There are moments in sports that are timeless. Heroes rise to carry teams to championships. Villains stand in the way of others. Typically, you’d expect those villains to be donned in the jerseys of the other team. And often times that’s the case. Most of the time.

But not always. Ask any Miami Hurricanes fan. Indeed, the biggest persona non grata in the history of Miami football is no one in a Florida State or Florida uniform. Or any jersey for that matter.

As ESPN noted in its list of greatest villain for every program, the biggest villain for the Hurricanes is unequivocally official Terry Porter from the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.

With Miami one fourth down stop in overtime away from a sixth national title and back-to-back crowns, Glenn Sharpe broke up a pass intended for Ohio State wide receiver Chris Gamble. Miami players celebrated, and the sideline poured onto the field. And then it was revealed that Porter threw an incredibly late flag for a very iffy penalty.

Naturally, Ohio State converted, tied the game, and won the national title 31-24 in double overtime.

ESPN names official Terry Porter from the 2003 Fiesta Bowl as the Miami Hurricanes’ biggest all-time villian

“We could have gone with Notre Dame, Florida State or even Florida. But there is one man who will remain a villain forever in Miami fandom lore: official Terry Porter, who threw the pass interference flag in the 2003 national championship game that prevented the Hurricanes from repeating. To recap, Miami appeared to have won the Fiesta Bowl over Ohio State when quarterback Craig Krenzel threw incomplete on fourth down in overtime. Miami players started to celebrate. But a few seconds after the play, Porter threw a flag for pass interference on Glenn Sharpe. Ohio State got a first down and ultimately won the game 31-24 in double overtime. The call remains one of the most controversial in college football history — and an unforgivable offense in the minds of everyone who bleeds orange and green.”

It couldn’t be anyone else. When you talk about a villain, you typically identify a singular person responsible for a cataclysmic moment or event, and that’s exactly what Porter’s extraordinarily late and controversial pass interference flag represents. It took title number six away from the Hurricanes, something the program hasn’t been able to reclaim nearly a quarter of a century later.

Florida State, Notre Dame, Florida, and Virginia Tech will always be hated. That’s the nature of rivalries. But it’s a different sort of hate than the feeling of having something earned stolen from you.

And even on their death beds, many Hurricane fans will never forgive Porter for that theft.