Miami football team battled back to win 1989 National Championship

University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame inductee

and former Hurricanes defensive lineman

Greg Mark

discussed the adjustment

the football team had to make to a new coaching staff and process of winning their third national championship.

"“It was a transition year and in a lot of people’s minds, there were a lot of unknowns about us. I’d like to think that that championship year, at least that run, our mentality, our work ethic and our focus for that 1989 year began in South Bend during the 1988 season when we had that opportunity for a national championship taken from us. Then we had [former coach] Jimmy Johnson go to the Cowboys, a new staff came in and there was a lot of adjustments and a lot of getting-to-know-yous.”"

Superstar defensive tackle Russell Maryland who was the first overall pick by Johnson and the Dallas Cowboys in the 1991 NFL Draft reiterated what Mark said about the mindset of the Miami football team entering the 1989 season.

"“The thing that made it so special is that we were supposedly a team that was in transition and had to get to know our first-year head coach. People were counting us out because they said that transition would hurt us. I think the beauty of that coaching staff, as well as the beauty of the guys on the team, was that we knew where we stood, on both sides. The coaches knew they inherited a good team and they didn’t have the egos a lot of other coaches would have had to come in and change things. They left well enough alone and on the other side, the players weren’t so closed-minded that they weren’t willing to listen. We knew we were a good team and we knew what we could do.”"

Erickson is often forgotten when credit is given about the dominance of the Miami football program from 1983-91 and again from 2000-02. Schnellenberger and Johnson are given credit for the first iteration of the U and Butch Davis for the early 2000s dominance.

Erickson became the only Miami football head coach to win two national championships when the Hurricanes shared the 1991 title with former Miami quarterback Don James who was coaching Washington. Erickson ironically was raised in the Seattle suburb of Everett, Washington.

Erickson spoke about the transition process for him and his coaching staff succeeding in Johnson in 1989. He had only been a head coach for three seasons prior to being hired to success Johnson who led Miami to a 44-4 record with one National Championship in his final four seasons in Coral Gables.

"“That team made me part of them. That was the bottom line. They were a team that had success with Jimmy Johnson and Howard Schnellenberger and then I came in as the third coach and they accepted me and brought me right into the fold. That’s what made it very, very special. There was great leadership on that team, just great leaders and a great work ethic. I learned so much about coaching from them that I carried with me for the next however many years. I’m looking forward to seeing all those guys that I went to war with, guys that spilled blood for that program and for that football team and for the University of Miami. Those kinds of memories are unforgettable and that’s what the game is all about.”"

Erickson and about 70 staff members and former players will return to South Florida this weekend for the 30th reunion of that National Championship season. It will give current Miami football plays an excellent opportunity to learn from multiple Hurricanes legends and carry that for the remainder of their careers.