Urban Meyer takes the Ohio State job; do Gators feel jobbed?
"Let's see: Where can I land after I retire for the third time?" (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
The second retirement of Urban Meyer lasted 51 weeks. (Up from the first retirement of Urban Meyer, which lasted half a day.) And how, if you’re a Florida fan, do you feel today?
Your team is coming off a 6-6 season and the coach who retired to spend more time with his family is uprooting that family and taking it to Columbus. Yes, the Urbanator won two national championships — one more than all other Gator coaches combined — while in Gainesville, but now he’s back coaching another school after a retirement that was really a nice long nap interspersed with appearances on ESPN, and there’s some reason to believe his successor, Will Muschamp, is in over his head.
Oh, and guess who Florida figures to meet in the Gator Bowl? Ohio State.
When last a Florida coach left of his own accord, Steve Spurrier hopped to the NFL and gave it the ol’ college try for three seasons. Meyer is back doing what we all figured he’d be back doing after 51 weeks. And Florida is in as bad a shape as Florida ever gets. (At least Ron Zook left a reservoir of talent for his successor, who happened to Meyer.)
Urban Meyer is a great coach: On this we can agree. I’m not sure, however, that Gator fans regard him as quite a great a Gator as they once did.
(For the record, here’s what Muschamp said about Meyer last week, courtesy of David Jones of Florida Today: “He’s a first-class guy. But with his deteriorating health and his family, as important as that is to him, I wouldn’t think he would [take the Ohio State job].”‘)
By Mark Bradley
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253 comments Add your comment
Keno
November 30th, 2011
7:39 pm
I don’t see where it’s anyone’s business what Urban Meyer or any other coach does with his career. It doesn’t matter why or anything else. Why do so many fans think they “own” the coach. I think of Roy Williams at UNC. Kansas thought he did them dirt. That’s a joke. He won for many years out there and he finally quits to go home the NC and the fans think he abandoned them. BS. Hang around too long and you become like Gene Fulmer (screwed) or worse yet, Joe Paterno, arrogent and old. It’s their business people.
MACK
December 1st, 2011
2:26 pm
Urban left b/c Tebow was done….bottom line!!
SEC East Conference
December 1st, 2011
4:39 pm
When UB seen Tebow time running out UB already had his bags pack. UB knew there was nothing going to be the same at UF after Tebow but how he went about it was in very poor taste. He should canned the health reasons when they came out and just told everyone the truth and at least he would of gotten a little respect from the SEC fans. Leaving like he did then jumping at the Ohio job makes him look like a theive in the night.