Lou Holtz and 4 more coaches that Miami fans loved to hate

The Miami Hurricanes have angered a lot of opposing coaches. We touched on a lot of it with the program's commitment to being anti-traditional, but a lot of those issues came with coaches that looked down on Miami and a culture that went against their stuffy ways.

All the coaches on this list accomplished many great things over their respective careers and that's why it made Miami's success over them so enjoyable. Here are the five coaches that Miami fans loved to hate and the programs they were with that brought those hard feelings to the surface:

There's nothing appealing about speaking ill of the dead, so we'll just keep this on the surface. Lou Holtz was always the sort of hypocritical old-style coach that Miami fans loved to see lose any game, but especially against the Hurricanes. Holtz pushed that ridiculous "Convicts vs. Catholics" narrative because that's how he viewed a program like Miami. The coach claimed the "spirit of Notre Dame" won the 1988 instead of the bogus officiating. In 1989, I guess that spirit didn't travel, or play pass defense. 

READ MORE: Miami and Notre Dame became a true rivalry when Lou Holtz jumped into the fray

Holtz might be the most disliked, but Bobby Bowden was the greatest rival and denying his Seminoles a championship for the second half of the 1980s and early part of the 1990s was a joy shared by Miami fans everywhere. His 'aw shucks' style always made the Hurricanes seem like the villain in the showdowns against FSU, but he desperately wanted his teams to match Miami's ability to perform when it mattered. 

READ MORE: The 5 times that Miami snatched championship hopes and dreams from FSU

Tom Osborne was a lot like Holtz in the way he used to look down on the Hurricanes culture and, given how badly Miami used to beat up on Nebraska, I can understand his frustration. But Osborne proved to be just as low-down and dirty as he claimed Miami was by the teams he put together in his final years at Nebraska. Osborne talked a lot about honor and integrity, but proved he would turn a blind eye to his program's off-field transgressions if those players could win him a championship.

This is more of dislike by association because Spurrier actually wanted to resume the Miami series when he became head coach of the Florida Gators, but the expanded SEC ended those plans. He finally got what he wanted in the 2001 Sugar Bowl, but the Hurricanes got the 37-20 win. Miami fans generally thought Spurrier puffed out his chest a little too much considering he didn't have to play the 'Canes annually. 

The funny thing with Switzer is that if he weren't so established at Oklahoma, he might've been a perfect fit at Miami. He also liked taking college football to the edge and that's probably why he and Jimmy Johnson were such fierce rivals in their day and had a frosty relationship off the field. However, his attempts to beat Miami at its own game often fell short. 

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