Will Muschamp’s UGA buddies conflicted about ‘that Florida thing’
Will Muschamp (30) started at safety for the Bulldogs in 1994 and was named defensive co-captain that season. (UGA photo)
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — “Wherever I played has no bearing on this game at all.”
“There will be a lot of wasted ink on the fact that I played at Georgia and I’m now coaching at Florida.”
“I don’t mean any disrespect to anyone, but I’m loyal to people, not places.”
This is what we’ve heard Will Muschamp, the Florida Gators’ first-year head coach, say this week about his ties to Georgia. Those ties are pretty strong, as most folks can tell you. Raised in Rome and married to a girl from Thomaston, he played football and earned his degree in communications from the University of Georgia.
But Muschamp has downplayed those connections at every turn, understandable considering his current address. Instead he tells the Gator Nation that he really wanted to play football at Florida, having spent the early part of his childhood growing up in the city in which that university resides. Circumstances were such that, after breaking his leg playing baseball, only Georgia would give him the opportunity to play big-time college football. So he went there instead.
And that may well be the truth. But Muschamp also forged some lifelong relationships during those four years in Athens and his latest move in a whirlwind coaching career has left them in a conflicted state.
Whit Marshall, who played linebacker for the Bulldogs with Muschamp, was probably his closest friend while the two were in college. As it turns out, Muschamp also chose to marry Marshall’s first cousin, the former Carol Davis.
“I’ve been good friends with him for a long time,” said Marshall, who works in real estate and is raising four kids in Atlanta. “But it’s been funny seeing my in-laws become Gator fans. They were Georgia fans. Two my cousins went to Georgia, but now that Will’s the head coach they’re all big Gator fans.”
Muschamp also roomed with quarterback Eric Zeier all four years they lived in Athens. Zeier, one of Georgia’s most beloved players, is color analyst for the Bulldog Radio Network. Seeing one of his best buddies dressed in orange and blue and leading the Gators’ onto the field is something Zeier is still trying to get used to.
“For the record I called him up on day one and firmly announced that he was a traitor,” said Zeier, an executive with Bank of America. “But the serious answer is, as players and teammates, the minute you go into coaching your loyalty lies with the team that you’re on and with the players that you’re leading every day and you recruit to come to your school. We all realize that.”
Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and Muschamp have remained close in the years since they were at UGA. They used to talk almost weekly – that is, until Muschamp landed in Gainesville.
“We haven’t talked, except when he first got the job,” Bobo said. “Georgia-Florida’s a little different.”
Coaching a former rival against your alma mater is not unusual in the business. Auburn grad Vince Dooley led the Bulldogs for 25 years and Georgia grad Pat Dye coached Auburn during some of its most successful years. In each case, they downplayed their school ties when it came to the games.
“That’s the way you’ve gotta approach it, or try to approach it,” Bobo said. “Especially the magnitude of what fans think of the Georgia-Florida game.”
The fact of the matter is, as defensive coordinator at LSU and Auburn, Muschamp has coached against Georgia five times already. He’s 2-3 in those games.
Some have wondered if Muschamp’s presence in Gainesville has in anyway softened the rivalry between the two schools. On the contrary.
“Just the way this game has played out over the years, this game is as big as it gets for Georgia,” Zeier said. “It’s one that we want to win because we haven’t had success lately. The fact that Will is the coach heightens that to some degree and from a fan perspective it should. That’s what makes college football in the South so great.”
Meanwhile, no one buys Muschamp’s “it’s no different than any other game” spiel.
“It’s definitely one that means a lot to him just simply from the fact that he went to Georgia,” Marshall said. “But the reality is he’s been to so many different schools since then, it’s probably as not as big as if it’d had been a couple of years after he finished at Georgia. But I know deep down inside it means something to him, for sure.”
The whole thing is more than a little aggravating for Marshall, who said he always hoped Muschamp would remain at Texas, where he was “head coach in waiting” before taking the Florida job. Nevertheless, Marshall makes it clear that he “bleeds red and black.”
