Butch Davis
The architect who rebuilt the University of Miami football dynasty from the ashes of NCAA sanctions, crafting a national champion from sheer force of will.
Born 1951 (age 75)·American football player and coach·Birthday: November 17·Baby Boomers
Biography
Butch Davis's coaching career is a study in defensive brilliance and organizational resurrection. He cut his teeth as a relentless recruiter and defensive strategist under Jimmy Johnson, first at Oklahoma State and then with the Dallas Cowboys, where his defenses were key to Super Bowl victories. His defining challenge came in 1995 when he returned to a University of Miami program decimated by NCAA penalties and a loss of prestige. Through obsessive recruiting, particularly in South Florida, and instilling a tough, professional culture, he didn't just rebuild the team—he reconstructed the pipeline of talent that would fuel its next dynasty. The team he built went on to win the 2001 national championship under his successor, Larry Coker. His subsequent NFL stint with the Cleveland Browns was less successful, but he later performed another turnaround at Florida International University, taking a moribund program to its first bowl games.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Butch was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Butch Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Butch's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- As head coach, rebuilt the University of Miami football program from severe NCAA sanctions to national championship contender.
- Served as defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys during their Super Bowl XXVII and XXVIII victories.
- Led Florida International University (FIU) to its first two bowl game appearances in program history.
- Recruited and developed the core of Miami's 2001 national championship team.
Did You Know?
He played college football as a defensive end at the University of Arkansas.
He survived a bout with cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) in 1999 while coaching at Miami.
His first head coaching job in the NFL was with the Cleveland Browns when they returned as an expansion team in 1999.
“You build a program on defense, discipline, and relentless recruiting.”
