Urban Meyer reminds us there are bigger things than games
Urban Meyer near the end of the SEC championship game. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
The funniest thing Vince Dooley ever said wasn’t funny at the time. It was as serious as a coronary. Because that’s what Dooley thought he was having.
Oct. 17, 1987: Georgia had contrived to fall two touchdowns behind in Nashville, and the head coach began having chest pains. And Dooley said to himself: “I’m having a heart attack, and we’re losing to Vanderbilt.”
The next day he was at Emory, where he would undergo angioplasty. He was back on the sideline the next Saturday, when the Bulldogs — who had rallied to beat the Commodores one week after losing narrowly to Tommy Hodson and LSU — would need a late touchdown to subdue Kentucky. Some life, huh?
“We won one for the ticker,” a merry Loran Smith said afterward, but it must be noted that Vincent Joseph Dooley coached his last game not 15 months later. At age 56. And he’s still alive today.
The best coach in the country is stepping aside not to coach somewhere else but simply not to coach. Urban Meyer is 45. He’s a high-energy guy. Big-name college coaches have to be. A big-name college coach gets home late and leaves early. He recruits and he coaches and he schmoozes with alums and he briefs the media and he answers the 2 a.m. calls that inform him one of his players has done something silly.
Yeah, the big-name coaches make a ton of money, but they live a life of stress beyond measure. As skilled as Urban Meyer is, would we view him quite the same today if his Gators hadn’t blocked that South Carolina field goal back in 2006? (He’d have been 0-2 against Spurrier and the 2006 Gators wouldn’t have won the BCS title and if they don’t win the first one maybe there’s not a second one.)
The point being: Big-name coaches are all control freaks, and yet they exist in a realm where so much cannot be controlled. The wonder isn’t that one of them has been suffering health problems. The wonder is that they all don’t.
Being human, Georgia fans will view Meyer’s leaving as the sound of a window opening. And it well may be. But before we get excited about what might (or might not) happen on the field, we need to pause to consider these sobering circumstances: Here’s a man at the peak of his profession, a man with two BCS titles, a man not yet 50 … and he’s walking away because he felt to keep coaching was to die young.
It was reported that Meyer had checked into a Gainesville hospital the day after Florida lost the SEC title game to Alabama for what was called “dehydration.” We now know that he’d been having chest pains. We now know those chest pains were dire enough to drive him away from the best job in the country, and that’s about as dire as it gets.
All coaches are strivers — striving for the next big win, the next big job, the next big trophy. Urban Meyer had won everything there was to win, but when the doctor shows you the cardiogram, all that striving and winning becomes a secondary concern. Job 1 is to stay alive.
Because this is a sports column, we need pay some attention to sports. Who’ll be next as the head Gator? Well, Charlie Strong just left for Louisville and Dan Mullen is coming off his first year in Starkville. Would they be interested in turning around so soon? Would Bob Stoops’ interest be piqued this time? Would Chris Petersen leave Boise for Gainesville? Is Gary Patterson of TCU an option?
I don’t know the answers. Ninety minutes ago, I didn’t know Florida would be looking for a coach. And to be honest, I’m not really thinking about the next coach just yet. I’m thinking about Urban Meyer.
We’ve had some fun with him in this space over time, but there was never a doubt he was a talent and a force. (His game-planning for Ohio State in the desert in January 2007 was coaching at its finest.) And now he’s leaving the job of jobs at age 45. If that doesn’t make you think, you don’t have a heart.
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657 comments Add your comment
willie martinez
December 26th, 2009
9:48 pm
perhaps the second coming of galen hall
Matt
December 26th, 2009
9:50 pm
If he has stress with his success, I’d hate to see the stress for other coaches who have much less success.
jaglaw
December 26th, 2009
9:51 pm
“Doesnt matter..” please tell what UGA won in 2007? NO SEC or NC. YEh, they did beat a horrible team for the Sugar Bowl….is that what you are talking about? I do agree that CMR is a great coach, but who he hires as DC is critical!
Matt
December 26th, 2009
9:52 pm
And how big is the stress when you have the best or top 3 best football players to ever play the game? Man I’m sure every other coach wish they had Tebow for 4 years. He’s a stress reducer, not inducer.
mason
December 26th, 2009
9:52 pm
(( 30-24 ))
hahahahahahaha
WHAT?
December 26th, 2009
9:52 pm
So Tim Tearbow and Urban Crier are bith quitters?