“It makes it tough, for sure,” Marshall said. “I’m always pulling for Will, but it’s hard to pull for him in this game. I have to pull for Georgia.”
|– Chip Towers
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249 comments Add your comment
Mad Dog One
October 28th, 2011
3:43 pm
If you live in Ga. and play for anyother team you are a traitor, if you went to school at UGA and coach some where else you are a traitor, if you ever rooted for anyother school you are a traitor, if you are anything but a DAWG fan you are a traitor. I have been rooting for the DOGS for 50 years and have heard it all and if you are a true fan you have said some of these things at on time or other so have I. The man would have been a dam# fool not to take the job. Just keep your word and be true to your frinds you may need them some time. As always GO DOGS & GATA
Sharkman
October 28th, 2011
3:44 pm
He’s 2-3 coaching against UGA, about to be 2-4. I always like Will as a player at UGA, thought he got the most out of his ability. As a spokesmouth for the Gators, he sounds like a high tech redneck bum. Thanks Willie for helping us break the Spurier curse! Hope you enjoy your one or two seasons at your “dream job.” LOL!!!
dog slayer
October 28th, 2011
3:45 pm
When Ga was winning in the earlier decades, jax was a great place. Dooley was king then. Bull Dogs get to see what Gators felt like. Stop whining! Jax is not a curse. Live long enough and you’ll see nothing stays the same forever. Do you know how obnoxious Ga fans were in those days? I hope it’s a close game and the Gators win 73-7. GO GATORS
JB
October 28th, 2011
3:46 pm
hum, should be “capital”
gt4ever
October 28th, 2011
3:47 pm
No moron, I’m calling your football team world beaters, which is what you delusional mutts will think you are after you beat a terrible UF team… Good Grief…
ATL gator
October 28th, 2011
3:52 pm
UGA fans. He’s getting paid $2.75 million a year from UF to be 100% UF. WIth that kind of money you’d be keeping your mouth shuit too. So try not to get your feelings hurt, save that for saturday.
Dorsey Hill
October 28th, 2011
3:55 pm
Our coach would have never coach for his alma mater’s biggest rival. He’s better than that. next you know we’ll hear tales about how Vince Dooley played at auburn or that pat dye played at uga. Even worse they will say our AD worked as a gator for years and years. Oh the absurdity!?! Muschamp IS in unchartered territory here.
UGA Insider
October 28th, 2011
3:57 pm
Muschamp is already in the GA/FL Hall of Fame…. For the Gators!
Chris Doering ebarrassed us 2 straight years. Those were some bad times for sure.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 28th, 2011
4:08 pm
gt4ever
Moron; oh really
And how does Tech fans act when Tech finally is ranked in the polls or whenever UGA loses to Tech
You would have thought the Wizzard of OZ cast a spell and paved North Ave with bricks of gold and turned the graffitie laden campus into the little emerald city the way you Tech fans act
TexasGator
October 28th, 2011
4:08 pm
Muschamp lived in FL, he played at UGA, so he’s a traitor if he takes millions to COACH a UGA rival? By the way dummies, Richt PLAYED for Miami and COACHED at their arch rival Florida State. Is he a traitor too? Typical dog logic.
Chris Snow
October 28th, 2011
4:09 pm
I don’t care how “terrible” Fla is, as long as we beat them, I could care less.
gt4ever
October 28th, 2011
4:12 pm
There is NO logic with UGA fans….. They are truly the WORST fans in college football…. Second to NONE!
You Flat tire are the epitome of UGA fandom!
ATL gator
October 28th, 2011
4:16 pm
TexasGator:
You’ll quickly learn that 1 out of 3 UGA fans on this blog actually know how to read, write and understand logic. The other 2/3rds write like they’re damn red necks and have no understanding of how to argue a point. I’ve given up on these tool bags. Can’t wait til we kick ur asses again!
ATL gator
October 28th, 2011
4:17 pm
Their ass…now I can’t talk
islander
October 28th, 2011
4:24 pm
i guess if dooley was whippin you pups fanny he would still be all class. muschamp just simply upgraded to a finer university. uga will allways be the armpit of the south.
GAtor
October 28th, 2011
4:31 pm
Finally UGA has a chance to beat a not great UF team…and tomorrow they will inevitably find a way to choke. Here’s to 3-19!
beanster
October 28th, 2011
4:38 pm
@ islander – No, dummy. Knock the sand out of your head. The difference is Muschamp PLAYED for UGA. Derek Dooley didn’t even attend UGA as an undergrad, only law school. It’s one thing if your Dad was the coach at one point and a totally different thing if you played between the hedges with true Dawgs like Zeier, Marshall etc. Plus, UT is a rival but I for one will forever hate the University of Florida. No comparison there at all.
