A Message from the Athletic Director: October 2020
Hurricane Fans,
It’s hard to believe that we’re less than a month from the conclusion from the fall semester at The U. Our student-athletes have done a remarkable job following our health and safety protocols to continue their studies and compete in the sports they love.
Manny Diaz’s football squad is off this weekend after jumping out to a 5-1 start. The Canes are ranked 12th in the country after a hard-fought, 19-14 win over Virginia at Hard Rock Stadium last Saturday night. It marks the third time in the last four seasons that we have won at least five of our first six games. Next up is a nationally televised game at NC State on Friday, November 6. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. Tune in to root on the Canes!
We have two more home football games remaining – Saturday, November 21 against Georgia Tech and Saturday, December 5 against North Carolina. Tickets are still available for both games by calling 1-800-GO-CANES or visiting miamihurricanes.com/tickets. Our partners at Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Dolphins have done a terrific job in setting up a safe, socially distanced and first-class viewing experience. Come out and cheer on the Canes!
Our volleyball team concluded its fall season with a 5-3 mark, capping it off with a 3-0 sweep of Florida State at Knight Gym. The Canes are currently ranked 11th in the AVCA poll. Congrats to Jose “Keno” Gandara, his staff and his student-athletes on a terrific season!
Cross country competes at the ACC Championships today in Cary, N.C. Good luck to Cody Halsey and our distance runners at the conference meet! Our soccer team wraps up its fall campaign Sunday at Cobb Stadium against Duke. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. and the game will be televised by ACC Network.
Speaking of ACC Network three of our six football games in 2020 have been ACCN telecasts. The network remains a top priority for ESPN, the ACC and its member institutions. Unfortunately, Comcast is the lone major cable provider that is not carrying the network. If you know a Comcast subscriber tell them to contact Comcast and demand the network or make the switch to a provider listed on getaccn.com. We want every Canes fan to see every Canes game this season!
Our men’s and women’s basketball teams have started practice and are gearing up for the start of the season on November 25. Schedules for both teams will be announced soon by the ACC. We are also working on details on fan attendance at Watsco Center and will update season ticket holders as soon as those are finalized.
We are currently celebrating the ACC’s first Unity Week, which was developed through the efforts of the ACC’s Committee for Racial and Social Justice (CORE – Champions of Racial Equity) in conjunction with its member institutions. ACC Unity Week coincides with the NCAA’s Diversity & Inclusion campaign, which features a National Unity pledge and patch for all schools. We have been running a social media campaign throughout the week, highlighting our efforts around Athletics and the University on the diversity and inclusion front. Thanks to all of our student-athletes, coaches and staff members who have participated!
We recently launched the Canes United COVID-19 Relief Initiative to help the athletics department navigate the significant financial ramifications of the pandemic. We want to do everything that we can to minimize the impact of this pandemic on our student-athletes and their overall athletics, academic and cultural experiences at The U and this initiative gives our supporters a chance to make an immediate difference in helping us to continue our mission of Building Champions. For more information please visit the official website at umcanesunited.com.
If you have any questions or need any assistance, please feel free to contact a member of our staff. For the latest information on UM Athletics, please be sure to visit our website — miamihurricanes.com – download our new Miami Hurricanes app or follow us on our various social media channels. I hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. Happy Halloween and enjoy this month’s magazine!
Go Canes!
Blake James
