Miami (Fla.) it's not, but it can play, too

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

The University of Hawai'i football team's upcoming opponent can relate to the plight of talk show host Michael Jackson, actress (but not the singer and former Miss America) Vanessa Williams and KHON sportscaster (but not Fonzie's pal) Richie "Jai" Cunningham.

"There's a lot of confusion," said Miami (Ohio) coach Terry Hoeppner, referring to the identity problems caused by sharing a name with a university in Florida.

Making it even murkier is that Miami University, founded in 1809, is located in the town of Oxford, which is part of Miami County.

But history is on this Miami's side, as proclaimed by local T-shirts that jab at the Miamis-come-lately: "Miami was a school before it was a Florida city."

Miami (Ohio) also has a rich sports tradition. Recognized as "The Cradle of Coaches," Miami served as the training ground for coaching legends Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Sid Gillman, Weeb Ewbank and Ara Parseghian.

Hoeppner's office walls are covered with pictures of former RedHawk coaches.

"It's truly humbling," he said. "Every day when I see my name on the door I have to make sure I'm not dreaming."

The legacy could have continued, but sometime in the 1970s when schools across the country began pouring millions of dollars into their football programs, Miami officials opted not to join what Hoeppner called "the arms race."

Instead, football is an important — although not obsessive — diversion on one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. None of the red-bricked Georgian buildings is higher than three stories. Even the new buildings have blended into the old-styled design.

"The building with our new weight room doesn't look much different from the ones built in the 1800s," Hoeppner said. "It's a great campus. We have a lot to offer."

Hoeppner also has managed to succeed with an operating budget of $2.7 million, a fraction of the amount Ohio State spends on its football program. Of that amount, Hoeppner said, nearly $1 million goes to scholarships.

"We really only have $1.7 million," he said.

Still, the RedHawks beat Ohio State in the recruiting battle for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has set several Mid-American Conference passing records for freshmen this season.

The RedHawks (7-3) had won seven in a row until last week's loss to Marshall, an outcome that ended their postseason hopes.

"Between the lines, there's not a whole lot of difference between football programs," Hoeppner said. "Our team and our conference are very competitive. Our players work as hard as the players in schools with bigger budgets. They put in the same amount of time."

Hoeppner has tried to maintain ties to the past. Before every home game, the players and coaches take part in the "Hawk Walk." They meet in the middle of the campus, then walk to Yager Stadium. Along the way, the band will serenade them.

"It's a neat thing to do," Hoeppner said. "It's one of the things I love about the school."