proCanes.com was able to attend “The U” DVD Release party thrown by All Cane, Titanic Brewery and rakontur. Lots of fans showed up and waited in line for Billy Corben to graciously sign their DVD copies. All Canes Radio broadcasted live from Titanic and a great time was had by all. We thank Bruce Palmer for taking the following photos.


Billy Corben and Tolbert Bain

Brian “The Beast” London, Lamar Thomas and Brett Perriman

Tolbert Bain



Billy Corben

Billy Corben and Fan

Bruce Palmer and Billy Corben

Earl Little

Every Tuesday until The U DVD release on Tuesday, August 17th, we'll be posting exclusive bonus features and deleted scenes that won't be available anywhere else.

Allcanes is taking pre-orders and offering free shipping through August 15th.

#8 - Tough Practice, Easy Games
This isn't a "deleted scene," per se, but rather a montage of interview clips not used in the movie, on the subject of practices vs. games.  What's fun is that every player said exactly the same thing: after a week of intense 'Canes on 'Canes action, game day was a cakewalk.



Click here to view all Deleted Scenes.

Every Tuesday until The U DVD release on Tuesday, August 17th, we'll be posting exclusive bonus features and deleted scenes that won't be available anywhere else.

Allcanes is taking pre-orders and offering free shipping through August 15th.

The U deleted scene #7 - Redshirted
After Coach Schnellenberger decided to redshirt him, freshman RB Melvin Bratton was seriously considering transferring to the University of Pittsburgh. His mom set him straight, and the rest is history.



Click here to view all Deleted Scenes.

Every Tuesday until The U DVD release on Tuesday, August 17th, we'll be posting exclusive bonus features and deleted scenes that won't be available anywhere else.

Allcanes is taking pre-orders and offering free shipping through August 15th.

The U deleted scene #6 - Gary Stevens and Steve Walsh Leave Same story, different coaches. This time it's Jimmy Johnson leaving for the NFL and the player's choice to replace him is Offensive Coordinator Gary Stevens. Once again, it's up to Athletic Director Sam Jankovich to make the tough decision.



Click here to view all Deleted Scenes.

Rakontur is finalizing the details for The U DVD release on August 17th.

The good news is that it will be a 2 disc set. The bad news is that ESPN won't be putting out a Blu-Ray edition at this point (but we're pushing for it).

Disc 1 will have the Director's Statement, featurettes from the Miami premiere at the Lyric Theater and the Miami City Hall screening, the player and coach introductions and twelve deleted scenes:

-Locker Rooms -Schnellenberger's Pipe -QB Contest -Joe Namath 1984 Orange Bowl -Michael Irvin in the Cafeteria -Locker Room Speech -Tim Brown 1987 -Discipline & Education -Tad Foote at the White House -Lamar and Irvin on the phone -Ibis Arrest -Depth & Competition
Disc 2 will have the following condensed games:
-Miami v Alabama (1990 Sugar Bowl) -Miami v FSU (Nov 16, 1991) -South Carolina v Miami (Dec 5, 1987) -Miami v Duke (Oct 1, 1983)

Allcanes is taking pre-orders and offering free shipping through August 15th.



(rakontur.com)

Every Tuesday until The U DVD release on Tuesday, August 17th, rakontur will be posting exclusive bonus features and deleted scenes that won't be available anywhere else.

The U deleted scene #5 - Jimmy In, Olivadotti Out
When Howard Schnellenberger left UM for the USFL, months after the 'Canes' first ever National Championship win, it was up to new Athletic Director Sam Jankovich to choose his replacement. Although the players and fans overwhelmingly wanted Defensive Coordinator Tom Olivadotti to take over, Jankovich selected Jimmy Johnson, a then unknown coach from Oklahoma State University. At the time, nobody was happy about the decision, especially the assistant coaches.



Click here to view Deleted Scenes #1 and #2., here for Deleted Scene #3 and here for Deleted Scene#4.

