1988 Miami Hurricanes football team

1988 Miami Hurricanes football
Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl, W 23–3 vs. Nebraska
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 2
AP	No. 2
Record	11–1
Head coach	Jimmy Johnson (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Gary Stevens (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Dave Wannstedt (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
MVP	Steve Walsh
Home stadium	Miami Orange Bowl
Seasons ←  1987 1989  →

1988 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame		–		–				12	–	0	–	0
No. 2 Miami (FL)		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Florida State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 5 West Virginia		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 13 Syracuse		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
Army		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Louisville		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Northern Illinois		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Akron		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Penn State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Tulane		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Temple		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Tulsa		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Boston College		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Navy		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1988 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Hurricanes' 63rd season of football. The Hurricanes were led by fifth-year head coach Jimmy Johnson and played home games at the Miami Orange Bowl. They finished the season 11–1 overall. They were invited to the Orange Bowl, where they defeated Nebraska, 23–3.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	No. 1 Florida State	No. 6	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (rivalry)	CBS	W 31–0	77,836	[1]
September 17	at No. 15 Michigan	No. 1	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	ABC	W 31–30	105,834	[2]
September 24	Wisconsin	No. 1	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 23–3	48,311	[3]
October 1	Missouri	No. 1	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 55–0	40,654	[4]
October 15	at No. 4 Notre Dame	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (Catholics vs. Convicts, rivalry)	CBS	L 30–31	59,075	[5]
October 22	Cincinnati	No. 4	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 57–3	44,107	[6]
October 29	at East Carolina	No. 4	Ficklen Memorial Stadium Greenville, NC		W 31–7	29,400	[7]
November 5	Tulsa	No. 3	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 34–3	38,196	[8]
November 19	at No. 11 LSU	No. 3	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ESPN	W 44–3	79,528	[9]
November 26	No. 8 Arkansas	No. 3	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL	CBS	W 18–16	63,271	[10]
December 3	BYU	No. 2	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL	ESPN	W 41–17	59,367	[11]
January 2	vs. No. 6 Nebraska	No. 2	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Bowl, rivalry)	NBC	W 23–3	79,480	[12]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

Further information: 1988 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	8 (1)	6 (1)	1 (38)	1 (46)	1 (46)	1 (55)	1 (53)	1 (52)	4	4	3 (1)	3 (1)	3 (1)	3 (1)	2 (1)	2 (1)	2 (1 1⁄2)
Coaches	5 (4)	5 (4)	1 (29)	1 (37)	1 (45)	1 (45)	1 (43)	1 (44)	4	4	3	3	3 (1)	3 (1)	2 (2)	2 (3)	2 (2)

Game summaries

Florida State

#1 Florida State at #6 Miami (FL)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Seminoles	0	0	0	0	0
•Hurricanes	3	14	7	7	31

• Date: September 3
• Location: Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
• Game attendance: 77,836
• TV announcers (CBS Sports): Brent Musburger, Pat Haden, and John Dockery

Scoring summary

1	11:46	MIA	Carlos Huerta 46-yard field goal	MIA 3-0
2	14:27	MIA	Cleveland Gary 2-yard run (Carlos Huerta kick)	MIA 10-0
2	0:11	MIA	Rob Chudzinski 19-yard pass from Steve Walsh (Carlos Huerta kick)	MIA 17-0
3	8:54	MIA	Leonard Conley 5-yard pass from Steve Walsh (Carlos Huerta kick)	MIA 24-0
4	1:30	MIA	Pee Wee Smith 17-yard pass from Craig Erickson (Carlos Huerta kick)	MIA 31-0

See also: 1988 Florida State Seminoles football team and Florida State–Miami football rivalry

^{[13] [14]}

At Michigan

#1 Miami (FL) at #15 Michigan

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
•Hurricanes	7	7	0	17	31
Wolverines	3	17	3	7	30

• Date: September 17
• Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Game attendance: 105,834
• TV announcers (ABC Sports): Keith Jackson, Bob Griese

