Miami, FL
Williams: Who to blame for Cincinnati-Miami Victory Bell college football series ending
CIncinnati Bearcats vs. Miami RedHawks Victory Bell history
CIncinnati Bearcats vs. Miami RedHawks Victory Bell history
Ask columnist Jason Williams anything − sports or non-sports – and he’ll pick some of your questions and respond on Cincinnati.com. Email: jwilliams@enquirer.com
Subject: Another college football rivalry is lost
Message: It’s sad to see the Miami-UC football series is coming to an end. Long-time fans of both schools still cherish the regional rivalry, despite the game losing its luster over the past 20 years. How do you feel about the series being cancelled?
Reply: Yep, it’s sad but certainly not surprising. And reaction to the news that the fourth-longest-running rivalry in big-time college football is ending in 2026 shows not many UC or Miami fans care.
For those who do care, no need to cast blame on either UC or Miami. We’ve learned to accept regional rivalries aren’t important to the college football oligarchs beyond a handful of games. Realignment – and the haves-vs.-have-nots schism that’s come with it – has killed games like this.
Regional, non-conference rivalries are especially on the endangered species list. Moreover, the cancellation of the UC-Miami series will end the longest-running rivalry between schools from power and so-called Group of Five conferences. The Utah-Utah State rivalry, which started in 1892, came to an end in 2015 – five seasons after Utah joined a power conference.
So you knew this was coming after UC moved to the Big 12 last season. The conference has moved to nine league games, reducing the number of non-conference games to three from four. For its part, Miami needs a massive paycheck to help the athletic department budget when it goes on the road to play a power conference team. That wasn’t happening with the UC series.
Face it, if the UC-Miami rivalry hadn’t become so one-sided, the reaction to cancelling the series might have been different. But UC had won 16 consecutive games vs. Miami before the RedHawks defeated the Bearcats in overtime at Nippert Stadium last season.
The rivalry really hasn’t been fun since the 1990s and early 2000s. When I was a student at UC from 1993-1997, UC went 3-1-1 against Miami. Besides the 1994 tie, every game was decided by one score. The Miami games were among the few that filled up the Nippert Stadium student section back then. In those days, UC needed Miami. Now every game fills up Nippert.
We’ll have plenty of time to reminisce about this historic rivalry, which began with a riveting 0-0 tie in 1888. But I couldn’t help but think of two men who were on opposite sides of the Victory Bell rivalry when it was The Game for both schools – late legends Jim Kelly Sr. of UC and Wayne Gibson of Miami.
They both played in the 1940s before going on to work for their schools’ athletic departments and being named to their universities’ halls of fame. Kelly and “Gibby,” who was a close friend of my late grandfather, respected the rivalry and lived for keeping the Victory Bell in their athletic departments.
Those days are long gone. It’s long been just another game to the UC and Miami players and most of their fans.
But hopefully, the 60-60-7 series record can help today’s players and younger fans have some appreciation for this rivalry. RIP, Victory Bell.
Developer Michael Stern teamed up with Italian investor and TikToker Gianluca Vacchi in 2024.
At the time, Stern said that Vacchi “understands new media and how to cut through the noise on social media in a way most real estate people don’t,” calling him an effective marketer and tastemaker. Online to his 22.1 million Instagram followers and 22.3 million TikTok followers, Vacchi has showcased his jetsetting lifestyle, workouts, cold plunges, and maybe most frequently, his dancing.
Two years ago, Stern and Vacchi said they were 50-50 partners on a $4 billion pipeline of JDS Development’s projects (Stern’s firm). That included Mercedes-Benz Places Miami, the Dolce & Gabbana-branded 888 Brickell and the planned 1250 West Avenue project in Miami Beach. It later also encompassed a proposed condo buyout of the Casablanca Miami Beach.
Since then, JDS and its partners have exited the 1250 West Avenue project. Both the Mercedes-Benz and Dolce & Gabbana condo projects are tied up in litigation, though sources previously told The Real Deal that JDS is in the process of securing new debt, and a new partner in developer Jeff Soffer for the stalled Mercedes-Benz Places, which would rescue the project.
Meanwhile, Stern’s relationship with Vacchi has imploded. Vacchi sued Stern months ago, but that lawsuit was on hold, and further details of their dispute remained behind closed doors.
Until recently.
Vacchi is accusing Stern of running a Ponzi scheme. In a new lawsuit, he alleges that Stern misrepresented the state of the projects, promising to use Vacchi’s investment in one development but instead diverting them to another. He also accuses Stern of violating a settlement agreement they reached this year. He wants Stern removed from the Mercedes-Benz project.
Stern called Vacchi’s original lawsuit an abuse of the legal system that was filed “for the sole purpose of maliciously creating reputational destruction” and to extract a settlement from Stern, according to a separate lawsuit obtained by TRD. It’s unclear whether that suit was filed. Stern alleges that Vacchi failed to meet his capital obligations (in other words, didn’t invest on time, or at all).
What we’re thinking about: What happens next with Stern? If the partnership with Soffer and the new financing closes, is all resolved? Send me a note at kk@therealdeal.com.
CLOSING TIME
Residential: A trust paid $41.6 million for the 9,100-square-foot mansion at 8565 Old Cutler Road. The seller was 8565 Old Cutler LLC, which purchased the property in 2022 for $38 million. The property, considered a teardown, has previously housed former presidents of the University of Miami, including former U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala.
