1989 Miami Hurricanes football team

American college football season

1989 Miami Hurricanes football

Consensus national champion Sugar Bowl champion
Sugar Bowl, W 33–25 vs. Alabama
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 1
Record	11–1
Head coach	Dennis Erickson (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Bob Bratkowski (1st season)
Offensive scheme	One-Back Spread
Defensive coordinator	Sonny Lubick (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Miami Orange Bowl (Capacity: 75,500)
Seasons ← 1988 1990 →

1989 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 1 Miami (FL)		–		11	–	1	–	0
No. 2 Notre Dame		–		12	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Florida State		–		10	–	2	–	0
Northern Illinois		–		9	–	2	–	0
No. 15 Penn State		–		8	–	3	–	1
No. 17 Pittsburgh		–		8	–	3	–	1
No. 21 West Virginia		–		8	–	3	–	1
Syracuse		–		8	–	4	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana		–		7	–	4	–	0
Akron		–		6	–	4	–	1
South Carolina		–		6	–	4	–	1
Virginia Tech		–		6	–	4	–	1
Louisiana Tech		–		5	–	4	–	1
Army		–		6	–	5	–	0
Louisville		–		6	–	5	–	0
East Carolina		–		5	–	5	–	1
Tulsa		–		6	–	6	–	0
Southern Miss		–		5	–	6	–	0
Tulane		–		4	–	8	–	0
Navy		–		3	–	8	–	0
Rutgers		–		2	–	7	–	2
Boston College		–		2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State		–		2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati		–		1	–	9	–	1
Temple		–		1	–	10	–	0

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1989 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Hurricanes' 64th season of football. The Hurricanes were led by first-year head coach Dennis Erickson and played their home games at the Orange Bowl. They finished the season 11–1 overall. They were invited to the Sugar Bowl where they defeated Alabama, 33–25, to win the school's third national championship.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 9	at Wisconsin	No. 3	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	ABC	W 51–3	38,646
September 16	California	No. 3	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL	ESPN	W 31–3	56,931
September 23	at Missouri	No. 2	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	Prime	W 38–7	43,293
September 30	at Michigan State	No. 2	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ABC	W 26–20	76,217
October 7	Cincinnati	No. 2	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 56–0	48,597
October 14	San Jose State	No. 2	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 48–16	45,122
October 28	at No. 9 Florida State	No. 2	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	ESPN	L 10–24	62,602
November 4	East Carolina	No. 7	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 40–10	35,159
November 11	at No. 14 Pittsburgh	No. 7	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	CBS	W 24–3	52,528
November 18	San Diego State	No. 7	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 42–6	42,362
November 25	No. 1 Notre Dame	No. 7	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (rivalry)	CBS	W 27–10	81,634
January 1	vs. No. 7 Alabama	No. 2	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	ABC	W 33–25	77,425
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

Roster

1989 Miami Hurricanes football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB	`14`	Gino Torretta	Fr
WR	`37`	Doyle Aaron	So
TE	`93`	Randy Bethel	Jr
WR	`81`	Wesley Carroll	Jr
TE	`84`	Rob Chudzinski	Jr
RB	`28`	Leonard Conley	Jr
OL	`72`	Mario Cristobal	Fr
FB	`20`	Shannon Crowell	Jr
WR	`11`	Dale Dawkins	Sr
QB	`7`	Craig Erickson	Jr
QB	`9`	Bryan Fortay	Fr
C	`50`	Bobby Garcia	Sr
RB	`25`	Kevin Gibbs	Fr
G	`66`	Robert Amatucci	Fr
WR	`3`	Randal Hill	Jr
C	`64`	Rod Holder	Sr
RB	`21`	Alex Johnson	Jr
WR	`88`	Dennis Kelleher	Fr
RB	`30`	Stephen McGuire	Fr
G	`68`	Barry Panfil	So
OL	`73`	Leon Searcy	So
WR	`18`	Pee Wee Smith	Sr
WR	`35`	Darryl Spencer	So
G	`79`	Mike Sullivan	Jr
WR	`36`	Lamar Thomas	Fr
RB	`33`	Russell Sapp	So

