
From Pembroke Pines, Zack Collins was drafted in the 27th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.
Instead of playing for the Reds, Collins opted to enroll at the University of Miami, where he became the 2014 ACC Freshman of the Year. He was the sixth player in program history to be named Baseball America National Freshman of the Year.
He ended his Hurricanes career with a career batting average of .319, started in 186 of 189 games he played in, and scored 147 runs.
He was drafted 10th overall in 2016 by the Chicago White Sox and became the first Johnny Bench Award winner in Miami history as the nation’s top catcher.
During his MLB career, Collins spent time with the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Guardians. In 2021, he caught the 20th no-hitter in White Sox history, which was pitched by Carlos Rodon.
– Brandon Blanco

The Miami Hurricanes have displayed similar resiliency, whether it’s at the plate, at the rim, on the line of scrimmage, in the starter’s blocks, on the service line or anywhere else a ball needs to be struck, a time needs to be met, or a play needs to be made.


And in his first year as a Hurricane, Gonzalez hit .338 and had 34 stolen bases. He followed that up with a senior season in which he hit .402 and stole an NCAA-record 62 bases. He helped lead the Hurricanes to their first College World Series, and though Miami finished as the national runner-up, he was selected to the CWS All-Tournament team after driving in seven runs on seven hits. Gonzalez also earned All-American honors his senior year.

