North Carolina names Butch Davis new head coach

General42

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Former NFL coach Butch Davis will return to the sidelines as coach at North Carolina.

He will replace the fired John Bunting, the school said Monday. The hiring had been widely expected the past week after Davis’ name rose to the top of the list of candidates.

Davis, who will turn 55 Friday, brings a reputation for orchestrating turnarounds — which is just what the struggling Tar Heels need.

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42 Responses to North Carolina names Butch Davis new head coach

  1. Wolfpack4ever 11/14/2006 at 2:43 AM #

    wufpaxno1 Says: “But Norm took him from a raw talent that most college coaches wanted to make into a tight end, and started him on the path to where he is today.’

    Better but not quite accurate. That coaches wanted to convert him to tight end may be why Philip played at NC State be Amada was really after Philip before Chow even accepted the jog. Philip arrived on campus and siezed the QB job right away from the rest of the wannabees. Philip flourished in Chows system but made Philip the QB he is today, I don’t think so.

    Chow is fully capable of developing QB’s, he just didn’t develop this one. I do wonder how Stone would have faired under Chow.

  2. class of 74 11/14/2006 at 7:17 AM #

    The Davis hire is a statement. UNC is not taking a backseat to anyone in the ACC in football. They are spending big bucks, more than I ever thought they would, and the talk is they are willing to do even more both in facilities and staffing.

    The result, IMHO, will be a futher weakening in CTC’s intrastate recruiting. Couple this with Doc Holiday’s loss and Miami’s soon to be coaching upgrade and CTC is living on borrowed time. He’s proven he can’t outcoach these guys and soon he won’t recruit as well as them either. This is the perfect storm that will sink Amato’s battered ship. I hope Mr. Happy Face, LF, is paying close attention to these developments and possibly learning something as well!

  3. Sam92 11/14/2006 at 10:34 AM #

    The whole thing is depressing.

    Lee Fowler is a dope, who will hold on to CTC for a couple more disastrous years, all the while grinning and thinking he’s a hero for “standing by his coach”.

    We’ll eventually push Chuck out, but what leaves that queasy feeling in my stomach is the thought that Lee Fowler will be the man in charge of finding his replacement.

  4. partialqualifier 11/14/2006 at 11:11 AM #

    RedFred…..great post! Altho I believe part of the reason more people were not at the game Friday was because of the horrible marketing of Lowe’s first game that counts, I was extremely disappointed with the turnout.

    As for the Tarhole86…..

    Mack Brown left because he was 8-1, playing at home against Ga. Tech, and saw 8,000 empty seats in Kenan! He begged you guys for 2 years to show up & u didnt! He’s gone because of sorry-ass fan support. Period. As for selling out the Dean Dome for an exhibition game…..you guys are freaking loaded this year! I was at the Dean Dome the year u guys were 0-3 under Dean Smith in the conference playing NC State. We’re up 9 with 1:30 to play, and that friggin’ place was almost empty!! Furthermore, I sat with 12,400 other State fans in a sold-out Reynolds Coliseum and watched a horrible basketball team for almost 10 full seasons!! You guys have a half-empty Dean Dome in Doherty’s last seaon after 1 losing season!! I will give it to UNC that they have a better athletic department, but you guys absolutely do not have the fortitude that State fans have. Not even close!

  5. Cardiff Giant 11/14/2006 at 11:31 AM #

    This merely accentuates my feeling of doom about the football program under the Fowler/Amato reign. ECU is improving, Wake has skyrocketed, and UNC now has a real coach when even the bumbling clown he replaces defeated Amato on a regular basis.

    Expect more years of losing seasons if something doesn’t change, fast – and it involves Chuck Amato being shown the door.

  6. partialqualifier 11/14/2006 at 11:41 AM #

    As for Butch Davis…..

    I think I said up here a week or so ago that I had some serious questions about him. Some UNC fans may think I am just raining on their parade, but I honestly would not Davis as NC State’s next coach. At least not for $2 million! I think there are a bunch of coaches that you can get for a fraction of that price who could accomplish what UNC fans want. I think potentially it could be big, but it is far from a home run. Here is why:

    1-I know there were probabtion issues and loss of scholarships at Miami when Davis was there, but he did have the worst winning percentage of any Miami coach in 25 years. And like some of you have said, Miami aint the hardest place in the world to recruit at. If he was at Miami right now putting up those same numbers he would be fired.

    2-He quit halfway thru an NFL season. I remember thinking that move would finish him off for good in the NFL. I know there was pressure on him, but nobody likes a quitter. I know there is more to it than that, but at the end of the day that is what happened.

    3-If he has a large amount of success at UNC, he will leave. UNC is not a final job for anyone wanting to move up.

    4-I’m not sure he is a winner. I know this comment sounds rediculous, but hear me out. First of all, the whole going to UNC in the first place is puzzling. When was the last time a very good coach took a job like this in football? I mean he isnt an alumn. UNC is dead last (not counting Duke) in the ACC. UNC fans couldnt support Mack Brown when he was finishing in the Top 10. UNC is solidly a basketball school, and always will be. These are NOT the kinds of jobs “winners” accept. These are jobs that people who want to coach without pressure accept. Coaches who cant handle pressure are not winners. This just doesnt add up.

    With that said, I know UNC has a very good football team there now amd a great recruiting class coming in. Therefore Davis will have a great deal of success for the next 3 or 4 years, but then again so would a lot of other coaches not named Bunting or Amato. He is 55. If he has any desire to move up (either to the NFL or a major Football program), he will have to do it quickly. Is it worth 3 or 4 really good seasons just to have to turn around and do this again afterwards? I dont know.