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LB	`1`	Jessie Armstead	Fr
CB	`23`	Robert Bailey	Jr
LB	`56`	Micheal Barrow	Fr
CB	`6`	Kenny Berry	Sr
DB	`8`	Hurlie Brown	So
LB	`57`	Bernard Clark	Sr
LB	`49`	Maurice Crum	Jr
DL	`44`	Shane Curry	Jr
DB	`39`	Bobby Harden	Sr
DL	`63`	Jimmie Jones	Sr
DT	`96`	Cortez Kennedy	Sr
DT	`94`	Greg Mark	Sr
DT	`67`	Russell Maryland	Jr
CB	`47`	Ryan McNeil	Fr
LB	`38`	Richard Newbill	Sr
DE	`58`	Willis Peguese	Sr
DB	`2`	Charles Pharms	So
LB	`45`	Darrin Smith	Fr
DB	`16`	Roland Smith	Jr
DB	`31`	Darryl Williams	Fr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`1`	Edgar Benes	Sr
K	`27`	Carlos Huerta	So
P	`19`	Tim Kalal	Sr

Head coach

Dennis Erickson

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Seasons	Alma Mater
Dennis Erickson	Head coach	1st	Montana State (1969)
Bob Bratkowski	Offensive coordinator/wide receivers	1st	Washington State (1978)
Sonny Lubick	Defensive Coordinator/defensive backs	1st	Western Montana (1960)
Gregg Smith	Offensive line	1st	Idaho (1969)
Dave Arnold	Special teams/tight ends	1st
Bob Karmelowicz	Defensive line	1st	Bridgeport (1972)
Art Kehoe	Assistant offensive line	5th	Miami (1982)
Ed Orgeron	Defensive line	1st	Northwestern State (1984)
Tommy Tuberville	Linebackers	1st	Southern Arkansas (1976)
Alex Wood	Running backs	1st	Iowa (1978)

Support staff

Name	Position	Seasons	Alma Mater
Brad Roll	Strength & Conditioning	1st	Stephen F. Austin (1980)
Carmen Grosso	Graduate Assistant
Ronnie Lee	Graduate Assistant
Scott Runyan	Graduate Assistant
Pete Savage	Graduate Assistant
Dan Werner	Volunteer Assistant	3rd	Western Michigan (1983)

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	4 (4)	3 (4)	3 (5)	2 (3)	2 (3)	2 (3)	2 (4)	2 (3)	2 (3)	7	7	7	7	4 (3)	2 (4)	2 (4)	1 (38)
Coaches	5 (1)	5 (1)	2 (2)	2 (3)	2 (4)	2 (2)	2 (5)	2 (5)	2 (3)	6	7	7	7	3 (3)	2 (4)		1 (36)

^[1]

Game summaries

At Wisconsin

#3 Miami (FL) at Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hurricanes	13	21	10	7	51
Badgers	3	0	0	0	3

Date: September 9
Location: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin
Game attendance: 38,646
TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson, Bob Griese, Mike Adamle

Scoring summary

1		WIS	Thompson 38-yard field goal	WIS 3–0

1		MIA	Huerta 28-yard field goal	Tied 3–3

1		MIA	Huerta 43-yard field goal	MIA 6–3

1		MIA	Conley 1-yard run (Huerta kick)	MIA 13–3

2		MIA	Carroll 15-yard pass from Erickson (Huerta kick)	MIA 20–3

2		MIA	Carroll 10-yard pass from Erickson (Huerta kick)	MIA 27–3

2		MIA	Hill 3-yard pass from Erickson (Huerta kick)	MIA 34–3

3		MIA	Huerta 24-yard field goal	MIA 37–3

3		MIA	Aaron 3-yard pass from Erickson (Huerta kick)	MIA 44–3

4	7:57	MIA	Kevin Gibbs 6-yard run (Huerta kick)	MIA 51–3

^[2]

