Butch Davis Paul Hilton " Butch " Davis , Jr . ( born November 17 , 1951 ) is an American football coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former player in the United States . He was the head coach at the University of Miami from 1995 to 2000 , the Cleveland Browns of the NFL from 2001 to 2004 , and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2007 to 2011 . Early years . Davis was born on November 17 , 1951 in Tahlequah , Oklahoma , to Paul and Pat Davis . He attended high school at Bixby High School in Bixby , Oklahoma where he was an All - State fullback and defensive end for the Spartans and graduated in 1970 . After graduation from high school , he attended the University of Arkansas and played defensive end for the Razorbacks . Due to a knee injury , Davis was sidelined after his freshman year . However , he became a student assistant with the Razorbacks throughout the rest of his college days . After graduation from college , he had several assistant coaching positions at several high schools including Fayetteville High School in 1973 , Pawhuska High School from 1974 – 1975 , and Charles Page High School ( Sand Springs , OK ) from 1976 – 1977 . He landed his first head coaching job at Tulsa Rogers High School in 1978 . After that , Butch began a successful 15 - year association with Jimmy Johnson , first as a receivers and tight ends coach at Oklahoma State University for the Cowboys , then later as defensive line coach at the University of Miami . During that time , the Miami Hurricanes won a national championship in 1987 . Dallas Cowboys . Butch followed Jimmy Johnson to Dallas where , as defensive coordinator and coach of the defensive line , he helped Johnson and new owner Jerry Jones create a back - to - back Super Bowl champion out of a Dallas Cowboys team that went 1 – 15 in 1989 , Johnson ' s first year as head coach . Davis was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1993 after the departure of Dave Wannstedt . After Johnson left , Davis continued at Dallas for one more year as assistant coach under Barry Switzer . Head coaching . University of Miami . Davis returned to college football when he got his first chance as a head coach . Back at the University of Miami , he helped turn around a program that was in disarray . Not long after he was hired , the Hurricanes were found to have committed several violations of NCAA rules during the tenure of his predecessor , Dennis Erickson . As a result , the Hurricanes were barred from postseason play in his first year ( despite an 8 – 3 record ) and lost 31 football scholarship spots over several years . Despite these handicaps , he managed to post a 51 – 20 record during his tenure as head coach and by 2000 , his last year , the Hurricanes finished 11 – 1 and # 2 in the country . However , due to a quirk in the Bowl Championship Series formula , the Hurricanes didn ' t get a spot in the Orange Bowl ( that year ' s national championship game ) . The snub still rankles Miami fans to this day , especially since the Hurricanes were passed over in favor of bitter rival Florida State , whom they ' d beaten in the regular season and who lost the Orange Bowl to the Oklahoma Sooners 13 - 2 . The Hurricanes earned recognition from the American Football Coaches Association for outstanding graduation rates in each of his six seasons at Miami . The following players were coached or recruited by Davis in his stint at Miami : Ray Lewis ( LB ) , Ed Reed ( S ) , Yatil Green ( WR ) , Kenard Lang ( DE ) , Kenny Holmes ( DE ) , Duane Starks ( CB ) , Edgerrin James ( RB ) , Clinton Portis ( RB ) , Frank Gore ( RB ) , Bubba Franks ( TE ) , Dan Morgan ( LB ) , Damione Lewis ( DT ) , Santana Moss ( WR ) , Reggie Wayne ( WR ) , Bryant McKinnie ( OT ) , Jeremy Shockey ( TE ) , Phillip Buchanon ( CB ) , Mike Rumph ( CB ) , Andre Johnson ( WR ) , Jerome McDougle ( DE ) , Willis McGahee ( RB ) , William Joseph ( DT ) , Sean Taylor ( S ) , Kellen Winslow II ( TE ) , Jonathan Vilma ( LB ) , D . J . Williams ( LB ) , Vernon Carey ( OT ) , Vince Wilfork ( DT ) , Antrel Rolle ( CB ) , and Kelly Jennings ( CB ) . Moreover , Davis ' smaller - than - usual recruiting classes are widely considered to have laid the foundation for Miami ' s undefeated national championship team of 2001 ( under Davis ' former offensive coordinator , Larry Coker ) , since many of his recruits were forced to play right away . Cleveland Browns . Returning to NFL Football in 2001 , Davis walked the sidelines as head coach of the Cleveland Browns . In 1999 - 2000 under head coach Chris Palmer , the Browns , led by quarterback and 1999 number one draft pick Tim Couch , who was injured in the 5th