When the NCAA put Miami on probation for three years and revoked 32 scholarships in 1995, some thought it was the end of the Hurricanes' national dominance.

"I remember one commentator that night making a point that we would never be a national power again, that we were finished," said Larry Coker, an assistant under Butch Davis at the time. "I guess we proved him wrong."

	Larry Coker, left, helped UM return to national prominence after NCAA sanctions nearly crippled the program.

That they did. Six years after the NCAA handed down one of its stiffest penalties ever, Miami returned to the thick of the national title hunt, ending the season ranked No. 2 behind unbeaten Oklahoma.

This fall, the Hurricanes will be one of the favorites for the national championship. The riches to rags to riches story has become the prime example of not letting severe NCAA sanctions rip apart a football program.

It's a blueprint that coaches like Alabama's Dennis Franchione and Kentucky's Guy Morriss, whose programs could both be facing NCAA sanctions in the upcoming year, would love to duplicate.

"When you look back, it surprises you a bit, we had to go through some tough sanctions," said Coker. "But the thing was we were never allowed to feel sorry for ourselves or use the sanctions as an excuse. We went out and coached regardless of the situation. And in reality, it turned around a lot sooner and faster than expected."

Coker, who was recently promoted to replace the departed Davis as head coach, was there for it all. He was there in 1995, when the Hurricanes had to give up a probable Orange Bowl bid in Davis' first season. He was there two years later, when the team finished 5-6 -- it's first losing season in 18 years.

"We not only lost scholarships, but bowl games," Coker said. "And you don't even lose numbers, but potential, because the top players don't want to come. So the key is keeping your attitude in tact and keeping the guys positive."

The situation Davis and Coker inherited at Miami is similar to that of Franchione and Morriss in that they've all inherited programs undergoing NCAA investigations.

Though it remains unknown what sanctions -- if any -- could be levied against Alabama or Kentucky, Coker does have some advice for both coaches, regardless of what happens: keep the players already on campus positive.

"That's the main thing. You need to make sure they understand everything so they can stay positive and focused," Coker said. "You need to give them a vision of where you are going and where you can be. They are the ones that are there, committed to you."

And for Miami, that worked.

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer at ESPN.com.