30 FOR 30: THE U (TV)
Summary
One in this series of sports documentaries presented by ESPN about important people and events from 1979 to 2009.
This film is about the University of Miami’s football program and the history of its team, the Hurricanes, through the 1980’s. In the 1970’s, the University of Miami’s athletics programs suffer due to poor field performance, a lack of proper fundraising efforts, and declining attendance. After going through a bevvy of coaches and athletic directors, Howard Schnellenberger is hired as head coach in 1979, bringing with him years of experience on the coaching staffs of various successful teams. He works to reinvigorate the team and its image, completely re-drafting its players and fundamentally altering its advertising, ticketing practices, and even the team’s logo, hoping to make “The U” a recognizable and popular image. Schnellenberger is determined to take the team to the national championships, inspiring both excitement and skepticism from the University of Miami. His strategy soon brings in higher attendance rates and a new sense enthusiasm from Miami crowds.
At the time, Miami gains a reputation nationwide for being dangerous and crime-ridden; numerous former Miami Hurricane players recount growing up in troubled neighborhoods. Drug dealers, police corruption, prostitution, race riots, and all manner of violence are commonplace on the streets of Miami at the time. For many young people at the time, football represents an alternative to the dangers of street life. Football games at Miami high schools gain a greater degree of importance due to the passionate involvement of the crowd as well as commonplace betting on games. Schnellenberger is aware of all this and uses it to his advantage during his recruiting drives, hoping to create a powerful motivating force for his players. The University of Miami staff focuses their efforts on parts of Florida south of Daytona Beach, christening the area the “State of Miami.” Schnellenberger in particular focuses his recruitment efforts on players from inner-city districts; previous college football recruiters avoided such areas. His presence is welcomed in such areas by their African-American residents, whereas previous coaches would have been shunned. The Class of 1983 proves to be particularly fruitful for Schnellenberger, as the recruited students keep in communication with each other, hoping to cultivate the best players from disparate high school programs together into a single team. Two particularly notable recruits include Alonzo Highsmith and Melvin Bratton, and Schnellenberger in general breaks tradition at the University of Miami by recruiting large numbers of African-American players. Their presence in the previously mostly-white and “ivory tower” environment of the college neighborhood of Coral Gables breaks new ground in dissolving long-established racial boundaries in the area, although local police are often suspicious of them.
In the 1984 Orange Bowl, the Hurricanes get the opportunity to play for the national championship, facing the undefeated University of Nebraska team. Thanks to the skills of their freshman quarterback, Bernie Kosar, and highly aggressive play from the entire team, the Hurricanes lead by a single point in the closing seconds of the game. Nebraska attempts to score a game-winning two-point conversion after a crucial touchdown, but the Hurricanes disrupt the play and prevent them from scoring, thus securing victory. They advance to the national championships and are labeled by the media as the number one college football team in the country. Schnellenberger becomes a lauded celebrity in Miami for assembling the team, and is given acclaim on a national scale, particularly for drawing attention away from Miami’s various crime problems. However, Schnellenberger leaves the University of Miami after that season to become part-owner and general manager of the burgeoning USFL, although the organization fails to gain footing.
Schnellenberger is replaced with Jimmy Johnson, a college football coach from Oklahoma. 1984 proves to be a difficult year for Johnson; the team loses a number of games and he clashes with the rest of the coaching staff about defensive strategies. However, he works to solidify his position in the team and to understand the psychology and backgrounds of his players, becoming a sort of ersatz “father-figure” for many of them. Johnson revolutionizes the Hurricanes’ defense and, on November 30th, 1985, gains notoriety for beating Notre Dame by an extremely wide margin; some criticize Johnson for doing so, particularly as it is the Notre Dame coach’s last game. Others point out that other colleges have run up scores in similar fashions, and that Miami is being criticized because it is perceived as a school that “isn’t supposed to do this.” 1986 sees Miami go up against Oklahoma, Johnson’s former team. Trouble starts before the game when Highsmith and Bratton become confrontational with Oklahoma star player Brian Bosworth and several other players. The game begins on September 27th, 1986, and controversy erupts when the Hurricane players refuse to shake hands with the Oklahoma team at the coin toss, erupting into a profanity-laced argument which is picked up by the television cameras and their microphones. Miami gains a lead in the game and the players continue to taunt the other team, hoping to demoralize them. At one point a fight breaks out between the two teams, and the crowd seems to support Miami’s actions. Some fans are intimidated by Miami’s hyper-aggressive tactics and “swagger,” and they intentionally play up this image for television audiences with encouragement from Johnson.
