Gator Country

Florida Gators baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan poses with his pregnant wife, Barbara Jo, and their daughter, Payton Tyler, after his team beat North Carolina State to earn a third consecutive trip to the College World Series last season. / Photo by Mike Capshaw

Behind every great coach is a great spouse.

Florida Gators baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan and his staff are living proof. O’Sullivan said coaches’ wives are every bit as “invested” in success as the coaches themselves.

College coaching in any sport is a year-round business. Seasons are a grind that would make the typical 9-5er want to drive their Toyota Prius off a Suwanee River bridge.

There is no “off” time during the offseason, either. It’s the same arrive-before-sunrise-and-leave-well-after-sundown approach that occurs 24/7 during the regular season.

It takes a special spouse, and family, to handle the routine. Coaches learn, thanks to words of wisdom from coaching fraternity veterans, to make sure their wives-to-be understand the profession before they become wives. To understand weeks may go by where the only quality time is the kiss-on-the-cheek goodbye or goodnight.

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