week , posted a dismal 3 – 13 record . Davis led the team to a 7 – 9 record in his first year at the helm , missing the playoffs by a game . The Browns posted a 9 – 7 record and got a playoff berth in Davis ' s second year , getting in after winning two close games in a row against the Baltimore Ravens and the Atlanta Falcons . In 2003 , a quarterback controversy erupted between Couch and backup Kelly Holcomb after Holcomb , starting the 2002 playoff game for the injured Couch , threw for 429 yards and three touchdowns . Davis would ultimately give the starting job to Holcomb , though Couch did start a few games . In the 2004 offseason , Davis signed Jeff Garcia and cut Couch . Davis was forced to resign in early December 2004 after a 3 – 8 start and ended with a 24 – 35 overall record as coach of the Browns . University of North Carolina . On November 13 , 2006 Dick Baddour , the athletic director at the University of North Carolina , announced that Davis had been hired as the new head football coach at UNC . On November 27 , 2006 , he officially succeeded John Bunting , who was fired in October 2006 after posting only one winning season in six years as head coach of the Tar Heels . Davis took over a program that had fallen on hard times . After a run of seven straight bowl games from 1992 to 1998 — the second - most successful period in school history — the Tar Heels had only notched three winning seasons in the past eight years , and had only crossed the six - win plateau only two other times . He inherited a very inexperienced team ; many of his players had never played a down of college football before . However , the Tar Heels were far more competitive than expected in Davis ' first season . While they finished 4 – 8 , six of those losses were by a touchdown or less , two of which were against teams ranked in the top 15 at the time . They also remained in bowl contention well into November . For much of the 2007 season , unfounded rumors swirled that Davis would leave UNC after just one year if the head coaching job at his alma mater , Arkansas , opened up . The rumors grew louder when Houston Nutt was forced to resign at Arkansas , but Davis steadfastly denied he was leaving . On November 21 , 2007 , Davis agreed to a one - year contract extension , along with a raise . Davis now stands to receive an extra $ 291 , 000 annually due to the extension , according to the campus newspaper , The Daily Tar Heel . Davis said in a statement that one year at UNC convinced him that this was where he wanted to be , and that he intended to have " a long and successful career in Chapel Hill . " He also hoped it would put to rest any talk of him leaving for Arkansas . Davis originally signed a seven - year deal worth approximately $ 1 . 86 million per season , with a base salary of $ 286 , 000 . He also gets $ 25 , 000 a year in expenses and a supplement from the Educational Foundation ( Ram ' s Club ) that ranges from $ 1 million in 2007 to $ 1 . 3 million in 2013 . Baddour said he could not release all the details of the contract until it is approved by the trustees but did say the base salary will rise $ 29 , 000 , the expenses will go up $ 5 , 000 and Davis ’ supplemental income will go up $ 100 , 000 . The Tar Heels were expected to be much improved in 2008 , with most outlets picking them to finish second in the Coastal Division . They didn ' t disappoint , finishing 8 – 5 and appearing in the 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl , their first bowl appearance in five years . On October 4 , the Heels dismantled the then 24th - ranked Connecticut Huskies 38 – 12 for their first defeat of a ranked non - conference opponent in 11 years . This victory vaulted the Tar Heels to # 22 in the weekly AP rankings , their first appearance in a major poll in seven years . The following Saturday , the Tar Heels defeated Notre Dame to notch their first regular - season win as a ranked team in 11 years . A 16 – 13 overtime loss at Virginia on October 18 briefly knocked the Heels out of the rankings , but they were able to rebound with a convincing 45 - 24 victory over Boston College on October 25 , making them bowl - eligible for the first time since 2004 . It also vaulted them into the Bowl Championship Series rankings for the first time since the BCS began in 1998 . A week later , they defeated Georgia Tech to clinch their first winning season since 2001 , and only their fourth since Mack Brown left the school after the 1997 season . However , the Tar Heels lost three of their last four games , including a loss in the Meineke Car Care Bowl to West Virginia . Davis led the 2009 Tar Heels to another 8 – 4 regular season record