‘23 UM Ring of Honor class to be unveiled. We talked to Dennis Erickson, Jimmy Johnson

Four University of Miami legends will be honored during the Clemson at Miami game Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium, where the Hurricanes will add three names to the UM Ring of Honor, and the National Football Foundation will salute a former UM great to soon be inducted in the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame.

Coaching greats Dennis Erickson and Jimmy Johnson, along with former UM first-team All-American running back Chuck Foreman, will be on hand for the 8 p.m. Clemson at Miami game (ACC Network) to see their names added to the Hurricanes’ Ring of Honor Class of 2023.

And 2001 national champion left tackle Bryant McKinnie, a member of what many believe was college football’s best ever offensive line, will be recognized during the game for his upcoming College Hall induction.

“The greatest coaching job I ever had,’’ Erickson, 76, who led UM to national titles in 1989 (11-1) and 1991 (12-0), told the Miami Herald by phone on Wednesday between flights to Miami. “To be with all those guys that are in the Ring of Honor is pretty special. I don’t know any other way to put it. To be in a program like that and included with the names up there is one of the greatest honors I’ve ever had in my life.’’

Erickson, already in the College Football Hall of Fame and Miami Sports Hall of Fame, posted a 63-9 record with the Canes from 1989 through 1994 for an 87.5 winning percentage, which remains the best in school history. He lives along the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene in Northwest Idaho, and is bringing his son Ryan with him. His oldest son Bryce, the receivers coach at Montana, is busy with football season.

“I love the people in Miami,’’ Erickson said. “And that program was built from a lot of people — from Howard Schnellenberger to Jimmy Johnson and more. We were dominant for years.’’

Jimmy Johnson

Johnson, 80, who coached at UM from 1984 through 1988, compiled a record of 52-9 and led the Hurricanes to the 1987 (12-0) national championship. He also is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I’m very honored,’’ Johnson, who lives in Islamorada, told the Herald by phone. “You and everybody else know my feeling for the University of Miami. It’s a special place for me and it’s in all my memories. I pull for the University of Miami more than any college or pro team.

“I’m still pulling for them every single week, still watching all their games.”

Vinny Testaverde won the Heisman Trophy in 1986, and Johnson said the former quarterback called him to say he would be at Hard Rock on Saturday. Russell Maryland will be there, too, along with other greats. Both are in previous Ring of Honor classes.

Johnson left UM after the 1988 season to become the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, winning two Super Bowls. He also coached the Dolphins and still works as a broadcaster for FOX NFL Sunday.

Chuck Foreman

Foreman played three seasons at Miami from 1970 through 1972. He left with 1,631 career rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He still ranks fifth in Miami history in career all-purpose yards with 3,365.

Foreman was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 1973. He was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year and was invited to the Pro Bowl. He played six seasons for the Vikings and one for the New England Patriots, earning five Pro Bowl berths in addition to first-team All-Pro honors in 1975. He rushed for 5,950 career yards and 53 touchdowns, with 350 catches for 3,156 yards and 23 touchdowns.

As for McKinnie, the 6-8 former lineman didn’t allow a single sack of quarterback great Ken Dorsey during his UM career. He won the 2001 Outland Trophy and was drafted seventh overall in 2022 by the Minnesota Vikings and will be inducted into the College Hall of Fame on Dec. 5, along with former Canes and Georgia head coach Mark Richt.

“It’s definitely exciting,’’ McKinnie, 44, told the Miami Herald on Thursday. “What I’m being honored for is a big deal that I never really thought about while I was playing. I never thought about being in the College Hall of Fame. I never even realized it was a possibility. To be able to be part of it is fantastic.”

Richt was honored by UM and the National Football Foundation Sept. 14 during the Miami vs. Bethune-Cookman game at Hard Rock Stadium.

Also of note for Saturday: Former Miami tight end great Jeremy Shockey will be the Canes’ honorary captain.

Heading into Saturday, UM’s Ring of Honor has 24 former Canes, including the late Howard Schnellenberger, UM’s last addition in 2021. The class before that, in 2017, encompassed MIchael Irvin, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Warren Sapp and the late Sean Taylor. The Class of 2014 inductees were Jerome Brown and Maryland. Before that: Bennie Blades, Eddie Dunn and Steve Walsh in 2009; Edgerrin James, Jim Kelly, Cortez Kennedy, Jim Otto and Gino Torretta in 2008; Ottis Anderson, Don Bosseler, Bernie Kosar and Burgess Owens in 1999; and Jim Dooley, Ted Hendricks, George Mira and Testaverde in 1997.