Which Head Coach Do You Wish Would Have Stayed Longer?

[section9]

No question: Howard.

I think he could have recruited the lights out of that Orange Bowl victory and won a bushel of Nats in the Eighties.

But he recognized early that the Administration was not behind putting any serious resources into the program, so he bailed.

 

[HurricaneinLA]

JJ didn’t choke in 86; that was all Vinny. JJ didn’t choke in ND, that was all zebras. We should’ve won 3 straight.

JJ would’ve won so many national titles and kept us as most hated, it wouldn’t have been funny. Love JJ til this day; probably b/c he’s was the coach that introduced me to Miami football as a kid.

Vinny was busted up from a motor scooter accident missing the last game of the year. Was out of practice about half the time if I can remember right. Was gone doing the Heisman trophy tour on top of it. His timing was way off for that game.

 

[Cane Dynasty]

The polls have closed and here are the final results:

View attachment 61153

I wasn’t surprised to see Jimmy win, but I thought Howard would have garnered more support than 10.7%. Butch snagged a quarter of the total ballots cast, which is respectable. The other four coaches collected a combined 12 votes (3.8%), but just one of them, Dennis Erickson, the only head coach to win two national championships at UM, deserved any real consideration.

And to those who voted for Alfred James Golden, Jr., A POX BE UPON YOU ALL!

As the check mark above indicates, I voted for Butch and here’s why:

Howard put Miami on the map. He made good on his incredibly ridiculous promise for the Hurricanes to be national champions within five years of his arrival. Then, suddenly, with a persistent wife at his side, he decided to chase the dream of professional football in the upstart USFL. We all know how that ended. I’m a sentimental guy at heart and would have voted for Howard except for one reason: Jimmy Johnson.

If Howard stays, Jimmy never comes to Coral Gables. And if Howard put us on the map, Jimmy made us The U. So why didn’t I vote for Jimmy? Because, for all his faults, Dennis Erickson, was ... successful. His worst season he went 9-3. His team was a perfect 12-0 in 1991, three years after Jimmy went to Dallas. He won two national championships in six years. Jimmy won one in five. How much better would Jimmy have done than Dennis? A similar question leads me to my final decision.

It’s debatable if Jimmy could have won more NCs than Dennis did during the same time period. But what would have happened if Butch had stayed? What Canes fan hasn’t asked himself that question over the years?! It’s that haunting feeling of unfinished business. Of squandered opportunity. Of wasted potential. Of shattered dreams. Of unfulfilled destiny.

Butch weathered terrible sanctions and crushing defeats during his early years. I think the ‘97 FSU game is the one that stings the most. I lived in Orlando back then and watched the game at a friend’s apartment with mostly Seminoles in attendance. I learned that day there’s something far worse than ridicule from your opponent: sincere pity. 47-0 to those ******** felt worse than the 58-0 drubbing Clemson gave us two decades later. Plus, that loss set in motion the series of events that led to Mark Richt’s miraculous return. (Thanks, Dabo!) But Butch toughed it out, paid his dues and assembled a wrecking machine the likes of which college had never seen before or since, and may never see again on one roster.

And then Butch lied, and then he left, and then he lost. Miserably and repeatedly in Cleveland.

So that’s what it comes down to for me. If Butch hadn’t prematurely ejected, what could have been?

Go Canes!

Goddammit you were on a roll till the "And then Butch lied" part. Get your facts straight son.

It's taking an inordinate amount of restraint not to neg you into bolivia.

 

[Rellyrell]

Vinny was busted up from a motor scooter accident missing the last game of the year. Was out of practice about half the time if I can remember right. Was gone doing the Heisman trophy tour on top of it. His timing was way off for that game.

Bruh; UNDER statement. 3 of his ints went chest high to the other team and our WRs were no where in the pic. That last int to end the game w us driving...heart breaking.

 

[Category_5]

Goddammit you were on a roll till the "And then Butch lied" part. Get your facts straight son.

