The Miami football program has played in 10 bowl games with national championship implications winning five of those. Miami played in its first bowl game 49 seasons before winning a National Championship.
The Miami football program played in its first bowl game in 1934 losing 26-0 to Bucknell in the Orange Bowl. The Hurricanes would have to wait another 11 years before getting their first bowl victory, 13-6 in the Orange Bowl over Holy Cross. Miami has had several thrilling non-championship bowl victories.
The Hurricanes played in eight bowl games before the modern era that began with the first season under Howard Schnellenberger in 1979. Miami went 3-5 in bowl games before the Schellenberger era. In addition to the 1945 Orange Bowl, Miami also won the 1952 Gator Bowl and 1966 Liberty Bowl.
From the 1943 Orange Bowl victory to the present the Miami football program has had a half dozen bowl victories that stand above the rest in games that did not have a championship on the line. The first is the 1946 Orange Bowl victory. Not surprisingly, the Orange Bowl is the postseason game Miami has appeared in the most.
In 10 Orange Bowl appearances, Miami is 7-3. All but the 1934 loss to Bucknell and 1946 victory over Holy Cross came before the 1984 Orange Bowl victory over Nebraska to win the Hurricanes’ first National Championship. Miami began a nearly 25-year era among the best teams in the nation with the 1984 Orange Bowl win.
Even in the seasons they were not in the National Championship picture in their bowl game, the Miami football program has had several memorable victories. The half dozen Miami non-championship bowl games to watch begins with an improbable victory over Holy Cross in the 1946 Orange Bowl.