Every Tuesday until The U DVD release on Tuesday, August 17th, rakontur will be posting exclusive bonus features and deleted scenes that won't be available anywhere else.

The U deleted scene #4 - The Last Snap
On January 2nd, 1984, the Hurricanes became National Champions. The play everyone remembers was Nebraska's blocked two-point conversion attempt with 48 seconds left on the clock. Bernie Kosar recounts the last play of the game in which he cheats center Ian Sinclair out of his chance to steal the football as a souvenir.



Click here to view Deleted Scenes #1 and #2. and here for Deleted Scene #3.

Every Tuesday until The U DVD release on Tuesday, August 17th, rakontur will be posting exclusive bonus features and deleted scenes that won't be available anywhere else.

The U deleted scene #3 - Thursday Nights With Jimmy
On Thursday nights Hurricanes Coach Jimmy Johnson met with his players to talk about anything other than football.  It was a way for Jimmy (a psychology major in college) to keep them out of trouble, and it was also a way to teach them about life.



Click here to view Deleted Scenes #1 and #2.

Every Tuesday until The U DVD release on Tuesday, August 17th, rakontur will be posting exclusive bonus features and deleted scenes that won't be available anywhere else.

The U deleted scene #2 - Heat
Long before the Miami Heat, there was Miami heat and Hurricanes Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger (1979-1983) used it to the team's advantage. A disciple of Bear Bryant, Schnellenberger believed in training hard in 100+ degree weather and denying his players water breaks, while Athletic Director Sam Jankovich (1983-1990) worried about someone dying from heat stroke. In this deleted scene, we learn of the players' survival techniques under these conditions and the mysterious disappearance of Milton Redwine (last seen running naked across the Hurricanes practice field).



The U deleted scene #1 - Cujo
Howard Schnellenberger's legendary 1983 recruiting class takes a trip to the now-defunct Riviera Cinema, across US1 from the University of Miami campus, and when they get lip from another moviegoer, they nearly go Cujo on his ass:

ESPN's documentary on the University of Miami football program was such a hit that the creators have begun working on a sequel.

Director Billy Corben said the new film, It's All About the U, will focus on Hurricanes football between 1992 and 2002. The first movie, called The U, primarily focused on the 1980s, through 1991.

Interviews with former Canes are being lined up for the first three weeks of April. ``Then we'll edit it the rest of the year'' while juggling nonsports projects, Corben said. He would love for the sequel to air on ESPN but hasn't discussed it with the network. Corben likely will have other options if ESPN passes.

The idea of doing a sequel ``started as a lark,'' Corben said. ``[Former UM cornerback] Mike Rumph twittered after the first movie, `What about the U-2?' A few weeks ago, we said, `Why don't we just do it?'''

Corben said the sequel ``will cover the Pell Grant scandal and the program's downfall and give Butch Davis his due for rebuilding the program. Butch did something extraordinary that deserves to be acknowledged.''

The film will spend considerable time on the 2001 team -- put together by Davis and coached by Larry Coker -- ``which is considered one of the best teams of all time,'' Corben said. ``It all comes down to what Alonzo Highsmith said at the end of the first movie about the program's success: If they had accomplished all of this at a major football university like Alabama, the school would have built monuments.

``This sequel will be the monument to the 2001 team even if the university is not as enthusiastic to memorialize their accomplishments.''
Corben also will reflect on the 2002 team that lost the Fiesta Bowl (and the national championship) to Ohio State after a highly questionable pass-interference call against UM.

``We have Larry Coker talking about that,'' Corben said. ``We didn't use any of Coker's interview in the first movie.''

Corben said UM declined to cooperate with the first film but ``I hope they will be more reasonable this time around.'' He said he wants to interview only two people currently employed by the university -- former athletic director Paul Dee (who teaches at UM) and strength and conditioning coach Andreu Swasey.