During this time, the team becomes associated with the controversial rap group 2 Live Crew, contributing to perceptions from conservative Americans that the team embraces a “thug” lifestyle. However, the University of Miami believes that the negative attention is a consequence of their seemingly unstoppable winning record. The media becomes focused more on the team’s criminal record and field antics than on its performance. The team is bolstered rather than discouraged by the media attention, and some believe that it is the result of racist journalism against them. On January 2nd, 1987, Miami plays Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship. Before the game, the Miami players march off of their plane wearing army fatigues, likening the upcoming game to a war. The Penn State players retaliate by telling jokes laced with racial slurs at a dinner featuring both teams. The Miami team walks out of the event, displeased with this turn of events. Penn State’s skill at interceptions allows them to win the game 14 to 10, humiliating the Miami team and making them quite emotional. The media accuses the Hurricanes of overconfidence and lambasts them for their loss. Johnson gets in trouble with his superiors over the game and they refuse to renew his contract, leading him to attempt to quit the team. However, his contract is renewed and he stays despite lingering tensions.
The off-field incidents surrounding the Penn State game cause University of Miami president Edward “Tad” Foote II to institute new policies concerning team conduct and dress code. The players resent these impositions and come to view Foote as emblematic of the criticisms leveled at them by the rest of the country. Johnson in particular clashes with Foote, whom he believes is uncomfortable with the inner-city students in the athletics program. However, he is unwilling to endure the sort of conflicts which marred his previous season, and the entire team refocuses its efforts in order to bolster their on-field performance for the 1987 season. Their efforts pay off, resulting in a completely undefeated season. On January 1st, 1988, they play the Orange Bowl in Miami against Oklahoma. During the game, Bratton, after playing remarkably well, injures his knee during a sideline play. His absence signals a reversal of fortune in the game as Oklahoma starts to score, but Miami manages to win the game anyway. Bratton’s injury depreciates his potential value in the NFL, marking a major obstacle to his career. The city of Miami is ecstatic over the win, treating the Hurricanes preferentially over their professional team the Dolphins.
After viewing a pejorative video tape directed at them from the Florida State University Seminoles, the Hurricanes feel the need to respond in kind. Although the Seminoles enter the pre-season at number one, the Hurricanes easily beat them in their first meeting. Notre Dame insults them in their next game on October 15th, 1988 by branding it as “Catholics vs. Convicts,” stoking Miami’s indignation. An altercation breaks out before the game starts, but it is swiftly broken up. Notre Dame manages to win the game 31-30, denying Miami the chance for a second consecutive national title. The referee later apologizes to the team for making a bad call which ended up costing them the game. At the end of the season, Johnson announces that he is leaving in order to coach the Dallas Cowboys; leaving Miami proves to be difficult for him, as he calls it his “home.”
Johnson’s replacement in Dennis Erickson, a figure who inspires some resentment and misgivings from the team. He is initially unfamiliar with Miami and its environs, describing it as a “culture shock” for him. Erickson recognizes the effectiveness of the defensive line established by Johnson and works to improve the Miami team’s offensive game. Erickson quickly endears himself to the team by recognizing their strengths and building upon them. 1989 sees the team rack up a number of wins under Erickson’s guidance despite the loss of some of their best players the year before. They are able to beat their rivals Notre Dame and go on to defeat Alabama at the 1989 Sugar Bowl advance to the national championship. They win, making Erickson the first rookie coach to win a national championship since 1948. However, Miami loses the first game of the 1990 season, demoralizing them somewhat and drawing ire from former Hurricane players. In a subsequent game against California, Miami resumes their previous practices of dancing on the field to taunt their opponents, which angers the other team. Erickson has difficulty controlling his players, as they have lost some respect for him. The next game, the Cotton Bowl against the University of Texas, sees the other team racially insult them, motivating them to play with more than their usual vigor, and they go out of their way to taunt them on the field. The game immediately takes a turn when Miami player Robert Bailey intentionally knocks one of his opponents unconscious, thus taking him out of the game. The rest of the team follows suit and plays highly aggressively, earning them numerous violations from the referees. Their victory is marred by the penalties and by the unsportsmanlike conduct of the Miami team.
