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.

06/19/2026

January 6, 1985: ESPN's Chris Berman recaps the Miami Dolphins 45-28 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. Special thanks to Alex Carter for sending this video.




Happy 50th birthday to former Miami Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain. Although he never played an official game at th...
06/19/2026

Happy 50th birthday to former Miami Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain. Although he never played an official game at the Orange Bowl, Surtain did play in some scrimmages at the legendary stadium in the late 1990s. He and teammate Sam Madison made up arguably the best pair of cornerbacks in Dolphins franchise history. A native of New Orleans, Surtain was a quarterback at Edna Karr High School, where he competed in football and basketball against city rival Peyton Manning who played at Isidore Newman School. Surtain led both his football and basketball teams to state titles before earning a scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi.

​A second round draft pick in 1998, Surtain played 11 NFL seasons, including his first 8 with the Dolphins. During that time, he was from 2002 to 2004 named to the Pro Bowl and selected First Team All Pro in 2002. In 2016, Surtain was named by the Miami Dolphins as 1 of the 50 greatest players in franchise history.

​After an outstanding pro career, Surtain went on to coach at both the youth and high school levels in Broward County. His best player was his son Patrick II, who played for his dad at the Pembroke Pines Optimist Club and American Heritage School in Plantation, FL. The younger Surtain went on to become a 5 star recruit in high school and starred collegiately at Alabama. Patrick II is currently an All Pro cornerback for the Denver Broncos. The elder Surtain coached American Heritage to 3 state championships. He and teammate Sam Madison reunited in 2022 as assistant coaches with the Miami Dolphins. Surtain most recently coached cornerbacks at Florida State University from 2023 to 2025.




Happy 49th birthday to Peter Warrick. Florida State receiver Peter Warrick is pictured during a 26-14 victory over the C...
06/19/2026

Happy 49th birthday to Peter Warrick. Florida State receiver Peter Warrick is pictured during a 26-14 victory over the Canes in 1998. Warrick finished the game with 7 catches for 190 yards, including a 62 yard touchdown reception. A former quarterback out of Bradenton's Southeast High School, Warrick was one of the most explosive athletes to come out of the State of Florida. He led Southeast High School to state titles in both football and basketball.

​Warrick continued to thrill fans at FSU. During his junior year in 1998, he caught 61 passes for 1,232 yards and 12 touchdown catches. He saved his best performance for last with 160 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns against Virginia Tech in the 2000 Sugar Bowl, including a 59 yard punt return. The victory gave the Noles their second national championship.

​Warrick was selected in the first round by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played 6 seasons in the NFL, but never achieved the same success as college. Warrick's best season came in 2003 when he caught 79 passes for 819 yards and 7 touchdowns with the Bengals--all career highs. After his NFL career, Warrick continued to bounce around playing for various different professional leagues including the CFL.

Peter Warrick currently resides in Douglasville, Georgia, where he runs the Payton Warrick Foundation, a charity named in honor of his son that assists children born with disabilities. He was also officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

​


Happy 38th birthday to former University of Miami tight end Dedrick Epps. A graduate of Hugenot High School in Richmond,...
06/19/2026

Happy 38th birthday to former University of Miami tight end Dedrick Epps. A graduate of Hugenot High School in Richmond, VA, Epps played for the Canes from 2006 to 2009. He was among the last Miami players to play their home games at the Orange Bowl. Epps finished his college career with 49 receptions for 634 yards and 6 touchdowns.

​After a solid college career, Epps was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 7th round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons in the NFL with practice squad stints with the Chargers, Dolphins, Colts, Jets and Bears. He saw action in 3 games for the Miami Dolphins in 2010 and 3 games for the Jets in 2012. He caught 1 pass for 9 yards as a member of the Jets.



