The U

ESPN 30 for 30

In a city consumed by racial tension and cultural upheaval, a brash new generation of Miami Hurricanes transformed college football forever with swagger, attitude, and four national championships.

Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman accurately and colorfully capture the program's glory years — blemishes and all — and strike the right balance between what made UM so dominant and dynamic… a grimly fascinating portrait of a program reeling out of control.
The Miami Herald
The U is incredible, and it really put the 30 for 30 series on the map with audiences because it showed that the series was willing to stylistically challenge the norms of the documentary form.
Connor Schell, EVP Content, ESPN
Year — 2009▶ Watch trailer

§ Synopsis

Throughout the 1980s, Miami, Florida, was at the center of a racial and cultural shift taking place throughout the country. Overwhelmed by riots and tensions, Miami was a city in flux, and the University of Miami football team served as a microcosm for this evolution. The image of the predominantly white university was forever changed when coach Howard Schnellenberger scoured some of the toughest ghettos in Florida to recruit mostly black players for his team. With a newly branded swagger, inspired and fueled by the quickly growing local Miami hip hop culture, these Hurricanes took on larger-than-life personalities and won four national titles between 1983 and 1991. Filmmaker Billy Corben, a Miami native and University of Miami alum, will tell the story of how these "Bad Boys" of football changed the attitude of the game they played, and how this serene campus was transformed into "The U."

§ TrailerThe U

§ Critics Say3 clips

§ Press Clippings6 stories
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