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George Mira wasn’t the first great player at the University of Miami. Players like Jim Dooley and Don Bosseler gave Hurricane fans plenty of thrills in the 1950s. But Mira was the first player to bring national attention to the Miami program. He was the first Hurricane football player to make the cover of Sports Illustrated. He was also the first UM player to receive Heisman Trophy votes.
When Mira started his first game as a sophomore in 1961, Miami football fans had never seen a player quite like him. As a Cuban-American from Key West, Mira had an exotic look, charisma and brought an exciting style of play. Blessed with a powerful right arm and elusive scrambling ability, he could turn a broken play into a big play. Each game, he turned the Orange Bowl into his own personal playground. Miami Herald writer Luther Evans gave Mira the nickname “The Matador”, a moniker that would remain for the rest of his career. Although he was right handed, Mira’s most memorable play came against the Florida Gators in 1962, when he threw a game winning touchdown pass with his left hand. After a Gator defender pinned his right arm on a rollout. Mira somehow transferred the ball to his left hand and flipped a prayer towards the end zone that was answered.
George Mira was a player who was ahead of his time. As a senior in 1963, he threw for 2,153 yards. He once threw for 348 yards in a snow storm against Nebraska in the Gotham Bowl at Yankee Stadium. While his career numbers are not overly impressive by today’s standards, he played in an era when the passing game in college football was far less sophisticated.
At barely 6-feet tall and 190 pounds, Mira was considered small by pro scouts. But he managed to play 13 seasons in the NFL and WFL from 1964 to 1977. Mira earned a Super Bowl ring as a backup with the Baltimore Colts in 1970. He even had a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins in 1971, backing up Bob Griese.
Long after he left UM, the Mira name has remained iconic in South Florida football. His younger brother Joe Mira, was a receiver at UM in the mid 1960s and became a longtime high school coach in Miami-Dade County. His son George Mira Jr. was a four-year starting middle linebacker for the Canes from 1984 to 1987. While Jim Kelly is credited with being the first great modern quarterback in UM history, the true standard of quarterback excellence at Miami really began with George Mira.