Happy 62nd birthday to John Congemi. Although Congemi never played for the Canes or the Dolphins, he's a familiar face ...
06/19/2026

Happy 62nd birthday to John Congemi. Although Congemi never played for the Canes or the Dolphins, he's a familiar face and voice to many South Florida football fans as a broadcaster. A former All State quarterback at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Congemi was the 1981 Broward County Player of the Year. He led St. Thomas Aquinas to the school's first undefeated regular season while playing for legendary coach George Smith.

​Highly recruited, he chose to attend the University of Pittsburgh, where as a freshman he redshirted and backed up another future South Florida football legend Dan Marino. After Marino was drafted to play for the Dolphins, Congemi had tough task of filling Marino's shoes. He started the next 4 seasons and was the MVP of the 1984 Fiesta Bowl, finishing his career as Pitt's second leading passer behind Marino.

​After playing 8 years professionally in the Canadian and Arena Football Leagues, Congemi began his broadcast career in 1995. He worked as a television color analyst for University of Miami games alongside former veteran WPLG sports anchor Frank Forte. Congemi called Canes games for 8 years on Sports Channel Florida, which later became Fox Sports Net Florida. One of the highlights of his career was broadcasting all of UM's games during the 2001 national championship season. He has also worked as a broadcaster for the Big East Network and has been calling games for ESPNU since 2005. Congemi also worked for the Miami Dolphins as an analyst for the show Finsiders.



06/19/2026

Miami Dolphins linebacker Wahoo McDaniel is interviewed by WTVJ reporter Bob Halloran after his first season with the team in 1966. This video is from the Wolfson Archives.




The late Ed "Wahoo" McDaniel was born 88 years ago today. McDaniel was one of the more colorful characters on the first ...
06/19/2026

The late Ed "Wahoo" McDaniel was born 88 years ago today. McDaniel was one of the more colorful characters on the first Miami Dolphins team in 1966. A full blooded Choctaw-Chickasaw Native American, McDaniel's legend began in his hometown of Midland, TX. He was always a gifted athlete. McDaniel was a catcher on a Pony League baseball team that advanced to the state tournament in San Antonio. The team's coach was George Herbert Walker Bush, who later became President. McDaniel finished second in the state in the shot put and third in the discus in high school. He turned down a football scholarship from Texas A&M, then coached by Bear Bryant to attend the University of Oklahoma coached by Bud Wilkinson. McDaniel was a 3-year letterman at OU and played on powerful Sooner teams that went 27-5 from 1957 to 1959.

McDaniel went on to play 9 seasons of professional football-- all in the American Football League, including a 3-year stint as a linebacker and punter with the Miami Dolphins from 1966 to 1968. McDaniel is still the only player in Dolphins history to have his nickname on the back of his jersey. McDaniel was also known as one of the more unique characters of the game. There wasn't a challenge or bet he would ever turn down. He once drank a quart of motor oil. In another bet, he consumed a gallon of jalapeno peppers just because someone dared him. He was married 5 times to 4 different women.

During the offseason, McDaniel was also a professional wrestler-- a career he would continue long after his football days. According to McDaniel, he wrestled in more than 10,000 matches and had 2,000 to 3,000 stitches. McDaniel's health started to deteriorate in the mid-1990s, which led to his retirement in 1996 from wrestling. He eventually lost both kidneys. He was awaiting a kidney transplant when he died of complications from diabetes and kidney failure on April 18, 2002. Wahoo McDaniel was 63 years old.






06/19/2026

What was the single greatest coaching performance ever at the Orange Bowl stadium?

January 1, 1995: Which team has the most passionate fans? It's hard to top Nebraska fans. Each week, home or away, they ...
06/19/2026

January 1, 1995: Which team has the most passionate fans? It's hard to top Nebraska fans. Each week, home or away, they turn every stadium into a sea of red. These Husker fanatics would leave the Orange Bowl happy after Nebraska defeated Miami 24-17.The victory gave head coach Tom Osborne his first national championship.


06/18/2026

March 1970: Newly hired Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula is interviewed by WTVJ reporter Jane Chastain. This video is from the Wolfson Archives.


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