{"id":421257,"date":"2026-10-07T15:14:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T15:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/421257\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T15:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T15:14:13","slug":"same-u-different-decade-the-miami-hurricane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/421257\/","title":{"rendered":"Same U, different decade – The Miami Hurricane"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Photo taken of Kimberly Vitale-Sheldon and her friends in 1987. \/\/ Contributed by Kimberly Vitale-Sheldon<\/p>\n

Evolving pride, traditions and student life<\/p>\n

When Kimberly Vitale-Sheldon first stepped onto the University of Miami campus in 1985, she could have never imagined the electrifying school spirit that would stay with her long after graduation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was such an exciting time to go to UM. Not just because of the players, but also the coaching team, and just the excitement that surrounded everything on campus,\u201d Vitale-Sheldon said. \u201cOur team was more than just a football team \u2026 they were a symbol of Miami, and to this day, there\u2019s a great sense of pride and love around them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Football has always been an exciting facet of being a Cane, but winning three national championships in seven years made it near impossible not to be drawn into the gameday enthusiasm.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were insane, going crazy for the team. When Miami would score, the entire stadium would shake,\u201d Vitale-Sheldon said. \u201cThere were thousands and thousands of people shouting, \u2018It\u2019s all about the U!\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The excitement surrounding Miami football went beyond the team itself. Robert Scottland, class of \u201989 and a walk-on member of the 1987 championship team, believes the atmosphere at the Miami Orange Bowl in Little Havana was partly why games were so legendary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst thing they did was get rid of the Orange Bowl. That student section was packed every single game,\u201d Scottland said. \u201cInstead of parties on Fraternity Row, the party was at the Orange Bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senior Ellie Criscimagna believes the long commute to Hard Rock Stadium has affected student attendance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though we have a lot of school spirit and almost everyone you talk to on a daily basis does care about the team, the student section is still empty a lot of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The football stadium isn\u2019t the only thing that\u2019s changed since the 80s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything was different,\u201d Vitale-Sheldon explained. \u201cHow we studied, socialized and managed our time was different. We had to intentionally make an effort to see people on campus. Conversation was the center of our experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some traditions are timeless. Students still tan at the overcrowded on-campus pool, socialize at the Rathskeller and spend late nights in the Grove. And despite the generational differences, there\u2019s still an overwhelming appreciation for the people who make Miami so special.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, I stay connected,\u201d Scottland said, in reference to his facebook page titled \u201cI Survived the U in the 80\u2019s,\u201d which has just under 2,500 members.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many of those alumni still go to games together multiple times a year, a testament to the lifelong bonds that form between students at UM.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat really made those years unforgettable was the community,\u201d Vitale-Sheldon explained. \u201cThe friends I made in the dorms, the people I hung out with at the Rat and just the shared energy across campus \u2014 the people are what truly made the experience!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Decades later, Canes still share that bond.<\/p>\n

When asked what she\u2019ll miss most after graduation, Criscimagna simply stated, \u201cDefinitely the friendships I\u2019ve made.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although campus culture is always changing, one thing remains the same: It\u2019s great to be a Miami Hurricane.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo taken of Kimberly Vitale-Sheldon and her friends in 1987. \/\/ Contributed by Kimberly Vitale-Sheldon Evolving pride, traditions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":421258,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-421257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=421257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/421258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=421257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=421257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=421257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}