City: Cincinnati, OH

Category: Spectator Sports

Telephone: (513) 529-3924

Description: Miami is known in the football world as the Cradle of Coaches, with coaching legends Bo Schembechler, Woody Hayes, and Ara Parseghian, among others, getting their start in Oxford. The RedHawks—known as the Redskins until political correctness prevailed—came back to the winning side in the 2003 season when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger put Miami back in the top 10 and into a bowl appearance. The team finished with a 13–1 record and won over Louisville in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Roethlisberger decided to enter the NFL draft after his junior year and was chosen as a first-round draft pick.The university’s basketball program gets overshadowed by UC’s and Xavier’s but is a strong program. Under coach Charlie Coles, the RedHawks went to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament in 1999. Wally Szerbiak, who led the team to national prominence, was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft in 1999.The team has had five straight 20-win seasons and four trips to the NCAA tournament in six years, and they continue their winning ways. The RedHawks often make a run for the Mid-American Conference title. They play at Millett Hall on the Oxford campus. But the sport at Miami is ice hockey. The hockey team was the No. 1 rated team for much of the 2007–2008, and made it into the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The team plays in the brand-new $34.8 million Steve Cady arena in Goggin Ice Center, which was built in 2007.