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Reunion Week In Miami

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 24, 2008

CORAL GABLES North Carolina coach Butch Davis left Miami eight years ago, prepared his Tar Heels so well that they beat the Hurricanes last season, and has only been on the sidelines at Dolphin Stadium once before.

As such, he insists Saturday's matchup between ACC foes won't seem like much of a homecoming.

"I could see it, going back down to Miami, if this had been the first game," Davis said. "But we played them last year. So now, it's just another game in the conference."

Mm-hmm. Right.

From the way he helped lead Miami through scholarship losses and other NCAA sanctions levied over infractions committed before he became the head coach, to his 51-20 record and lofty national rankings in Coral Gables, Davis left an indelible mark on Hurricanes' history.

And deep down, when Miami coach Randy Shannon - who was on Davis' Hurricane staff - sees one of his good friends and mentors on the opposite sideline, it'll still be an odd feeling, just as it was last year when Miami went to Chapel Hill and lost 33-27.

"We're playing against a guy that I really respect as a head coach and as a person, Coach Davis," Shannon said. "I have coached with him for years here at Miami. We were here together when we got Miami changed around. He is doing a wonderful job at North Carolina in getting that program going. I cannot say enough good things about him."

The Associated Press

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