You have probably seen dozens of videos of a cat falling from the upper deck of Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night during Miami’s 25-23 win over Appalachian State. Social media is filled with multiple angles of the event, which ended with fans using an American flag to break the cat’s fall and potentially save its life.
You have seen it. But have you heard it?
Joe Zagacki, the radio play-by-play voice of the Miami Hurricanes, watched the event unfold during the second quarter and incorporated the action into his call of the game.
“Unbelievable!” he shouted. “A cat was hanging from the upper deck by his claws. The cat had fallen and they were holding flags underneath and they rescued a cat!”
Joe Zagacki has called Miami Hurricanes games for 31 years. He has broadcast 5 football and 2 baseball national championships for the school. Still, this may end up being his most famous moment on radio.
Kevin Harlan likely remains the gold standard of idiots and animals on the field in most football fans’ minds, but it is certainly nice that he now has some company.
The cat’s fall and Zagacki’s call may have become the stars of a wild day of upsets and near-upsets in college football. A search of both social media and news sites did not turn up information on the cat’s whereabouts or well-being. All we can do is hope the cat, which is believed to be feral and living in Hard Rock Stadium, is safe.
Its celebrity is undeniable though. Even Miami coach Manny Diaz was asked about it in his postgame press conference.
“I don’t know anything about that or what was going on,” he said, “but I’ll tell you if the cat can help our red-zone offense, I’ll see if we can get it a scholarship.”
