Miami-GA Tech cancelled
Miami-Georgia Tech Game Postponed With Wilma Looming
Hurricane Expected to Arrive in South Florida This Weekend
By TIM REYNOLDS, AP
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Oct. 19) - Hurricane Wilma is giving Miami and Georgia Tech the weekend off.
With Wilma expected to arrive with potentially devastating force in Florida this weekend, school and Atlantic Coast Conference officials postponed Saturday's game between the Yellow Jackets and sixth-ranked Hurricanes.
The ACC did not immediately announce when the game would be played. Miami athletic director Paul Dee had said Nov. 17 and 19 are options - but that would require the Hurricanes' Nov. 17 game at Wake Forest to be pushed back to Nov. 12, and that would also take away a national TV, high-exposure Thursday night game from the Demon Deacons.
"We are currently working with both institutions to reschedule the game," ACC commissioner John Swofford said.
It's the fourth time a hurricane has necessitated a schedule switch of a Miami home game; Hurricane Georges postponed a game with UCLA for more than two months in 1998, Temple's visit in 1999 was pushed back nearly three months by Hurricane Irene; and Florida State's trip south for the 2004 season-opener was delayed nearly a week by Hurricane Frances.
"These things are serious," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "We know that. If we don't know it, we should just reflect back a few weeks to Katrina. It came through here as a Category 1 and trust me, we don't want to see much more."
Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins were taking a wait-and-see attitude and monitoring the storm's path. The Dolphins are scheduled to host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.
"At this point, it would be premature to make a decision," Dolphins spokesman Harvey Greene said.
The NHL's Florida Panthers had not made any announcement about Saturday night's game against Ottawa.
Wilma was a Category 5 storm Wednesday, with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. It was expected to hit southwestern Florida, then move quickly across the state and perhaps close to the greater Miami area by early Sunday.
Wilma would be the eighth hurricane to either strike or brush Florida since August 2004.
10/19/05 14:51 EDT
Thanks.