March Madness CaneSport Style: Round 1, Games 1-4
March Madness CaneSport Style: Round 1, Games 5-8
March Madness CaneSport Style: Round 1, Games 9-12
March Madness CaneSport Style: Round 1, Games 13-16
March Madness CaneSport Style: Round 1, Games 17-20
Who says there is not gonna be March Madness?
We can't let the coronavirus take away March Madness.
So CaneSport has created its own tournament.
Miami Hurricane style.
Welcome to Round 1 with a field of 64 contenders aiming to be the national champion of Hurricane lore.
Over the the next couple weeks, we will eliminate the pretenders down to the Round of 32, the Sweet 16, the Elite 8, the Final Four and then the championship.
The subscribers at CaneSport.com will have the voting power on the message boards of CaneSport.com.
Who or what will emerge as the greatest Cane of all.
The coming days will provide the answer.
We will introduce four new games each day for the next eight days.
So get your votes in in the threads in the War Room message board and may the winners advance
Then we will move onward to the next round until we crown a champion.
GAME 29. JIM DOOLEY VS DON BOSSELER, More Impactful RB Legend
THE CASE FOR DOOLEY: Dooley is a football legend at the University of Miami. Playing from 1948-51, he was the first Hurricane football player to have his jersey number retired, #42, and was the first Hurricane player to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft, with the 8th pick to the Chicago Bears, in 1952. He also was the first, and only, UM player to be an NFL head coach. Dooley wasn't what you picture for a UM player nowadays - he played a full 60 minutes as a junior and senior, playing both offense and defense. He set several records during his UM days, with 17 interceptions and over 1,000 yards rushing. In 1951 Dooley intercepted 10 passes and was named first-team All-American by the associated Press. He played in both the 1951 Orange Bowl Calssic and the 1952 Gator Bowl, where he earned MVP honors and set a Gator Bowl record with 4 interceptions. In the pros he played for the 1963 NFL champion Bears and also was a coach on the 1986 Super Bowl champion Bears team. In his 10-year NFL playing career he amassed 3,172 receiving yards and 16 TDs.
THE CASE FOR BOSSELER: Bosseler was a four-year starter at fullback for the University of Miami from 1953-56. In his senior year he helped the team to an 8-1-1 record, was named All-America by the Associated Press, and was MVP in the Senior Bowl. Miami placed sixth nationally, its highest ranking until the 1983 national championship season. He rushed for 1,642 yards in his four years at Miami. Then came seven years with the Washington Redskins - he was the ninth pick in the first round. Bosseler finished his pro career with 3,112 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns.
GAME 30. JON VILMA VS. DJ WILLIAMS: More impactful Cane LB
THE CASE FOR VILMA: Vilma made a name for himself as a hard-hitting linebacker from 2000-03. A Freshman All-American in 2000, he also was First Team All-Big East in 2001 and was named a 2003 All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and the Walter Camp Foundation. That final season he led the Canes with 127 total tackles (81 solo) and was a finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation's most outstanding linebacker. He led the Hurricanes in tackles for three consecutive years (2001-2003) and he had 377 career tackles. Vilma's Cane teams compiled an overall record of 46-4, played in four BCS bowl games and won the 2001 National Championship. Selected in the first round (12th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, he was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. A three-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl champion, he ended his 10-year NFL career with 871 tackles and 12 interceptions.
THE CASE FOR WILLIAMS: Williams was a force to reckon with during his 2000-04 Cane career. He began his UM career at fullback, rushing 16 times for 50 yards and catching 12 passes for 143 yards in 2000 before switching to linebacker in 2001 - he had 51 tackles that season and forced a fumble in the national championship win over Nebraska. In 2002 he was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award after totaling 108 tackles and four sacks, and as a senior he was also a semifinalist for the Butkus Award and was a first-team All-Big East pick after totaling 82 tackles and six sacks. Williams was drafted by the Broncos with the 17th pick of the first round in 2004. In his 11 year pro career he totaled 899 tackles and 22.5 sacks.
GAME 31. JIM OTTO VS. KC JONES Best Center Ever
THE CASE FOR OTTO: An All-State starting center and linebacker at Miami under legendary coach Andy Gustafson from 1957-59, Otto was a hard-nosed leader who played at 205 pounds which many considered too small for pro football. So he wasn't drafted or signed by any NFL franchise ... but the fledgling American Football League took a chance on him. In the AFL Otto was a first round pick of the Raiders, bulked up to 260 pounds and dominated. He was an All-Pro center 12 times in those 15 years. He helped lead Oakland to the 1967 AFL Championship and a berth in Super Bowl II. He started 210 consecutive games at center for the Raiders, 308 games in all, and wore the famous 00 number throughout his career.
THE CASE FOR JONES: After a redshirt year at UM in 1992, Jones became one of the youngest centers in U.M. history, starting all 12 games at age 19. As a sophomore he was voted a unanimous First Team All-Big East selection by the conference's coaches and in 1995 was voted All-Big East again even though he missed six games due to a knee injury. As a senior in 1996 he was widely considered one of the nation's top centers and was named First Team All-American by the Associated Press and was awarded his third straight All-Big East selection. He was a semifinalist for both the Outland Trophy, given to the nation's best interior lineman, and the Lombardi Trophy, to the top offensive or defensive lineman. He wasn't the biggest lineman, but his speed and intensity helped him dominate defensive tackles. He was signed as a free agent by the Denver Broncos and spent six seasons with the team, playing in 16 games. That span included the Broncos' Super Bowl XXXIII and XXXIV championship teams.
GAME 32. CORTEZ KENNEDY VS. JEROME BROWN: More impactful Cane DT
THE CASE FOR KENNEDY: Kennedy arrived at UM via North Mississippi Junior College, and as a senior defensive tackle in 1989 he emerged as a dominant force on what many considered to be the nation's top defensive line unit. He helped lead UM to a 11-1 season, a victory in the Sugar Bowl over Alabama and the National Championship. Kennedy earned second team AP All-American honors and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks as the 3rd player taken in the 1st round of the 1990 draft. After 12 seasons in the NFL, Kennedy retired after the 2000 season. In 167 pro games he recorded 668 tackles, 58 sacks and had 3 interceptions. He was voted NFL defensive player of the year in 1992, despite playing on a 2-14 team, and was an eight-time Pro Bowl pick. Sadly, Kennedy passed away on May 23, 2017, at the young age of 48.
THE CASE FOR BROWN: A dominant defensive tackle throughout his four years at the University of Miami (1983 -86), Brown earned consensus All-American honors his senior season and was a finalist for both the 1986 Outland Trophy and the 1986 Lombardi Trophy. Brown finished his UM career with 183 total tackles, including 21 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, five fumbles caused and four fumbles recovered. He started in the '84 Orange Bowl Classic, '85 Fiesta Bowl, '86 Sugar Bowl, and the '87 Fiesta Bowl.He went on to become a first round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, ninth overall pick, in the 1987 NFL draft and was named to the Pro Bowl twice in his four year career. Brown's life was tragically cut short at age 27 when he was killed in an automobile accident in his hometown of Brooksville, Fla.