Scoring summary

1		Michigan	Mike Gillette 22-yard field goal	Michigan 3-0
1		Miami (FL)	Cleveland Gary 49-yard pass from Steve Walsh (Carlos Huerta kick)	Miami (FL) 7-3
2		Michigan	Mike Gillette 30-yard field goal	Miami (FL) 7-6
2		Miami (FL)	Cleveland Gary 1-yard run (Carlos Huerta kick)	Miami (FL) 14-6
2		Michigan	Jeffrey Brown 5-yard pass from Michael Taylor (pass failed)	Miami (FL) 14-12
2		Michigan	John Kolesar 18-yard pass from Michael Taylor (Chris Horn run)	Michigan 20-14
3		Michigan	Mike Gillette 29-yard field goal	Michigan 23-14
4		Michigan	Chris Calloway 16-yard pass from Michael Taylor (Mike Gillette kick)	Michigan 30-14
4	5:23	Miami (FL)	Rob Chudzinski 7-yard pass from Steve Walsh (Dale Dawkins pass from Steve Walsh)	Michigan 30-22
4	2:58	Miami (FL)	Cleveland Gary 48-yard pass from Steve Walsh (pass failed)	Michigan 30-28
4	0:43	Miami (FL)	Carlos Huerta 29-yard field goal	Miami (FL) 31-30

See also: 1988 Michigan Wolverines football team

^[15]

Wisconsin

Wisconsin at #1 Miami (FL)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Badgers	3	0	0	0	3
•Hurricanes	0	14	6	3	23

• Date: September 24
• Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
• Game attendance: 48,311

Scoring summary

Q1		WIS	Mehring 38-yard field goal	WIS 3–0
Q2		MIA	Clark 55-yard fumble return (Huerta kick)	MIA 7–3
Q2		MIA	Brown 26-yard pass from Walsh (Huerta kick)	MIA 14–3
Q3		MIA	Huerta 21-yard field goal	MIA 17–3
Q3		MIA	Huerta 34-yard field goal	MIA 20–3
Q4		MIA	Huerta 30-yard field goal	MIA 23–3

See also: 1988 Wisconsin Badgers football team

^[16]

Missouri

Missouri at #1 Miami (FL)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	0	0	0	0	0
•Hurricanes	21	17	14	3	55

• Date: October 1
• Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
• Game attendance: 40,654

Scoring summary

Q1		MIA	Chudzinski 29-yard pass from Walsh (Huerta kick)	MIA 7–0
Q1		MIA	Dawkins 9-yard pass from Walsh (Huerta kick)	MIA 14–0
Q1		MIA	Hill 44-yard pass from Walsh (Huerta kick)	MIA 21–0
Q2		MIA	Huerta 34-yard field goal	MIA 24–0
Q2		MIA	Gary 4-yard run (Huerta kick)	MIA 31–0
Q2		MIA	A. Brown 45-yard pass from Erickson (Huerta kick)	MIA 38–0
Q3		MIA	Dawkins 35-yard pass from Walsh (Huerta kick)	MIA 45–0
Q3		MIA	A. Brown 17-yard pass from Erickson (Huerta kick)	MIA 52–0
Q4		MIA	Huerta 47-yard field goal	MIA 55–0

See also: 1988 Missouri Tigers football team

The dominating win over Missouri was Miami's most lopsided victory in 21 years, dating back to a 58–0 win over Pittsburgh in 1967. ^[17]

At Notre Dame

#1 Miami (FL) at #4 Notre Dame

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Hurricanes	0	21	0	9	30
•Fighting Irish	7	14	10	0	31

• Date: October 15
• Location: Notre Dame Stadium,
  Notre Dame, Indiana
• Game start: 2:30 PM
• Game attendance: 59,075
• Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C), Sunny, Wind SW 10–15 mph (16–24 km/h)
• TV announcers (CBS Sports): Brent Musburger, Pat Haden, and John Dockery

• Source:

Scoring summary

1	3:36	ND	Rice 7-yard run (Ho kick)	ND 7-0
2	12:40	Miami (FL)	A. Brown 8-yard pass from Walsh (Huerta kick)	Tied 7-7
2	7:34	ND	B. Banks 8-yard pass from Rice (Ho kick)	ND 14-7
2		ND	P. Terrell 60-yard interception return (Ho kick)	ND 21-7
2	2:16	Miami (FL)	Conley 23-yard pass from Walsh (Huerta kick)	ND 21-14
2	0:21	Miami (FL)	C. Gary 15-yard pass from Walsh (Huerta kick)	Tied 21-21
3	8:09	ND	P. Eilers 3-yard run (Ho kick)	ND 28-21
3	0:37	ND	Ho 27-yard field goal	ND 31-21
4	13:07	Miami (FL)	Huerta 23-yard field goal	ND 31-24
4	0:45	Miami (FL)	A. Brown 11-yard pass from Walsh (pass failed)	ND 31-30

Main article: 1988 Notre Dame vs. Miami football game

See also: 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

^{[18] [19]}

Cincinnati

See also: Cincinnati Bearcats football

• Steve Walsh 286 Yds, 5 TD (tied school record) ^[20]

