McElwain Makes Friendly Entrance at Birmingham Bowl; Visits Tailgaters at Legion Field
Sunday, January 4, 2015 | Football, Scott Carter
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Josh Woods was on his cell phone trying to meet up with a friend outside Legion Field on Saturday morning.
And then Woods' jaw dropped as the man in a white Gators jacket, slacks and dress shoes walked toward him.
"Whoa, McElwain is here,'' Woods shouted into his phone. "I've got to go."
A Florida fan "since I was born,'' Woods quickly hung up on his friend and asked to take a photo with new Gators head coach Jim McElwain.
A Tallahassee resident, Woods made the trip here on a cold and rainy Saturday to watch the Gators play East Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl.
He won't forget it.
"He's going to be fun,'' Woods said. "We're happy he's here. We just want to win. I've never seen a coach come and tailgate and take pictures with you."
McElwain was in town for his first opportunity to watch his soon-to-be team play in person. The 52-year-old former Colorado State head coach takes over day-to-day operations of the team on Monday when he begins to meet individually with players.
But before he settled into a private booth in the press box to watch the game, McElwain spent time walking around the parking lots and dropping in on Gator tailgates.
// Post by Florida Gators."A few of them looked surprised,'' McElwain said. "There was some really good-smelling stuff out there. I've always wanted a chance to see what's going on out there before a game. It's great to get out and meet some of these Gator fans."
Alison and Jason Dempsey, Florida fans who live in Mobile, Ala., certainly were caught off-guard when Alison noticed that was really McElwain who just walked by and said hello. She quickly grabbed her smartphone and asked for a photo.
"We stayed at the Sheraton last night and got to meet all the players and had our picture taken with them,'' she said. "This is awesome to meet the new coach."
"He's a standup guy,'' Jason Dempsey said. "I'm really excited about having him as our coach."
Andrew Hannan and a large group of friends were tailgating and talking about the game when McElwain strolled by.
No way was Hannan going to let him get away without a photo.
"I did not expect to just see Coach McElwain show up here,'' said Hannan, who traveled from his home in Illinois for the game. "I love it. He's a 100 percent Gator. He's meeting the fans; he's hitting the recruiting trail. I like him. He's the future."
Hannan became a Florida fan because his father attended UF. He is charged up about the direction of the football program in the wake of McElwain's hiring and plans to keep up an annual tradition next season.
"I always come to Gainesville at least once a year for a home game,'' he said. "I'm all in -- basketball, football, baseball."
Meanwhile, Woods got a photo with McElwain too after hanging up on his friend. The scene repeated itself for about a half-hour as McElwain made the rounds in the muddy parking lots with a light drizzle falling.
He took photos with families, tailgaters and even a couple of Alabama fans that told him they remain big fans. McElwain spent four seasons as Alabama's offensive coordinator and helped the Crimson Tide win a pair of national championships.
McElwain enjoyed getting a chance to meet the fans.
"That was a special experience for all of us,'' he said.
After McElwain left to meet another group of Florida tailgaters, a big smile remained on Woods' face.
Asked whom he was talking to on the phone when he hung up, Woods quipped:
"Forget him. That's a friend of mine. We're supposed to meet him right now but that's McElwain,'' Woods said. "We got a picture. He'll see it."
