Miami Football: 10 Ways You Know You're a Hurricanes Fan

There are the obvious ways to notice what college team someone roots for—by either the shirt they are wearing, the hat on their head or how many flags they have coming from their vehicle window.

When it comes to being a Miami Hurricane fan, there is so much more to it.  We can talk about all the national championships, but sometimes that just gets old.

Here are other ways you can pinpoint a Hurricane fan from a crowd.

10. You Know That Howard Schnellenberger Was One of the Best Coaches Ever

Whenever you talk to a Hurricane fan, the name Howard Schnellenberger will undoubtedly come up at some point.

Whether it be about the Hurricanes of the '80s or how the new coach, Al Golden, (see No. 7) resembles Howard.

Either way, you know you are talking to a Hurricane fan when they say Howard was one of the best coaches ever.

For those of you who don't know who he is, shame on you if you are true Hurricane fans. Let me give you a short history lesson.

In the middle-to-late '70s, the University of Miami was actually thinking about shutting down the football program until Howard decided to leave the Miami Dolphins and try to resurrect the Hurricanes' program.

Did he ever.

He took a team that hadn't finished in the AP Top 25 since 1966 into one of the most dominate football programs the NCAA has ever seen.

With his boot camp-like practices and an unheard of pro-style offense, Howard turned the Hurricanes into a national champion in just five short years.

Every true fan knows that Howard was one of the best coaches ever and if he wouldn't have left Miami, there is no doubt he would have won multiple championships.

9. You Think 2 Live Crew Is One of the Greatest Rap Groups Ever

Any true fan of Miami knows all too well what 2 Live Crew and Miami have in common; if not, check out The U documentary and you will see lead rapper Luke Skywalker in most of the special.

2 Live Crew, especially "Uncle Luke," were huge fans of the Miami Hurricanes, and it showed as they donned Hurricane apparel in their music videos and their cd/tape covers.

If you are ever talking to a college football fan and someone mentions Luke Skywalker or 2 Live Crew, you can bet they are hardcore Hurricane fans.

8. You Are a Fan of 26 of the 32 NFL Teams

Everyone knows that the Hurricanes have been well represented in the NFL for years now.  Currently, there is a Hurricane on 26 of the 32 NFL teams.

Even if some of the Miami fans don't follow the NFL, you can damn sure bet they follow those 26 teams with Hurricane players on them.

I am a fan of the Miami Dolphins, but I tend to watch every game I can that showcases a Hurricane.  With so many in the league, you pretty much know that the couch and I are pretty close during the football season.

7. You Think Al Golden Is the Second Coming of Howard Schnellenberger

As I had stated in an earlier slide, true Hurricane fans will talk about Howard Schnellenberger being one of the best coaches in college football history and most of the current fans know that Al Golden is on pace of becoming just as good, if not a better coach than Howard.

Golden has already proven he can turn a bad team into a good team by turning around the Temple Owls.  Before Golden got there, Temple was 3-31 in the previous three years and was kicked out of the Big East conference due to their lack of competitiveness.

In just three short years, Golden turned them into a 9-3, bowl-bound football team.  He was then given the keys to Miami just two short years ago and has the program finally heading in the right direction.

Golden has the attitude and the right mentality to turn Miami into a powerhouse once again.

6. You Cry a Little Everytime You See a Picture of the Orange Bowl

Out of all the players and coaches that came through Miami, there may not be a more recognizable icon than the Orange Bowl.

It opened in 1937 and was the home of the Miami Hurricanes, Miami Dolphins, FIU Golden Panthers (temporarily) and Miami Marlins' minor league team in the '50s and '60s.

To me, the Orange Bowl was such an advantage for the Hurricanes, and it showed as Miami had the longest home winning streak in college football history with 58, which still stands today.

When they decided to tear down the old building in May of 2008, my heart sank to the floor. 

So the next time you are talking to a football fan and they cringe or you can even see even a tear rolling down their cheek when talking about the Orange Bowl, you know they are a Hurricane fan for life.

5. You Laugh When Someone Mentions 'Thug U'

All the haters out there will always start talking about how Miami is "Thug U," a name given to the Hurricanes in the '80s due to their on-and-off-the-field problems.

I can understand it in a way and I even grin a little when someone mentions it because it reminds me of all the dancing and showboating previous Hurricanes did on the field.

At the same time, it's also annoying to still hear the term because Miami is far from being "Thug U" anymore.

Miami has cleaned up its program (Nevin Shapiro scandal aside) and have far less off-the-field incidents than 99 percent of all NCAA Division I programs.

If you want to talk about "Thug U," talk about the Gators and their 40-plus arrests they have had since Urban Meyer took the program over in 2005. That trend has continued with their new coach, Will Muschamp.

4. You Think Nevin Shapiro Is the Devil

I won't even get into detail on what Nevin Shapiro did, as all of you are well aware of the situation.  He is a complete slime ball with no understanding of the word family.

I wouldn't be that upset if it wasn't for the vengeful aspect that Shapiro took towards the university.  How could someone who supported the Hurricanes so much turn his back on the program just because he wasn't getting the attention he thought he deserved?

What is even funnier is other fans think that Miami is still dirty because of Shapiro, not understanding—I would almost guarantee—that it happens at every college. They just have loyal boosters.

3. You Know That There Is Only One Letter in the Alphabet, U

Sure, there are a lot of recognizable mascots and iconic images that are pretty big in college football, but none of them more than one simple letter, "U."

Ever single fan, player, alum, coach, etc. know exactly what the "U" represents, the Miami Hurricanes.

There isn't a more recognizable symbol in all of college football and quite possibly in any other sport in America.

2. You Know the 2001 BCS Champions Were the Best Team in History

Although it's not just Miami fans that believe the 2001 Hurricanes were the greatest college football team ever assembled, Miami fans know it was, as well they should.

I don't care if you want to argue that Nebraska or USC had a better team, because I will never believe it one bit.  The 2001 Hurricanes were the greatest team ever and it didn't matter if they played any other team in any other decade, the results would have been the same.

Don't believe me?  Just check the stats. Check the players who not only got drafted from the squad, but who also excelled in the NFL.

That's what I thought.

1. You Know Who Terry Porter Is

You ask any fan of college football who Terry Porter is and they most likely will have no idea who that is, unless you are talking to a Miami Hurricane fan.

For those who don't know who he is, he was the referee that robbed Miami of their sixth national championship in 2002 on a bad pass interference call in the end zone.

No, it wasn't a penalty; I don't care what anyone says.  I have seen the video a thousand times and as a football fan, that was not the right call. 

Anyway, that's not what bothers Hurricanes fans—it was the five-second reaction from the Big 10 (same conference as OSU) referee that had Miami fans fuming.

Porter single-handedly gave Ohio State that national championship, plain and simple.