Changes

At the end of the 1978 football season (his second as head coach) Lou Saban resigned in the wake of a controversy concerning football players throwing an orthodox Jewish employee of the campus Jewish ministry into Lake Osceola, a lake on the campus.<ref name="Feldman 2004 17–18">{{cite book|last=Feldman|first=Bruce|title=Cane Mutiny: How the Miami Hurricanes Overturned the Football Establishment|publisher=[[New American Library]]|location=New York|year=2004|pages=17–18|isbn=0-451-21297-5|accessdate=December 29, 2012}}</ref>

At the end of the 1978 football season (his second as head coach) Lou Saban resigned in the wake of a controversy concerning football players throwing an orthodox Jewish employee of the campus Jewish ministry into Lake Osceola, a lake on the campus.<ref name="Feldman 2004 17–18">{{cite book|last=Feldman|first=Bruce|title=Cane Mutiny: How the Miami Hurricanes Overturned the Football Establishment|publisher=[[New American Library]]|location=New York|year=2004|pages=17–18|isbn=0-451-21297-5|accessdate=December 29, 2012}}</ref>

Through the 1990 football season, UM had played football games against the [[University of Notre Dame]] for 27 years. In 1990, the UM team lost to Notre Dame 29–20, and Notre Dame had decided to discontinue the series,<ref name="nd rivalry1">{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1990-10-18/sports/sp-3904_1_notre-dame|title=Great and Passionate Rivalry Will End Saturday With Miami–Notre Dame Game|date=1990-10-18|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|accessdate=2009-10-15}}</ref> feeling the intensity of the games had reached an unhealthy level.<ref name="cane mutiny">{{cite book|last=Feldman|first=Bruce|title=Cane Mutiny: How the Miami Hurricanes Overturned the Football Establishment|publisher=[[New American Library]]|location=New York|year=2004|isbn=0-451-21297-5|accessdate=December 29, 2012}}</ref>

Through the 1990 football season, UM had played football games against the [[University of Notre Dame]] for 27 years. In 1990, the UM team lost to Notre Dame 29–20, and Notre Dame had decided to discontinue the series,<ref name="nd rivalry1">{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1990-10-18/sports/sp-3904_1_notre-dame|title=Great and Passionate Rivalry Will End Saturday With Miami–Notre Dame Game|date=1990-10-18|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|accessdate=2009-10-15}}</ref> feeling the intensity of the games had reached an unhealthy level.<ref name="cane mutiny">{{cite book|last=Feldman|first=Bruce|title=Cane Mutiny: How the Miami Hurricanes Overturned the Football Establishment|publisher=[[New American Library]]|location=New York|year=2004|isbn=0-451-21297-5|accessdate=December 29, 2012}}</ref> The rivalry has been restarted since Notre Dame is a partial member of the Atlantic Coast Conference where Miami is a full member.  The rivalry features two vastly different programs and has earned the nickname "Catholics vs. Convicts".

In 1994, Tony Russell, a former UM academic advisor, pleaded guilty to helping more than 80 student athletes, 57 of whom were football players, falsify Pell Grant applications in exchange for kickbacks from the players themselves. The scandal dated all the way back to 1989 and secured more than $220,000 in federal grant money. Federal officials later said that Russell had engineered "perhaps the largest centralized fraud ... ever committed" in the history of the Pell Grant program.<ref name="Wolff">{{cite news | title=Why the University of Miami should drop football | accessdate=2006-11-11 | url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006688/index.htm | publisher=CNNSI.com | date=1995-06-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Feldman|first=Bruce|title=Cane Mutiny: How the Miami Hurricanes Overturned the Football Establishment|publisher=[[New American Library]]|location=New York|year=2004|isbn=0-451-21297-5|accessdate=December 29, 2012|pages=131–33, 144, 156–57, 166}}</ref>  

In 1994, Tony Russell, a former UM academic advisor, pleaded guilty to helping more than 80 student athletes, 57 of whom were football players, falsify Pell Grant applications in exchange for kickbacks from the players themselves. The scandal dated all the way back to 1989 and secured more than $220,000 in federal grant money. Federal officials later said that Russell had engineered "perhaps the largest centralized fraud ... ever committed" in the history of the Pell Grant program.<ref name="Wolff">{{cite news | title=Why the University of Miami should drop football | accessdate=2006-11-11 | url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006688/index.htm | publisher=CNNSI.com | date=1995-06-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Feldman|first=Bruce|title=Cane Mutiny: How the Miami Hurricanes Overturned the Football Establishment|publisher=[[New American Library]]|location=New York|year=2004|isbn=0-451-21297-5|accessdate=December 29, 2012|pages=131–33, 144, 156–57, 166}}</ref>  

