† – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll
The 2003 Miami RedHawks football team represented Miami University in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. They competed in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) . The team was coached by Terry Hoeppner and played their homes game in Yager Stadium. The Redhawks finished the season with a record of 13–1 (8–0 MAC). They won the MAC for the first time since 1986 and was invited to the GMAC Bowl, where they beat Louisville 49-28.
Two Miami players were drafted into the National Football League: quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, left as a junior without a degree with a year of college eligibility remaining and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, #11 overall, and guard Jacob Bell, taken by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round, #138 overall.[1] Roethlisberger's #11 selection was the highest ever draft pick for a player from Miami.[2]
Awards[]
The Columbus Dispatch named Hoeppner "Ohio College Coach of the Year."[3] The 2003 team as a whole earned the American Football Coaches Association's "Academic Achievement Honor" for achieving a graduation rate over 70%.[4]