Miami HC Mario Cristobal ditches turnover chain

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal talks to the media during the second day of ACC Media Days at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte. Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal ditches turnover chain: 'It's not part of our culture'

By Adam Stites | Last updated Jul 21, 2022 10:55 AM ET

The Miami Hurricanes' new head coach Mario Cristobal is making a few changes with the program, beginning with the retirement of the team's budding turnover chain tradition.

Since the 2017 season, Miami's defensive players have donned a massive gold chain on the sideline after forcing a turnover. On Wednesday, Cristobal told Brett McMurphy of Action Network that the chain will not return in 2022 because "it's not part of our culture."

Since the unveiling of the Turnover Chain in 2017, Miami leads all Power-5 with an average of 1.95 turnovers forced per game.

BREAK OUT THE CHAIN AGAIN. pic.twitter.com/pMh0wNEQGl
— Canes Football (@CanesFootball) October 7, 2020

Cristobal, 51, played offensive tackle at Miami during two of the team's national championship seasons in 1989 and 1991. After a brief professional career as a player, he briefly served as a graduate assistant at Miami and later returned to the university as a tight ends and offensive line coach. Cristobal later spent time as head coach at Florida International and Oregon before becoming the Hurricanes' head coach in December 2021.

On Thursday, Cristobal said his decision to ditch the turnover chain was not meant as a slight at previous Miami coach Manny Diaz.

Miami's Mario Cristobal on discontinuing Turnover Chain: "We really just focus on getting better as a program. It is not a shot, a form of disrespect to anyone. History is history. We're just moving in a direction that doesn't involve it."
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 21, 2022

Miami's turnover chain started a trend across college football with several other teams using props to celebrate takeaways, including a backpack at Florida State and a plank of wood at Kennesaw State.

Adam Stites

Adam Stites is a Southern California native who lives in a new state every three months. He’s perennially disappointed by both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona State Sun Devils. His dog is named Ramsey after the best cornerback in the NFL

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