Best Miami football players: Modern-era Mount Rushmore – From Michael Irvin to Ed Reed

Gino Torretta, quarterback – 1988-92

Gino Torretta started at quarterback in two different national championship seasons for the Miami football program and led the Hurricanes to the national championship game in a third. Torretta was the backup to Craig Erickson during the 1989 Miami national championship season and the starter in 1991.

Torretta capped his career in 1992 by leading Miami to an undefeated regular season amidst Hurricane Andrew just prior to the season opener at Iowa. The Hurricanes ended by losing to Alabama in the defacto National Championship Game. After the 1992 season ended, Torretta became the most honored Miami player in history.

In addition to starting a quarter of the Hurricanes games in 1989 and becoming the full-time starter two seasons later, Torretta brought home nearly every major award honoring a quarterback in 1992.

Torretta received the Maxwell Award honoring the best overall player), the Davey O’Brien Award as the top quarterback, the Unitas Award recognizing the top senior quarterback was consensus All-American and all of the Player of the Year Awards. Especially impressive was Torretta dominating the Heisman Trophy voting.

Torretta received 1,480 points and 310 first-place votes to second place and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk who received 1,080 points and 164 first-place votes. In 27 starts during his Miami career, Torretta went 25-2. The losses were to Alabama in the 1993 Sugar Bowl and to Florida State during the 1989 regular season.

Miami rebounded from the loss to the Seminoles and would claim the National Title that season in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama. In addition to a near-sweep of the awards in 1992, Torretta is still the only Miami quarterback to win a Heisman Trophy and a National Championship.