Commercial: The industrial complex at 333 South West 12th Avenue in Deerfield Beach, the printing press for the Sun Sentinel newspaper, sold for $65 million. Gramercy Property Trust sold the property to 333 Deerfield Industrial LLC.
— Research by Mary Diduch
NEW TO THE MARKET
The waterfront mansion at 9720 West Broadview Drive in Bay Harbor Islands hit the market for $36.5 million. The 0.3-acre property, with 83 feet of waterfront, a dock, boat lift, pool, outdoor kitchen, cabana and 2,000-square-foot deck, was recently developed. It’s listed with Daniela Levtov of NG International LLC. The 10,450-square-foot house has seven en-suite bedrooms, a home theater, office and library, according to the listing. Property records show Shaul and Danielle Dina own the home through a trust.
A thing we’ve learned
Port Canaveral officials are backing a new federal bill that would make unauthorized drone flights over U.S. seaports a felony, after more than 500 drones flew over the port in 2025, raising concerns about the security of military, space and cruise operations.
Elsewhere in Florida
- West Palm Beach residents pushed back on the city’s rapid development and developer influence at a public meeting this week, WPTV reported. The proposed appointment of a Stephen Ross executive to the Downtown Development Authority fueled the protest.
- About 50 cases of cyclosporiasis, a parasite that’s been sickening people in several states, have been confirmed in Florida. That includes five cases in Miami-Dade and five cases in Broward, according to NBC Miami.
- The FBI is investigating whether Aventura-based TourProdEnter LLC funneled more than $300 million in Argentine Football Association sponsorship payments through U.S. banks for the personal benefit of top AFA officials, the Miami Herald reported. The company moved into an office in Aventura at the start of the year but moved out in the spring.
The Oregon Ducks come off a chaotic recruiting period in the 2027 cycle, where they hosted official visitors and added to their list of commitments. Coach Dan Lanning and the Oregon staff are simultaneously looking ahead to future recruiting classes.
As the 2027 cycle starts to wind down and the 2028 cycle begins to pick up, the Ducks entered the recruiting sweepstakes for four-star edge rusher Elijah Tillman.
Oregon Ducks in the Mix for Four-Star EDGE Elijah Tillman
Tillman is a 6-7, 210-pound edge rusher from Loganville, Georgia. He’s listed as a consensus four-star recruit and is ranked as high as No. 152 in the class by Rivals.
In a recent interview with Rivals’ Chad Simmons, Tillman revealed that Oregon and the Miami Hurricanes are among the schools that he wants to visit. According to 247Sports, the Ducks offered him back on April 30, 2026, while the Hurricanes extended an offer all the way on January 25, 2025.
Tillman told Rivals that the different schools in the mix are even at the moment, but that Oregon and Miami were two of the schools that he wants to go out and see.
Four-Star Elijah Tillman’s Potential Oregon Ducks Fit
Sports Spring Football | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
With Tillman’s large frame, which still has the opportunity to grow, he would provide the Ducks with size on the edge right away.
The 2027 recruiting class currently features five-star edge rusher Rashad Streets, three-star Achilles Reyna and three-star Josh Christensen at the position. The program prepares for current starters Matayo Uiagelelei and Teitum Tuioti to head to the NFL Draft at the conclusion of the 2026 season, leaving opportunities for the next couple of recruiting classes.
Additionally, the Ducks haven’t earned any commitments from the state of Georgia in their 2027 recruiting class. The last commit Lanning landed from Georgia was Dayton Raiola in the 2026 class, who made his decision on February 4, 2026. Making a big push for Tillman could possibly reignite the program’s recruiting in the Peach State.
Miami Hurricanes vs. Oregon Ducks Recruiting Battle
Miami is the other program that appears to be making a big push early for Tillman. Oregon fans are very familiar with former Ducks coach Mario Cristobal, who took Oregon recruiting to a different level before leading the Hurricanes to the National Championship game last season.
Cristobal and the Hurricanes have battled Lanning and the Ducks for blue-chip recruits more and more over the recent recruiting cycles. Most notably, Miami flipped four-star cornerback Ai’King Hall’s commitment from Oregon earlier in the 2027 cycle.
The two rivals also emerged as finalists for linebacker recruit Jalaythan Mayfield, who ended up choosing the Indiana Hoosiers. Oregon got the best of the Hurricanes once in the 2027 cycle when four-star offensive lineman Gus Corsair committed to the Pacific Northwest program over the Vanderbilt Commodores and Miami.
While the Hurricanes aren’t a Big Ten rival that the Ducks commonly go toe-to-toe with on the field and in the recruiting realm, Cristobal’s role in the recruiting rivalry adds a little bit more fuel to battles for recruits like Tillman.
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The Miami Dolphins will have new starters at their cornerback positions since both Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas are not back with the team. The team drafted Chris Johnson in the first round and it’s pretty likely he’ll have a large role and should claim the one starting spot. The other starting spot should be up for grabs among the rest of the group. Jason Marshall is one of those players who has a better chance of claiming that starting spot after showing some flashes his rookie season. Jeff Hafley has already said he envision Marshall playing on the outside and the second-year corner should get plenty of chances to prove himself during the preseason.
You can check out that story here, and the rest of the day’s round-up below.
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