A standout at Miami High, Dooley played on both sides of the ball for the Hurricanes during both his junior and senior year. He set multiple records during his college career, totaling 17 interceptions while playing with the defense and rushing for more than 1,000 yards when playing offense. In 1951, he had 10 interceptions and was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press. He was the MVP of the 1952 Gator Bowl after hauling in a record four picks in that game.
Known as “The Heater” during his time on campus, Heaton earned multiple first-team All-American nods and remains one of the most decorated pitchers in program history. He still ranks second among all Miami hurlers with 42 career wins and third with 381 career strikeouts.
Bateast scored 1,284 points in her Hurricanes career and was a key contributor when Miami won back-to-back Big East titles in 1992 and 1993. Twice she was named a third-team All-Big East selection and in 1997, she earned a spot on the Big East All-Tournament team.
Panaro – a native of Knoxville, Tennessee – won the 1991 and 1992 NCAA 1-meter diving championships. In 1993, he won both the 1-meter and 3-meter national titles.
His stellar exploits as a part of Miami’s track and field may be less known, but they were plenty impressive too.
As a freshman, the New Jersey native hit .330 with 46 RBI and 11 doubles, a performance that helped him earn Freshman All-America honors from Baseball America. That same season, he helped lead the Hurricanes to the College World Series and the national title.
Keim-Johansen won two NCAA titles, earned six All-American honors and was named the Big East Diver of the Year in both 1999 and 2000. In 1999, she was also named the NCAA Diver of the Year.
Appelbaum-Steinbauer came to Coral Gables after a standout high school career at Miami Beach High, where she won a pair of state titles. Her success continued at the collegiate level where in 1977, she and partner Terry Salganik won the USTA doubles national title. That same year, she was a semifinalist in the singles competition.
The Key West native totaled 5,125 yards of offense, helped lead the Hurricanes to the 1961 Liberty Bowl – the program’s first bowl appearance in 19 years. A year later, he led the Hurricanes to the Gotham Bowl in New York City, where he threw for 348 yards despite playing in a snowstorm. The signal caller earned the nickname “The Matador” for his ability to both drop back and pass, and scramble when needed. He finished fifth in balloting for the Heisman Trophy in 1962 and was a first-team All-American that season.
He became one of Miami’s first individual national champions – and the first that wasn’t a tennis player – in 1947 when he won the national intercollegiate boxing crown. A year later, he advanced to the final and finished as the national runner-up.
A native of Hershey, Pennsylvania, Harmony finished her Hurricanes career with 1,308 points, 760 rebounds, 445 assists and 314 steals. She returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach in 1985 and spent 17 seasons helping the Hurricanes women’s basketball team flourish under former head coach Ferne Labati.
By the time she left Miami, that stellar resume was only longer.
A former four-time national champion, Ramirez is in his second year as an assistant coach for the Hurricanes and already under his tutelage, Miami has added to its rich championship history with diver Chiara Pellacani winning the 1-meter national title last season.
He wound up becoming an All-American at Miami.
Hart reached 67 Grand Slam finals and won 35 titles, with her first – the 1947 Wimbledon doubles title – coming while she was still a student at Miami.
Needless to say, it was no surprise that the three-time high school All-American wasted little time making her presence felt once she joined the Hurricanes program.
A state champion in the 400-meters at Piper High School in Sunrise, Clarke earned All-American honors as a freshman in his signature event and set a then-school record time of 45.22 when competing at Jamaican nationals.
The redshirt junior from Italy did not compete for the Hurricanes her first year on campus in order to prepare for the 2024 Summer Olympics. After earning a fourth-place finish in Paris last summer, Pellacani made her Miami debut and made it count.
Wilkie, who hailed from Aberdeen, Scotland, won the NCAA title in the 200-yard breaststroke in 1973. He followed that with the NCAA title in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1974 and another title in the 200-yard breaststroke in 1976.
Burrow notched more than 100 wins and captured the NCAA men’s singles title in 1987 in a three-set match that saw him rebound after dropping the first set to Michigan’s Dan Goldberg.
In 1975, Frady won a pair of individual national titles in the 200 and 400-yard freestyle, pacing the Hurricanes and helping them win a team title that same year. She was also a part of Miami’s 1976 championship team.
She’d go on to have plenty of success at the college level – and beyond.
Berg, who began swimming when she was just 4-years-old and trained with former U.S. Olympic coach George Haines and nine-time Olympic medalist Mark Spitz, was one of the first four women to receive a swimming scholarship to attend Miami.
A three-sport star at Hialeah High School, Hendricks received both athletic and academic scholarship offers to attend Miami. He opted to accept the academic scholarship and as an honors student, majored in math and minored in psychology.
He was a star at Miami Northwestern where he earned All-State recognition in both basketball and track. He finished his high school career as the Bulls’ all-time leader in points, rebounds, and blocked shots – while also setting a state record in the high jump with a mark of 7-feet, 2-inches.
The first Black female student-athlete to receive a scholarship to attend Miami, Sands played one season of basketball and four seasons of tennis at The U. During her time at Miami, she amassed an 82-13 record in singles play, a mark that still ranks 24th in program history.
As a freshman, Butcher totaled eight goals and eight assists in 20 games and was named the team’s Offensive MVP after leading the Hurricanes to their first NCAA Tournament berth. She earned a spot on the 2001 Big East All-Rookie team and a year later, was again selected as Miami’s Offensive MVP after scoring 16 goals in 19 matches and totaling 34 points.
As a freshman, Braun led the Hurricanes in batting average (.364), home runs (17) and broke Pat Burrell’s freshman record after notching 76 RBI. Baseball America named him the National Freshman of the Year and he earned first-team All-American honors from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the Jewish Sports Review.
Mulloy helped establish the school’s first tennis team while on a football scholarship at Miami and was also a part of the Hurricanes’ boxing program.



Then the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down.
He wound up playing a lot more high-level golf in South Florida – as a Hurricane.
But Johnson opted to play college ball instead – and became a star at Miami.
The native of Kingston, Jamaica won junior world championships in the hurdles in both 1990 and 1992 and her success, of course, continued at Miami.
Single-season scoring leader. Career scoring average leader. Single-season field goals made. Single-season free throws made. Frances Savage remains atop each of those statistical categories, despite suiting up for the Hurricanes more than three decades ago.
He was an All-State honoree and the Class 6A Player of the Year while playing at American High School in Hialeah. At Miami, he averaged 11.1 points during his career and helped lead the Hurricanes to a share of the BIG EAST championship and the school’s first Sweet 16 berth in 2000.

