In The (Gator) Zone: Donovan a Great Teammate to UF Coaches, Bostic Remembered, More Tidbits
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 | Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Billy Donovan meant a lot of things to a lot of people at the University of Florida.
To his former UF coaching colleagues, Donovan was a friend, a teacher, a trusted voice they could call for advice or invite to speak to their team at a critical time.
Donovan was there to help if needed, aligning himself within the culture created by Gators Athletic Director Jeremy Foley.
“The one thing I've tried to do since I've been here is to integrate myself with the rest of the coaches,'' Donovan said Monday during his farewell press conference. “I think Jeremy's got a very, very clear vision that everything on this campus is extremely important. We need to be in a situation that we're making each other better as coaches and helping each other's programs out as best we can.”
Following his team's 5-1 win over USF on Tuesday night, Gators baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan shared a story that exemplified exactly what Donovan spoke about Monday.
The Gators hosted Mississippi State in the 2011 Super Regional at McKethan Stadium. On the line for Florida was the program's first back-to-back trips to the College World Series.
The Gators were three outs away from advancing when Mississippi State's Nick Vickerson slammed a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth – Florida played role of visitor at its home ballpark – to keep the Bulldogs alive with a 4-3 walk-off win.
Stunned, the Gators retreated to their clubhouse and went home needing to win Game 3 the next day to win the series.
“You don't get left on your home field, ever,'' O'Sullivan said.
At home later that night, O'Sullivan got a call from Donovan.
“How's the team doing?'' he asked.
“We're doing alright, as good as we can do,'' O'Sullivan replied.
Donovan suggested O'Sullivan gather the team and “flush” what happened so the Gators would be ready the next day.
“They've got to have the right frame of mind,'' Donovan told him.
“You're exactly right,'' O'Sullivan agreed.
O'Sullivan called the team back to the ballpark, they met to discuss what happened and the situation ahead, and everyone went back home.
Florida defeated Mississippi State the next day to make it back to Omaha.
“The kids were as loose as could be,'' O'Sullivan said. “For him to reach out to me at that point, I think that was invaluable to me. Who knows how the team reacts and comes back if we don't get back together that Saturday night. Who knows? I think it helped. I really do.”
With Donovan's departure to become head coach of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, Florida will be the only school in the Power 5 conferences to have a new football and men's basketball coach next season.
First-year football coach Jim McElwain is a huge basketball fan and made sure to stop by Donovan's office early during his tenure. He told reporters Monday night in Ocala that Donovan will be missed.
“I was really looking forward to working with him and learning from him,” McElwain said. “[He's] guy who is, obviously, a hall of fame coach that knows how to win. It's a huge loss, and yet, I know our administration will get the right fit as they did with him when they brought him in here.”
Florida soccer coach Becky Burleigh is one of Donovan's biggest supporters. She was hired not long before Donovan arrived at UF and summed up on Twitter what so many have said – administrators, colleagues, fans, community leaders – about Donovan in recent days.
What I will miss most about @UFCoachBillyD is that he was a big-time coach that never acted like one. Thanks for the way you represented UF!
— Becky Burleigh (@UFGatorSoccer) April 30, 2015
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BOSTIC GONE TOO SOON
When former Gators basketball coach John Lotz took over the program in 1973 after eight seasons as an assistant under Dean Smith at North Carolina, a member of his first signing class was 6-foot-3 guard Don Bostic from Ballard High in Louisville, Ky.
Bostic was an all-state player in high school and had not considered Florida until Lotz, who recruited him at North Carolina, moved to Gainesville. When asked the best way to describe Bostic at the time of his signing, Lotz needed few words: “He's a winner.”
Bostic proved Lotz's words true over and over during his lifetime, whether as a team captain for the 1976-77 Gators that finished 17-9, or during a distinguished career in higher education after earning his master's degree and a doctorate in philosophy from UF. Bostic was killed in a fiery automobile crash on Friday in Early, Texas.