It's taking an inordinate amount of restraint not to neg you into bolivia.

I prefer having my facts straight. So could you (and I mean this sincerely, no trolling here) please explain how Butch didn’t lie before leaving for Cleveland? That’s not my recollection.

 

[HurricaneinLA]

Bruh; UNDER statement. 3 of his ints went chest high to the other team and our WRs were no where in the pic. That last int to end the game w us driving...heart breaking.

The worst and still feel the pain like most of us.
It was a terrible game because of Testaverde. I think Penn St had -85 yards in the first half. Vinny looked nothing like he did all year. When he had his accident he missed most of the practices. The injuries were worse than previously thought. No doubt JJ was the best coach we ever had and should have won 3 NCs in a row. The teams he built were that good.

 

[Cane Dynasty]

I prefer having my facts straight. So could you (and I mean this sincerely, no trolling here) please explain how Butch didn’t lie before leaving for Cleveland? That’s not my recollection.

Um admin thought they had him over a barrel because he told the team he was gonna stay so in their infinite wisdom they tried to fvck him on his contract. He said no thanks to the *** ******* and left.

In the God's own words:

"Very much so. I would've loved to have stayed for 30 years at Miami," he said. "We couldn't get it worked out from a contractual standpoint and it had nothing to do with money, but that's a whole different story. They win it the next year. They played for it the year after that. Everything was going spectacularly after that. How many would we have won? I wish I had stayed another 10 years to find out how many."

Davis' explanation for what was behind his departure from UM: "Ten days before we played BC [Boston College] in the last game of the season, we had completed 97 percent of the contract. It had taken us three hours to agree to the money. That was done. I was probably one of the lowest-paid [I-A] head coaches when I took that job [in 1995] and then after seven years, they were paying me $1 million. The stumbling block we could never get over was, if they decided to do what North Carolina did [by just suddenly firing him] they were only going to pay me 20 percent of the money, but because [Miami] had been burned by Howard [Schnellenberger] leaving and Jimmy leaving and Dennis [Erickson] leaving, so if I had ever left I had to pay them 80 percent.

"I said, 'Guys that isn't fair. I can't pay you 80 and you're only gonna pay me 20. If you wake up and say, 'I don't like redhead coaches,' I'm gone. Let's either make it 80-80, 20-20 or 50-50.' We battled over 20-80 for almost two months. I turned the Cleveland Browns job down. I turned down two other jobs. Well, lo and behold, the last home visit I made I'm sitting in Antrel Rolle's living room and his mom and dad said, 'Coach, are you gonna be here?' I said, 'Antrel, I will be the head coach at the University of Miami,' and I believed in all my heart I was going to be. Then we go home and four or five days later we still can't get the contract done. [Cleveland president] Carmen Policy calls and says, 'Would you reconsider?'

"I talked it over with my wife. You live a little bit in fear. I thought, 'Well, today they love me, but in 1997 they were flying a plane over the stadium, 'Get Rid of Butch Davis!' It didn't take long to keep reminding yourself that this 80-20 stuff wasn't fair. We made one more stab and called [Miami AD] Paul Dee and he went to the trustees and asked them to make it fair. Finally, we made the change. I wished I hadn't have, but we did."

 

[Miami Nights]

I went back and forth between JJ and Davis but ultimately I went with Davis. I feel Miami would have won a few more titles and he wuld have laid the foundation for another coach to come in and take over once he was done. Davis surrounded himself with some great coaches while he was here. JJ did as well but Davis was just more recent and given what happened after he left I'll take Davis.

 

[Cane Dynasty]

I went back and forth between JJ and Davis but ultimately I went with Davis. I feel Miami would have won a few more titles and he wuld have laid the foundation for another coach to come in and take over once he was done. Davis surrounded himself with some great coaches while he was here. JJ did as well but Davis was just more recent and given what happened after he left I'll take Davis.

Are you an electrical contractor? You guys are coming out of the woodwork these days.

