Remembering the Insanely Talented 2001 Miami Hurricanes

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5% of the NFL used a draft pick on some player from this team.</li><li>In all, 19 of the 22 Miami starters were drafted. Only the left guard, center, and strong-side linebacker went undrafted.</li><li>Six cornerbacks and six tackles from this team were drafted. Four of those six cornerbacks were first-round picks.</li><li>This team ended up having 13 different Pro Bowlers that were selected to the Pro Bowl a total of 43 times combined.</li></ul><h2 id="67eb">3. The Hurricanes destroyed opponents en route to a perfect 12–0 season.</h2><ul><li>Miami outscored opponents 512 to 117 points over the season.</li><li>That’s an average winning margin of almost 33 points per game.</li><li>Miami won two games by two and eleven. Every other victory was by more than three touchdowns.</li><li>The Hurricanes finished their season with four straight top-14 opponents. They outscored them 187 to 45.</li></ul><h2 id="79ec">4. Miami’s players dominated the national awards.</h2><ul><li>Miami had 13 All-Conference players, over half the All-Conference team.</li><li>The Hurricanes had six national First Team All-Americans. That’s almost a quarter of the best players in the entire nation.</li><li>Nine different starters were nominated for their positional award. Three of them won.</li><li>Two Miami players finished among the top eight Heisman votes: quarterback Ken Dorsey and left tackle Bryant McKinnie.</li></ul><h2 id="c905">5. The special teams were pretty special.</h2><ul><li>Both punter Freddie Capshaw and place kicker Todd Sievers were named to the All-Conference team.</li><li>Sievers was also a First Team All-American, along with punt returner Philip Buchanon.</li><li>Buchanon split kick- and punt-return duties with Ed Reed, Andre Johnson, and Frank Gore.</li></ul><h2 id="eb86">6. The defense was even more special.</h2><ul><li>Miami allowed just 9.8 points per game on the season.</li><li>The Hurricanes held eight of their 12 opponents to seven points or less. That included five straight opponents at one point.</li><li>Miami gave up 17 points

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at home the entire season.</li><li>They allowed 55 points in all of their conference games combined</li><li>Miami’s defense allowed only 13 touchdowns all season while scoring eight of their own off turnovers.</li></ul><h2 id="5913">7. The Hurricanes faced 11–1 Nebraska and Heisman winner Eric Crouch in the BCS National Championship Game and went up 34–0 at the half, coasting to victory.</h2><h2 id="d1c3">8. Willis McGahee, Vince Wilfork, Sean Taylor, Kellen Winslow II, Antrel Rolle, and Frank Gore were all on the team… as freshman backups.</h2><h2 id="4b24">9. Four Miami running backs combined to rush for 33,733 yards in the NFL.</h2><ul><li>That’s Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Frank Gore, and Najeh Davenport.</li><li>That of course is 33,733 and counting, since Gore is still playing in the NFL sixteen years later — and somehow still starting.</li><li>Those 33,733 yards are just over twice the total of Hall of Famer NFL RB Walter Payton, who held the career rushing record for almost two decades.</li><li>Payton’s son Jarrett was also a running back on the Miami team.</li></ul><h2 id="27fb">10. No unit was as dominant as the Miami secondary.</h2><ul><li>Sean Taylor was the backup free safety — to Ed Reed.</li><li>A future NFL all-Miami secondary could have included Reed and Taylor at safety with Antrel Rolle, Philip Buchanon, Mike Rumph, and Kelly Jennings at cornerback.</li><li>The unit allowed only three passing touchdowns all season.</li></ul><figure id="a7dc"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*exSYbIophzY32DMa4HQVHw.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p id="eb06"><i>Enjoy the game <a href="undefined">Tim Rucker</a> and <a href="undefined">Rob Myers</a>.</i></p><p id="c8dc"><i>Follow Brandon on Medium or <a href="https://twitter.com/wheatonbrando">@wheatonbrando</a> for more sports, humor, pop culture, and life musings. Visit the rest of Brandon’s <a href="https://readmedium.com/brandon-anderson-writing-archives-6b3ee1a29301#.6cteu050v">writing archives here</a>.</i></p></article></body>

