Skilled songwriter and cancer researcher at the Miller School of Medicine, Dr. Theodore Lampidi, released a new ‘Canes Fight Song on Jan. 16, after five years in the making.
Every football game is marked by the beating of the drums, the cheering crowds and the Miami U How-Dee-Doo — the Hurricanes’ decades-old fight song that is as much of a tradition as the Alma Mater.
Dr. Lampidis felt like it was time for a change.
Inspired by the promise of a “comeback” in 2022, Dr. Lampidis composed a new fight song, appropriately titled “Miami Hurricanes.”
“They’re back to the old days where they were winning championships,” Lampidis said. “But what got me to do the song originally is just my love for UM.”
In the beginning stages of the song, the singer was his eleven-year-old daughter and had a softer arrangement. After the original version of “Miami Hurricanes” aired on Local 10 in 2021, he got some feedback from the station.
“I was told that the song should be done by a male,” Lampidis said. “And that it should be arranged differently.”
The new version was recorded with Sam Rawls, a singer and music engineer, whom Dr. Lampidis met through other projects.
This was not the first time Dr. Lampidis wrote a song — songwriting had been his hobby since childhood. He finally connected with the music industry after composing a piece inspired by “Marathon Man” in 1976.
“As I was writing the song, and I was getting to where I wanted to get to, I decided to call Paramount Pictures,” Lampidis said.
The song was not finished yet, but he had gotten the contact for Marvin Cain, former president of Famous Music Corporation, Paramount Pictures’s music publishing division.
With the help of a band of bar musicians, Dr. Lampidis put together a demo. Even though it was never published, his passion for songwriting did not waver.
Almost a decade later, another one of his projects, “Close My Eyes,” appeared in an 80s coming-of-age comedy series called Red Oaks.
Because of his brief history with the industry, Dr. Lampidis knew that the best way to get his fight song out there was to pick up the phone — or, in this case, start sending emails.
“If you wanna do something, go work for it,” Lampidis said.
Since its re-recording, Dr. Lampidis shared the song with broadcasters, radio stations and UM staff.
Erica Arroyo, associate vice president for engagement at UM, even shared it on the University’s official Instagram. According to Dr. Lampidis, she later sent him an email expressing her intent to keep using the song during events.
Dr. Lampidis recalled an email from President Echeverria with a similar sentiment, saying the song “was excellent,” but it still had a “long way to go.”
In his last exchange with Dr. Craig McKenzie, the director of athletic band at UM, Dr. Lampidis said that Dr. McKenzie thought the fight song was a “cool idea” that the Frost Band of the Hour could “play in the future.”
According to Dr. Lampidis, there are currently no plans to implement his fight song as The Hurricanes’ official chant.
Those were not the only comments Dr. Lampidis received. He also received feedback from the people to whom he sent the demo.
Jim Berry, anchor at CBS News Miami, interviewed Dr. Lampidis about his song during the 7 p.m. news broadcast on Jan. 16.
Two radio stations, WVUM 90.5 FM — UM’s station — and WQAM 560 also aired the song during the football team’s playoff run.
Despite already reaching a wide audience, the song still “belongs to the students,” and was designed for the UM community to support the Hurricanes.
For Dr. Lampidis, the piece is more than an expression of his love for UM. It is proof that a person is not constrained by their profession or a singular interest.
“People are people, they have many capabilities, and they should never label themselves,” Dr. Lampidis said.
If you would like to listen to Dr. Lampidis’ work, the song is titled “Miami Hurricanes by Ted Lampidis” on YouTube.