During the 1980s and early '90s, Miami's football program was great and its players were more than happy to tell you about it. Who will ever forget UM's Cotton Bowl-record 16 penalties for 202 yards -- mostly for personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct -- in a 46-3 blowout of Texas in 1991, a game that almost single-handedly caused the NCAA to reassess the enforcement of rules governing player behavior? Or the Jerome Brown-Vinny Testaverde team which arrived for the 1987 Fiesta Bowl decked out in camouflage and then walked out of pre-game steak fry with the Nittany Lions rather than break bread with the enemy? Or Michael Irvin shooting off imaginary finger pistols seemingly every time he caught a TD pass in college?

In those days, Miami was about players strutting and dancing and running their mouths and -- much to the chagrin of purists and fans of sportsmanship -- winning incessantly. It was a team that registered 58 consecutive home wins and played for the national championship eight times over a 12-year period -- winning four of them (1983, '87, '89 and '91).

But then came a real storm for the Hurricanes. The NCAA hit Miami with sanctions that stripped the program of 31 scholarships over a three-year period. No scholarships equals no depth. No depth equals no winning. Suddenly the cocky attitude was gone. Gone were the national titles. Why, the mighty Canes even dropped to 5-6 in 1997.

	Butch Davis bit his tongue despite frustrations with BCS.

But now after a short hiatus, Miami is back. They are one of three Florida schools ranked in the top five (just like the good old days) and appears to finally be back among the nation's best teams after surviving those NCAA sanctions. The man who has turned the Hurricanes' fortunes around is Butch Davis, a hard-working, no-nonsense guy who was part of Miami's successful past (he was an assistant under Jimmy Johnson both with the Hurricanes and in the pros) and who had a clear vision of how the Canes would return to its place among the nation's elite.

"We wanted to instill the idea that you can win with class," said Davis, who took over for Dennis Erickson the first year sanctions were in effect six years ago. "The first thing (we did) was to sell players that changing the image wasn't going to change the opportunity to win games."

Heading into this Saturday's nationally televised showdown with Washington, Miami appears to be all the way back. They're No.4 in both polls. Their skill players, led by gamebreaking flanker Santana Moss and a deep reservoir of tailbacks, might be the nation's finest. In all, 14 starters are back from a 9-4 team that finished No. 15 in the country in 1999 and has Hurricane fans reasonably entertaining thoughts of another national championship.

"We're finally starting to recover from the sanctions," Davis said. "We're starting to get the type of depth that we need to compete nationally. And we're winning with good kids -- kids who want to graduate, who want to be role models in the community."

This isn't just lip service. Miami has graduated 80 percent of its players three of the past five years -- and more than 70 percent in Davis' other two seasons. Davis has emphasized community involvement, with nine different programs and 11 other team projects. Three out of the past four years, a Hurricane has been named to the 11-member American Football Coaches Association "Good Works Team."

And the football-rich state of Florida has given back to Davis too. "Each year, there are 75-100 major Division I football prospects in the state of Florida and there are three major Division I programs in the state (Miami, Florida State and Florida). Plus, the rest of world also recruits here," Davis said. "But we've been able to win a fair share of battles here and that has helped us get this program back where it should be."

	“	We're finally starting to recover from the sanctions. We're starting to get the type of depth that we need to compete nationally. And we're winning with good kids -- kids who want to graduate, who want to be role models in the community. ”
		— Miami coach Butch Davis

He's right. His 2000 Heisman Trophy candidate, Moss, is a Miami native. Miami's all-everything linebacker Dan Morgan is from the Sunshine State. Three of his stud tailbacks, senior James Jackson, Najeh Davenport and Clinton Portis are Florida natives. In all, 50 current Hurricanes are in-state products.

To his credit, Davis has been able to keep Florida's top-notch players in state and talent-laden Dade County stars home in Miami. He has succeeded in the same state as two guys named Steve Spurrier and Bobby Bowden by being his own man and patiently sticking to his blueprint for success. He has been rumored for jobs elsewhere, both in the NFL and SEC, but has quickly pulled his name out of the running because he wants to finish what he started at Miami.

So who is Davis and how is he different from the state's other two high-profile college coaches? If you were playing in a golf foursome with two of your buddies and say Bowden, the Seminoles' aging coach would have nicknames for you and your two buddies by the first tee, tell great stories all afternoon and would yell "dagnubit" when he sliced a tee shot. Spurrier? He's the best gamesman of the bunch. He'd probably give you a one-foot putt. But on the next hole, Spurrier would be clear his throat just as you were about to attempt a four-footer.

Davis is more like his former boss Johnson -- without the super-slicked hair, of course. He's fiercely competitive and a great talent evaluator. He's not in Bowden's or Spurrier's league in the one-liners department, but he gives thoughtful answers to each reporter's question. In short, he's a guy who takes some time to get to know, but who you'd probably really like by the ninth or tenth hole.

Most important, he's passionate about Miami football -- defending its past to critics while looking ahead to a return to its glory days.

"It isn't talked about much, but Miami football has been littered with players of great character -- guys like Russell Maryland, Bernie Kosar and Steve Walsh," Davis said. "Guys who were winners on and off the field. We've tried to use those guys as well as people in the NFL like Jerry Rice and Troy Aikman as role models. We want our players to exhibit class in the way they practice and prepare for class, play the game, and deal with opponents and media people."

It's certainly a "new" Miami under Davis. With a win on national TV at Washington this Saturday, the Canes will be one step closer to the greatness that the "old" Miami teams possessed.

Bill Doherty covers Big East football for ESPN.com.