No seriously IF he is in bad health I wish him well. GOOOO DAAAAWGS! SIC EM……. WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!
WHAT?
December 26th, 2009
9:53 pm
bOth
willie martinez
December 26th, 2009
9:53 pm
just to clarify: i shall not seek, and i will not accept the head coaching position at the university of florida
Bill
December 26th, 2009
9:54 pm
From a die-hard Bulldog.fan
I hope and wish the best for Mr Meyer.
Hey fellow Dawg fans, let’s hold off the chest-thumping for at least one night before we start crowing over this.
This guy just had to walk away from what he loved to do, it must be pretty serious for him to just walk away…
superdawg51
December 26th, 2009
9:55 pm
Kiffins helicopter just landed in Gainesville
WHAT?
December 26th, 2009
9:56 pm
Tebow better than Herchel? You must not have been alive when Herchel was playing!
Frank Wren
December 26th, 2009
9:56 pm
“Doesnt matter..” please tell what UGA won in 2007?
I think he is referring to the fact that UGA was the best team in the country that year. We just didnt win the beauty contest to get in the game. We were better than LSU that year.
Coach Richt
December 26th, 2009
9:57 pm
Remember when Ron Zook took over as Head Coach and we thought we could beat them well it did not happen.so who ever they get as a coach we still have to play them
jellybeandawg
December 26th, 2009
9:58 pm
Keep drinking the Richt Kool aid DmwFg.Your are right about one thing….It REALLY Doesn’t matter who Florida gets… Regardless of who it is they will continue to beat out behinds (the dawgs) well into the next decade as long as Richt continues underachieving. Hopefully when Richt is gone we will bring in someone who can at least compete on a year to year basis with Florida……. although as notoriously cheap as the UGA athletic is I highly doubt they will spend the money required to bring in a top notch coach.
Epiminondas
December 26th, 2009
9:58 pm
Boy, the pressure is really on Richt now. If he can’t beat the next FL HC, he’s really going to be in trouble.
Matt
December 26th, 2009
9:59 pm
Tim Tebow broke little Herschel’s record against his team. I think that speaks for itself.
how2fish
December 26th, 2009
9:59 pm
Mark I’m 56 and I’ve been thinking about it since around 40…checkups every year and doing what the Doctors tell me to do and so far I’ve been Ok in the last 2 years 2 of my best friends have suffered heart attacks ..its alwasys a good thing to start thinking about listening and doing what the doctors tell you is the 2nd part..my Dad didn’t I hope Urban does stress kills just as surely as heart attacks.
Dawg Tired
December 26th, 2009
9:59 pm
Mark – I personally fell very strongly that I have the best job in the country. I’m 63 years old and am feeling very little stress doing the same job I’ve been doing for 29 years. Now, as for the best coaching job in the nation, I’m not sure it is really possible to pick one or even three that are better than the rest. Apparently being the head coach at Florida is somewhat stressful. If that makes it the best job in college coaching, that seems a little strange to me. I mean you do it for 5 years and you resign because of the stress? Doesn’t sound like such a hot job to me, but that’s just me I guess. Could it be that being the head football coach at Utah might be a better job when all things, like quality of life, etc. are considered? My point is what factors go into determining what makes a job a good job or a bad job. If it kills you, it is not a good job.
The most important thing right now is for Coach Meyer to get healthy. While I would like to see him get back into coaching college football again, if it’s not good for his heath, he clearly should not come back.
Bill
December 26th, 2009
9:59 pm
As a die-hard Dawg fan…
My fellow Bulldogs, can we hold off any chest-thumping for at leat one night. There will be plenty of time to speculate later on the Gator’s future…
For someone to walk away from what he loved to do at such a young age, he must be in worse shape than he’s letting on…
willie martinez
December 26th, 2009
10:01 pm
its a beautiful day in the neighborhood
since urban said i no long could
coach the gators
so many haters
i said i just quit
not really in a snit
with my folks i’ll stay as i should
Future Beat Writer/Columnist
December 26th, 2009
10:02 pm
Mr. Bradley,
These are my thoughts on the Urban Meyer story:
As far as I’m concerned, Urban Meyer is one of the greatest coaches in the history of college football. It takes a lot for this Georgia fan to scribe those words in print. But, the man has earned my respect.
