Davis to undergo chemotherapy

North Carolina football coach Butch Davis is undergoing chemotherapy this spring after a small growth removed from his gum was found to be non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The Tar Heels began spring practice Monday, and Davis has no plans to stop coaching the team, he said in an informal gathering with a small group of reporters Tuesday afternoon.

"I feel as healthy as I've ever been, as active," Davis said.

"My plan is to put 100 percent total focus into this football team."

The chemo is just a precaution for Davis, because further tests in early March at the Cleveland Clinic's Taussig Cancer Center found no evidence of cancer in his mouth or anywhere else in his body, he said.

After consulting several doctors, the consensus, Davis said, was to do chemotherapy just to be sure that all the cancer was removed with the initial growth.

"That's the hope," Davis said. "But there's never any certainty. The only certainty that you can ever have is, if you want to make sure, this is what you gotta do."

The coach seemed just as upbeat as in his introductory news conference Nov. 27. Davis was hired Nov. 13 after the midseason firing of John Bunting and arrived in Chapel Hill bursting with optimism. That tone continued on Feb. 7, when Davis announced the signing of 24 recruits, comprising one of the top classes in the country.

And the coach kept the same attitude Tuesday, saying that his treatment is a minor issue that he would prefer not to speak about again.

"I know people are going to be concerned," he said. "But it's OK."

Davis saw his dentist in Cleveland for a routine checkup at the end of February, once recruiting season was over. The dentist discovered the growth and sent it off for tests.

Davis, who said he never has smoked or chewed tobacco, heard back in early March that the growth was cancerous and went to the Cleveland Clinic for a battery of tests, which showed him to be in fine health.

"My health was probably as good as it's been in four or five years," Davis said. "I passed the extensive physical and all that stuff with flying colors."

Davis completed the first round of chemo March 16 in Cleveland and has from three to six more rounds to go, depending on the success of the treatment.

He will complete the remainder of the treatment at UNC Hospitals, under the care of Dr. Thomas Shea. Davis' chemo treatments will occur once every two weeks, lasting two hours each. At the earliest, he will be finished at the beginning of May.

Davis informed the team about his treatment Tuesday afternoon, and he said they were supportive. The only thing the coach said might change is his hands-on style because his weakened immune system could make him more susceptible to illness.

"(The doctors) said there is a possibility that you might, near the end of the treatment, maybe get fatigued," Davis said.

"Right now I don't. They encouraged me to exercise. They said, 'Stay active. Do your job. Go to work.' So that's the plan."

UNC will continue to practice until the annual spring game April 14 at noon in Kenan Stadium.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.