Baseball, Football Go To Washington
March 12, 2002
Coral Gables, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) — – Players and coaches from the 2001 University of Miami National Champion football and baseball teams will spend Tuesday, March 12, in Washington, D.C., as part of NCAA Champions Day at the White House.
Both teams will depart Miami for Washington D.C. Tuesday morning and return later that evening. The teams will first visit the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials. The next stop is the Capitol Building, where the teams will have a photo opportunity on the steps.
A luncheon will then be held at the Cannon Office Building, hosted by Congresswoman Carrie Meek and Congressman E. Clay Shaw. Congresswoman Meek will open the luncheon and introduce the Florida Congressional Delegation. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen will then be introduced, followed by University of Miami President Dr. Donna E. Shalala.
President Shalala will introduce Athletics Director Paul Dee, Head Football Coach Larry Coker and Head Baseball Coach Jim Morris. The teams will make presentations to members of the South Florida Congressional Delegation.
The teams will then depart for the White House where they will participate in the NCAA Champions Day ceremonies in the Rose Garden.
As per tradition, NCAA Champion teams have the opportunity to go to the White House and meet the President.
The football team, under the direction of National Coach of the Year Larry Coker, pulled off a perfect season in 2001 going undefeated at 12-0 and winning the National Championship with a 37-14 victory over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl. The 2001 championship marked the Hurricanes fifth overall NCAA title, having also won in 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1989. President George W. Bush marks the third United States President that has welcomed the football team to White House, along with Ronald Reagan (1983, 1985) and George H. Bush (1989, 1991).
The baseball team claimed its fourth National Championship in 2001 in a 12-1 victory over Stanford in the College World Series Championship game. Miami finished the season with a 53-12 record, the best under National Coach of the Year Jim Morris. The Hurricanes won the title in record fashion tying the NCAA record for largest margin of victory in the championship game. Miami also closed the season riding an impressive 17-game win streak, including all nine games in the postseason. A little while later, a school-record 11 players were drafted of the squad and a total of 13 signed professional contracts.