A former standout at Gulliver Prep, Barrett came to Coral Gables and won NCAA titles in both the indoor and outdoor shotput. And she led Miami’s women’s team to both the 2005 ACC Indoor Track & Field title and the 2005 ACC Outdoor Track & Field title. That same year, the Hurricanes also placed third at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Barrett’s throw of 18.19m in the indoor shotput still stands as a school record, as does her outdoor throw of 18.20m.
In 1988, the two-time first-team All-American became the first Miami golfer to earn recognition as the NCAA Player of the Year. That same year, she played on the U.S. Curtis Cup team and was named the Player of the Year by both the National Golf Coaches Association and Golfweek Magazine. During her time at Miami, Kerdyk won 11 individual titles.

But in 1996 she averaged 12 points and eight rebounds to earn recognition as the Big East’s Most Improved Player. A year later, she served as one of Miami’s two co-captains with Octavia Blue and led the conference in both rebounding and double doubles. She was named a first-team All-Big East selection and helped lead the Hurricanes to the NCAA Tournament.

The most decorated swimmer in program history, Buchanan-Kerr led the Hurricanes to the A.I.A.W. National Team Championships as a freshman in 1975 and again as a sophomore in 1976.

Segura, who was born prematurely in 1921, battled both malaria and rickets during his childhood in Ecuador. Doctors told his parents that playing tennis could help Segura grow stronger and unknowingly, a career path was forged.
A former standout at Miami’s Monsignor Pace High School, the standout pitcher was a first-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers after going 47-4 in high school with 24 shutouts and seven no-hitters.
The native of Madrid, Spain turned in a lackluster performance during one of the first conditioning sessions of her freshman year and longtime Hurricanes head women’s tennis coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews couldn’t help but wonder if Perez-Somarriba would be able to hold her own playing high-level ACC tennis.
Wong’s leadership propelled Miami to its first Elite Eight in 2022 and he followed that by helping the Hurricanes reach their first Final Four in 2023. During that historic run, he had a 27-point, eight-rebound performance against Indiana and scored 20 points in Miami’s upset of No. 1 Houston in the Sweet 16.
He started his career on Miami’s freshman team and left the program after scoring 1,293 points and 916 rebounds. At the time, his scoring total was the most by any Hurricanes’ center and ranked sixth all-time. His rebounding total still ranks second in program history, behind only Rick Barry and his career scoring average of 17.2 points per game is still eighth all-time.
During her college career, though, she proved she had something else: persistence.
Greg Louganis has earned a plethora of medals and titles during his storied career.

One of the most acclaimed golfers in Miami history, the Decatur, Ill., native joined the Hurricanes in 1980 as the top-ranked junior girls golfer in the nation. Her storied amateur career at The U culminated in a 1983 individual championship and leading the team to a national title in 1984 as well.
His efforts paid off

Later, in his inaugural year at Miami, the Boksburg, South Africa native earned All-American honors and clinched the NCAA doubles championship alongside partner John Karabasz.
Hailing from Canovanas, Puerto Rico, Rivera started all of the 112 games in which she appeared during her Miami career as an ace guard.
The quarterback – a former zero-star prospect coming out of high school – rewrote a record book already filled with the names of great signal callers including Vinny Testaverde, Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar, Gino Torretta, Steve Walsh, Craig Erickson, and Ken Dorsey during his time in Coral Gables.
A two-time All-State selection at Coral Gables High, he opted to attend Miami despite being drafted in 2005. As a freshman, he hit .295, had a team-high 10 home runs and 69 RBI to help the Hurricanes earn a berth in the College World Series.
Her accomplishments away from the sport are just as impressive.

The dynamic quarterback from Brooklyn, New York – known for his pinpoint accuracy and leadership prowess – was both a feared and respected symbol of Miami football during the Hurricanes’ “Decade of Dominance” in the 1980s.


A prolific wide receiver and South Florida native, Irvin’s flashy on-field flair, combined with his elite level of play, made him one of the most recognizable standouts during The U’s dominant run through the 1980s.
She’s done nothing but continue making history since.