ESPN reported yesterday that UNC-Chapel Hill is offering the football team’s head coaching position to Butch Davis. Davis told the Charlotte Observer last month that he was interested in the position and that he is doing his “due diligence” or what I like to call “homework” concerning his possible return to college football. If you recall, after rebuilding the football program at the University of Miami (Fl) with a 51-20 record from 1995-2000, Coach Davis left the ranks of college football to try his hand at the pro-level in Cleveland. The Browns struggled with close losses, injuries, and “growing pains” (plaguing most expansion teams in their infancy) during the 4-seasons Davis was at the helm and he resigned in 2004 leaving behind 5-games left in the season and a 24-36 record in the pros. (Photo: Licensed by the University of North Carolina)Of course, “failure” in the pros is not something of concern for Coach Davis because as they say, it is a “whole different ballgame” (see Steve Spurrier). Obviously, the Tarheels need to make a big splash with their next head coach, and Butch Davis just might be the right guy at the right time. If other basketball schools (i.e. Wake, Louisville, UCLA and Rutgers) have strong football programs, then deservingly so should the Heels. Butch Davis is a proven success with building competitive programs that have (something very fitting for Chapel Hill) character and class. Of course, he has his critics in Miami because Coach Davis is the only recent coach for the Hurricanes (in the company of Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson and Larry Coker) who didn’t bring home the crystal trophy, but he did do one thing the others were unable to do (or continue), he took a team that had a losing record, stripped of 31 scholarships as a NCAA probationary punishment and had the worst reputation (see: ND fans wearing “Catholics v Convicts” shirts) in college football and turned them into a national contender beginning the 30-straight wins Miami had going into the Fiesta Bowl against The Ohio State Buckeyes in 2002.
UNC’s recruiting class for 2007 is ranked 15th in the nation and key components Mike Paulus (QB recruit from Christian Bros. New York) and Ryan Houston (Butler High School RB-Charlotte, N.C.) are waiting pool-side to see how big of a splash the Tarheels make with their head-coach selection. Hopefully all of the recruits will be aptly pleased with a Butch Davis “TarHeel-Triple-Lindy” because we obviously need a coach that can win, along with a QB who can put the ball into Hakeem Nicks hands and a RB to establish a running game if we are to compete with these other “basketball” schools.
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