    Just some random thoughts. Who knows?

  7. class of 74 11/14/2006 at 12:28 PM #

    ^All that needs to be said regarding Davis when he was at Miami is: They wanted him back right now to replace Coker. Davis is a serious upgrade to UNC’s program and he will be a winner there you can take that to the bank.

  8. Pack92 11/14/2006 at 1:39 PM #

    Why get so riled up about Davis? His record is what it is. He was OK at Miami (who was not a dominant team in the Big East at that time but improved under Davis) but DID NOT catapult them to the next level. He merely improved in a situation you would have had to have been an idiot to fail in. There is no doubt he got away with some things (probation anyone?) due to the eagerness of the Miami Admin. to get back to the big revenue from football. His next venture, as pointed out, ended with him WALKING AWAY when things got tough. Make what you want of all that but his record is what it is.

    Tarhole86, you have really bought some good stuff to smoke. You want to talk about Whiner Brown’s record against Dick Sheridan? Brown couldn’t beat him and he can’t beat Bob Stoops when Stoops has more than just high school talent at Oklahoma. Phillip Rivers may have made Amato look good but Vince Young made Whiner Brown look awesome. Brown left because he COULD NOT beat FL. State and for that matter did not beat anyone in the top 20 his last 2 years at the hole.
    As far as our fans, don’t forget about all the blue knives sticking out of Matt Doherty’s back as he was escorted out of the Dumb Dome. Why, it’s not fair to ask me to break out the whine and cheese to watch a mediocre team play! The only difference between Doh and Sendek was that Sendek was given time to prove his ultimate incompetence. He was allowed to fail at a higher level. UNX fans don’t have heart or character. We do sell out Carter-Finley to watch average football in contrast to Kenan on Saturdays.
    The only fear State fans have is that Foulup is in office forever. Good luck with your “I think I can, I think I can” new coach.

  9. Pack84 11/14/2006 at 1:42 PM #

    My only comment on the situation is this – I wonder why in the world he would take the unc-ch job at this point in the season. If he’s such a “hot commodity” as those in the media portray him to be surely there is/are/will be job openings later on that are at least as attractive, if not much more so, than unc-ch.

    I can’t really see Miami giving Coker another year. Unless Davis burned his bridges there it would seem to be a more attractive job.

    Not saying it will happen, but Bobby Bowden might decide he’s had enough of the BS and ride off into the sunset.

    Joe Pa has GOT to be on his last legs, pun intended.

    Michigan State is already looking for a new coach.

    Alabama has had about enough of Shula.

    Iowa State is looking for a new coach.

    Franchione’s seat is sort of toasty at Texas A&M.

    Color me jaded but with the exception of Iowa State I don’t see the unc-ch job matching up very well with those I listed above.

  10. BoKnowsNCS71 11/14/2006 at 1:44 PM #

    Just like a Tarheel fan to always inteject basketball into a football conversation.

    As for the sell out over at eweNC — who cares? It’s not relevant.

    Enjoy Butchie boy for the 3 years you keep him. After that he is either NFL bound or heading to a football school. That is — unless you fire him……

  11. BoKnowsNCS71 11/14/2006 at 2:03 PM #

    PAck 84 — Franchione toasty at A&M? They are 7 – 3 with losses only to T-Tech, Oklahoma and Nebraska (both by 1 point). And their 2005 record was 5-6. Dang — those Texans are demanding.

    Franchione has been a winner at every school he has coached. But in the spirit of Larry Brown — he has the fan thing figured out.

    He comes, improves a team, and wins — and then leaves after 4-5 years because he knows that it only takes one or two down seasons (or up seasons for the competition) and the fans to start getting whiny and call for the coaches head.

    Hmmm — maybe I hope you are right — might be a place for him here.

  12. GoldenChain 11/14/2006 at 3:05 PM #

    1) It would appear that Baddour learns from his mistakes; think that applies to Jed?
    2) UNX ‘buys’ their way to instant success just like they did in basketball with Roy. Hiring a 50+ yo with a blue chip record. This won’t be earned with sweat equity and build from the ground up. However that won’t matter when when they’ve beaten us 8 times in a row.
    $2.5-3 million for Butch and how much for Roy? That’s a lot of jack.

  13. Wolfpack4ever 11/15/2006 at 12:16 AM #

    GoldenChain Says: “$2.5-3 million for Butch and how much for Roy? That’s a lot of jack.”

    Do you have any idea what the Rams Club has vs the WPC? It is signicant. Doctors, lawyers and indian cheifs bring in more dough than farmers, engineers and pulp and paper workers.

  14. Pack84 11/15/2006 at 10:45 AM #

    “PAck 84 — Franchione toasty at A&M? They are 7 – 3 with losses only to T-Tech, Oklahoma and Nebraska (both by 1 point). And their 2005 record was 5-6. Dang — those Texans are demanding. ”

    Yep – check some of the grumblings on their board. They have bigger aspirations that what Franchione has yet to deliver.

  15. BoKnowsNCS71 11/15/2006 at 12:03 PM #

    I don’t give much credence to Board grumblings. You never know whether it represents only the tip of the iceberg — or the whole berg. Probably the 80% we don’t hear from are just going with the flow.

  16. DixieBoy 11/15/2006 at 6:01 PM #

    LOL at BOKNOWS. I couldn’t agree more. Butch Davis will use them as a stepping stone. No way any true football coach will ever have the desire to stay at UNC. He will always have to play second fiddle to Ol I don’t give a SH*% about UNC Roy boy. This is of course assuming he has enough success to even make it through three years.

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