The Florida-Alabama rivalry takes a new direction with good friends and former colleagues Scott Stricklin and Greg Byrne named ADs at the two schools in the past three months.
Orange & Blue Notes: Rivals and Friends, Super Gators and More
Monday, January 23, 2017 | General, Scott Carter
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Scott Stricklin and Greg Byrne have a connection that goes far beyond their jobs as ADs at two of the SEC's most prominent programs.
By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida-Alabama rivalry, highlighted over the past quarter century by the schools' nine meetings in the SEC Championship Game, received a fresh twist in December 2014 when Jim McElwain was hired to replace Will Muschamp. Greg Byrne, left, and Scott Stricklin. (Photo: Byrne's Twitter feed)
Both men had worked for Alabama head coach Nick Saban during their careers, but McElwain spent four seasons as Saban's offensive coordinator in Tuscaloosa, including the 2009 SEC Championship Game when the Crimson Tide ended Florida's dominant conference run under Urban Meyer.
McElwain's recent history added another layer to the rivalry. And now there's another twist, this one dressed in a sport coat and khakis.
Alabama hired Arizona Athletic Director Greg Byrne last week to replace Bill Battle, less than three months after the Gators introduced Scott Stricklin as longtime AD Jeremy Foley's replacement. Normally, AD hires don't get tossed around in the news cycle for too long after the introductory press conference is over.
Byrne's hire was different for two reasons: 1. His name was linked to the UF job prior to Stricklin's hire; 2. Byrne and Stricklin are close pals and former colleagues, most recently at Mississippi State.
When Byrne left for Arizona in 2010, Stricklin replaced him in Starkville.
As you can see, they maintain a close friendship and don't expect the fact they now head two of the country's most successful athletic departments to change that.
Stricklin speaks very highly of Byrne and Byrne did the same when he was asked about the Florida rumors in his first meeting with the Alabama media.
"First of all, I want to say that Scott Stricklin — the AD at Florida — is one of my very best friends. When I left Mississippi State, he replaced me," Byrne said. "Sometimes things get out there in the media that gets a life of its own. I was never offered the Florida job. It wasn't like one of those 'wink, wink, I wasn't offered.' I was not offered the Florida job. Scott was and they have a great athletics director at the University of Florida."
Same is true for Stricklin at Florida. The jobs are different, however. It will be interesting to see how the good friends and former colleagues make their mark in the coming years.
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SUPER GATORS
The Gators have been going to the Super Bowl since the first one 50 years ago. Don Chandler was Green Bay's kicker in Super Bowl I and II, kicking four field goals in the Packers' 33-14 victory over Oakland in Super Bowl II. Brian Poole
Atlanta rookie defensive backs Keanu Neal and Brian Poole are the latest Gators to make it to the Super Bowl, their trip coming at the expense of the Packers on Sunday in Atlanta's 44-21 victory. This is only Atlanta's second trip to the NFL's championship game, and first in 18 years ago.
Coincidentally, there was a Gator on that 1998 Falcons team that finished 16-3 and lost to Denver in quarterback John Elway's victorious swan song in Super Bowl XXXIII: Elijah Williams. Now head coach at Jones High in Orlando, Williams was a rookie that season. According to research in Florida's media guide, Neal and Poole are the 46th and 47th UF players to get to the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan became the first coach with UF ties to lead a team to a Super Bowl as head coach in 1997. The Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls following the '97 and '98 seasons. Nearly 20 years later, Shanahan, Florida's offensive coordinator under Charley Pell from 1980-83, has company.
Former UF defensive coordinator Dan Quinn (2011-12 at Florida) is in his second season as Atlanta's head coach. Quinn has been a regular at the Super Bowl in recent years, going back-to-back in 2013 and '14 as Seattle's defensive coordinator. Oh, and guess who Quinn's offensive coordinator is? Thirty-seven-year-old Kyle Shanahan, Mike's son and the leading candidate to become the next head coach of the 49ers according to reports.
Quinn's quick success in Atlanta with the help of a bevy of young defensive players, including Neal and Poole, will be a hot storyline leading up to Super Bowl 51. SI.com veteran writer Peter Kingtook a dive into the topic prior to Sunday's NFC Championship Game.
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O'BRIEN PASSES
Former Gators captain Jack O'Brien, a member of the 1952 Florida team that became the first in school history to play in a bowl, died on Dec. 22.
Jack O'Brien
The 84-year-old O'Brien caught two passes in Florida's 14-13 win over Tulsa in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1, 1953. He was a captain in '53 and drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1954. O'Brien, who played offensive and defensive end, played three seasons with Pittsburgh and a stint in the Canadian Football League prior to retiring.
O'Brien spent the majority of his professional life as a teacher-coach in Titusville, Fla. Florida's '52 team, quarterbacked by future Tennessee and Florida head coach Doug Dickey, finished 8-3 with impressive wins over Georgia (30-0), Miami (43-6) and Bear Bryant's Kentucky team (27-0).
The NCAA Division I Competitive Oversight Committee announced last week that starting in 2019, a super-regional format will be put in place for men's and women's tennis.
The UF women's team could have used the format in 2016. The No. 1-ranked Gators swept South Carolina State and Syracuse at home in the regional – extending the program's home win streak to 158 in a row – before losing to No. 15-ranked Stanford in the regional quarterfinals in Tulsa, Okla.
Gators women's tennis coach Roland Thornqvist at the 2016 NCAA Finals. (Photo: Bill Kallenberg/For UAA Communications)
Under the current system, teams advancing out of the second round move directly to the site of the NCAA Finals. Once the revised system is put into place in 2019, regional quarterfinal and semifinal action will stay on campus.
According to the NCAA's official website, "part of the rationale for the change is to provide teams with another opportunity to generate local support and highlight their programs in a championship-caliber competition."
"Playing at home has been wonderful since 2004,'' Thornqvist said Monday. "Our fans are great. They really help us."
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EXTRA, EXTRA
Ex-Colorado State quarterback Garrett Grayson, who developed into a third-round pick under the direction of JimMcElwain, is in Gainesville trying to recapture some magic. … Former Gators football trainer Kristin Farrell recently joined the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies as message therapist/athletic trainer. Best wishes to Farrell in her new position. … Former Gators defensive lineman Carlos Dunlapwas named to the AFC Pro Bowl Team as a replacement for injured Houston defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Sunday's game in Orlando will be Dunlap's second consecutive Pro Bowl.
Florida Men's Basketball | EVERY ANGLE of Olivier Rioux's First Point as a Gator 🎥Florida Men's Basketball | EVERY ANGLE of Olivier Rioux's First Point as a Gator 🎥
Florida Men's Basketball | Rueben Chinyelu Grabs 21 REBOUNDS, Most by a Gator in 40 YEARS 🗣️Florida Men's Basketball | Rueben Chinyelu Grabs 21 REBOUNDS, Most by a Gator in 40 YEARS 🗣️
Meanwhile, former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan became the first coach with UF ties to lead a team to a Super Bowl as head coach in 1997. The Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls following the '97 and '98 seasons. Nearly 20 years later, Shanahan, Florida's offensive coordinator under Charley Pell from 1980-83, has company.