At East Carolina

See also: 1988 East Carolina Pirates football team

Tulsa

See also: 1988 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team

At LSU

#3 Miami (FL) at #11 LSU

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
•Hurricanes	10	10	0	24	44
Tigers	0	3	0	0	3

• Date: November 19
• Location: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Game start: 8:22 pm CST
• Elapsed time: 3:09
• Game attendance: 79,528
• Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C), Overcast, Wind E 16 mph (26 km/h)
• Referee: Jimmy Harper
• TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Carpenter, Kevin Kiley, and Chris Fowler

See also: 1988 LSU Tigers football team

Arkansas

#8 Arkansas at #3 Miami (FL)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Razorbacks	10	0	6	0	16
•Hurricanes	10	5	0	3	18

• Date: November 26
• Location: Miami Orange Bowl,
  Miami, Florida
• Game start: 12:23 pm EST
• Elapsed time: 3:01
• Game attendance: 63,271
• Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), Partly Sunny, Wind SE 15–20 mph (24–32 km/h)
• Referee: Mike Dover
• TV announcers (CBS Sports): Brent Musburger, Pat Haden, and John Dockery

• Source: Box Score Archived 2019-08-22 at the Wayback Machine

Scoring summary

1	9:14	Miami	Huerta 36-yard field goal	Miami 3-0
1	4:43	Ark	Trainor 58-yard field goal	Tied 3-3
1	1:41	Miami	Gary 1-yard run (Huerta kick)	Miami 10-3
1	1:29	Ark	Foster 80-yard run (Trainor kick)	Tied 10-10
2	8:30	Miami	Safety, Hawkins tackles Grovey in end zone	Miami 12-10
2	0:03	Miami	Huerta 45-yard field goal	Miami 15-10
3	5:03	Ark	Foster 16-yard pass from Grovey (conversion failed)	Arkansas 16-15
4	5:38	Miami	Huerta 20-yard field goal	Miami 18-16

See also: 1988 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

BYU

BYU at #2 Miami (FL)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	3	0	14	0	17
•Hurricanes	7	27	0	7	41

• Date: December 3
• Location: Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
• Game attendance: 59,637
• TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Carpenter, Kevin Kiley, and Chris Fowler

See also: 1988 BYU Cougars football team

Vs. Nebraska (Orange Bowl)

#2 Miami (FL) vs. #6 Nebraska

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
•Hurricanes	7	13	0	3	23
Cornhuskers	0	0	3	0	3

• Date: January 1
• Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
• Game attendance: 79,480
• Referee: Jimmy Harper
• TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy

Scoring summary

Q1		MIA	Leonard Conley 22-yard pass from Steve Walsh (Huerta kick)	MIA 7–0
Q2		MIA	Huerta 18-yard field goal	MIA 10–0
Q2		MIA	Conley 42-yard pass from Walsh (Huerta kick)	MIA 17–0
Q2		MIA	Huerta 37-yard field goal	MIA 20–0
Q3		Neb	Gregg Barrios 50-yard field goal	MIA 20–3
Q4		MIA	Huerta 37-yard field goal	MIA 23–3

Main article: 1989 Orange Bowl

See also: 1988 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team and Miami–Nebraska football rivalry

