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Forty years ago, Dave Alekna arrived at the University of Miami just hoping to make his mark. A native of Oak Lawn, Illinois, Alekna played guard for the Hurricanes from 1983 to 1986. He was a reserve on the 1983 national championship team and was a starter during the 1985 and 1986 seasons protecting future Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde.
Alekna wasn’t the stereotypical jock. He came from a family of educators. Both of his parents were teachers in the Chicago Area. Dave was a member of the National Honor Society at H.L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn, IL–the same school that later produced Miami Heat great Dwyane Wade. Among his hobbies was playing the French horn. His older brother Paul was an offensive lineman at Purdue. Dave followed in his brother’s footsteps, starring as an undersized middle guard on the Richards High School team. But at 6’2 and 205 pounds most of the Big 10 schools thought he was too small for a scholarship. But Miami began showing interest. At the time (1981), Alekna didn’t know anything about the Hurricane football program. But he began to develop a relationship with assistant coach Bill Trout, who was recruiting the Chicago area for Howard Schnellenberger at the time. By the time he arrived at Miami, Alekna went from a skinny defensive lineman to a 257 pound offensive lineman by his senior year in 1986 and was a member of some of the greatest teams in Hurricane history.
Academically, Alekna earned his MBA at UM. He loved his time in South Florida so much, he never left. He went on to long career as an elevator mechanic and inspector, working the last 33 years for Tower Elevator in Miami. To read more stories about the Orange Bowl, visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/
