Miami football: 25 greatest Hurricanes of all time
By Joe Romano
16. Gino Torretta
Quarterback, 1989-1992
From a player that rarely gets associated with the Miami Hurricanes to one of only two players to win the Heisman wearing the orange and green. Gino Torretta waited in the wings behind Craig Erickson for two years before taking the reigns. Even during the spot duty, he did play it was apparent that Torretta had the makings to dominate the college game. He filled in for three games, one of which he set the Miami passing record against San Diego State.
When he did finally take over as the starting quarterback it led to an undefeated season and co-National Champions. 1991 saw Torretta beat rival, top-ranked Florida State to bring that title to Miami. In 1992 Torretta stepped it up another level.
That 1992 season was a special one. Torretta would go on to throw for over 3000 yards and 19 touchdowns (this was the early-90s, that was a lot). That coupled with an undefeated regular season earned Torretta the Heisman trophy. He would become one of the most decorated athletes in Miami history with that trophy to pair with the Davey O’Brien Award, Chic Harley AwardWalter Camp Award, Maxwell Award, and Johnny Unitas Trophy. During his time as the signal-caller, the Hurricanes only lost one game, the final of Torretta’s career to a tough Alabama defense. That loss cost them a shot at back-to-back National Championships.
The NFL was not high on Torretta despite the success and he fell all the way to the seventh round of the NFL Draft. He would play five seasons in the NFL and never become a full-time starter. It was a disappointing end to a very successful collegiate career.