University of Miami athletic director Paul Dee
announced on November 4, 1999 the selection of Hurricane football greats Ottis Anderson, Don
Bosseler, Bernie Kosar and Burgess Owens for induction into the Ring of
Honor. The four had their names and jersey numbers permanently
affixed for display on the face of the Orange Bowl's upper deck at the
Rutgers game on November 20th.
Ottis Anderson (1975-78) became the first player in Miami history to
rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season (1978). Anderson is the
Hurricanes' all-time career rushing leader (3,331) and thee times during his
career posted single-season rushing totals that rank in the top 10 at Miami. He was a first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals.
"Hopefully being honored at the University of Miami is just the
beginning for
me," commented Anderson. "This is the highest honor you can achieve at UM
and hopefully this will lead to my being inducted into the Pro Football Hall
of Fame. This is
a great moment for me."
Don Bosseler played fullback at UM from 1953-56. He finished his
career with 1,642 rushing yards, which at the time ranked second all-time.
Bosseler was an All-American and a first-round draft pick of the Washington
Redskins. In 1990 he was inducted into the National Football Foundation
Hall of Fame.
"I am elated to be honored with such great players, like Ottis
Anderson,
Bernie Kosar, and Burgess Owens," Bosseler said. "It's the highest honor
that the
University of Miami Athletic Department can bestow on their football players
and I am proud to be one of the four inducted this year and one of the eight
players inducted overall."
Bernie Kosar (1982-84) was instrumental in the University of Miami
becoming known as "Quarterback U." Kosar guided the Hurricanes to their
first of four National Championships in 1983. He holds the top spot on the
UM single-season list for pass attempts (416), pass completions (262) and
passing yards (3,642). In 1998 Kosar was inducted in the GTE/CoSIDA
Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
"I am truly honored to be inducted," said Kosar. "The University of
Miami and the Orange Bowl hold so many special memories for me. The history
of both Miami football and the Orange Bowl is so rich, that I'm just happy
to be included."
Burgess Owens
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Burgess Owens patrolled the Miami secondary from 1970-72, earning
All-American honors. Ownes finished his UM career with 160 tackles, eight
interceptions and three fumble recoveries. He was named the most valuable
player of the 1973 Senior Bowl and went on to be a first-round draft pick of
the New York Jets.
"This is a very exciting moment for me," said Owens. "UM means a lot
to me and I'm very happy to be inducted with these three guys, this is a
great group. I'm also proud to be a part of the rebirth of Miami football
and what Butch is doing there."
The Ring of Honor was established during the 1997 season as a way to
recognize the outstanding players that have passed through the Hurricane
Football program. This becomes the second class to be inducted.
Anderson, Bosseler, Kosar and Owens join Jim Dooley, George Mira,
Sr., Ted Hendricks and Vinny Testaverde in the Ring of Honor.
