No matter how old we get, or what we choose to do later on in life, we were all kids at some point. With Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich retiring on June 1 after a brilliant career in his field, he will always look back fondly on how he found out the Hurricanes were indeed making the College Football Playoff. He took the time to share his story to Roddy Jones, while appearing on SiriusXM.
Radakovich revealed to Jones he was one of four guys in Mario Cristobal's office when it happened.
"It was one of the most interesting and just memorable moments, being in Mario's office when the Hurricanes came up on the CFP list."
Jones was baffled Radakovich and company were not given a heads up by the Selection Committee.
"No, there were four of us in the room. Cam Ghorbi was another one, along with Mario, myself, and Jorge Baez, our player development person. It was kind of like four grown men just jumping up and down, just saying, 'Alright!' Especially for those guys who had been in the trenches every day, from the time Mario got here. So huge, special moment, and then we took advantage of it."
To see four grown men jumping around in an office in pure elation certainly pulls on the heartstrings.
Dan Radakovich shares story of how he, Mario Cristobal, Cam Ghorbi & Jorge Baez found out about Miami making the College Football Playoffs🙌#GoCanes pic.twitter.com/nC1Ju8Go0G
— BLEED ORANGE AND GREEN (@Brabra_Savage24) May 19, 2026
As is the case with every other job Radakovich has had, he left his position better than he found it.
Dan Radakovich shares how special it was to see Miami make the playoff
It was not that long ago, but there was a time where many college football pundits did not believe a two-loss Miami team deserved to make the College Football Playoff field. The Canes were jockeying for one of the last two at-large bids with two other teams: Alabama and Notre Dame. The Crimson Tide had just played for an SEC Championship and lost, while Notre Dame had fallen to Miami earlier.
In the end, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee did the logical thing and honored Miami's head-to-head victory over the Fighting Irish. They were validated by putting both Alabama and Miami into the field. Alabama avenged a loss from earlier in the season by beating Oklahoma in Norman in the first round. Miami made it all the way to the national title bout as the lowly No. 10 seed.
With it coming down the wire, Radakovich sat in Cristobal's office, along with associate athletic director Camron Ghorbi and director of player development Jorge Baez, and waited or Miami's fate to be determined. Not only did Miami get what it had earned, but the Canes made the most out of their golden opportunity. At the end of the day, we are just hoping that our favorite teams have a chance...
Ultimately, the world has a funny way of coming full circle. Cristobal played for the Canes in the early 1990s. Radakovich got his masters at Miami in the mid-1980s. They were both around the football program when Miami was The U, a total buzz saw across the entire sport. While the 21st century has presented its challenges to the program, this past season showed us all what can happen in a flash.
All you have to do is believe, and anything is possible. This is what sports are all about, in the end...
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