The U was ESPN's highest-rated documentary ever, with a 1.8 rating and 2.3 million viewers on its first airing. By comparison, other documentaries in ESPN's ``30 for 30'' series averaged below a 1.0 rating. ESPN said it will release a DVD of The U -- with about 30 minutes of deleted scenes -- on Amazon.com, but it isn't available yet.



(miamiherald.com)

Billy Corben tweeted the news the other day: we're beginning pre-production on what we're jokingly referring to as The U 2: 1992-2002.

The plan as of now is to shoot interviews in March and April, edit through the summer and fall, and have it ready for December, around the one year anniversary of the premiere of The U.

Evan has begun putting together the interview list, so let us know who you most want to see in The U 2 in the comments. 



(rakontur.com)

I had coaching great Jimmy Johnson on the show Wednesday. Man is he a great interview. Anyway, here's a transcript of the key questions I asked him.

Q: How well do you know new Dolphins defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and should Dolphins fans be happy with him?
A: "I've got tremendous respect for Mike Nolan. I've known him for a long time. I think he's done a quality job every place he's been. I think he's really, really going to help the Dolphins."

Q: What is your take on high-maintenance NFL receivers like Brandon Marshall? Do you take a chance on a guy that's a good player on Sunday but he's a pain in the ass?
A: "It's got to concern you. Jerry Jones and I had this conversation at the Super Bowl last year because he was aking me whether or not to keep Terrell Owens. It depends a lot on your head coach. These receivers that come in with a lot of baggage . . . what that does is it takes away from your head coach's time because you're continually putting out fires. That's part of the job and as a head coach you've got to do that. But there's only so much you can put up with. You have to weigh everything and say, 'Is he that good that it's worth it?' Obviously, everybody wants to have Andre Johnson. He's the best in the league as a player and as a person. But there's not that many Andre Johnsons out there. There's a lot of Braylon Edwards, Terrell Owens and Ochocincos."

Q: What kind of a year do you think Randy Shannon had with the Hurricanes?
A: "Randy Shannon had a really good year. When you consider all the injuries they had and how young the team was . . . I thought he had a good year. Now, you'd like the team to finish on a winning note against Wisconsin. But I think they'll be much better next year."

Q: With National Signing Day less than a week away, are all those recruiting lists overrated as far as where UM ranks?
A: "I think Randy and his staff have zeroed in on what they need to improve as a team. Look at some of the great classes that we had. Jimmie Jones did not have a single offer. Russell Maryland had one offfer. Rob Chudzinski . . . Villanova was the only offer. So we took a lot of players that we wanted, but weren't highly recruited. I think Randy is doing the same thing. He has proven in the last few years that he knows talent and he knows how to recruit."

Q: Were you happy with the way "The U" documentary came out?
A: "I liked a lot of things about it. I was disappointed they didn't emphasize the graduation rate as much as what they should have. When I went to Miami the graduation rate was 33 percent. When I left it was 88 percent. They graduated everybody last year. They talked a lot about us taking guys from the inner-city. But it was almost like, 'We took them from the inner-city, and we went out there and beat everybody, but then left it hanging after that.' Those guys got their degrees, and that's something I'm very proud of. So I was disappointed in that.
"Michael Strahan told me he loved it. He said he watched five minutes of "The U" and said, 'Man, I wish I would have played for you.' He said it looked like y'all had a ball. . . . Some of the stuff was funny. I know it was controversial and I wasn't there when it happened, but when Miami played Texas and Randall Hill coming down that ramp shooting those guns -- I was cracking up."

Q: Who do you like in the Super Bowl?
"I like the Colts because they have Peyton Manning and are consistent on defense. The Saints are going to have a problem because they have lived by the blitz. I just ddon't think that you can blitz Peyton Manning because he'll catch up with you. You may hurry him, but eventually he's going to make big plays on you. And the Saints have had so many holes in their defense."


(sun-sentinel.com)