GATA!!!!
ATL gator
October 28th, 2011
4:39 pm
I don’t think UGA will choke, they will get flat-out beat by a pumped up Gator team who finally has their starting QB back! UGA thinks they’re all of a sudden good because they went through Vandy, UT, MS State & Ole Miss. That schedule blows! Can’t wait to watch Rainey, Brantley & Demps take this game over. Bye Richt!
TexasGator
October 28th, 2011
4:44 pm
Exactly ATL gator: Boise kicked their butts up and down the field, they lost to S Carolina, then they beat 4 mediocre teams and think they’re ‘back’.lol They do this every year.
beanster
October 28th, 2011
4:45 pm
@TexasGator — traitor – n. – a person who betrays another, a cause, or any trust
Why would any UGA fan give a rat’s patootie about Miami or Florida State? Just like no one had any issue when Muschamp was head coach in waiting at Texas. We didn’t care.
Typical Texas logic…
TexasGator
October 28th, 2011
4:49 pm
beanster: So you’re basically saying he betrayed Miami but that doesn’t count since he hasn’t had a chance to do it to UGA yet? A traitor is a traitor no matter where they play or coach. Nice double standard.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 28th, 2011
4:50 pm
gt4ever
Really UGA fans are the worst
I know several Clemson Fans, Auburn Fans, UNC fans and they all say the same thing. GT fans are the most obnoxious people they have ever known
And whats hilarious, everytime you guys get ranked or beat an NC State level program you guys act like your playing for a National Championship
Mad Dog One
October 28th, 2011
4:50 pm
Atl Gayturd Fla beat FAU, UAB, TENN, UK and got their a$$ kicked by the only good teams they played same as UGA. So don’t let that gator mouth overload that liZZard a$$. Just stick to the facts. As always GO DOGS & GATA
Boise Dawg
October 28th, 2011
4:53 pm
Actually TexasGator we have beaten 5 bad teams this year. I don’t see one win for Georgia against a team I would consider good… however the same can be said for Florida. On paper this looks to be a pretty even matchup between two mediocre SEC teams. I know we haven’t had much luck agains you guys, but I have a hunch we are due.
beanster
October 28th, 2011
4:53 pm
TexasGator — Who has the double standard? Who is your head coach again?
TexasGator
October 28th, 2011
4:55 pm
Boise Dawg: The first dog with a fair assessment. Unfortunately these are 2 mediocre SEC teams. But even during times like this, UF has had the upper hand against UGA. I guess we’ll have to see this year.
TexasGator
October 28th, 2011
4:58 pm
beanster: your definition of a traitor said ‘a person who betrays another’. It did not say ‘well, it depends’ at the end. Richt did the same thing you are worked up over about Muschamp. He coached at a school that was a rival to the school he played for. So if one is a traitor, then, according to your logic, both are.
Boise Dawg
October 28th, 2011
5:03 pm
Do I fault Muschamp for taking the Florida job? Heck no… but that doesn’t mean I have to like him. I like Will Muschamp about as much as I like Pat Dye. Here’s to hoping the dogs have a long run of success against him and finally turn this series around.
North ave. faithful
October 28th, 2011
5:10 pm
I have been reading these blogs for 5 days now and have come to realization that yall hate the gators more than you hate us.(I COULD BE WRONG), I watched the vandy-dawg game pretty close on the DVR, and I believe you dawgs were hit with some pretty cheap shots. I think one of the biggest hits is losing S.Williams for a half,hes a hustler! But maybe your right about things turning for you in this game, dont get used to it but I would like to see you spank the gators.I know I cant explain it either? GO JACKETS!!!!
beanster
October 28th, 2011
5:16 pm
@TG — I really don’t want to get technical about the definition nor do I think it’s necessary to discuss the “logic” of one’s definition of the word ‘traitor”, but certainly it matters whether or not you are the betrayer or the betrayed. I honestly don’t get that worked up about it. At one point, I did hope that he may consider returning to UGA one day to coach. Now that I’ve seen that he has even less control of his emotions as a head coach than he did as a defensive coordinator, I am glad that he made the decision that he did. I echo BoiseDawg’s sentiments….he is another Pat Dye. Good riddance.
