The U

This might be the first piece in the series that a wide audience has already watched, as the premiere of The U garnered 2.3 million viewers on December 12, 2009.

If you're a football fan — college or NFL — this is a must-see look at one of the most successful and controversial talent factories in the sport, the University of Miami.

Here's the thing with Miami: you either love them, as my friend Butch has for as long as I've known him, or you hate them, like thousands upon thousands of people most certainly do.

The documentary traces the football program from the Howard Schnellenberger era (1979-83) and wraps with the Larry Coker's 2001 squad that won the National Championship, their fifth in the period covered in the film.

Along the way, they made a lot of fans, launched a lot of NFL careers, and pissed off a ton of people with their actions on and off the field.

While Schnellenberger turned the program into a powerhouse, winning the National Championship in 1983 before departing to coach in the USFL, the period that puts people on either side of The U ran from the Jimmy Johnson years starting in 1984.


During those years, The U developed a swagger, and it continued to grow with each year and the more success the program enjoyed.

We're not talking touchdown dances and jumping high fives; this was breaking out into dance routines after a big hit or a sack, and Randall Hill running up the tunnel firing his six-shooters with his fingers in the '91 Cotton Bowl.

This was the entire team showing up to the 1987 Fiesta Bowl wearing fatigues, and walking out of a pre-game meal with opponents Penn State because, as Jerome Brown put it, ""Did the Japanese go sit down and have dinner with Pearl Harbor before they bombed them?"

You can understand why the rubbed so many people the wrong way.

I wasn't one of them.

I loved The U. I used to start franchise mode on Madden with a fantasy draft so I could stock my team with the monsters produced by the program — Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Frank Gore, and countless others. Admittedly, I always drafted a non-Miami quarterback because (1) Vinny Testaverde was old and/or out of the league, and (2) I wasn't running my offense with Ken Dorsey.

I still love hearing alums say, "The U" with a hint of defiance in their voice during introductions on Sunday Night Football on NBC.

While some of the celebrations got a bit excessive — no need to do "The Running Man" or "The Cabbage Patch" after every sack — these teams back up their swagger with their performance on the field.

I don't want to see some dude from a 2-5 nothing program breaking out a major celebration when he scores a touchdown in garbage time with his team down 67-10. But when you're smashing people just about every game for season after season after season, you've earned the right to dance in my books.

One of the other subjects touched upon in the film is the alleged "pay for play" scandal involving Luther Campbell, who some might know as Uncle Luke or the front man from 2 Live Crew.

Campbell used to give cash rewards to players for big plays — touchdowns, hits, tackles, etc. Personally, I'm torn on the issue.

Being Canadian, I don't have a horse in this race; I'm not saying something is okay just because my squad was involved, so here goes:

I think it's a crime that collegiate athletes can't make a nickel for what they do in their sports, but the school can rake in millions of dollars for their performances.

How can you tell a kid he or she can't earn a couple hundred bucks a month when the university itself is making huge cash through the sale of that kid's jersey, television deals that showcase their talents, and on and on and on?

The success of these programs brings more money from donors and boosters, bolstering the salaries of university officials, but the kids can't see a penny?

That being said, you're getting a free university education, something that plenty of us had to pay for with our own money. For many of these football players, they graduated to the NFL where they earned more in a season than some of their fellow non-scholar schoolmates will earn in their lifetime.

Part of me doesn't have a problem or see the damage done by Luke springing for a new pair of shoes or a few extra meals along the way, but then where do you draw the line?

I still think there should be something done to allow NCAA athletes the same opportunity to earn a small income, but you can't have "friends of the program" throwing money at them without consequence.

Note: while the film culminates with the 2001 squad, the program continues to maintain its swagger and tumultuous reputation to this day. One of the big stories in NCAA football earlier this year was the $2 million in benefits allegedly paid to players by a former booster, Nevin Shapiro.

While I encourage everyone to watch the entire collection — all 30 films, though you can do it over as many days as you'd like — The U is the first true "can't miss" documentary in the series.

It's absolutely captivating.