Section B · Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, January 31.2001
Browns announce hiring Davis
BEREA, Ohio — Nobody's hiding secrets, withholding information or denying rumors anymore. Butch
The Associated Press
Davis is the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns introduced Davis yesterday, a day after
he ended a month of speculation and gossip about his future at the University of Miami by resigning as coach of the Hurricanes.
Davis, a six-year NFL assistant who won two Super Bowl rings in Dallas, spent six seasons at Miami and returned the Hurricanes to national title contention. He'll have an even bigger job in Cleveland, where the Browns have been outclassed by the rest of the NFL for the last two years.
The surprising announcement the
Browns had hired Davis was welcome relief to Cleveland fans still reeling at the sight of seeing former Browns owner Art Modell winning a Super Bowl title with Baltimore.
Team president Carmen Policy said from the start of the Browns' coaching search "Butch Davis was the No.1 candidate of this organization."
But the Browns didn't think they had a chance at hiring Davis until last weekend.
In recent weeks, both Davis and the Brown had rejected rumors he would come to Cleveland, and Policy said only a series of unexpected developments led to the hiring.
Davis met with Policy and team owner Al Lerner in Florida on Jan. 13, but rejected a pitch from the Browns.
Policy said things changed late last week when he spoke with Davis' agent, Marvin Demoff, who said there might be a glimmer of interest
"That started a whirlwind of activity that lasted until about 2 a.m. Monday," Policy said, adding he missed the Super Bowl because of the negotiations.
The Browns had been looking for a coach since Jan. 11., when they fired Chris Palmer after a disturbing and injury-ravaged 3-13 season.
"He's a solid coach and a great pick," Brownns guard Jim Pyne said of Davis. "He's a high-energy guy who has a lot of enthusiasm and fire. He's a tough disciplinarian, and that can only help a young team. I'm really happy he's coming."
Money could be a big reason Davis changed his mind.
Davis received a five-year deal. An NFL source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press Davis was seeking a total of about $13 million to $15 million. Davis' contract with Miami paid him $900,000 annually, and the school's new five-year offer was sold to be worth about $1.3 million a year.
New league hopes to piledrive NFL
The Associated Press
HARTFORD, Conn. — The World Wrestling Federation is out to body slam the NFL.
After stealing the all-important male demographic from Monday Night Football broadcasts, the WWF wants to capitalize on post-Super Bowl football cravings with Saturday's start of its own football league: the XFL.
"The NFL has forgotten about the fan," said Vince McAloon.
head of the WWF, which coowns the league with NBC.
"The WWF moniker on the XFL is not a negative," McMahon said. "It is a plus."
"The NFL is more about corporate America," he said. "What we're doing is respecting the fan, giving them more than their money's worth and bringing them closer to the game."
The XFL is offering $25 seats at the 50-yard line, 75-foot Jumbotrons, concert-quality speaker systems, and fireworks and light shows galore.
With the WWF name attached, the league's legitimacy has been questioned.
Some NFL and TV standards will be all but ignored in the new league.
Team names will be purposely misspelled (the Los Angeles Xtreme, the Memphis Maniax) and occasionally politically incorrect (the New York/New Jersey Hitmen).
Even the league's acronym defies conventions: It doesn't stad for the Xtreme Football League, or anything else, the XFL said.
Cameras and microphones will catch all the action of the game in the huddles, on the sidelines, in the locker rooms, in the stands and among the cheerleaders.
NFL plays such as the fair catch and the point-after-touchdown kick won't be found in the XL, said Basil V. DeVito Jr..
XFL president.
"With the rule changes, we are bringing the game back to where it used to be," said Dick Butkus, XFL director of football competition and Chicago Bears Hall of Famer.
The NFL does not seem concerned.
"Well, we don't make much of it, because frankly we spent so much time focused on our own issues and challenges that we have really not been able to focus on the XFL," NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said.
One reason for the NFL's apparent lack of concern is the XFL's rosters, which include NFL castaways like Rashaan Shehee and football journeymen like Jerry Crafts.
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John H. Antil, a University of Delaware marketing professor who studies sports-related businesses, said NFL viewers wanted to see talented players.
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