University of North Carolina Athletics
Extra Points: The March of Butch Davis
November 28, 2006 | Football
Nov. 28, 2006
by Lee Pace, Extra Points
Butch Davis marched into Chapel Hill for the first time in his life Sunday and Monday (well, there was a quick drive-through a couple of years ago to pick up his son from golf camp). Sight unseen, he had accepted the head coaching job at the University of North Carolina three weeks ago based on relationships and handshakes quickly forged over the last month with UNC administrators and trustees in meetings in Florida and Chicago, based on reputation and based on input from others in the coaching business.
Instinct told Davis that Chapel Hill was the place to resurrect a coaching career laid dormant after leaving the Cleveland Browns late in the 2004 season.
"For 18 months I had the opportunity to sit back and look at the landscape of college football and wonder, `Where would be the perfect place to get back into coaching?'" Davis said Monday. "I can honestly tell you, there is not a finer place nor a better job than the University of North Carolina."
Davis marched into town with a bearing and presence that caught the attention of the Tar Heel football team he's inheriting.
"He walked into the room and nothing had to be said," center Scott Lenahan observed. "People sat up in their chairs. He took control of the room without a word. I think everyone is willing to follow him to the promised land."
"He said we've got a two-game winning streak," safety Trimane Goddard added. "He said, `Let's make it 14.'"
He came nattily attired in a navy suit, white shirt and Carolina blue tie, with a winning smile and resonate voice, with some marketing savvy that has made him cooperative already with Carolina officials in assembling an email ticket blitz and newspaper advertising campaign. Emails landed in the mailboxes of thousands of Tar Heel fans Monday morning, and full-page ads across North Carolina hit Tuesday morning.
Davis walked onto a campus ranked fifth nationally among public universities bearing a set of values consistent with those of the University, priorities forged from an upbringing in a family chock full of educators and college graduates. Chancellor James Moeser noted the good marks Davis receives from academic officials at his last collegiate job, the University of Miami, and Moeser beamed when noting the Hurricanes' graduation rate went from 55 percent to 87 percent under Davis.
"When you sit in living rooms with parents and student-athletes and you talk to them about their future, you want to talk about a degree from the University of North Carolina," Davis said.
Paul Hilton Davis Jr. ("Butch" a nickname presented by his mother so he'd not be stuck as a "Junior") ventured to Carolina this week with a sparkling resume notable in particular on two counts. Over 30-plus years, he's coached high school, major college and the NFL, and for nine of those years he has been the boss. And he knows success, witness his two Super Bowl rings from Dallas as a defensive coach in 1992 and '93 and his 51-20 mark as head coach over six seasons at Miami. He has new faces and geography to learn at Carolina; beyond that, he's doing nothing for the first time.
"He has a plan, a process, a program that is impressive," Athletic Director Dick Baddour said. "He will take Carolina to the highest level."
He came with his homework. Asked about the perceived difficulty of recruiting in the Triangle area of North Carolina versus Dade and Broward counties in South Florida, Davis cut the question off with a quick, "It's not as different as you might think." Davis went on to cite the numbers of Division 1 prospects harvested locally with those closer to Miami and pledged to make recruiting in-state a priority while venturing out-of-state for specific needs and special matches with kids.
"You're not going to make a living recruiting a long, long way from your campus," he said.
Davis marched into town with his share of scars as well and lessons gleaned from the pits of life. He said he "ran out of time" in trying to build the expansion Browns into a consistent winner in Cleveland and that he learned more from his 1-15 season with the Dallas Cowboys under head coach Jimmy Johnson in 1989 than any other juncture in coaching.
"You go through a year like that, and you truly find out what you really believe in," Davis said. "You discover the values that you really, truly hold dear. One thing about coaching, there will always be adversity. Championship teams learn how to handle adversity."
Davis ventured into Kenan Stadium Monday with a vault full of cash as well. The University's financial commitment ranges upward of $1.7 million annually and is comprised of salary, media, shoe and apparel endorsements, supplemental income and bonuses. The contract is for seven years and features substantial incentives for Davis should he stay for five years. It is an assertive commitment on the part of Carolina and a major statement that, after nine years of winning 41 percent of its games, the institution recognizes that outstanding facilities alone don't score touchdowns. Moeser told Davis early in the process that he aspires for Carolina to be the No. 1 public institution in the nation and, "We're letting our people down in football. We think you can help us." Davis responded in the negotiations by focusing as much on the resources to hire and retain an outstanding coaching staff.
It was a whirlwind courtship indeed, with Baddour and Carolina focusing on Davis the moment the search began following the dismissal on Oct. 22 of coach John Bunting. Goals, values and personalities clicked, and Baddour told Davis after their first meeting Oct. 31 that Carolina was sold on him and would commit to not discuss the job with any other coach provided Davis make the same commitment, which he did. Davis and a Carolina party met once again in person, Baddour and Davis spoke on the phone numerous times, and then the lawyers hammered out the fine print. Through it all, Davis experienced Chapel Hill and the Kenan Stadium infrastructure only from photos Baddour carried with him. Tammy Davis traveled to Chapel Hill on her own to scope out town and gown, the coach thinking it would be a distraction for him to show up while Bunting and Tar Heels were trying to salvage the rest of the season.
Davis's plan for his early days in Chapel Hill include a marathon tape session and call list for Monday night and his goal to touch base with every recruit already committed or offered a scholarship as soon as possible. Then Tuesday, he'll meet with each coach on Bunting's staff and see if there are any fits for the future of the program. Davis has learned from his experience at Miami that recruiting in the first couple of weeks comes first; it's important to hire the right coaches and he'll not rush that endeavor.
"There's no timetable, no magic switch to hit and everything will be perfect," Davis said. "But I'm going to help this program and these kids realize their dreams."
Butch Davis's march through Chapel Hill continues with plenty in the extended Carolina football family only too happy to follow.