The 60-year-old Bostic had been executive vice president of Ranger (Texas) College since 2009 after stints as administrator at Long Island (N.Y.) University, El Paso (Texas) Community College and Central Florida CC in Ocala.
Bostic flirted with a career in coaching shortly after his playing career ended, working as an assistant at Vanderbilt and the University of Tampa under longtime Spartans head coach Richard Schmidt, who coached the Commodores from 1979-81 and has been UT's head coach since 1983.
He transitioned into a successful career as a college administrator and leaves behind a lasting legacy. A memorial service was held in Bostic's honor on Tuesday in Brownwood, Texas.
“There couldn't be a bigger loss for Ranger College than Dr. Bostic,'' William Campion, president of the school, told the Brownwood Bulletin.
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A POWER LIFTER
A lot of Florida fans remember Mark Campbell as a standout defensive lineman for the Gators and a three-year starter in the mid-1990s. The younger generation knows him best as a looming presence on the sideline during games in his current role as an assistant strength and conditioning coach.
On Thursday night at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Campbell will earn a new title: master strength and conditioning coach from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
Campbell will be presented a blue MSCC jacket in earning the top status in his field.
“This is an incredible honor for Mark,'' said Chuck Stiggins, executive director of the CSCCA. “Being named a master strength and conditioning coach signifies a commitment to the student-athlete, the University of Florida athletic program, and the strength and conditioning profession.”
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DRAFT DROPPINGS
In the useless information department, the Gators had six players drafted by franchises located west of the Mississippi River. The previous record was five in 2007.
A sampling of what was said in the wake of the NFL Draft that featured eight Gators selected: Dante Fowler Jr. (Jacksonville), D.J. Humphries (Arizona), Chaz Green (Dallas), Matt Jones (Washington), Max Garcia (Denver), Neiron Ball (Oakland), Andre Debose (Oakland) and Trenton Brown (San Francisco).
-- “Alfred [Morris] won't be affected. Alfred's still the running back here. He's had three great seasons and that won't change, but to add another guy that can come in here and pound the rock a little bit doesn't hurt anything. It'll help Alfred in that regard taking some carries off of him, but for the most part, Alfred will be getting the bulk of the carries and Matt will get some too, obviously.” – Redskins coach Jay Gruden on addition of running back Matt Jones
-- "I tell you what, I think those shoes put you over the top tonight. Well, feel free to leave 'em in Chicago." – Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell to Dante Fowler about the gold, spiky shoes Fowler wore to the draft
-- “He's explosive. A lot more explosive than I thought. He's got a lot of upside.” – Cowboys offensive line coach Frank Pollock on Chaz Green
-- “It was a hard thing to deal with. I knew that the combine doesn't make or break you. If a team likes you, they like you. I didn't let it bother me too much.” – Andre Debose on not being invited to the NFL Combine but still getting selected in draft
-- “We stuck with our plan and got the player we wanted. D.J. Humphries is a tremendous talent. He's got tremendous range for an offensive tackle. We felt like if he came back for his senior year, he could potentially be a top-five pick.” – Cardinals general manager Steve Keim on Humphries
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EXTRA, EXTRA
Former UF Athletic Association President Mandell Glicksberg, a professor emeritus and faculty member of the UF Law School for 47 years, has passed away at 86. Inducted into the UF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001, Glicksberg served as a faculty athletics representative to the NCAA and Southeastern Conference from 1965-90 … Steve Mesler is one of three new members on the U.S. Olympic Committee Board of Directors. A former UF decathlete who later transitioned into bobsledding and won a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the 36-year-old Mesler joins former Bloomberg CEO Daniel Doctoroff and current Duke Athletic Director Kevin White as the newest members on the board … Three former Gators were drafted over the weekend: defensive back Josh Shaw (Cincinnati via Southern Cal), offensive lineman Ian Silberman (San Francisco via Boston College) and tight end Gerald Christian (Arizona via Louisville) …According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Gators are now one of only five schools to have a player selected in every NFL Draft of the modern era (since 1967). Tennessee's streak ended Saturday, leaving Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and USC as the five alive.
