Ghosts of the Orange Bowl

Ghosts of the Orange Bowl This page is dedicated to the complete history of the Orange Bowl Stadium from 1937 to 2008. This page is dedicated to the memory of the Orange Bowl Stadium.

Relive the glory years of the University of Miami Hurricanes, the Miami Dolphins, New Year's Orange Bowl games, concerts, soccer games and so much more! From 1937 to 2007, no stadium has hosted more big football games. But the Orange Bowl was more than just a football stadium. It hosted concerts, political rallies and other community events. This is the place to share your memories of one of Miami's great historical landmarks.

September 29, 2007: On this day 19 years ago, the Miami Hurricanes defeated Duke 24-14 in front of 30,614 fans at the Or...
09/29/2026

September 29, 2007: On this day 19 years ago, the Miami Hurricanes defeated Duke 24-14 in front of 30,614 fans at the Orange Bowl. Pictured below: Duke quarterback Thad Lewis talks with Miami head coach Randy Shannon after the game. The game was a homecoming for Lewis, who grew up in nearby Opa-Locka and graduated from Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School.



September 29, 1990: On this day 36 years ago, the #10 Miami Hurricanes defeated Iowa 48-21 in front of 70,420 fans at t...
09/29/2026

September 29, 1990: On this day 36 years ago, the #10 Miami Hurricanes defeated Iowa 48-21 in front of 70,420 fans at the Orange Bowl. Pictured below: Miami receiver Wesley Carroll celebrates after scoring on a 73 yard touchdown pass from Craig Erickson. Erickson threw for 360 yards and 3 touchdown passes. Iowa would go on to represent the Big 10 in the Rose Bowl. Photo from Mark Burnham.



September 29, 1984: On this day 42 years ago, the #16 Miami Hurricanes defeated Rice 38-3 in front of 20,084 fans at th...
09/29/2026

September 29, 1984: On this day 42 years ago, the #16 Miami Hurricanes defeated Rice 38-3 in front of 20,084 fans at the Orange Bowl. Bernie Kosar and Alonzo Highsmith were among the standouts for the Canes. Photo below from The Miami Hurricane student newspaper.



September 29, 1979: Yo Adrian! On this day 47 years ago, the University of Miami held a Sylvester Stallone Night at the ...
09/29/2026

September 29, 1979: Yo Adrian! On this day 47 years ago, the University of Miami held a Sylvester Stallone Night at the Orange Bowl. Stallone studied drama at UM before leaving for New York in 1969 to pursue an acting career. At the time, Stallone's new movie Rocky II had just been released in the theaters. Meanwhile, the Hurricane football team defeated Louisiana Tech 6-0 in front of 20,069 fans on a rainy night at the Orange Bowl. The only points came on two Danny Miller field goals.




September 29, 1967: On this day 59 years ago, Penn State defeated the Miami Hurricanes 17-8 in front of 39,156 fans at t...
09/29/2026

September 29, 1967: On this day 59 years ago, Penn State defeated the Miami Hurricanes 17-8 in front of 39,156 fans at the Orange Bowl. Pictured below: Miami's Vince Opalsky is unable to make a catch on a pass from David Olivo. Photo from The Miami Hurricane student newspaper.



September 29, 1962: On this day 64 years ago, the Miami Hurricanes defeated TCU 21-20 in front of 51,251 fans at the Ora...
09/29/2026

September 29, 1962: On this day 64 years ago, the Miami Hurricanes defeated TCU 21-20 in front of 51,251 fans at the Orange Bowl. Pictured below: University of Miami receiver Ben Rizzo catches a touchdown pass from George Mira.



September 29, 1950: On this day 75 years ago, the Miami Hurricanes defeated The Citadel 21-0 in front of 33,332 fans at ...
09/29/2026

September 29, 1950: On this day 75 years ago, the Miami Hurricanes defeated The Citadel 21-0 in front of 33,332 fans at the Orange Bowl to open the season. This was the first-ever football meeting between the two programs. They have only played one other time in history, which resulted in a 52–6 Miami blowout victory in 1996.



Happy 60th birthday to Marc Buoniconti. The youngest son of the late Miami Dolphins hall of fame linebacker Nick Buonico...
09/29/2026

Happy 60th birthday to Marc Buoniconti. The youngest son of the late Miami Dolphins hall of fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti, Marc was following in his father's footsteps. He was an All Dade County linebacker at Miami's Columbus High School. Marc earned a college football scholarship to The Citadel, a military service academy in Charleston, South Carolina. By his sophomore year in 1985, he became the team's starting middle linebacker.

But on October 26, 1985, Marc's life changed forever. He was paralyzed after making a tackle. Marc nearly died on the field. He spent 7 months on a respirator fighting for his life. Shortly after his son's accident, Nick Buoniconti along with Dr. Barth Green started the Miami Project To Cure Paralysis. Marc later returned to South Florida and graduated from the University of Miami. In 2001, Marc presented his father into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Over the last 37 years, the Miami Project has become one of the world's leading neurological research centers and has made tremendous strides in helping people with spinal cord injuries walk again. Today Marc Buoniconti carries on his father's legacy as President of the Miami Project.





Happy 73rd birthday to Warren Cromartie. A 1971 graduate of Miami Jackson High School, Cromartie's connection with the O...
09/29/2026

Happy 73rd birthday to Warren Cromartie. A 1971 graduate of Miami Jackson High School, Cromartie's connection with the Orange Bowl goes back to his father Leroy Cromartie, who was a brilliant all-around athlete at Miami's Booker T. Washington High School in the early 1940s. The elder Cromartie went on to become a Black College All American quarterback at Florida A&M. Leroy Cromartie was one of the first African American athletes to play at the Orange Bowl when he started for the Rattlers in the 1947 Orange Blossom Classic. The elder Cromartie was also an outstanding baseball player and went on to play professionally for the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro Leagues and served in the military.

After serving in the Army, Leroy Cromartie returned home and worked 25 years for the City of Miami Recreational Department. He spent many of those years coaching youth baseball, football and tennis at Moore Park. During that time, he mentored hundreds of inner city youngsters. Among those were future major league outfielder Mickey Rivers and NFL players Neal Colzie and Nat Moore and his son Warren Cromartie. The younger Cromartie starred at Miami Jackson High School and Miami-Dade Community College North Campus before signing with the Montreal Expos in 1973. Warren Cromartie went on to play 10 years in the Major Leagues with the Montreal Expos and Kansas City Royals along with several years in Japan.

After his baseball career, Cromartie spent several years as a local radio broadcaster. He hosted a baseball show on WQAM called Talking Hard Ball With The Crow. The show was best known for his familiar catch phrase "Call me homie!" Cromartie continues to give back to the Miami community coaching youth baseball camps and even wrote a biography Slugging It Out in Japan: An American Major-Leaguer in the Tokyo Outfield.




The late Dave Wilcox was born 84 years ago. Pictured below: San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dave Wilcox tracks down Miami...
09/29/2026

The late Dave Wilcox was born 84 years ago. Pictured below: San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dave Wilcox tracks down Miami Dolphin running back Jim Kiick during a game played September 16, 1973 at the Orange Bowl. The Dolphins would win 21-13 in their home opener. Wilcox was one of the great outside linebackers of his era. A third round draft pick out of the University of Oregon in 1964, Wilcox played his entire 11 year NFL career with the 49ers from 1964 to 1974. He was a 7-time Pro Bowl selection and twice named First Team All Pro in 1971 and 1972. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. Dave Wilcox passed away April 19, 2023. He was 80 years old.




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