He earned a legend that night that he never could have had with a simple victory. Even going for it, and losing, is somehow more noble than going for it and winning.

But something else happened that night: The vaunted Nebraska program and its coach went from being the hunted to the hunter. And they wouldn’t be alone.

* * *

There’s a couple things we’ll never know. One, what would have happened to Miami if it had lost that game? And what if Schnellenberger hadn’t taken the money and gone to the USFL after the game?

When Miami hired Jimmy Johnson from Oklahoma State, the reaction was essentially, “Nice coach. Hope you had fun, Miami. It’s over.”

But it was just beginning. Nobody knew that Johnson was a fabulous recruiter, an innovator and a ruthless pirate who didn’t mind stomping on a throat or two.

Along with the TV show “Miami Vice,” the Hurricanes changed the image of Miami and South Beach as the home of Jackie Gleason and old folks. There was no hipper place on earth, no hipper team than the Canes.