Mr2Bits
Gator Fan
Today is Urban Meyer's 46th birthday, and as a Gator fan I can't think of a better birthday present for him than this heartfelt tribute.
<img src="http://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz158/only_gators1/meyer-look-back.jpg" alt="Urban Meyer" />
Since that day in December 2004 when his hiring was made official to replace the fired Ron Zook, I felt that Coach Meyer's coming to Gainesville was the best choice for Florida football - and I'm glad Jeremy Foley won him over from the competition coming from that school up north on the southern coast of Lake Michigan in northern Indiana with the infamous golden dome. My first thought was "We're gonna win championships", and I wasn't disappointed. I still like to think that it was kismet - fate - that brought Urban to the Gators. He had somewhat of a daunting task in taking over a program that lost its swagger, had no sense of strong leadership or direction, and basically had no <strong>order</strong> - and managed to restore what was lost by breaking the team he had inherited down and building them back up again during his first season back in 2005. Not only that, Urban has raised the bar at Florida: he rose to the challenge of getting the program headed back in the right direction, brought back the prestige from days of yore that had been missing under three years of the Zooker, and has taken our football program a step further. He's carving out his own niche in the college football world, and what better place for him to do so than in Gainesville.
The National Championship win in 2006 indicated the shape of things to come. We had talent on our roster that was untapped, not developed to its fullest potential during the Zook years and a bit "soft", as Urban alluded to former punter Eric Wilbur during a pre-season practice back in 2005 - but Coach Meyer and his staff elevated them to a higher level once they coaxed our players out of their "comfort zone", made "4 to 6 seconds of relentless effort" a new mantra, and brought about a more competitive attitude in the locker room. Losing was no longer acceptable at the University of Florida, as he made clear to his team. The resistance to Meyer's way of doing things during that first season pretty much ended that day in November 2005 on an airport tarmac following a loss to South Carolina when he read his players the riot act. Although we had a bit of a falling-off in 2007 due to the large exodus of players to graduation and early entry into the NFL, Tim Tebow won the Heisman that year having been the first sophomore to do so - then we reloaded and won another crystal football in 2008. As heartbreaking as the loss to Alabama in the 2009 SEC title game was after going undefeated during the regular season, we capped it off with a BCS bowl win and a consensus #3 national ranking - and brought in yet another #1-ranked recruiting class just as we did following the 2005 season. Four out of the five years of his past tenure, Meyer's Gators have won a "triple crown" in defeating archrivals Tennessee, Georgia and that school out west during a single season. As I see it, that's a hell of a lot to have accomplished in a short span of five years' time.
Part of the reason why Urban Meyer's so successful is the fact that he's innovative; he's developed his own style after having served under and being mentored by some of the best in the business, and he also adapts his particular scheme around the talent level of the players on his rosters which showcases their strengths; case in point was with Chris Leak during the 2005 and 2006 seasons in forming a more "hybrid" version of his spread offense that he could successfully operate. In spite of the pundits stating that the spread offense wouldn't work in the SEC and that faction of Gator Nation persistent on wanting to see a "pro-style" offense, Meyer has found a way to make the spread and its variations an effective weapon on offense - as well as a way to win under difficult conditions - by effectively planning for gameday, preparing his players for 60 solid minutes of football and using his ingenuity to remain a step ahead of the competition. Another reason for his success is his ability to recruit not just the best players out there, but the <strong>right</strong> players for the Gator football program. Statistically, his all-time winning percentage ranking is in the top 10 among active college coaches. Academically, we've taken a huge step forward from the Zook years in seeing an increase of the overall team GPA and graduation rate. In spite of the number of episodes of player misconduct and ridiculous media distractions, he's always managed to made the best of a bad situation. In a nutshell, what Urban's doing for Florida football is right, and is in the best overall interest of our program.
As heartbreaking as it was to have heard of his sudden resignation around the Christmas holiday, it was a relief to hear of his decision to retract that resignation following some thought the next day and after watching a very spirited practice before the Sugar Bowl this past winter. As far as I'm concerned, Coach Meyer made the right decision in retracting that resignation; for him to have seen everything he's accomplished during his tenure as Florida's head coach start to unravel and deteriorate in the wrong hands would have been emotionally upsetting to him. Just that retraction alone told me that Urban's totally and genuinely dedicated to the Gator football program and its continued success. Still, his health scare following the SEC Championship loss to Alabama was a wake-up call telling him that he can't afford to forsake his health or take anything for granted - and he took steps to rectify things by addressing his health issues and taking quality time off to spend with his family. There have been some concerns raised as to whether or not he will be able to maintain the same intensity as he has done in the past now that he's delegated some of the responsibilities to his assistants, but I honestly don't see that happening; based on what I've seen him do since he's been with the Gators he will find a way to balance faith, family and football with no adverse consequences to our program.
Once Urban officially signs his contract extension through 2014, the icing will be on the cake. Before he decides to call it a career, I'd love to see another National Championship or two come Florida's way as well as other honors to further cement his legacy. Based on the results of this past National Signing Day and a successful spring practice, the future still looks promising as Urban enters his sixth season with the Gators. You know, "Urban Meyer Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium" has a nice ring to it - well, at least to <em><strong>me</strong></em> it does.
