Oct. 12, 2010

OXFORD, Ohio -The Miami University's Cradle of Coaches Plaza project begins to culminate on Saturday, October 23 when the first three of eight unique statues celebrating the storied history of Miami football will be unveiled at noon in a public ceremony at Yager Stadium.

CARM COZZA and PAUL DIETZEL, two of the eight gridiron legends who will eventually be immortalized in the outdoor shrine at the south end of Yager, will return to Miami's campus for a special Friday night function and Saturday's unveiling, while deceased Pro Football Hall of Famer WEEB EWBANK will be represented by his family.

Fans are invited to attend the special Friday evening reception and dinner (Oct. 22) honoring the three luminaries at Miami University's Shriver Center. Tickets are available for $40 each - reservations must be made in advance to attend. The reception begins at 5 p.m., with dinner following at 5:30 p.m. To make a reservation, call (513) 529-8097.

Those attending the Oct. 23 Miami home football game against the Ohio Bobcats are invited to arrive early for the 12 p.m. inauguration of the three statues. They will also be introduced to the Yager Stadium crowd during the game.

A generous gift from the family of Thomas P. Van Voorhis is providing the crowning touches to Miami University's Cradle of Coaches Plaza.

The $1.0 million gift, provided by Daniel T. Van Voorhis--a grandson of Thomas P. Van Voorhis and a successful businessman--is being used to create nine heroic-scale figures to represent and honor legendary former Miami coaches at the heart of the "Cradle of Coaches" tradition. The statues will honor eight Miami graduates who have earned recognition as national collegiate or professional coaches of the year and/or been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

In addition to Cozza, Dietzel and Ewbank, the list includes Earl "Red" Blaik, Paul Brown, Ara Parseghian, John Pont and Bo Schembechler. The latter five sculptures will be unveiled during the fall of 2011.

The ninth sculpture, unveiled on October 3, 2009, represents and honors Thomas P. Van Voorhis, a coach, physical education instructor and athletic administrator for Miami from 1921-56 who taught many Cradle members in the classroom. A statue of Van Voorhis stands at the entrance of the Cradle of Coaches Plaza.

The Cradle of Coaches Plaza was first inspired by a generous gift from Miami graduates and long-time supporters Bob and Marian Kurz. Their gift helped to launch the Yager Stadium renovation project. It was a fitting renovation, as Bob Kurz coined the phrase--"The Cradle of Coaches".

All nine figures will be sculpted by renowned artist Kristen Visbal of Lewes, Delaware. Residents of southwest Ohio are familiar with Visbal's sculpture of American patriot Alexander Hamilton that is prominently displayed to passers-by on High Street in downtown Hamilton. Visbal was selected for that project through an international competition, and her works can be found throughout the United States.

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ABOUT THE MEN BEING HONORED ON OCTOBER 23

CARMEN COZZA: A member of Miami's "Cradle of Coaches" and the College Football Hall of Fame, Cozza earned three letters with the Red and White (1949-51) and was part of the 1950 squad that went 9-1 and defeated Arizona State, 34-21, in the Salad Bowl. Cozza was as an assistant coach at Miami (1956-62) but is best known for his work as head coach of Yale, where he coached for 32 seasons (1965-96). Cozza's Bulldogs won or shared 11 Ivy League titles, and he produced 118 All-Ivy league players, five National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes, and seven Rhodes Scholars.

PAUL DIETZEL: A two-year football letter winner (1946-47), Dietzel played on the 1947 Miami squad which went 9-0-1 and defeated Texas Tech, 13-12, in the Sun Bowl for the program's first bowl game victory. Dietzel then coached at Louisiana State (1955-62), where he led the Tigers to the 1958 national championship, the United States Military Academy (1962-65), and the University of South Carolina (1966-74) before being inducted in Miami's "Cradle of Coaches." Dietzel is one of only two Miami football players ever named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America team, as he was a second-team honoree in 1947 as a center.

WEEB EWBANK: A Miami letter winner (1927) and a member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame, Ewbank began his coaching career at Washington University (1947-48) before moving to the professional ranks. Ewbank started his pro coaching career with the Baltimore Colts (1954-62) and led the Colts to the 1958 and 1959 National Football League titles. He then became coach of the New York Jets (1963-73) and won the 1968 American Football League title and 1969 Super Bowl when Joe Namath guaranteed a Jets victory over the heavily-favored Colts. Ewbank is the only professional coach to win NFL and AFL championships. He passed away on Nov. 17, 1998 at the age of 91.

NOTE: Media wishing to attend the unveiling ceremony on Oct. 23 (noon) should contact Mike Pearson at (513) 529-4329.

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