classic, Miami
1983 Statistical Leaders
| RUSHING | ||||||
| Att. | Yards | Avg. | TD | LP | ||
| Bentley | 144 | 722 | 5.0 | 5 | 60 | |
| Griffin | 101 | 447 | 4.4 | 0 | 20 | |
| PASSING | ||||||
| A-C-I | Yards | Pct. | TD | LP | ||
| Kosar | 327-201-13 | 2329 | 61.5 | 15 | 73 | |
| RECEIVING | ||||||
| No. | Yards | Avg. | TD | LP | ||
| Dennison | 54 | 594 | 11.0 | 3 | 25 | |
| INTERCEPTIONS | ||||||
| No. | Yards | Avg. | TD | LP | ||
| Calhoun | 3 | 92 | 30.7 | 1 | 92 | |
| PUNTING | ||||||
| No. | Yards | Avg. | I20 | LG | ||
| Tuten | 50 | 2008 | 41.2 | 14 | 52 | |
| PUNT RETURNS | ||||||
| No. | Yards | Avg. | TD | LP | ||
| Brown | 31 | 143 | 4.6 | 0 | 26 | |
| KICKOFF RETURNS | ||||||
| No. | Yards | Avg. | TD | LP | ||
| Sutton | 14 | 331 | 23.6 | 0 | 40 | |
| FIELD GOALS | ||||||
| 1-19 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50+ | Total | |
| Davis | 1-1 | 3-3 | 6-6 | 1-7 | 0-3 | 11-20 |
