2009 ACC Football Legends: Vinny Testaverde, Miami

After a historic college and pro career that spanned nearly 26 years, former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Vinny Testaverde is enjoying life after football. Although it’s been a long time since he last took the field in a Hurricane uniform, Testaverde still feels a close bond with ‘The U.’

Testaverde is one of this year’s Dr Pepper Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship Game Legends who will be honored at this year’s ACC Football Championship Game weekend. The Legends will appear at the ACC Coaches and Awards Luncheon at noon on Friday, Dec. 4, and will be honored at the “ACC Night of Legends” held at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay on Friday evening. They will also be recognized during pre-game ceremonies at Raymond James Stadium for the 5th Annual Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship, which kicks off at 8 p.m., Dec. 5 on ESPN.

Before he was even old enough to play organized football, Testaverde remembers waiting for his father Al Testaverde to come home from work so they could play catch in the back yard. By the time he was 7 years old, he was on a team, but he already knew by then that he wanted to be a quarterback someday.

Testaverde left his hometown of Elmont, N.Y. to play prep school football at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia, and was heavily recruited by several ACC schools including North Carolina, NC State and Virginia. He said that although the decision was hard, he chose to attend Miami because he had family in the area and because he saw the Hurricanes as a team on the rise after watching them beat a Penn State squad that was ranked No. 1 at the time.

“That caught my eye and I thought, ‘Hey this would be a great place for me if I want to be a successful quarterback for a program that had a prolific passing game,’ They certainly were doing that at the time,” Testaverde said.

In his first year at Miami, Testaverde was part of arguably one of the best stable of college quarterbacks put together at one time. The list included future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, current Georgia head coach Mark Richt and Bernie Kosar, who guided the ‘Canes to the 1983 national championship.

Richt was a big influence on the young Testaverde. He was Kelly’s backup and the person that Testaverde would always turn to when he had a question. After Kelly and Richt graduated at the end of the ’82 season, Testaverde competed for the starting job with Kosar. When Kosar won the job, Testaverde continued to remain patient and wait for his turn.

“There’s a lot that I’ve learned from sitting on the bench and watching guys like Jim Kelly, Mark Richt and Bernie Kosar. Not only was I learning about football, I was learning how to be patient, and how to wait for my turn,” Testaverde said. “When you have to wait your turn and watch somebody else play, it’s kind of a humbling experience, so I think it taught me humility and how to be patient.”

That’s a lesson he tries to teach kids when he talks to them now – to be patient and prepared when their time comes and continue to work hard. He always stresses that they have to be ready because they may only get that one opportunity and when it comes they have to take advantage of it.

When Testaverde earned his chance to start at the beginning of the 1985 season, the tradition of outstanding quarterbacks at Miami was under construction.

“At the time it was still building. We had Jim, we had Bernie and then I was next in line,” Testaverde said. “That tradition was just starting to build at that time and I was just fortunate that I had a lot of great talent around me, and a lot of great coaches that were able to continue to run a system that would help me become successful.”

After losing his first career start to Florida in the Orange Bowl, Testaverde would never lose another regular season game, posting a 21-1 career mark in the regular season. His next home game would also become the beginning of one of the most impressive streaks in sports. With a 38-0 win over Cincinnati on Oct. 12, 1985, the Testaverde-led ‘Canes began a 58-game winning streak at the Orange Bowl that would last nearly a decade – still an NCAA record.

During the streak, the Hurricanes defeated four No. 1 teams including the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners in 1986. In a matchup between the top two football programs in the country, Miami held off Brian Bosworth and company in a 28-16 upset over the defending national champions. Testaverde threw for 261 yards and four touchdowns, while connecting on 21 of 28 pass attempts in the game.

“We were very confident but we knew that it was going to be a tough fought game with two good schools going against each other,” Testaverde said. “We felt like if we just kept our poise and played together as a team we’d come out successful, and we were able to do that,” Testaverde said.

Leading up to the 1986 season Testaverde and his teammates felt pretty good about their chances in the upcoming year. After finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1985, Testaverde was one of the favorites to win the award his senior year. He admits that although he tried not to think about it, he couldn’t help himself at times.

In that historic campaign, Testaverde led the Hurricanes to an undefeated regular season, and within six yards of winning a national championship against Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl. His outstanding play that year earned him the Heisman Trophy, making him the first player in Miami history to win the award.

Al Testaverde always dreamed of his son winning the Heisman Trophy. When he was growing up his dad would talk about it with him as they watched the ceremonies together on TV.

“I think back to those days and it was the best time that I ever had playing football,” Testaverde said. “Although it goes to one person, it really was an award that was won by the efforts of a lot of people.”

In only two years as the starting quarterback at Miami, Testaverde put up numbers that still rank near the top of many individual career passing categories. His pass completion percentage (61.3) ranks second all-time, passing yardage (6,058) ranks third, total offense (5,738) ranks fourth and touchdown passes thrown (48) puts him in a tie for second on the list. In 1997, Testaverde was inducted into the University of Miami Ring of Honor and in 1998 the UM Sports Hall of Fame. He remains one of only four Hurricanes to have their jerseys retired.

Drafted with the top pick in the 1987 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Testaverde would go on to play for eight different teams and set an NFL record for throwing a touchdown pass in 21 consecutive seasons. He’s been enjoying his retirement since the end of the 2007 season.

“Actually it’s pretty nice that I get to wake up Monday morning not feeling so sore,” Testaverde said. “There are some aspects of it that I do miss, but a lot of it that I don’t. I kind of left on my own terms. Now, I get to spend time with my family.”

It’s been nearly 25 years since Testaverde last led Miami into battle, but he still feels a special connection with the Hurricane program.

“I think the guys that have gone through Miami and that program are very close, even the guys that you didn’t know, that didn’t play in your class,” Testaverde said. “Whether they came years after or years before, I still feel a bond and a closeness because we went to Miami, to ‘The U.’”



(theacc.com)