and a second straight bowl appearance . It was the first time since the 1997 / 1998 seasons that UNC had made consecutive bowl appearances . While they were ranked for much of the early part of the season , they swooned for much of September and October before rebounding to knock off Virginia Tech and Miami in successive weeks . However , a loss to N . C . State in the final game of the season sent them back to the Meineke Car Care Bowl . UNC faced Pittsburgh on December 26 , 2009 in the game , but lost for the second straight year , giving UNC another 8 - 5 final record . Following Davis ' arrival , North Carolina has seen renewed enthusiasm for its football program , reflected in increased attendance . Despite a losing record in 2007 , North Carolina fans averaged over 57 , 000 fans in Kenan Stadium during the season — the highest average attendance since Brown ' s tenure . The 2007 matchup against South Carolina saw a standing - room - only crowd of 61 , 000 — the second - largest in school history . In 2008 , a crowd of 60 , 500 — third - largest in school history — watched the Tar Heels edge past Notre Dame . Additionally , Butch Davis led Carolina football to its 6th consecutive year of graduating more than 75 % of its football players . The America Football Coaches Association recognized less than 30 public universities for superior graduation rates last year , with UNC the only such institution in the state of North Carolina and the Atlantic Coast Conference . In July 2010 , the NCAA began investigating possible violations involving improper benefits provided by agents to current players at UNC . In September 2010 , the NCAA opened a second prong of its investigation , this time involving possible improper tutor involvement with UNC student - athletes . In response to the investigation , local and national sports columnists penned articles calling for Davis ' termination . 13 UNC football players were held out of the team ' s season opener in Atlanta against the LSU Tigers . North Carolina fell behind 30 - 10 in the game , but rallied and nearly pulled off a victory , eventually losing 30 - 24 . The Tar Heels later fell to ACC rivals Miami , Georgia Tech , Virginia Tech , and NC State , but won their first game since 1981 in Virginia ' s Scott Stadium and gained their first win ever in FSU ' s Doak Campbell Stadium when a Dustin Hopkins field goal missed wide right . At the end of October 2010 , three star players — WR Greg Little , DT Marvin Austin , and DE Robert Quinn — were ruled permanently ineligible after it was discovered they improperly accepted gifts from sports agents . Five other players were found guilty of accepting improper benefits and / or inappropriate academic assistance . North Carolina fans responded to the calls for Butch Davis ' job by beginning a movement in support of the coach . A survey of UNC fans reflected strong support for Coach Davis despite the ongoing investigation . On July 27 , 2011 , Davis was fired by UNC chancellor Holden Thorp amid NCAA investigation of academic misconduct and allegations players receiving improper benefits from agents . Thorp said the move was necessary to restore confidence in UNC ' s integrity . He said , " I have been deliberate in my approach to understanding this situation fully , and I have worked to be fair to everyone involved . However , I have lost confidence in our ability to come through this without harming the way people think of this institution . Our academic integrity is paramount and we must work diligently to protect it . The only way to move forward and put this behind us is to make a change . " " On September 19 , 2011 , in response to an NCAA notice of allegations , UNC announced it was vacating all of its wins from 2008 and 2009 , saying that its own investigation revealed players competed during those seasons while ineligible . As a result , those two seasons are officially UNC ' s first winless seasons in the modern era . It is only the second major infractions case in school history . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Davis will serve as a defensive assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012 . Broadcasting career . Davis also appeared on " NFL Playbook " , an NFL Network program where he discussed the week ' s upcoming games with fellow panelists . Davis also had his own segment of the show in the " NFL Playbook War Room " , where he would break down key match - ups . Head coaching record . College . < small > < nowiki > * < / nowiki > North Carolina self imposed a penalty of vacating 16 wins in the 2008 and 2009 seasons due to NCAA violations . They are still awaiting final punishment from the NCAA .