Prior to becoming the head coach at Florida, Coach Meyer did something no one else could do. He made us discuss Utah as a possible BCS buster and long shot for national title recognition. His undefeated Utes failed to receive an invitation to play in the BCS Championship Game. But, Meyer emblazoned Utah football with a newly acquired tradition of excellence. To this day, that program is better because of the legacy he carved in Salt Lake City.
In 2004, Meyer was hired as head coach of the Florida Gators. In five
“Swamped-out” seasons, he guided the Gators to 3 SEC East titles, 2 national championships, and 3 BCS Bowls.
As a Georgia fan, I wish the Dawgs would have had more success against Meyer in Jacksonville. But, as an SEC fan, it’s a sad day when a coach of his caliber decides to step down. I don’t know all the details behind Meyer’s stunning resignation. And honestly, it ain’t my business anyway. I wish Urban Meyer the best… just not against UGA if he comes back to Gainesville.
Here’s a link for ya. Urban Meyer describes his coaching philosophy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2d8JjMrNw4
Hope your New Year Rocks!!
willie martinez
December 26th, 2009
10:02 pm
longer could
BBR
December 26th, 2009
10:02 pm
I hope he’s okay health wise, but I’m not sad to see him go. Anyone who barely shakes hands with the opposing coach when losing a game showed a HUGE lack of class–much like his team’s fans.
Cedrick
December 26th, 2009
10:03 pm
I bet CMR was jumping up and down (inside) that Meyer stepped down because he ws tired of FLA kicking off in his butt for the past few years.
I’m sorry to hear Meyer is having problems with his health……
JTH
December 26th, 2009
10:04 pm
About Ray Goff…
I saw Goff speak at my son’s Woodstock Etowah Eagles football practice at the beginning of last season. Say what you want about his coaching at UGA he is a very fine speaker and humble man.
Fleischman in Chi Towns Bed
December 26th, 2009
10:04 pm
Whoever they hire will continue to kick UGA’s a$$ for years to come. Don’t matter who it is.
Happy Kwanzaa!
Bill
December 26th, 2009
10:04 pm
As a die-hard Dawg fan…
My fellow Bulldogs, can we hold off any chest-thumping for at leat one night. There will be plenty of time for speculation later…
For someone to walk away from what he loved to do at such a young age, he must be in worse shape than he’s letting on…
Frank Wren
December 26th, 2009
10:04 pm
Tim Tebow broke little Herschel’s record against his team. I think that speaks for itself.
In 4 years. Herschel only played 3. Herschel AVG TD per game played is much higher than Tebow’s
Tebow had a 12 game season and bowl stats counted plus championship game etc etc.
If Herschel wold have come back for his Senior year he would have set the mark so high it would never be broken.
Joe Cooke
December 26th, 2009
10:04 pm
Best wishes to Urban Meyer, and to his family, from this Georgia Bulldog.
I’m glad that your kids won’t have to be putting your ashes next to your trophies any time soon…
willie martinez
December 26th, 2009
10:05 pm
the fireworks are blasting
for life everlasting
we wont miss meyer
as he finds his desire
and a uga win is repasting
Gatorbait
December 26th, 2009
10:06 pm
Kyle Whittingham is likely replacement. Great defensive mind.
Meanwhile...how does Mark navigate the new landscape?
December 26th, 2009
10:06 pm
Mark we attempt to tread lightly here, fully aware of the delicate sensibilities that might be upset when discussing the machinations of the inner sanctum. But how exactly, if we may ask, are you summoned to the task at hand when stories like this break? We know Furman would be at his trusty Royal-or is it Underwood?-and the printers would be primed for a late night run.
But how does it work for you?
Are you sitting at the television, partaking in the essence of Americana that is the Meineke Car Care Bowl, when the story breaks, and thus feel compelled to weigh in as the self proclaimed blogging fool of the AJC?
Or is there a special AJC Blog Signal, not unlike the Bat Signal that flashes across the sky when news breaks, that summons you?
Or are you on call like the proverbial fireman for 48 hour shifts, come what may?
Does Brad Childress text you the blog topic, after the whistle blows on the last blog topic?
And speaking of Childress, if something truly important comes up, like overtime in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, or a Junior Samples retrospective on the History Channel, are you allowed to call an audible and post later?
Rest assured Mark, there is nothing more sinister afoot than idle curiosity in the asking.
K R
December 26th, 2009
10:06 pm
Shanahan was contacted and courted by Foley before he hired Zook. He may go and ask at least.