California

California at #3 Miami (FL)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	3	0	0	0	3
• Hurricanes	0	17	7	7	31

Date: September 16
Location: Orange Bowl (stadium), Miami, Florida
Game attendance: 56,931
Game weather: 93 °F (34 °C), Partly cloudy, Wind S 15 mph (24 km/h)
TV announcers (ESPN): Tim Brando, Gene Washington

Scoring summary

1	7:45	CAL	Robbie Keen 45-yard field goal	CAL 3–0

2		MIA	Huerta 29-yard field goal	Tied 3–3

2	4:48	MIA	Conley 6-yard run (Huerta kick)	MIA 10–3

2	2:10	MIA	Crowell 2-yard pass from Erickson (Huerta kick)	MIA 17–3

3	0:11	MIA	Dawkins 18-yard pass from Erickson (Huerta kick)	MIA 24–3

4	12:46	MIA	Hill 33-yard pass from Erickson (Huerta kick)	MIA 31–3

At Missouri

#2 Miami (FL) at Missouri

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hurricanes	7	17	0	14	38
Tigers	7	0	0	0	7

Date: September 23
Location: Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri
Game attendance: 43,293
Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), Sunny, Wind N 10–15 mph (16–24 km/h)
TV announcers (Prime): Dave Armstrong, Dave Logan

Scoring summary

1	3:24	MIA	Maurice Crum 30-yard interception return (Huerta kick)	MIA 7–0

1	1:16	MIZ	Collins 67-yard pass from Keifer (Baker kick)	Tied 7–7

2	12:28	MIA	Crowell 1-yard run (Huerta kick)	MIA 14–7

2	1:36	MIA	Huerta 42-yard field goal	MIA 17–7

2	0:07	MIA	Erickson 6-yard run (Huerta kick)	MIA 24–7

4	9:28	MIA	Conley 2-yard run (Huerta kick)	MIA 31–7

4	8:34	MIA	Chudzinski 30-yard pass from Erickson (Huerta kick)	MIA 38–7

^[3]

At Michigan State

#2 Miami (FL) at Michigan State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hurricanes	3	7	10	6	26
Spartans	3	7	3	7	20

Date: September 30
Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
Game attendance: 76,217
Referee: Jim Kemerling
TV announcers (ABC): Gary Bender, Dick Vermeil, Cheryl Miller

Scoring summary

1	7:56	MIA	Huerta 32-yard field goal	MIA 3–0

1	3:59	MSU	Langeloh 46-yard field goal	Tied 3–3

2	5:32	MSU	Enos 19-yard run (Langeloh kick)	MSU 10–3

2	2:14	MIA	Carroll 5-yard pass from Torretta (Huerta kick)	Tied 10–10

3	11:52	MIA	Johnson 38-yard run (Huerta kick)	MIA 17–10

3	6:42	MIA	Huerta 27-yard field goal	MIA 20–10

3	2:48	MSU	Langeloh 27-yard field goal	MIA 20–13

4		MSU	Harlon Barnett 35-yard interception return	Tied 20–20

4	5:04	MIA	Huerta 27-yard field goal	MIA 23–20

4	0:54	MIA	Huerta 52-yard field goal	MIA 26–20

^[4]

Cincinnati

Cincinnati at #3 Miami (FL)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearcats	0	0	0	0	0
• Hurricanes	7	35	7	7	56

Date: October 7
Location: Orange Bowl (stadium), Miami, Florida
Game attendance: 48,597

^[5]

San Jose State

San Jose State at #3 Miami (FL)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	0	8	0	8	16
• Hurricanes	10	7	17	14	48

