Head Coach Gregg Troy a Man of his Word
Monday, February 22, 2016 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
Coach Troy honors word to shave mustache with an 18.39 50-free from Caeleb Dressel
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- When it comes to committing to goals and keeping promises, University of Florida Head Coach Gregg Troy puts a high standard on not only his student-athletes, but also on himself -- even if it means shaving off the signature mustache he's owned since 1972.
"This all started with a 'fan questionnaire' I took part in on social media," said Troy. "Caeleb Dressel was one of those who decided to take part in the fun, and asked me how fast he would need to go in the 50-Yard Freestyle in order for me to shave my mustache.
"I took some time and thought about it. He'd improved from 19.2 as a high schooler which is tremendous, to 18.6 at the NCAA championships -- which is a humungous drop in the 50-yard freestyle. I thought if we can shave another .2 and get him to go 18.4 that would really be something. After that I said '18.39' and I guess I should have said 18.19 looking back.
"In the swimming world you've got to plant some seeds in towards what you can do. I wanted to plant a seed that I thought we could work towards for a couple of years and we just got a little bit ahead of schedule."
Coach Troy allowed Dressel to shave his mustache in front of the entire swim team Monday afternoon before practice. And although it came with some laughter and smiles, the message wasn't about Coach Troy's new look.
"We didn't do this at the meet because it wasn't about me, Caeleb, or my mustache," Troy said. "This is about keeping our word and the commitment to a goal and we wanted this to be a team activity as well. We always teach character here at Florida and we take a lot of pride in doing what we say we're going to do. Today was about following up with that.
There's no saying if Coach Troy will stick with the new clean-shaven look, or go back to the traditional mustache which we've grown to expect. After all, it's been a while since he's gone the clean-shaven route.
"I can't say for sure, but I think the last time I shaved the mustache was after our first conference title here with the women at Florida (2000-01 season).
Players Mentioned
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