16 - Miami

Not too long ago, they were the bad boys of college football, and proud of it.

From 1987 through 1991, the Miami Hurricanes won three national titles and missed a fourth by a point due to a controversial 31-30 loss to Notre Dame (not to mention the 34-13 loss to Alabama in the 1993 Sugar Bowl).

Over those five seasons, Miami went an incredible 56-4-0 and the Hurricanes were considered the giants of the game.

“There’s no drug you can ever take that matches the feeling of being a Miami Hurricane, kicking tail and taking names," linebacker Michael Barrow once said.

In the Tuscaloosa News’ Best College Football Rankings, which will list the Top 25 programs throughout the summer, Miami accumulated points in seven of 10 categories, the most in national championships where the Hurricanes were tied for fourth with five.

But the outlaw reputation finally caught up to Miami. The Hurricanes wound up on NCAA probation, players became mainstays in police blotters and Sports Illustrated even called for the school to banish the program.

After Butch Davis was hired in 1995 to revive Miami football, Larry Coker followed and won the 2001 national championship. The Hurricanes just missed defending their title, losing 31-24 to Ohio State in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. The next year, Miami set an NFL record when six players were selected in the first round of the 2004 draft.

That was the second of two great turnarounds in ’Canes history. The first came in 1979, when former Alabama assistant Howard Schnellenberger was named head coach. In the previous 10 years, the Hurricanes had nearly as many head coaches (six) as losing seasons (nine).

After an initial 5-6 campaign, the Hurricanes had three winning seasons before going 10-1 in 1983 and shocking Nebraska 31-30 in the Orange Bowl to win their first national championship.

After Schnellenberger left for the USFL, Jimmy Johnson (52-9) and Dennis Erickson (63-9) followed, to continue one of the greatest runs in college football.

Miami has a rich tradition defensively, including linemen like Russell Maryland, Ted Hendricks and Warren Sapp; linebackers Ray Lewis, Dan Morgan and Jessie Armstead; and defensive backs Burgess Owens, Fred Marion and Bennie Blades. Past running backs have included Otis Anderson, Alonzo Highsmith, Edgerrin James, Willis McGahee and Clinton Portis.

However, the Hurricanes are primarily known for their quarterbacks, starting with Jim Kelly, who was recruited by Penn State as a linebacker.

Bernie Kosar, Steve Walsh, Craig Erickson, Gino Torretta and Ken Dorsey all led Miami to national championships, but Vinny Testaverde was the first player since Hendricks to have his number retired. Wearing No. 14, he completed 413 of 674 passes for 6,058 yards and 48 touchdowns. He also became the first Miami player to win the Heisman Trophy in 1986.

Reach Christopher Walsh at christopher.walsh@tuscaloosanews.com or at (205) 722-0196.

The Tuscaloosa News Top 25 Rankings are based on ten categories, five all-time, five from the 2005 season, with points awarded similar to the weekly Associated Press poll.

2005 categories: Final AP poll, recruiting, attendance, NFL players and academics.

All-time categories: Bowl appearances, all-time AP Top 25, national championships, College Football Hall of Fame inductees and coaching legacy.

The rankings thus far:

16. Miami

17. Army

18. Texas A&M

19. UCLA

20. Navy

21. Pittsburgh

22. Stanford

23.Ole Miss

24. Clemson

25. Wisconsin