Foote confronts Erickson about the Cotton Bowl, noting that he is appalled by the Miami team’s behavior. Soon there are new regulations passed by the NCAA forbidding players from engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct in college football. The regulations seem to be specifically created to forbid actions regularly employed by the Miami team on the field, such as their various gestures, dances, and poses; a video tape demonstrating forbidden actions is almost exclusively made up of footage of the team. The team copes with this in the 1991 season by refocusing on their gameplay and go in to the Orange Bowl against Nebraska with an undefeated season. A number of former Hurricane players watch on from the sidelines, lending the game an extra element of importance. They win the game 22-0, thus securing another national championship. However, the team soon becomes embroiled in a controversy concerning allegations of payoffs or “bounties” on behalf of 2 Live Crew’s Luther Campbell. Many players report that NCAA stipends are not sufficient to feed themselves and some admit to thievery in order to make extra money. They are especially frustrated since the University of Miami made millions off of the team’s merchandising, but seemingly abandoned them in terms of budgetary concerns in favor of developing the university via new buildings and infrastructure. Students are attracted to Miami for its football program, although Foote continues to insist that they are interested in its academic achievements.
University of Miami football staff plead guilty to abuse of federal aid money and the team is forced to sit out a season of football as one of the consequences. This leads to recruitment outside of Florida for the first time in years, hurting the team’s performance and causing their record to plummet. Erickson is replaced by Butch Davis in 1995, but he is unable to achieve the same success as the previous three coaches. Some credit the University of Miami football program for helping to bridge racial gaps in communities throughout Florida, and many of the inner-city youths recruited into the program receive educations, something they had previously thought inaccessible to them. In the ensuing years, Miami experiences more success, including another national championship in 2001; in 2008 the Orange Bowl is torn down. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ESPN
- DATE: December 12, 2009
- RUNNING TIME: 1:46:38
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 114752
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries; Sports
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Sports; TV - Public affairs/documentaries; TV - Sports
- SERIES RUN: ESPN - TV series, 2009-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Keith Clinkscales … Executive Producer
- John Dahl … Executive Producer
- Joan Lynch … Executive Producer
- Connor Schell … Executive Producer
- John Skipper … Executive Producer
- Bill Simmons … Executive Producer
- John Walsh … Executive Producer
- Billy Corben … Producer, Director
- Alfred Spellman … Producer
- Arunima Dhar … Producer
- David Cypkin … Co-Producer
- Evan Rosenfeld … Associate Producer
- Kristin McDowell … Associate Producer
- Bruce Feldman … Consulting Producer
- Mike Tollin … Consulting Producer
- Lindsey Snell … Researcher
- Honor Roll Music … Music by
- Uncle Luke … Music by
- Billy Corben … Interviewee
- Luther Campbell … Interviewee
- Tolbert Bain … Interviewee
- Bennie Blades … Interviewee
- Howard Schnellenberger … Interviewee
- Sam Jankovich … Interviewee
- Bernie Kosar … Interviewee
- Art Kehoe … Interviewee
- Don Bailey Jr. … Interviewee
- Willis McGahee … Interviewee
- Duane Starks … Interviewee
- Santana Moss … Interviewee
- Brett Perriman … Interviewee
- Jerry Rushin … Interviewee
- Melvin Bratton … Interviewee
- James T. … Interviewee
- Kevin Brinkworth … Interviewee
- Robert Bailey … Interviewee
- Drew Rosenhaus … Interviewee
- Jeremy Shockey … Interviewee
- Steve Walsh … Interviewee
- Alonzo Highsmith … Interviewee
- Michael Irvin … Interviewee
- Carlos Huerta … Interviewee
- Dan LeBatard … Interviewee
- Jimmy Johnson … Interviewee
- Leon Searcy … Interviewee
- Randall Hill … Interviewee
- Kelvin Harris … Interviewee
- Jonathan Vilma … Interviewee
- Mario Cristobal … Interviewee
- Lamar Thomas … Interviewee
- K.C. Jones … Interviewee
- Don Soldinger … Interviewee
- Jessie Armstead … Interviewee
- Ryan McNeil … Interviewee
- Dennis Erickson … Interviewee
- John Routh … Interviewee
- Brian Bosworth
- Butch Davis
- Edward "Tad" Foote II