When the final whistle blows to end Miami’s game against Florida A&M, Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon will hurry off the field.
And then he’ll hurry right back out.
For many in the stands Saturday night, the matchup between No. 11 Miami (3-1) and Florida A&M (4-0) will serve only as a warm-up act. The best show may very well come from FAMU’s fabled “Marching 100” band, which will perform for seven minutes at halftime, then hit the turf again for another 15-minute set postgame.
The beat of the drums, the blasts from the horns, synched with dance moves … Shannon simply can’t wait.
“I’ll be watching it,” said Shannon, who helped hatch the idea for the postgame festivities. “It’s very rare that you get an opportunity to play a team like Florida A&M. And then you get a band to perform that everybody knows about. After enjoying a game and coaching in a game like that, you can’t miss out on enjoying that band.”
His players don’t want to miss out, either.
As soon as word spread that FAMU’s band was playing postgame — it’ll be a tribute to Michael Jackson — much of the Hurricanes’ locker room starting buzzing.
