Former Miami players love to visit old haunts at 'The U'

Greg Olsen was stumped for a moment as he tried to remember his favorite hangout at the University of Miami.

"Coconut Grove was a cool place,'' the Bears tight end said. "But we never really went down to South Beach. Maybe you would go down on your birthday. That was a different scene and we didn't really have the money to do it.''

Surely Olsen and the other 40 former Hurricanes on NFL rosters have enough pocket change to frequent the posh South Beach atmosphere these days. Bears receiver/kicker returner Devin Hester, Olsen's college teammate, roamed South Beach during the Bears' off week with a group that included Miami alums Edgerrin James, Antrel Rolle and Willis McGahee.

"Everybody who played at Miami goes back and hangs out on the beach,'' said Hester, who grew up 80 miles north of the city. "Every club you go into, you're going to find someone who played for the 'Canes. We all bonded together. We go half on a table and chill all night.''

Thursday night's trip to Miami to face the Dolphins is sure to conjure up memories for Olsen and Hester, the two Bears representatives of a proud fraternity from "The U.'' The Texans have the most ex-Hurricanes with five, followed by the Redskins, Ravens and Giants with four apiece.

When the Hurricanes failed to boast a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft, it broke a 14-year streak. Giants safety Kenny Phillips was the last in '08.1

A total of 33 former Miami players have been on a Super Bowl winner and 67 have played in at least one.

"It's definitely a special place,'' Olsen said of his alma mater. "Every week here in the NFL, you play against guys from Miami.

"And when you're going to school there, all the old guys come back. It kind of instills that pride of going to Miami. I'm looking forward to playing and seeing a bunch of people from college. I'm sure a lot of my college coaches will be there.''

Unlike Olsen, Hester had no trouble recalling the place he frequented most in college.

"The weight room,'' Hester said. "I mean, our weight room was different. Everybody chilled there. And all the NFL players would come back and work out there — guys like Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson and Santana Moss — and you would just sit there and talk with him.''

Miami's weight room has achieved legendary status courtesy of the workouts directed by Andreu Swasey, the school's strength and conditioning coach. Guys such as Ravens star Ed Reed and Wayne of the Colts religiously returned to school during the offseason to keep themselves in top condition.

There is even a spot they refer to as "South Beach'' located outside Miami's weight room and in back of the football fields. It's a sand pit area where Swasey takes the players through a grueling workout. Watching one of those NFL players go through such a routine once inspired a young linebacker named Jon Beason to join the Hurricane family.

"I'm from Miami and I was undecided but I remember during my official visit, I ran into Reggie Wayne. He asked me, `Do I want to be good or do I want to be great?' And I told him I wanted to be great,'' said Beason, now a star with the Panthers and one of 11 former Hurricanes named to the 2010 Pro Bowl. "That conversation kind of stuck with me, and I chose Miami right then and there just because of the intuition, the gut-feeling I had.''

Olsen, who transferred to Miami after leaving Notre Dame, learned some of the nuances of playing tight end thanks, in part, to his weight-room encounters.

"I'm talking Bubba Franks, Jeremy Shockey, Kellen Winslow Jr.; just all those guys,'' Olsen said. "You're an 18-, 19-year-old kid and now you're working out with NFL players. You learn early what it takes to play at that level.''

The camaraderie wasn't just evident during workouts. When Sean Taylor and Bryan Pata both were shot to death in the past five years, Hurricanes young and old united to offer support.

And just recently, when Ravens star Ray Lewis announced the formation of a real estate business in Boca Raton, Fla., at least a dozen ex-Miami players attended the grand opening.

"We're tight. We're a family, man,'' 49ers running back Frank Gore said. "I talk with everybody still. We work out together. We hang out together.
"I try to see who all is doing something from 'The U.' It just makes me proud.''

Click here to order Devin Hester’s or Greg Olsen’s proCane Rookie Card.



(chicagotribune.com)