How Miami Hurricanes Fans Could Have Influenced Mike Norvell Firing At Florida State

The end for Florida State Seminoles coach Mike Norvell was likely over well before last Saturday's loss to the Clemson Tigers. 

No, he was done once a plane flew above the stadium with a banner during the game. It read: "Fire Novell." Despite the misspelling, that was probably the final straw for the Florida State administration. Norvell was fired shortly after the Seminoles dropped to a disappointing 3-5 overall and 1-4 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference. 

This should sound awfully familiar for Miami Hurricanes fans. They were in the middle of it during the 2014 and 2015 seasons when Al Golden was the Hurricanes coach. UM struggled mightily under Golden. In five seasons (from 2011-15), he was just 32-25. That was well below the standards at Miami. 

Things got bad for Golden when a fan-led movement resulted in an airplane flying over Hard Rock Stadium with the same banner: "Fire Al Golden." 

It was likely the first type of sign of its kind. Sure, fans have always found creative ways to vent their frustrations about a coach. Remember the Florida Gators fan who started the website, www.firezook.com in the early 2000? That was legendary at the time. 

But the Golden banner was 100 times more effective and publicized. It was all over television. It's not everyday a fan can draw so much attention that it becomes national news. The story was eventually picked up by several media outlets, including ESPN. The network did a full-length feature on the subject, giving fans an inside look at how it happened. 

At the time, Golden was the third consecutive coach who was fired amid struggles on the field and fan pressure. First, it was Larry Coker, who was axed after the 2006 season. He was only a few years removed from winning a championship in 2002 but fans felt he won it with previous coach Butch Davis' players. Coker had an astonishing 60-15 (80 percent) record in his six seasons with the Hurricanes.

He was followed by Randy Shannon, a former UM player known for his discipline. The hire was met with cheers following the 2006 season but ended with jeers. Shannon was on the receiving end of plenty of negative comments. But neither Shannon or Coker dealt with the public display of disrespect like Golden. His attack was cutting edge and groundbreaking. 

And it just may have led to what happened with Norvell in Tallahassee.