With a former NFL player and college coach for a father, Xavier Shannon didn't get to see very much of his dad growing up. But when he did, he said he was taught many valuable lessons in life.

As a second-grader, a spanking and six-month ban from video games and toys taught him to not act up in school. As a high school football player, a day full of running and vomiting showed him it's a not good idea to have your coach call your dad to tell him you showed up to practice out of shape. And as a young Scrabble player, he learned to never keep his eyes off his father.

''He cheats,'' Xavier said of his father, University of Miami football coach Randy Shannon. 'People that play Scrabble know there's only two blanks in the bag. Sometimes, if he needs a blank, he'll flip an `I' or a 'C' on its back. My grandma and I always call him out on it. But that's Dad, he tries to do whatever he can to win. He's competitive. All of us Shannons are.''

The relationship between father and son hit a new level, though, eight months ago when the son did something his father really didn't want him to -- join Dad's football team. Shannon has said publicly he never wanted his son to play for him and to make his own footprints in life.

After graduating from FIU in December, Xavier, 22, enrolled in UM's graduate school. With a year of eligibility remaining, he walked on to the Hurricanes' football team. His education is paid for (tuition remission) because his father works for the school. Since he has arrived, father and son have gone out of their way to avoid any perceived notions of favoritism.

When asked recently how his son, a 6-1, 300-pound fifth-year center was doing, the coach answered, ``Don't know. Don't watch him.''

But when the Canes kick off their season against Charleston Southern at 7 p.m. Thursday at Dolphins Stadium, father won't have any choice but to watch his son. Xavier, who started 29 games in his three years at FIU, is slated to have his hands on the football every time UM snaps the ball.

And while Randy, 42, won't discuss what his son does on the field, he does speak highly of what he has accomplished off it.

''As a dad I'm proud of him,'' the coach said. ``I think he's doing all the right things that he needs to make a dad proud. I'm sure he knows that.''

HANGING OUT

On a recent day off from practice, father and son sat down to watch the Olympics, talk about basketball, girls and life. But football was off limits.

''When we do talk, it's usually about movies,'' said Xavier, who said his father called at 5 a.m. this summer just to ask him when the movie National Treasure 2 was being released.

``He likes some movies and music nobody else likes. He has the entire Sting collection on DVD. He likes National Treasure, all the old [James Bond] 007s, Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan and Get Rich or Die Trying with 50 Cent. He really likes that one.''

The two didn't spend much time together while Xavier was growing up, with Randy spending much of his time coaching. ''I usually saw him about three or four days a week,'' Xavier said. ``But I lived with my grandma and my mom.''

When Xavier did see his dad, he knew not to cross the line. He said his father was a strict disciplinarian with all four of his children -- Tyquitah, 24, Randy, 8, and Steven 4. ''I remember how hard he was on my sister when she ran track at Coral Gables [High],'' Xavier said. ``With athletics, he would always push us harder than everybody else. He always wanted us to do the best no matter what we did. He doesn't like lazy people.''

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