 

[ncncanes]

Both coaches were responsible for epic CFB dynasties ......only one, also created an NFL Dynasty.... drop the mic

 

[Miami Nights]

Are you an electrical contractor? You guys are coming out of the woodwork these days.

I'm not personally. I work for Par. Largest electrical power line contractor in North America. I'm an apprentice lineman.

 

[UMFarArcher]

Butch Frikkin' Johnson!

 

[SIBCanes]

The answer is Butch Davis, because after him we lost our edge in recruiting and coaching. The 2000, 2001, and 2002 teams were the best Hurricane teams of all time and maybe the best college football team in history.. Coker and Shannon couldn’t keep it rolling. He also started from a lower point and coming off sanctions.
Jimmy took a good Howard team that won a National Championship and brought the program to a whole new level with a philosophy of speed that kills on defense he did the same thing in the pros.. But, Dennis was able to build on Jimmy success and create a new dynamic offense with the 5 receivers who were also track stars. Both coaches could recruit and get their teams to play at their highest potential..

 

[Texxcane]

JJ was the best of the bunch but wish Butch would've stayed longer. We were able to bounce back after every coaching change except after Butch. Program would look a lot different today had he stayed.

Yea I agree, Jimmy is obvious, but Butch, built that team DURING PROBATION, and then had to watch someone else win with his guys that couldn't hold his jock. But if I remember right, Butch went from 500k to 5 million, I would have hauled *** too. He deserved another shot and would have got it had Richt not been fired

 

[SWFLHurricane]

Um admin thought they had him over a barrel because he told the team he was gonna stay so in their infinite wisdom they tried to fvck him on his contract. He said no thanks to the *** ******* and left.

In the God's own words:

"Very much so. I would've loved to have stayed for 30 years at Miami," he said. "We couldn't get it worked out from a contractual standpoint and it had nothing to do with money, but that's a whole different story. They win it the next year. They played for it the year after that. Everything was going spectacularly after that. How many would we have won? I wish I had stayed another 10 years to find out how many."

Davis' explanation for what was behind his departure from UM: "Ten days before we played BC [Boston College] in the last game of the season, we had completed 97 percent of the contract. It had taken us three hours to agree to the money. That was done. I was probably one of the lowest-paid [I-A] head coaches when I took that job [in 1995] and then after seven years, they were paying me $1 million. The stumbling block we could never get over was, if they decided to do what North Carolina did [by just suddenly firing him] they were only going to pay me 20 percent of the money, but because [Miami] had been burned by Howard [Schnellenberger] leaving and Jimmy leaving and Dennis [Erickson] leaving, so if I had ever left I had to pay them 80 percent.

"I said, 'Guys that isn't fair. I can't pay you 80 and you're only gonna pay me 20. If you wake up and say, 'I don't like redhead coaches,' I'm gone. Let's either make it 80-80, 20-20 or 50-50.' We battled over 20-80 for almost two months. I turned the Cleveland Browns job down. I turned down two other jobs. Well, lo and behold, the last home visit I made I'm sitting in Antrel Rolle's living room and his mom and dad said, 'Coach, are you gonna be here?' I said, 'Antrel, I will be the head coach at the University of Miami,' and I believed in all my heart I was going to be. Then we go home and four or five days later we still can't get the contract done. [Cleveland president] Carmen Policy calls and says, 'Would you reconsider?'

"I talked it over with my wife. You live a little bit in fear. I thought, 'Well, today they love me, but in 1997 they were flying a plane over the stadium, 'Get Rid of Butch Davis!' It didn't take long to keep reminding yourself that this 80-20 stuff wasn't fair. We made one more stab and called [Miami AD] Paul Dee and he went to the trustees and asked them to make it fair. Finally, we made the change. I wished I hadn't have, but we did."

All of this is 100% factual....

 

[SWFLHurricane]

Let's not kid ourselves....Howard...JJ and Butch all would've Won more NCs....Erickson as well, but he lost total control of the program....I'm still scratching my head on Erickson's gameplan vs Bama.....