UNITED THEY STAND : Days of Miami Vice Have Helped Hurricanes, Winners of 11 in a Row, Bond into a Title Contender

Standing firm and resolute while the once glorious University of Miami football program crumbled around him, Coach Butch Davis remained unscathed.

Nothing seemed to dim the sparkle in his eyes, wipe the smile off his face, dull the optimism in his voice.

Not the murders. Not the burglaries. Not the assaults. Not the suspensions. Not the poor academic results. Not the losses on and off the field.

Through it all, Davis kept a steady hand on the wheel, telling any and all who would listen that the storm would eventually pass and his ship would be riding high.

And sure enough, Davis and his football Hurricanes have not only survived, but prospered. After 22 months on the job, Davis seems to have restored order, for his program and the Miami police force.

The Hurricanes will enter the Orange Bowl this afternoon for a showdown against traditional rival Florida State with a 4-0 record and the No. 6 spot in the national rankings. The Seminoles, also 4-0, are ranked third.

“Instead of being a distraction, all these incidents have unified us,” Miami quarterback Ryan Clement said. “It has given us a real sense of family.”

To the outside world, the long list of shocking incidents has given the impression that this team’s telecasts ought to be shown on “America’s Most Wanted,” that the uniforms should be orange prison jumpsuits.

Just look at the record:

--Wide receiver Jammi German, suspended for the entire season after being charged with burglary and battery.

--Linebacker Jeffrey Taylor, suspended for two games for being at the German beating incident, in which German attacked the captain of the school’s track team for allegedly calling German a homosexual.

--Linebacker James Burgess, suspended for one game for being at the German beating incident.

--Offensive lineman Ricky Perry, suspended for four games on charges of attempted burglary, battery and assault with a firearm. The charges have all been dropped, with the understanding that Perry will take part in a firearms diversion program.

--Defensive end Derrick Ham, suspended for two games after having been charged with beating his girlfriend. The charges have been dropped, with the understanding that Ham will attend a diversion program.

--Running back Danyell Ferguson, suspended for two games for receiving extra benefits, an NCAA violation.

--Wide receiver Yatil Green, suspended for two games for receiving extra benefits.

--Defensive back-special teams player Tremain Mack, serving the second game of his suspension today after being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

And that’s not even mentioning players suspended by Davis for being late to team meetings or missing the team bus.

Nor the fact that Davis inherited a program that had already been ravaged by scandals involving financial aid, drug testing and extra benefits, scandals that resulted in sanctions levied by the NCAA last December. Miami is on three years’ probation, has already served a one-year ban on postseason play and has lost 24 football scholarships.

A lesser man might have been beaten down by the seemingly endless string of violations.

But Davis has long since acquired the virtues that have helped him weather the storm--patience and discipline.

Born in Oklahoma 44 years ago as Paul Hilton Davis, the Miami coach inherited qualities that had driven his family for generations. One of his grandfathers was a sheriff, the other a minister. His father was a tough but respected high school coach.

Growing up in that family, there wasn’t much chance the younger Davis would stray far from the path traveled by those before him. And indeed, he didn’t.

Asked the worst thing he had ever done in his own athletic career, which ended when he blew out a knee while playing defensive end at Arkansas for Coach Frank Broyles, Davis had to think long and hard.

“I guess the worst thing was that I missed curfew once,” he finally said. “I think my punishment was that I couldn’t go out on a date.”

And there he was, years later, taking over a Miami team whose players’ most vital statistics were frequently to be found on a police blotter.

Still, it could be worse for Davis. He could be with the Raiders.

That was the choice he had in January 1995 when another Davis, Al, owner of the then-Los Angeles Raiders, came calling.

Butch Davis had an impressive set of credentials in the coaching fraternity by then. Beginning as an assistant high school coach in Fayetteville, Ark., in 1973, Davis made it to the collegiate ranks in 1979, as an assistant at Oklahoma State under Jimmy Johnson.

It was an association that put Davis on track to the top of his profession. When Johnson went on to the Hurricanes in 1984, he took Davis with him. And when Johnson left to become coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, he again took Davis.

Butch Davis was the defensive coordinator of the Cowboys when Al Davis inquired as to his availability. Their first meeting lasted 16 hours.

The next day, Butch Davis had another suitor, Miami Athletic Director Paul Dee. Dee had a firm offer with a firm deadline: right now. With the signing period for recruits beginning in just over a week, Dee needed to know who would replace Dennis Erickson, who was going to the Seattle Seahawks.

The Raider offer was more muddled. Butch Davis said he and Al Davis discussed two or three possibilities. Raider sources at the time said Butch Davis was offered the defensive coordinator’s job at $800,000 a year. But Al Davis still hadn’t decided at that point whether he was going to fire Coach Art Shell.

So Butch Davis went with the sure thing. But if circumstances had been different?

“Then, I might be in Oakland today,” Davis said.

Instead, he chose Miami, where the team got off to a horrendous 1-3 start in 1995, including a 31-8 loss to UCLA in the Hurricanes’ opener and a humiliating 41-17 defeat by Florida State.

“That last one really shook everybody to the bottom of their feet,” Davis said. “It was one of the best things that could have happened to us because I don’t think, until that point, people realized the true state of the program.”

Once Davis had everybody’s attention, he made the most of the opportunity. In fact, the Hurricanes haven’t lost a game since that dark day in Tallahassee. They won their final seven games of last season and the winning streak, now up to 11, is the longest in the nation among major colleges.

It hasn’t been easy.

Last spring, in the midst of the rebuilding process, popular linebacker Marlin Barnes and his girlfriend were found murdered on campus. A former boyfriend of the girl has been charged.

Much of the lawbreaking among the Hurricanes followed and defensive back Earl Little, Barnes’ best friend and the man who found the bodies, is convinced there is a connection.

“These are not violent people,” said Little of his teammates. “But they took their anger and frustration out on society. Now we take it out on our opponents. We stand in the huddle and say, ‘This is for our homey, Red [Barnes’ nickname].’ ”

Dee said that some psychologists agreed with the theory that Barnes’ violent death spawned more violence.

“That is not an excuse,” Dee said. “It is an explanation.”

Through it all, Davis stayed the course. There would be no leniency in his program, even for the minor transgressions. When offensive lineman K.C. Jones was five minutes late to a team meeting, he was benched for the first offensive series of the next game.

Despite the winning streak, the numbers Davis seems proudest of were racked up off the field. On his watch, class attendance by athletes is up 38% and the grade-point average is up nearly a point.

“I respect him as a coach,” said Burgess, one of those suspended. “If you don’t go to class, you can’t play for him. But if you stay out of trouble, nothing will happen to you. He has taught us that we should be looking forward to the future, rather than back to the past. He has told us that we can’t look both ways.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TODAY’S GAME

FLORIDA STATE at MIAMI

* When: 12:30 p.m.

* Where: Orange Bowl

* Records: No. 3 Florida State (4-0),

No. 6 Miami (4-0)

* TV: Channel 2