The easy hire is the guy at MSU. The sexy hire would be the Bosie guy. The best hire……..who knows. Foley and UF can have who they want but I doubt he even had his list updated.
Best to Coach Meyer.
bigdawg01
December 26th, 2009
10:07 pm
Tampa Gator,
You are the reason that FL fans are so despised around the SEC (Richt is not good enough comment). FL fans are arrogant and totally classless. You think that football was not played before 1991. I wish coach Meyer well and hope he has a healthy life. As for you and your program, the pendulum will begin to swing back, get ready to take your medicine. I hope your program BURNS to the ground after this.
Epaminondas
December 26th, 2009
10:08 pm
The only thing that could possibly make this situation any better would be for Florida to go 0-12 in ‘10. But I would gladly take 6-6.
JTH
December 26th, 2009
10:08 pm
“Poor ability to manage stress”
I know how he feels.
Why did Meyer quit?
December 26th, 2009
10:10 pm
According the Florida’s spokesperson, in the NY TIMES, Meyer wanted to hang out with his family more and live a more balanced lifestyle. It seems to me Meyer chose to see the world in Black and White, Either/Or’s. Head Coach or family. Head Coach or health. Head Coach or Balanced Life. All or Nothing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/sports/ncaafootball/27florida.html
Richt’s obviously a different kind of “Both/AND” coach who believes you can have a close family/manage stress/excellent physical health/deep spirituality AND be a Wildly Successful Head Coach in the SEC. Probably why Richt’s lasted longer than any other active SEC Coach.
No right or wrong here, just 2 different philosophies of life.
willie martinez
December 26th, 2009
10:10 pm
i guarantee urban wont be calling late timeouts anymore
Coffee Bluff DAWG
December 26th, 2009
10:10 pm
ESPN reported that Meyer’s family has had a history of heart related ailments so it’s understandable that he would step away now based on his current health.
I wish him and his family well. Even with Meyer and Tebow gone from UF they will still be a tough out for UGA and others in the SEC.
willie martinez
December 26th, 2009
10:10 pm
i understand kyle wingfield has applied for urban’s job
ToccoaDawg
December 26th, 2009
10:11 pm
I will NOT cry for a gator coach who ran up the score and called timeouts like crier. If that makes you call me cold, so be it.
willie martinez
December 26th, 2009
10:12 pm
said urban its stress
now tebow’s a mess
he’s starting crying
there’s no denying
UFLA is in distress
Meanwhile...how does Mark navigate the new landscape?
December 26th, 2009
10:13 pm
Is there a delay in the blogsphere this evening, or is my post now residing in www purgatory?
Dawg Tired
December 26th, 2009
10:14 pm
Matt – compare their first three years – not even close. You see, I think that speaks for itself. Keep trying. BTW – I’m a big fan of Tebow’s, but his freshman, sophomore and junior years are not as impressive as Herschel’s. However, there is more to it obviously. One played when the regular season was 11 games and no conference championship game. The other played 12 game regular seasons, etc. One was a great running back. The other was the greatest leader in the history of college football IMHO. I know I would have loved to have had both on the same team. Now that would have been something to behold! The ultimate question might be which one meant the most to his team. Now that’s a tough one to answer, but I was at all of the games during HW”s freshman season and think it is safe to say, that Georgia would have lost at least the UT, UF and Auburn games that year without HW. Would have probably lost the South Carolina game as well. Tebow may have been that influential for Florida as well. It’s a difficult call.
Felix the Cat
December 26th, 2009
10:14 pm
Great coach…But the window over the next three years did not look good for Florida. Spurrier get off the floor cause they still arent calling you…
willie martinez
December 26th, 2009
10:15 pm
this just in to the news desk: larry ochab is the new florida coach
Felix the Cat
December 26th, 2009
10:17 pm
Tommy Teber ville Hers your shot…………LOL
Why did Meyer quit?
December 26th, 2009
10:17 pm
It you look at Meyer’s career, you sort of saw this one coming, he’s a sprinter, not a marathoner. He’s never been in one place more than 5 years as a coach in 24 years of coaching. He’s more of a short-term burst kind of coach.
willie martinez
December 26th, 2009
10:18 pm
i heard that urban consulted dooley’s cardiologist and then he quit.
rxdawg79
December 26th, 2009
10:19 pm
first?