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Personnel

Roster

1988 Miami Hurricanes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE 93 Randy Bethel So WR 83 Andre Brown Sr OL 52 Darrin Bruce Sr WR 81 Wesley Carroll So TE 84 Rob Chudzinski So RB 28 Leonard Conley So FB 20 Shannon Crowell So WR 11 Dale Dawkins Jr QB 7 Craig Erickson So C 50 Bobby Garcia Jr RB 43 Cleveland Gary Sr G 66 Darren Handy RB 31 Freddy Highsmith Sr WR 3 Randal Hill So C 64 Rod Holder Jr OL 75 John O'Neill Sr G 68 Barry Panfil OL 73 Leon Searcy  Fr WR 18 Pee Wee Smith Jr WR 35 Darryl Spencer Fr G 79 Mike Sullivan So QB 4 Steve Walsh Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 23 Robert Bailey So CB 6 Kenny Berry Jr LB 91 Rod Carter Sr LB 57 Bernard Clark Jr LB 49 Maurice Crum So DL 44 Shane Curry So CB 29 Donald Ellis Sr DB 39 Bobby Harden Jr DE 54 Bill Hawkins Sr DL 63 Jimmie Jones Jr DT 96 Cortez Kennedy Jr DT 94 Greg Mark Jr DL 67 Russell Maryland So DB 48 Bubba McDowell Sr LB 38 Richard Newbill Jr DE 58 Willis Peguese Jr DB 2 Charles Pharms Fr LB 22 Randy Shannon Sr LB 20 Julius Noble Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 1 Edgar Benes Jr K 27 Carlos Huerta Fr P 19 Tim Kalal Jr	Head coach Jimmy Johnson (Arkansas) Coordinators/assistant coaches Gary Stevens (John Carroll) –Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Dave Wannstedt (Pittsburgh) –Defensive coordinator/Linebackers Joe Brodsky (Florida) –Running backs Hubbard Alexander (Tennessee State) –Wide receivers Tony Wise (Ithaca) –Offensive line Butch Davis (Arkansas) –Defensive line Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Seasons	Alma mater
Jimmy Johnson	Head coach	5th	Arkansas (1965)
Gary Stevens	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks	9th	John Carroll (1965)
Dave Wannstedt	Defensive coordinator/linebackers	3rd	Pittsburgh (1974)
Hubbard Alexander	Wide receivers	10th	Tennessee State (1962)
Joe Brodsky	Running backs	11th	Florida (1956)
Butch Davis	Defensive line	5th	Arkansas (1973)
Art Kehoe	Assistant offensive line	4th	Miami (1982)
Don Soldinger	Tight ends	5th	Memphis (1967)
Tony Wise	Offensive line	4th	Ithaca (1972)
Dave Campo	Defensive backs	2nd	Central Connecticut State (1969)

Support staff

Name	Position	Seasons	Alma mater
Bill Foran	Strength & Conditioning	4th	Central Michigan (1977)
Tommy Tuberville	Graduate Assistant	3rd	Southern Arkansas (1976)
Ed Orgeron	Graduate Assistant	1st	Northwestern State (1983)

Awards and honors

• Steve Walsh, Sammy Baugh Trophy ^[22]

Jack Harding University of Miami MVP Award

• Steve Walsh, QB ^[23]

1989 NFL draft

Main article: 1989 NFL draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	Team
Bill Hawkins	Defensive end	1	21	Los Angeles Rams
Cleveland Gary	Running back	1	26	Los Angeles Rams
Bubba McDowell	Defensive back	3	77	Houston Oilers
Melvin Bratton	Running back	7	180	Denver Broncos
Rod Carter	Linebacker	10	252	Dallas Cowboys
Randy Shannon	Linebacker	11	280	Dallas Cowboys

^[24]

References

1. "Miami blows away No. 1 Florda State". The Charlotte Observer. September 4, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Hurricanes wash away UM upset bid". The Flint Journal. September 18, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Badgers can't move on Miami defense". Herald-Times-Reporter. September 25, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Hurricanes drench punchless Tigers". Florida Today. October 2, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Irish good guys nab public enemy No. 1". The Courier-Journal. October 16, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Hurricanes overwhelm Bearcats". The Stuart News. October 23, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Hurricanes methodical in beating ECU 31–7". The Palm Beach Post. October 30, 1988. Retrieved March 5, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Miami defeats Tulsa, 34–3; Walsh ties TD mark". The Stuart News. November 6, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Hurricanes make a disaster of Bengals". The Commercial Appeal. November 20, 1988. Retrieved November 11, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Miami stops Arkansas". Daily Press. November 27, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Miami pounds BYU as Ellis scores TD". News-Press. December 4, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Miami's Johnson: 'We're best team right now'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 4, 1989. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Miami Wallops No.1 FSU 31-0." Gainesville Sun. Sept 4 1988.
14. NoleFan.Org
15. "Hurricanes blow past Wolverines." Eugene Register-Guard. 1988 Sept 18.
16. "Miami's defense bails out offense." Gainesville Sun. 1988 Sept 25. Retrieved 2014-Dec-28.
17. "COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Missouri Sees Why Miami Is No. 1, 55-0". Los Angeles Times . October 2, 1988. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
18. "NOTRE DAME DEFEATS TOP-RANKED MIAMI, 31-30". The Washington Post . January 3, 1989. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
19. "25 years of college football's memorable games". USA Today . December 1, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
20. Gainesville Sun. 1988 Oct 23.
21. "MIAMI'S DEFENSE DESTROYS NEBRASKA". Chicago Tribune . January 3, 1989. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
22. "Awards". www.touchdownclubofcolumbus.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.
23. "History: Jack Harding MVP Award". CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 23, 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
24. "1989 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.