Away We Go: Muschamp's Relentless Energy Evident In Introductory Press Conference
Wednesday, December 15, 2010 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Larry Muschamp looked around the room with a serene grin on his face, accepting one hand shake after another.
“I see so many old friends in here,'' Muschamp said. “It's really nice to be back.''
Muschamp was headmaster here at Oak Hall School more than 20 years ago and raised three boys not far from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Muschamp family returned to their hometown of Rome, Ga., after their youngest son Will's eighth-grade year.
As Larry Muschamp reflected on the journey that brought the family back to Gainesville on a cold Tuesday night in mid-December, Will Muschamp was off in the distance doing a TV interview after his introductory press conference.
His dad nearly fell out of his chair on Saturday night when Will called with the news.
“Dad, do you realize you're talking to the new head football coach at Florida?'' Will asked when Larry grabbed the phone.
Larry requested that his reply not be quoted, but take my word, it was a good one.
“We were all flabbergasted,'' Larry said. “We thought he was calling about his Christmas plans.''
Instead, the Muschamps received a Christmas gift. Shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Larry William Muschamp walked into a packed third-floor room at The Swamp and officially introduced as the 23rd head coach in Florida football history.
Muschamp looked the part, wearing a dark sport coat, blue dress shirt and orange tie. A little while earlier he spoke to his new team for the first time as the Gators current coach – Urban Meyer – shared the stage.
“We wanted a coach who had competed on a big stage, and Will has done that his entire career,'' Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley said prior to introducing the 39-year-old Muschamp. “It was very, very clear early on that this was the guy that we wanted to bring to Gainesville to lead our football program and build on the wonderful foundation that's been left here by Urban Meyer.''
Once Muschamp stepped to the podium, all those stories you've heard about his high energy, his ability to motivate, his football knowledge, his communication skills, well, they all made perfect sense.
Muschamp's motor runs at a high speed. Once he started talking, he didn't stop more nearly 20 minutes until it was time for questions.
He covered the basics. He plans to use a pro-style offense. He wants to hire an offensive coordinator with college and professional experience. He said to expect a physically and mentally tough Gators team as long as he's head coach.
But he also played to the bigger picture. Muschamp is a big believer in making strong first-impressions. He aced that test in his introduction to Gator Nation.
“We cannot wait to hit the ground running,'' cornerback Jeremy Brown said. “Everyone is excited and can tell he's a fiery guy. We've all done our homework and seen how he's an in-your-face kind of coach. He brings a lot of passion to the game.''
Muschamp's personality and background sold Foley quickly during their face-to-face meeting in Austin, Texas, on Saturday.
Muschamp said the job description Foley talked about before flying to Austin sold him on possibly leaving Texas, where he was already pegged as Mack Brown's replacement.
“He talked about a fit,'' Muschamp said. “When he started describing exactly what he was looking for … he wanted a good fit for Gainesville and our community. And he wanted somebody that understood the expectations of the program. And the expectations of Florida is winning championships, and believe me, I understand that.
“When he described that to me on the phone, it got me more and more excited because I felt like he was describing me, the perfect fit for Florida.''
Even before Tuesday's introduction, Muschamp was already busy at work, spending most of the past two days on the phone talking to recruits. Now that he is here, Muschamp wants to win enough to give his kids a chance to grow up in Gainesville.
As his wife Carol and their two sons – Jackson and Whit – sat next to Muschamp's dad and his mother, Sally, in the first row, Muschamp looked over at them as he talked about his focus during football season.
He described Carol as “a widow'' during the season. He talked of long days at the office and long road trips on the recruiting trail. He talked of building a plan to win and surrounding himself with good players and good coaches.
Ultimately, he said the people who join him will largely determine how successful his first head-coaching job is.
“As a football team, I want to be known as a blue collar, overachieving unit,'' he said. “We will be a physically, mentally and tough football team. And it's not something you talk about, it's something you live your life with.''
In a nutshell, Muschamp wants the Gators to reflect the former walk-on safety at Georgia who worked his way up the roster to become co-defensive captain as a senior. He wants to see himself on the field each day at practice at on game days in the fall.
“I know that the Gator Nation is going to have high expectations, and I am, too,'' he said. “I expect to win. We're not on a five-year plan here.''
With those words, Muschamp officially started off his UF career with a win.
