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1997 Miami Hurricanes

TBH, I think Butch should have been able to go 7-4 with that team, and not lose 47-0. Not that he should have been winning a NC.
 
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DTP said:
I hind sight, the deck was definitely stacked against Butch but that didn’t stop Miami fan from wanting to run him out of town. Don’t believe anyone who says they liked Butch from day one. They’re lying.

The probation was brutal but in those days there were ways you could get around reduced scholarships. Using track scholarships for football players that also run track isn’t allowed today. Thankfully the 97 season was my freshman year of college so being away from south Florida kind of numbed me to the pain.
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I liked him from Day 1...and still do...
 
Hurracanes said:
That was rough. I was only 15 years old so I didn’t truly understand what the impact of the lack of scholarships was going to do to this program. You got to remember, fans like me grew up never seeing Miami lose at home. 97’ was like the Twilight zone, especially that FSU game. Still, it’s understandable why we were so bad. Last couple years at Miami were far worse in comparison.
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Yes. Most of Butch's probation teams were not that bad. Most only lost 3 games. That was the year the sanctions hit. **** the NCAA and **** Mark Emmert.
 
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TheOriginalCane said:
Roster
PlayerClassPosSummary
PlayerClassPosSummary
PlayerClassPosSummary
Ryan Clement*QB157 Cmp, 267 Att, 2089 Yds, 10 TD
Scott CovingtonQB27 Cmp, 60 Att, 318 Yds, 0 TD
Steve KellyQB2 Cmp, 5 Att, 22 Yds, 0 TD
Edgerrin James*RB184 Att, 1098 Yds, 6.0 Avg
Carlo Joseph*RB15 Rec, 172 Yds, 11.5 Avg
James JacksonRB81 Att, 595 Yds, 7.3 Avg
Dyral McMillanRB31 Att, 144 Yds, 4.6 Avg
Trent JonesRB26 Att, 107 Yds, 4.1 Avg
Nick WilliamsRB13 Att, 40 Yds, 3.1 Avg
Will McPartlandRB2 Att, -1 Yds, -0.5 Avg
Derryl WilliamsRB2 Att, 4 Yds, 2.0 Avg
Reggie Wayne*WR48 Rec, 640 Yds, 13.3 Avg
Daryl Jones*WR16 Rec, 252 Yds, 15.8 Avg
Jeff PopovichWR
Santana MossWR14 Rec, 269 Yds, 19.2 Avg
Omar RolleWR13 Rec, 108 Yds, 8.3 Avg
Magic BentonWR6 Rec, 64 Yds, 10.7 Avg
Andre KingWR5 Rec, 66 Yds, 13.2 Avg
Bubba Franks*TE19 Rec, 294 Yds, 15.5 Avg
Mondriel FulcherTE5 Rec, 87 Yds, 17.4 Avg
Chris C. JonesTE2 Rec, 27 Yds, 13.5 Avg
Kerlin Blaise*OL
Carlos Callejas*OL
Damond Neely*OL
Robert Sampson*OL
Mike Wehner*OL
Robert HallOL
Ty WiseOL
Andy CroslandK
Denny Fortney*DL
Derrick Ham*DL
Damione Lewis*DL
Chad Pegues*DL
Quincy HippsDL
Matt SweeneyDL
Rod Mack*LB
Dan Morgan*LB
Michael Smith*LB
Jevon RhodesLB
Nate WebsterLB
Nate Brooks*DB
Eugene Ridgely*DB
Dennis Scott*DB
Duane Starks*DB
Delvin BrownDB
Leonard MyersDB
More 1997 Miami (FL) Pages
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I remember the year well and still remember McMillan starting and wondering what Butch saw in him. Everytime Edge came in you could see how special he was. Wayne was a bright spot as a true freshman. This was the year where Butch enforced discipline and the growing pains were excruciating but necessary. It paid off because we improved in 98, 99, and 2000. He hit the jackpot on so many overlooked recruits its almost impossible to replicate. 1997 sucked, but a lot of those players set us up for the 2001 championship, so it has a happy ending.
 
One thing I recall vividly was that during those rough years, everyone knew we’d bounce back after probation. You could tell young guys like Bubba, Santana, Yatil, Damione Lewis, etc, would be the ones to reestablish the program. Recall watching Arizona State come in and beat us in the OB, ****** game, but it was clear the talent was there and future stars in place. Unlike these days, where there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.
 
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PittsburghCane said:
YO OLD HEADS!!!

I am a bit on the young side and its rather difficult to research online so I figured I would turn to you all. What was the buzz like around the 97 team that went 5-6? How was Butch viewed and what was the climate like with the media and among the fan base?
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Between 97 and the East Carolina loss in 99, butch was essentially 2014/15 Golden.
 
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Was it really obvious how many talented players were on the roster in 1997 or even 1998? I sense a bit of revisionist history and benefit of hindsight thinking here.

The main difference between 1997 and now is that 1997 wasn’t as far removed from success. That would have made it easier to be optimistic back then.
 
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I was living in a frat house in Davis, CA at the time. Those were some wild years, even in Davis. Ag frat, bucking bronco and lots of Wild Turkey. Wraaastling bro's and wrangling trim...

Anyways, that FSU game. Ai man. Everyone knew I was a huge Cane fan and rode my **** unmercifully.. those years were rough, because I think most of us did not really soak in the depth problems created by the sanctions. We knew of it, and how much the NCAA wanted us hammered. But, it was like "We Miami". we always fight, persevere..

And then the blowouts like FSU and the like was real.




This era is different. We still have the Ferrari, but with no effing gear shift. Got the parts, but not the one thing that actually moves the gawt damnn car.
 
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I played against them in 97. It was a down year for them but we still had respect for them. As for butch he seemed very intense but an ******* at the same time. Team had a lot of talent and should not have had a loosing season. I think Dorsey was the quarterback and was young at the time.
 
We were at the absolute low point of the impact of sanctions. Add to it that Davis was one of the greatest evaluators of talent, but a terrible game day coach. So when Davis had little talent he couldn’t coach the kids he had above their talent level.
it was a painful time when UF and FSU were really good, and playing for championships. And we were pretty bad until Butch got the talent rolling. And then it all changed.
 
Butch Davis was basically coaching while handcuffed dealing with the loss of 30 scholarships. The media and NCAA hated us then just like now and hoped it was the end of us. Then like now the impostor fans wanted Davis fired. But he turned it around and made us a juggernaut again.
 
Cane passion said:
I played against them in 97. It was a down year for them but we still had respect for them. As for butch he seemed very intense but an ******* at the same time. Team had a lot of talent and should not have had a loosing season. I think Dorsey was the quarterback and was young at the time.
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No...Dorsey wasnt even at UM in 97....team did NOT have alot of talent in 97....by the end of 98 is when we finally started to get alittle depth and breathe a sigh of relief sanction wise...
 
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