Dan McCarney - The Time is Now
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 | Football
By: Kelly Reynolds, UF Communications
It's great to be a Florida Gator.
Every Gator faithful fan knows it's great to be in Gainesville on a football Saturday and it's great to be a Gator, especially with the rich tradition of success that comes along with being associated with one of the elite football programs in the nation.
Finally, UF assistant head coach Dan McCarney is a Gator. Working specifically with the defense and the defensive line, he couldn't be more ecstatic to call himself a coach of the 2008 Gator squad. More importantly, he can't wait to bring success to the table as a coach and he can't wait to bring the fans pride, for yet another season, as the Gators take off on a mission to be among the best of the best in 2008.
“America comes alive when college football season starts,” McCarney said prior to the season opener against Hawaii. “We all know that and I can't wait. This is what it's all about—the enthusiasm, the passion, the emotions, the students and the fans. I've seen this place on television. I've lost track of how many times I've seen Florida on TV and now I get to walk out here as a coach. It's pretty special.”
McCarney is a man that carries a lot of pride in being a Gator, and with one win under his belt, he's begun to show why he's so special to the Gator football program. He boasts experience that no other coach, except Urban Meyer, can claim as a member of the UF football staff—head coaching experience.
“Dan is a great addition to our coaching staff,” Meyer said. “His experience as a head coach will be invaluable. He has a proven record as a recruiter and a developer of talent. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as a coach and as a person.”
McCarney and his family: wife, Margy, and children, Jillian, Melanie and Shane, arrived in Gainesville prior to the start of spring ball this year. McCarney, an Iowa City, Iowa, native, received his degree from the University of Iowa in 1975 and shortly after, in 1977, started the journey of his successful career at his alma mater working with the Hawkeye defensive line until 1989. McCarney served a short stint at Wisconsin when he took a position to be the defensive coordinator, but all roads led back to Iowa for McCarney, who became the longest tenured head coach in the Big 12 in 2006 after coaching the Iowa State Cyclones from 1995-2006.
“I was an assistant coach for many, many years before I was a head coach and now I'm entering my second year back as an assistant coach (spent 2007 with South Florida),” McCarney said. “All I try to do is bring something positive from all my years of experience. From handling adversity to handling success, you take something from every experience you have. As an assistant coach, you make a lot more suggestions and recommendations. As a head coach, you make the decisions. I've been on both sides and hopefully through that experience I can bring some positives to the table to help the program.”
McCarney has already had an impact on the defensive players, working initially with the Florida strength and conditioning staff to make improvements in the speed and agility of the line on the offseason, then translating those improvements to the field during spring ball and two-a-days camp.
The Gator defensive line has bought into McCarney's philosophy and he's earned their trust, necessities for a successful collaboration that McCarney is sure will translate into success.
“(Former defensive line coach) Mattison was a 'more passive, get on you' in a stern way,” UF defensive lineman Duke Lemmens said. “McCarney's more of a yeller, but I've grown up with both. I can react to both. All that matters to me is that they care about us. Coach Mattison cared about us and so does Coach McCarney.”
The former 2004 Big 12 Coach of the Year, McCarney experienced tremendous success at Iowa State, where he took the Cyclones to five bowl games. His 2000 Cyclone squad was the first Iowa State team to win nine games in 94 years, which the team followed with its first-ever bowl victory over Pittsburgh in the Insight.com Bowl, also the team's first bowl appearance since 1978. McCarney is also recognized as the longest-serving and winningest head coach in school history.
McCarney found himself Florida-bound, one step closer to Gator Nation, in 2007 as the assistant head coach and defensive line coach at the University of South Florida, where he led a Bull defense that ranked third nationally. Under McCarney's assistantship, USF jumped to their highest BCS ranking in school history.
Just like Gator Nation has a passion for the rich tradition of the Florida football program, McCarney has caught on, and he couldn't be more proud that his coaching career brought him to Gainesville and the University of Florida.
“You come here and look at the All-American boards and see the best players in the history of University of Florida football, and look at all of the draft picks from UF—what an unbelievable tradition,” McCarney said. “You know one thing, if they do it at Florida, it's done first-class. To be by Urban's side and to learn from him—and hopefully bring home another national championship—that is why all of us are here."
With the collaboration, depth and team chemistry molding already for Meyer, McCarney and the 2008 Gators, how sweet it would be to add another national title to the highly-touted Florida football program. One thing is for sure, if there's an assistant coach with the discipline and knowledge to get it done, it's 30-year veteran McCarney.
“That's the number one reason I came here, to help the Gators win another Southeastern Conference and national championship,” McCarney said.
And of course, to be a Florida Gator.
-UF-