Date: October 14
Location: Orange Bowl (stadium), Miami, Florida

Backup Gino Torretta, making his second consecutive start for the injured Craig Erickson, threw for a school-record 468 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Hurricanes picked up their 48th win in 49 games.^[6]

At Florida State

#2 Miami (FL) Hurricanes at #9 Florida State Seminoles

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Miami (FL)	10	0	0	0	10
Florida St	14	0	7	3	24

at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

Date: October 28, 1989
Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 62,602
TV announcers (ESPN): Ron Franklin and Kevin Kiley
Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

FSU – Dexter Carter 37-yard run (Richie Andrews kick), 14:37. Florida St 7–0. Drive:
MIA – Randal Hill 8-yard pass from Gino Torretta (Carlos Huerta kick), 9:57. Tie 7–7. Drive: 80 yards.
FSU – Edgar Bennett 1-yard run (Richie Andrews kick), 5:11. Florida St 14–7. Drive: 82 yards.
MIA – Carlos Huerta 44-yard field goal, 1:09. Florida St 14–10. Drive:

Third quarter

FSU – Amp Lee 1-yard run (Richie Andrews kick), 2:20. Florida St 21–10. Drive:

Fourth quarter

FSU – Richie Andrews 41-yard field goal, 14:18. 'Florida St 24–10. Drive:

Top passers

MIA – Gino Torretta – TD, 4 INT
FSU – Peter Tom Willis – 7/20, 129 yards, INT

Top rushers

MIA –
FSU – Dexter Carter – 21 rushes, 142 yards, TD

Top receivers

MIA –
FSU – Ronald Lewis – 3 receptions, 77 yards

^[7]

Prior to the Miami-Florida State game, University of Miami mascot Sebastian the Ibis was tackled by a group of police officers for attempting to put out Chief Osceola's flaming spear. Sebastian was wearing a fireman's helmet and yellow raincoat and holding a fire extinguisher. When a police officer attempted to grab the fire extinguisher, the officer was sprayed in the chest. Sebastian was handcuffed by four officers but ultimately released. Miami quarterback Gino Torretta, who started the game in place of injured Craig Erickson, told ESPN, "Even if we weren't bad boys, it added to the mystique that, 'Man, look, even their mascot's getting arrested.'"^[8]

East Carolina

At Pittsburgh

#7 Miami (FL) at #14 Pittsburgh

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hurricanes	10	3	9	2	24
Panthers	0	0	0	3	3

Date: November 11
Location: Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game attendance: 52,528
Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), Light rain, Wind SSW 14 mph (23 km/h)
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Pat Haden, John Dockery

Scoring summary

1	10:38	MIA	Huerta 20-yard field goal	MIA 3–0

1		MIA	McGuire 8-yard run (Huerta kick)	MIA 10–0

2		MIA	Huerta 27-yard field goal	MIA 13–0

3		MIA	Huerta 27-yard field goal	MIA 16–0

3		MIA	Dawkins 9-yard pass from Erickson (pass failed)	MIA 22–0

4	12:06	PITT	Frazier 29-yard field goal	MIA 22–3

4	10:19	MIA	Safety, Van Pelt tackled in end zone	MIA 24–3

^[9]

San Diego State

^[10]

Notre Dame

#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11–0) at #7 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (9–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	10	0	0	10
Miami (FL)	10	7	7	3	27

at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

Date: November 25, 1989
Game weather: Overcast, 77 °F (25 °C)
Game attendance: 81,634
Referee: Jimmy Harper
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Pat Haden, and John Dockery
Recap/Box

Game information

'First quarter

UM – Carlos Huerta 35-yard field goal, 9:41. Miami (FL) 3–0.
UM – Dale Dawkins 55-yard pass from Craig Erickson (Carlos Huerta kick), 0:04. Miami (FL) 10–0. Drive: 4 plays.

