Iconic Hurricanes Players of the Past

In honor of becoming the official vodka of Miami Hurricanes Athletics, we’re celebrating #ThrowbackThursday with a trip back in time to learn about some iconic Hurricanes players of the past .

Today we’re shining a spotlight on the Hurricanes players who were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Behind the scenes, we are raising our glass to some of the excellent coaches who embody the spirit of the Canes®, including Hall-of-Famers Dennis Erickson, Andy Gustafson, Jack Harding and Jimmy Johnson. But this #TBT, it’s all about the great Hurricanes hall-of-famers.

Don Bosseler (1953-56)

Bosseler was the fifth first-team All-American in school history in 1956 when he led the Hurricanes to a then-program high ranking of No. 6 in the nation. The four-year starter at fullback was the team captain that season and was voted the most outstanding player in Florida as a senior in 1956 when he rushed for a team-high 723 yards. During his four years with the Hurricanes, Bosseler rushed for 1,642 yards, which was the second-most in program history when he graduated and became Washington’s first-round pick in 1957.

Ted Hendricks (1966-68)

Miami’s first player to be inducted into both the College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fames, Hendricks is one of four players who has their jersey number retired. The defensive end wore No. 89 and was the Hurricanes’ first three-time All-American in 1966, 1967 and 1968. Nicknamed “The Mad Stork,” Hendricks also finished fifth in the Heisman voting as a senior in 1968 as the most feared pass rusher in the nation. Hendricks also still holds the school record with 12 fumble recoveries in his career and is still tied for the single-season record with five in 1968.

Vinny Testaverde (1982-86)

Testaverde will always have a special place in Miami’s history as the school’s first Heisman Trophy winner in 1986. The quarterback went 23-3 as a starter during his career with the Hurricanes, capping it with a magical senior season in which he led the Hurricanes to a perfect 11-0 record in the regular season with 2,557 yards and 26 touchdown passes. Adding to his accolades in 1986, Testaverde also won the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Trophy as the best college quarterback. Testaverde ended his career with a then-school record 6,058 passing yards and 48 touchdowns, and still holds second in career and single-season completion percentage.

Bennie Blades (1985-87)

A two-time All-American, Blades was at his best as the leader of the defense in 1987 that propelled Miami to a national championship. Blades won the Jim Thorpe Award that season as the nation’s best defensive back with five interceptions and 124 tackles for the Hurricanes. He graduated as the school’s all-time leader in interceptions with 19, but he still holds the single-season record with 10 picks in 1986 when he also set the program record with interceptions in five consecutive games.

Russell Maryland (1987-90)

Maryland was a two-time national champion, but really burst onto the scene as a senior with a dominant final season. He had 10.5 of his 20.5 career sacks in 1990 when he also recorded seven additional tackles-for-loss, forced five fumbles and had 19 quarterback pressures. He was the Hurricanes’ first Outland Trophy winner in 1990 for his outstanding play and was a consensus first-team All-American that year. In his final game with Miami, Maryland had three sacks and nine total tackles to earn game MVP honors in Miami’s 46-3 trouncing of Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Gino Torretta (1989-92)

Torretta ended his decorated Miami career with 11 different school passing records and a 26-2 record as a starter for the Hurricanes. He was most well-known for his incredible 1992 campaign in which he won the Heisman Trophy, Davey O’Brien Trophy, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award. Torretta threw for 3,060 yards and 19 touchdowns in 1992 to end his career with 7,690 passing yards and 47 touchdowns. Twice in his career, Torretta broke the single-game passing record with 468 yards against San Jose State in 1989 then with 485 yards against San Diego State in 1991. He also completed the longest pass in school and NCAA history with a 99-yard touchdown to Horace Coepland in 1991 against Arkansas.

Ed Reed (1998-2001)

Miami’s most recent inductee came in 2018 when Reed was enshrined, and a year later he joined Ted Hendricks in both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Reed was a two-time All-American and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award in 2001 as a senior when he led the Hurricanes to the national title. He still holds the Hurricanes’ career records with 21 interceptions, four interceptions returned for touchdowns and 389 interception return yards. Reed started 48 of 49 possible games during his career and had two of the greatest seasons in consecutive years when he had eight interceptions to lead the team in 2000 and nine more in 2001, the second-most and third-most totals in school history.

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