On June 21, 1996, Miami football players broke into the apartment of the captain of Miami's track team and struck him repeatedly. In response, Head Coach Butch Davis suspended three key players for the coming 1996 season. Davis also suspended two other players who were involved in separate violent incidents.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1008584/1/index.htm|title=Though Love: Coach Butch Davis aims to save Miami football no matter how many players he has to suspend|first=William |last=Nack|date=August 19, 1996|accessdate=December 29, 2012|work=Sports Illustrated}}</ref>

On June 21, 1996, Miami football players broke into the apartment of the captain of Miami's track team and struck him repeatedly. In response, Head Coach Butch Davis suspended three key players for the coming 1996 season. Davis also suspended two other players who were involved in separate violent incidents.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1008584/1/index.htm|title=Though Love: Coach Butch Davis aims to save Miami football no matter how many players he has to suspend|first=William |last=Nack|date=August 19, 1996|accessdate=December 29, 2012|work=Sports Illustrated}}</ref>

The 2005 football season also fell in controversy when it was reported several Miami football players had recorded a rap song in 2004 that contained lewd sexual references.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ujKxpAvLKg Retrieved December 29, 2012.]</ref><ref name=floorcrew>{{cite web|url=http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2007/04/30/panthers-bears-draft-7th-floor-crew-members/|title=Panthers, Bears Draft 7th Floor Crew Members – NFL FanHouse|accessdate=December 29, 2012}}</ref> Following the negative national publicity, the University issued a statement condemning the lyrics.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jones/051118/crew|title=Nothing Shocking About 'Crew'|date=2005-11-18|accessdate =December 29, 2012}}</ref>

The 2005 football season also fell in controversy when it was reported several Miami football players had recorded a rap song in 2004 that contained lewd sexual references.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ujKxpAvLKg Retrieved December 29, 2012.]</ref><ref name=floorcrew>{{cite web|url=http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2007/04/30/panthers-bears-draft-7th-floor-crew-members/|title=Panthers, Bears Draft 7th Floor Crew Members – NFL FanHouse|accessdate=December 29, 2012}}</ref> Following the negative national publicity, the University issued a statement condemning the lyrics.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jones/051118/crew|title=Nothing Shocking About 'Crew'|date=2005-11-18|accessdate =December 29, 2012}}</ref> However, the program maintains a relationship with Luther Campbell, lead singer of the rap group 2 Live Crew, which is known for its vulgarity.

The 2006 season included an on-field brawl with the Florida International football team and the shooting death of UM defensive tackle Bryan Pata.

The 2006 season included an on-field brawl with the Florida International football team and the shooting death of UM defensive tackle Bryan Pata.

During spring break 2011, a UM football player was charged with resisting arrest with violence and battery on a Coconut Grove police officer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://umshare.miami.edu/web/wda/facultysenate/Committees/10-11-annual-reports/Athletic-Committee-Annual-Report.pdf|title=ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE ATHLETIC COMMITTEE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI FACULTY SENATE|date=April 11, 2011|accessdate=December 29, 2012}}</ref>

During spring break 2011, a UM football player was charged with resisting arrest with violence and battery on a Coconut Grove police officer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://umshare.miami.edu/web/wda/facultysenate/Committees/10-11-annual-reports/Athletic-Committee-Annual-Report.pdf|title=ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE ATHLETIC COMMITTEE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI FACULTY SENATE|date=April 11, 2011|accessdate=December 29, 2012}}</ref>

In March 2011, the NCAA began an investigation of the UM football team.  In August 2011, alumnus Nevin Shapiro told Yahoo Sports that he provided dozens of athletes and recruits with so-called “extra benefits” including cash, meals, strip club access and yacht rides over an eight-year span starting in 2002. While the investigation is pending, UM declined to participate in 2011 and 2012 post season football games.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-miami-ncaainvestigation|title=Miami self-imposes 2nd straight bowl ban|first=Tim|last=Reynolds|date=November 19, 2012|accessdate=December 29, 2012}}</ref>

In March 2011, the NCAA began an investigation of the UM football team.  In August 2011, alumnus Nevin Shapiro told Yahoo Sports that he provided dozens of athletes and recruits with so-called “extra benefits” including cash, meals, strip club access and yacht rides (and reportedly paid for a player's pregnant girlfriend to have an [[abortion]]) over an eight-year span starting in 2002. While the investigation is pending, UM declined to participate in 2011 and 2012 post season football games.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-miami-ncaainvestigation|title=Miami self-imposes 2nd straight bowl ban|first=Tim|last=Reynolds|date=November 19, 2012|accessdate=December 29, 2012}}</ref>

Despite these setbacks, UM tries to focus a great deal of its public reputation on its football team.

Despite these setbacks, UM tries to focus a great deal of its public reputation on its football team.