Second quarter

ND – Billy Hackett 22-yard field goal, 8:23. Miami (FL) 10–3.
ND – Ned Bolcar 49-yard interception return (Billy Hackett kick), 2:08. Tie 10–10.
UM – Stephen McGuire 5-yard run (Carlos Huerta kick), 0:24. Miami (FL) 17–10. Drive: 3 plays.

Third quarter

UM – Dale Dawkins 5-yard pass from Craig Erickson (Carlos Huerta kick), 4:13. Miami (FL) 24–10. Drive: 22 plays, 80 yards, 10:47.

Fourth quarter

UM – Carlos Huerta 32-yard field goal, 1:44. Miami (FL) 27–10.

Top passers

ND – Tony Rice – 7/15, 106 yards, 2 INT
UM – Craig Erickson – 16/26, 210 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

ND – Tony Rice – 20 rushes, 50 yards
UM – Stephen McGuire – 21 rushes, 83 yards, TD

Top receivers

ND – Derek Brown – 2 receptions, 19 yards
UM – Dale Dawkins – 4 receptions, 123 yards, 2 TD

The Hurricanes avenged a close loss from the previous year in South Bend. This game marked the seventh time in seven attempts that Miami defeated a #1 ranked team during the 1980s.^[11]^[12]^[13]

External videos
Full game
Game highlights
3rd and 43
Hurricane Flashback

Vs. Alabama (Sugar Bowl)

#2 Miami (FL) at #7 Alabama

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hurricanes	7	13	6	7	33
Crimson Tide	0	17	0	8	25

Date: January 1
Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans
Game attendance: 77,452
Game weather: Indoors
Referee: John Nealon (Big Ten)
TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf

1990 NFL Draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	Team
Cortez Kennedy	Defensive tackle	1	3	Seattle Seahawks
Jimmie Jones	Defensive tackle	3	64	Dallas Cowboys
Bernard Clark	Linebacker	3	65	Cincinnati Bengals
Willis Peguese	Defensive end	3	72	Houston Oilers
Greg Mark	Defensive end	3	79	New York Giants
Richard Newbill	Linebacker	5	126	Houston Oilers
Dale Dawkins	Wide receiver	9	223	New York Jets
Kenny Berry	Defensive back	10	256	San Diego Chargers
Bobby Harden	Defensive back	12	315	Miami Dolphins

^[14]

References

^ "Miami (FL) 1989 AP Football Rankings". collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
^ "Miami Overwhelms Wisconsin by 51–3". The New York Times. September 10, 1989. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
^ "Miami 38, Missouri 7". United Press International. September 23, 1989. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
^ "Hurricanes Survive Scare : Miami Loses Erickson, Beats Michigan State". Los Angeles Times. October 1, 1986. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
^ "'CANES MAKE IT A CINCH EARLY VS. CINCINNATI IN 56–0 BLOWOUT". Orlando Sentinel. October 8, 1989. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
^ "Miami 48, San Jose State 16". United Press International. October 14, 1989. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
^ "Six Turnovers by No. 2 Miami Give Game to No. 9 Florida St". Los Angeles Times. October 29, 1989. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
^ "The true story of Sebastian the Ibis, a fire extinguisher and a near arrest". October 30, 2019.
^ "COLLEGE FOOTBALL". Chicago Tribune. November 12, 1989. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
^ "Loses Grow for SDSU After Miami Defeat". Los Angeles Times. November 22, 1989. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
^ "Miami Exacts Its Revenge, 27–10". Los Angeles Times. November 26, 1989. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
^ "Miami Snaps Streak By Irish". The New York Times. November 26, 1989. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
^ "Miami Shuts Down No. 1 Notre Dame". The Washington Post. November 26, 1989. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
^ "1990 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007.

