Miami Hurricanes Football 2011: The Return of the Swagger?

The Miami Hurricanes dominated our television sets, newspaper clippings , water cooler chatter and the college football scene from the moment Howard Schnellenberger approached his resurrection project in the early 1980s.

Schnellenberger inherited a program that epitomized the term dysfunction, injected his own personal performance enhancing drug and completely reinvigorated a program.  

Schnellenberger's determination placed the Miami Hurricanes' on a path of destruction similar to their namesake.

Over the next two decades, The U, as they are so eloquently referred, dominated the college football landscape and was a household name within the football community.

Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson followed Schnellenberger's lead and continued to dominate the college football scene throughout the '80s and '90s.

Following the tenures of Howard, Jimmy and Dennis, Miami now possessed four national championships under their tutelage and was one of the most prominent programs in the country.

Miami tasted the bitterness of a dry spell during the late '90s, but Butch Davis and Larry Coker quickly collaborated  on another rebuilding project. The first few years of the millennium, Miami once again achieved success and earned another championship during the 2001 season.

The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are considered to be one of the greatest teams in history virtue of destroying opponents by over 32 points per game and a Herculean effort in demolishing Nebraska 37-14 in the BCS National Championship.

Following the championship season, Coker returned the Hurricanes to the BCS Championship once again, and there were high hopes of a repeat.

They fell short against Ohio State, and over the next several seasons, the wheels slowly began to break loose on the program. Coker struggled, according to Miami standards, and an eventual loss in the 2005 Peach Bowl led to his dismissal.

Enter the era of Randy Shannon.

Shannon's time spent in Coral Gables could be described in one simple word, underachievement.

Four out of five seasons were concluded outside the top 25, and appearances in mid-tier bowl games, like the Emerald and Champs Sports Bowl, were not results indicative of the talent on hand.

By the end of the 2010 regular season, the faithful and administration had lost all form of patience and decided to act swiftly. Randy was terminated following a loss to the University of South Florida, a game they entered as a 12-point favorite and epitomized the coach's failed tenure.

Shannon's dismissal came as no surprise to many whom followed the program. Lack of success would not be taken lightly, especially when the talent existed to perform at a much higher level.

The Hurricanes had high hopes for potential coaching candidates, including the likes of John Gruden and Chris Peteresen.

Two coaches that many felt would make an immediate splash for the program and help maintain the recruits that Shannon already had in the fold for the 2011 season.

However, both of the aforementioned candidates respectfully declined and left the Hurricane Athletic Department searching for answers.

Befuddled by the apparent lack of interest in their open coaching position, Miami eventually reached out to Temple Head Coach Al Golden. Golden, perceived by college football minds as one of the brightest up and coming coaches in the college football ranks, immediately jumped on the opportunity. 

Declared by many as a miracle worker for the turnaround he established in Philadelphia, Golden had the pedigree but not the pizazz that the Miami fanbase desired when the search for a new leader began.

Following the hiring, there was a cloud of disappointment lingering throughout the online communities of the Hurricanes.  Many proclamations such as, "Who the heck is this guy?" and "Temple's coach, seriously?!" were found on the message boards and Twitter.

The worry quickly subsided upon their first viewing of this unknown commodity.

Golden stole the show at his introductory press conference with his uncanny ability to win over the room.

"We will return to winning championships at the University of Miami,'' Golden said. "We will play with energy, toughness and passion. That is what the legacy of the U was built on.'' 

Golden displayed a strong knowledge of the effort needed to reestablish this program and held experience in the Atlantic Coast Conference from his time spent with the Virginia Cavaliers.

Golden was even prepared for the difficulties of coaching within a professionally dominated sports community as Steve Jones, Penn State's play-by-play announcer, proclaimed.

"Al took the Temple job when nobody wanted it, when everyone said it was a coach killer,'' said Steve Jones, Penn State's play-by-play announcer, who has known Golden as a Nittany Lions tight end, an assistant coach and a head coach.

"He took on that challenge, and turned the Owls into winners. I think he's a perfect fit for Miami for a few reasons. He knows his way around the ACC from his time at Virginia and Boston College.

"His energy and passion are contagious, and he understands selling college football in a big city with pro sports. He shared a stadium with the Eagles, and now he'll share one with the Dolphins. He knows how to compete with the pros for space in the newspaper on air time on the radio."

Glowing praise from a man that has seen many great football games and coaches from his vantage point.

It appears that Golden possess the proper pedigree and wherewithal needed to return the Miami Hurricanes to their former status, atop the conference they reside in.

Accompanying him during his first season on the sidelines will be a plethora of returning talent, including quarterback Jacory Harris and linebacker Sean Spence.

Will he be able to harness the god-given abilities of these natural athletes he inherits? We will have to wait patiently and watch the drama unfold.

But any questions that occurred following his hire will quickly subside by doing one thing. Something that has been ingrained within the culture of Coral Gables since the days of Schnellenberger.

Win.