GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The memory is as vivid as the trees standing in the sun outside the window where I'm writing these sentences.
It was Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010.
The big game that day was the Southeastern Conference Championship at the Georgia Dome, where Auburn, led by former Gators quarterback Cam Newton, crushed Steve Spurrier's South Carolina team on its way to the national championship.
Florida had closed the regular season the previous weekend with a loss at Florida State, marking the first time the Gators had lost to the Seminoles in seven years.
That's the loss that prompted Urban Meyer's infamous quote about the program he had led to two national championships in six seasons: "It has to be fixed," he said. "It's broke a little bit right now."
With no UF football game scheduled for the first time in weeks, I don't recall my plans on that first Saturday of December, but they changed with one phone call.
The caller told me to report to the office with no reason given. It was my 89th day on the job. I had written my final story for the
Tampa Tribune late on a Saturday night in the Raymond James Stadium press box – I covered Skip Holtz's debut as USF coach, the same USF team that would visit The Swamp the following week – and then, less than 36 hours later, drove to Gainesville for my first day of work at the University Athletic Association on Sept. 6, 2010.
All kinds of strange thoughts raced around my head as I drove from my mother-in-law's home – my wife and young daughter were still in Tampa Bay – to my stadium office.
Was I the one who broke something? Am I going to be the fall guy for the FSU loss? And will I get paid mileage if they tell me to return to Tampa?
Once I arrived, I met with Steve McClain and Fred Demerast, two senior athletic department officials instrumental in my hire. Somebody closed the door. My hands were probably too sweaty.
The meeting didn't last long. When it was over, I could finally breathe once the others told me why we were there.
Meyer had informed then-UF athletic director Jeremy Foley earlier that he was resigning. They still had details to finalize, but the plan was to hold a press conference in a few days and for Meyer to coach the bowl game. But we needed to work ahead and get a story prepared for when the news broke. It was big news, but it was also a personal relief knowing that the meeting was simply about me doing what the UAA hired me to do. I had written many big news stories over the years, and this one was closer to home.
Once we finished the discussion, I spent the rest of the day in a quiet office researching and writing the story we would post to break the news on Florida's official athletics website, then called GatorZone.com. Knowing how these situations often go, I was stunned that word of Meyer's decision held for the next four days until going viral minutes before our story went live on the website the afternoon of Dec. 8.
Meyer's departure made national headlines. I recall seeing a TV in the office turned to CNN, and the news anchors talking about Meyer as a screenshot of the GatorZone.com story illustrated the news.
Here we are, 14 years later, and a lot has happened. Meyer's exit is the preferred method of coaching goodbyes for athletic departments. Sure, the Gators went 8-5 in his final season and were removed from the center of the national stage, but his tenure produced national championships, a Heisman Trophy winner and unforgettable moments for Gators fans.
The Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain and Dan Mullen eras had different endings. Each coach enjoyed pockets of success, but too many ups and downs eventually resulted in a pink slip. Assistants D.J. Durkin (Muschamp), Randy Shannon (McElwain) and Greg Knox (Mullen) ultimately coached the final game of those regimes.
Having documented more of these transitions than I ever imagined driving up I-75 from Tampa for that first morning of work at the UAA, I know they are never pleasant experiences. The negativity in my primary workplace – online and social media – can be nearly impossible to escape. But, as they say, that's part of the gig if you work in the public domain.
None more so than for head coaches. Gators
Billy Napier addressed the outside noise over his team's 1-2 start earlier this week. He will do so again Wednesday night and likely will face a tricky question or two Thursday during his weekly radio show.
"It's never going to go away," Napier said of outside noise. "It's going to be they love you if you win and hate you if you lose. Doesn't matter if we were at Buchholz High right down the road. Ultimately, we got an obligation to the players and our leadership at the university to do our best to play well this week.
"That's all we can control. Anything else is a waste of time."
The Gators seek to quiet the storm with a win Saturday at Mississippi State. In times like these, readers often ask why I'm not commenting on the hottest topic in Gator Nation or why there is not more coverage on FloridaGators.com.
If that is all you want, there are ample places you can find opinions and analysis. If there is something to report officially, we'll have you covered.
For now, Napier and the Gators are preparing for the Bulldogs.
The third-year Gators coach and his team face a difficult challenge Saturday and beyond. Meyer spoke of the more significant challenge following that defining defeat to FSU 14 years ago.
"The way you fix it is hard work," he said. "But it's Florida. We'll be back strong, stronger than ever."
If Napier gets it done and the Gators reel off a string of unexpected victories, it will undoubtedly be one of the best stories in Gators football history.
For now, the wait continues amidst the latest racket.
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