<strong>Happy Birthday, Coach Meyer - and many more!</strong>
<img src="http://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz158/only_gators1/meyer-look-back.jpg" alt="Urban Meyer" />
Since that day in December 2004 when his hiring was made official to replace the fired Ron Zook, I felt that Coach Meyer's coming to Gainesville was the best choice for Florida football - and I'm glad Jeremy Foley won him over from the competition coming from that school up north on the southern coast of Lake Michigan in northern Indiana with the infamous golden dome. My first thought was "We're gonna win championships", and I wasn't disappointed. I still like to think that it was kismet - fate - that brought Urban to the Gators. He had somewhat of a daunting task in taking over a program that lost its swagger, had no sense of strong leadership or direction, and basically had no <strong>order</strong> - and managed to restore what was lost by breaking the team he had inherited down and building them back up again during his first season back in 2005. Not only that, Urban has raised the bar at Florida: he rose to the challenge of getting the program headed back in the right direction, brought back the prestige from days of yore that had been missing under three years of the Zooker, and has taken our football program a step further. He's carving out his own niche in the college football world, and what better place for him to do so than in Gainesville.
The National Championship win in 2006 indicated the shape of things to come. We had talent on our roster that was untapped, not developed to its fullest potential during the Zook years and a bit "soft", as Urban alluded to former punter Eric Wilbur during a pre-season practice back in 2005 - but Coach Meyer and his staff elevated them to a higher level once they coaxed our players out of their "comfort zone", made "4 to 6 seconds of relentless effort" a new mantra, and brought about a more competitive attitude in the locker room. Losing was no longer acceptable at the University of Florida, as he made clear to his team. The resistance to Meyer's way of doing things during that first season pretty much ended that day in November 2005 on an airport tarmac following a loss to South Carolina when he read his players the riot act. Although we had a bit of a falling-off in 2007 due to the large exodus of players to graduation and early entry into the NFL, Tim Tebow won the Heisman that year having been the first sophomore to do so - then we reloaded and won another crystal football in 2008. As heartbreaking as the loss to Alabama in the 2009 SEC title game was after going undefeated during the regular season, we capped it off with a BCS bowl win and a consensus #3 national ranking - and brought in yet another #1-ranked recruiting class just as we did following the 2005 season. Four out of the five years of his past tenure, Meyer's Gators have won a "triple crown" in defeating archrivals Tennessee, Georgia and that school out west during a single season. As I see it, that's a hell of a lot to have accomplished in a short span of five years' time.
Part of the reason why Urban Meyer's so successful is the fact that he's innovative; he's developed his own style after having served under and being mentored by some of the best in the business, and he also adapts his particular scheme around the talent level of the players on his rosters which showcases their strengths; case in point was with Chris Leak during the 2005 and 2006 seasons in forming a more "hybrid" version of his spread offense that he could successfully operate. In spite of the pundits stating that the spread offense wouldn't work in the SEC and that faction of Gator Nation persistent on wanting to see a "pro-style" offense, Meyer has found a way to make the spread and its variations an effective weapon on offense - as well as a way to win under difficult conditions - by effectively planning for gameday, preparing his players for 60 solid minutes of football and using his ingenuity to remain a step ahead of the competition. Another reason for his success is his ability to recruit not just the best players out there, but the <strong>right</strong> players for the Gator football program. Statistically, his all-time winning percentage ranking is in the top 10 among active college coaches. Academically, we've taken a huge step forward from the Zook years in seeing an increase of the overall team GPA and graduation rate. In spite of the number of episodes of player misconduct and ridiculous media distractions, he's always managed to made the best of a bad situation. In a nutshell, what Urban's doing for Florida football is right, and is in the best overall interest of our program.
As heartbreaking as it was to have heard of his sudden resignation around the Christmas holiday, it was a relief to hear of his decision to retract that resignation following some thought the next day and after watching a very spirited practice before the Sugar Bowl this past winter. As far as I'm concerned, Coach Meyer made the right decision in retracting that resignation; for him to have seen everything he's accomplished during his tenure as Florida's head coach start to unravel and deteriorate in the wrong hands would have been emotionally upsetting to him. Just that retraction alone told me that Urban's totally and genuinely dedicated to the Gator football program and its continued success. Still, his health scare following the SEC Championship loss to Alabama was a wake-up call telling him that he can't afford to forsake his health or take anything for granted - and he took steps to rectify things by addressing his health issues and taking quality time off to spend with his family. There have been some concerns raised as to whether or not he will be able to maintain the same intensity as he has done in the past now that he's delegated some of the responsibilities to his assistants, but I honestly don't see that happening; based on what I've seen him do since he's been with the Gators he will find a way to balance faith, family and football with no adverse consequences to our program.
Once Urban officially signs his contract extension through 2014, the icing will be on the cake. Before he decides to call it a career, I'd love to see another National Championship or two come Florida's way as well as other honors to further cement his legacy. Based on the results of this past National Signing Day and a successful spring practice, the future still looks promising as Urban enters his sixth season with the Gators. You know, "Urban Meyer Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium" has a nice ring to it - well, at least to <em><strong>me</strong></em> it does.
<strong>Happy Birthday, Coach Meyer - and many more!</strong>