v t e 1989 Miami Hurricanes football—consensus national champions
Jessie Armstead Robert Bailey Micheal Barrow Wesley Carroll Rob Chudzinski Bernard Clark Leonard Conley Horace Copeland Mario Cristobal Maurice Crum Shane Curry Dale Dawkins Craig Erickson Bryan Fortay Bobby Harden Randal Hill Carlos Huerta Alex Johnson Jimmie Jones Cortez Kennedy Greg Mark Russell Maryland Ryan McNeil Richard Newbill Willis Peguese Leon Searcy Darrin Smith Pee Wee Smith Darryl Spencer Mike Sullivan Lamar Thomas Gino Torretta Kipp Vickers Darryl Williams Kevin Williams Head coach: Dennis Erickson Assistant coaches: Dave Arnold Bob Bratkowski Sonny Lubick Ed Orgeron Tommy Tuberville Alex Wood

1989 Miami Hurricanes football—consensus national champions

Head coach: Dennis Erickson

Assistant coaches: Dave Arnold
Bob Bratkowski
Sonny Lubick
Ed Orgeron
Tommy Tuberville
Alex Wood

v t e Miami Hurricanes football
Venues	Miami Orange Bowl (1937–2007) Hard Rock Stadium (2008–present)
Bowls and rivalries	Bowl games Florida Florida State Nebraska Virginia Tech
Culture and lore	1998 UCLA game 2011 athletics scandal Band of the Hour Catholics vs. Convicts FIU–Miami brawl Florida Cup Hail Flutie Miami 4–3 defense Quarterback U Sebastian the Ibis Whammy in Miami Wide Right I Wide Right II Confusion Bowl 2023 Georgia Tech game
Documentaries	Catholics vs. Convicts The U
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Early years (1926 to 1978)	Miami Hurricanes football (1926 to 1978)
Seasons	1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e College football national champions (poll era)
1936–1949	1936: Minnesota (AP) 1937: Pittsburgh 1938: TCU 1939: Texas A&M 1940: Minnesota 1941: Minnesota 1942: Ohio State 1943: Notre Dame 1944: Army 1945: Army (AP) / Oklahoma A&M (Coaches) 1946: Notre Dame 1947: Notre Dame 1948: Michigan 1949: Notre Dame
1950s	1950: Oklahoma (AP, Coaches) 1951: Tennessee 1952: Michigan State 1953: Maryland 1954: Ohio State (AP) / UCLA (FWAA, Coaches) 1955: Oklahoma 1956: Oklahoma 1957: Auburn (AP) / Ohio State (Coaches, FWAA) 1958: LSU (AP, Coaches) / Iowa (FWAA) 1959: Syracuse (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF)
1960s	1960: Minnesota (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ole Miss (FWAA) 1961: Alabama (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ohio State (FWAA) 1962: USC 1963: Texas 1964: Alabama (AP, Coaches) / Arkansas (FWAA) / Notre Dame (NFF) 1965: Alabama (AP, FWAA) / Michigan State (Coaches, FWAA, NFF) 1966: Notre Dame (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF) / Michigan State (NFF) 1967: USC 1968: Ohio State 1969: Texas
1970s	1970: Nebraska (AP, FWAA) / Texas (NFF, Coaches) / Ohio State (NFF) 1971: Nebraska 1972: USC 1973: Notre Dame (AP, FWAA, NFF) / Alabama (Coaches) 1974: Oklahoma (AP) / USC (FWAA, NFF, Coaches) 1975: Oklahoma 1976: Pittsburgh 1977: Notre Dame 1978: Alabama (AP, FWAA, NFF) / USC (Coaches) 1979: Alabama
1980–1991	1980: Georgia 1981: Clemson 1982: Penn State 1983: Miami (FL) 1984: BYU 1985: Oklahoma 1986: Penn State 1987: Miami (FL) 1988: Notre Dame 1989: Miami (FL) 1990: Colorado (AP, FWAA, NFF, USAT/CNN) / Georgia Tech (Coaches) 1991: Miami (FL) (AP) / Washington (Coaches, FWAA, UPI/NFF)