Boise Dawg
October 28th, 2011
5:24 pm
North ave. Faithful. I can’t understand why you would want Georgia to beat Florida… but if it makes you feel any better, I would love to see Tech pull off the upset this weekend against Clemson.
beanster
October 28th, 2011
5:29 pm
Easy Boise. Think of the trolls….”Dawgs haven’t beaten a ranked team and we beat Clemson” It would go on until Thanksgiving.
That said North Ave., I appreciate your analysis of the Vandy game and S Williams. I don’t condone the retaliation but there were cheap shots galore in that high school stadium. And you’re right, we do hate UF more than Tech.
Herman Cain
October 28th, 2011
5:38 pm
You have a point beanster. If it weren’t for cheap shots, Georgia wouldn’t have two players suspended.
1980 Dawg
October 28th, 2011
5:44 pm
I hope after Georgia wins, Coach Grantham will thump Muschump on the head, then give him the chock sign.
The Bus Drivers Dawg
October 28th, 2011
5:55 pm
Man I Hat them Gators too ! — but, How Bout Them Dawgs ! — This is gonna be FUN !
Dawg89
October 28th, 2011
6:21 pm
If UGA wants loyalty from Muschamp, then start cutting him a check.
Devildog
October 28th, 2011
6:40 pm
UGA will loose on Saturday like they always do. Then you clowns who have never played college football will start back complaining that CMR and Bobo need to be fired. UGA fans are some of the most loud mouth fans I have seen through out my world travels. and 90 percent of them have never been on a field to play football
Return to Glory
October 28th, 2011
6:45 pm
Do not fear fellow dawg fans we have our undercover man in place to implode the Gator Nation from the inside. Muschamp is still a Dawg and took the job for only one reason, to destroy Florida from the inside…lol.
GO Dawgs !!!
Sam Murray
October 28th, 2011
6:56 pm
I don’t know who Tobias Funke is, and I’m not sure what his comment about Carol Davis is supposed to mean, but the tone of it is certainly questionable, unnecessary and shows a complete lack of class. I don’t know Carol, nor do I know her family, but I do know of them and they are a very fine family from Thomaston, Ga., not lacking in class as you are, Mr. Funke. I personally know the Muschamp family and they are fine people, and as a loyal Bulldog, I personally wish we had Will on our side, but certainly don’t begrudge him doing his absolute best for what is now his team.
dawgs111
October 28th, 2011
7:01 pm
I say we take his Dawg card away from him !!!!
Realistic Fan
October 28th, 2011
7:14 pm
@Devildog
It would be a much better sport if there were no fans who hadn’t played the game. Then we wouldn’t have to build all of the huge stadiums and when a player’s college career ended, he could take advantage of his free education to go out into the world and get a real job. That would be a much better life for the athletes than is sucking up millions of dollars from idiot fans for playing a child’s game until his brain is turned to mush.
Pago Pago DAWG
October 28th, 2011
7:52 pm
Very afraid that the DAWGS will get out-coached/out-played….again.
phil
October 28th, 2011
7:56 pm
To heck with Muschamp….a bozo, a bum, a turncoat…
phil
October 28th, 2011
7:58 pm
No question we’ll be outplayed and outcoached….that’s the case almost weekly.
phil
October 28th, 2011
8:02 pm
Thank you, Devildog, for playing football….
We’re not impressed and don’t care.
lakeland dawg
October 28th, 2011
8:27 pm
Hope we kick Will ass all over the field.Go dawgs
DawgGrad04
October 28th, 2011
8:42 pm
Just win tomorrow and all the Gator talk will cease… I’m tired of our curse against those blasted Gayters! Let’s GATG and play smash-mouth football. Man, I wish I was in Jacksonville…
builderdawg
October 28th, 2011
8:55 pm
gaytormeat, I hope you have the cahones to show up on this post on Sunday, but you probably wont. PLEASE booboo,use some imagination tomorrow.
Buckhead Bulldog
October 28th, 2011
8:57 pm
Who cares? Sic”em DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!
Phuck Phloriduh
October 28th, 2011
9:08 pm
Devildog
October 28th, 2011
6:40 pm
As your grammar and spelling reflects, you have never played football in college, much less ever attending any college classes. In your “world travels”? Maybe, as a steward for Air France, ya flamer!