A look back as ESPN College GameDay returns for the first time in 16 years

It’s a monster day in college football with two top-seven clashes, plus the top two teams in the College Football Playoff rankings hitting the road against a ranked opponent. But no game is bigger than the return of Catholics vs Convicts on the national stage. Oh sure, Notre Dame and Miami played last year and have met five times since Catholics vs Convicts, but never on this stage. Notre Dame is ranked 3rd at 8–1, and Miami is undefeated and ranked 7th, both teams knowing they’ll be headed to the playoffs if they win out.

ESPN College GameDay returns to Miami for the showdown, and it’s GameDay’s first visit since 2001. And that Miami team was absolutely insane, routinely voted the most talented college football team of all time. So before the game tonight, let’s look back at the absurd 2001 Miami Hurricanes…

1. The team had an incredible 17 first-round NFL draft picks.

That doesn’t include Clinton Portis or Frank Gore, who combined for seven Pro Bowls, seventeen 1,000-yard seasons, and 23,443 rushing yards.

Exactly half of the NFL used a first-round pick on someone from this roster.

There’s a 78% chance your favorite NFL team has employed a first-round pick from 2001 Miami since an incredible 25 teams have rostered one of them at some point or another.

2. A total of 38 players from this roster were drafted by the NFL.

That’s 17 first-round picks, six Day Two picks, and 15 from rounds 4–7.

An incredible 75% of the NFL used a draft pick on some player from this team.

In all, 19 of the 22 Miami starters were drafted. Only the left guard, center, and strong-side linebacker went undrafted.

Six cornerbacks and six tackles from this team were drafted. Four of those six cornerbacks were first-round picks.

This team ended up having 13 different Pro Bowlers that were selected to the Pro Bowl a total of 43 times combined.

3. The Hurricanes destroyed opponents en route to a perfect 12–0 season.

Miami outscored opponents 512 to 117 points over the season.

That’s an average winning margin of almost 33 points per game.

Miami won two games by two and eleven. Every other victory was by more than three touchdowns.

The Hurricanes finished their season with four straight top-14 opponents. They outscored them 187 to 45.

4. Miami’s players dominated the national awards.

Miami had 13 All-Conference players, over half the All-Conference team.

The Hurricanes had six national First Team All-Americans. That’s almost a quarter of the best players in the entire nation.

Nine different starters were nominated for their positional award. Three of them won.

Two Miami players finished among the top eight Heisman votes: quarterback Ken Dorsey and left tackle Bryant McKinnie.

6. The defense was even more special.

Miami allowed just 9.8 points per game on the season.

The Hurricanes held eight of their 12 opponents to seven points or less. That included five straight opponents at one point.

Miami gave up 17 points at home the entire season.

They allowed 55 points in all of their conference games combined

Miami’s defense allowed only 13 touchdowns all season while scoring eight of their own off turnovers.

9. Four Miami running backs combined to rush for 33,733 yards in the NFL.

That’s Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Frank Gore, and Najeh Davenport.

That of course is 33,733 and counting, since Gore is still playing in the NFL sixteen years later — and somehow still starting.

Those 33,733 yards are just over twice the total of Hall of Famer NFL RB Walter Payton, who held the career rushing record for almost two decades.

Payton’s son Jarrett was also a running back on the Miami team.

10. No unit was as dominant as the Miami secondary.

Sean Taylor was the backup free safety — to Ed Reed.

A future NFL all-Miami secondary could have included Reed and Taylor at safety with Antrel Rolle, Philip Buchanon, Mike Rumph, and Kelly Jennings at cornerback.

The unit allowed only three passing touchdowns all season.

Follow Brandon on Medium or @wheatonbrando for more sports, humor, pop culture, and life musings. Visit the rest of Brandon’s writing archives here.