The booty is adding up. Legacies are mounting. In this remarkable run of dominating sports excellence, the University of Florida is enjoying success unprecedented by any athletic program, laying down footprints for a path that may never traveled again by a Gator Nation.
These are the good times.
Tim Tebow just picked up the school’s third Heisman over the weekend. It’s getting a little crowded in the trophy room, what with the ten SEC football and basketball titles and four combined national championships. And here’s the bad news: More good times are on the way.
Memo to Jeremy Foley: Build a bigger trophy room.
Titletown is still just like brand new — and it’s not closed yet. And all of “The Gator Boys” haven’t left yet, just the first wave.
Older fans appreciate these delicious days. And you can’t blame those AARP football Gators for excessive gloating. Some 60 years ago Coach Bear Wolf’s team was ending a 13-game losing streak in what was known as “The Golden Era.” Never mind national championships, how about a break-even season? As recently as 1979 Charley Pell’s team was 0-10-1.
Right now, under Urban Meyer, Gator football is at its pinnacle, showing no signs of a descent.
It’s not possibly to quantify the impact of Tebow’s Heisman yet, except to say in addition to him becoming The Poster Boy for college athletics, it is bound to have an immediate impact on Florida recruiting. The word on the recruiting trails is that Meyer is about to harvest a bountiful crop of future stars.
Saturday night at the Hard Rock Café, in the afterglow of The Tebow Show, Meyer was asked if he’d use it as bait for future prospects: “Oh yeah,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tebow is blowing up. Already, because of his boyish charm, winning smile, gentle off-the-field nature and genuine humility — not to mention his immense football ability — Tebow is being embraced as the ultimate ambassador for the game of college football. Is this too much pressure to put on one young athlete and can he last? No, and yes.
When asked how Tebow might have reacted had somebody else won the Heisman, Meyer said: “He could handle it.” The key to Tebow’s stability is his priorities as a person which equip him stay balanced and handle success and failure. He puts football No. 4 behind faith, family and academics.
I’ve watched all three of Florida’s Heisman-Men play and, while I can’t say all three of them are my friends, I have certainly spent considerable time in their presence. Steve Spurrier’s guile as a play-caller and consistency as a clutch performer made him the premier player of his era. Danny Wuerffel’s leadership role, poise, faith and passing ability were the hallmarks of his national championship era. Tim Tebow is still evolving as a player and a leader, but his raw talent, ferocity as a competitor and pure physical dominance could put him in the stratosphere beyond compare. Not to mention his unselfishness and adherence to his relgious conviction.
Tebow also has a star quality that could work for or against he and his team in the future. Because of his enormous popularity, there’s bound to be a backlash. But not among his teammates, because Tebow and Meyer simply won’t allow that to happen. You can count on one thing: Every time somebody brings up the Heisman next year, the two of then will emphasize over, and over, and over that it’s a “team award.” And Percy Harvin’s name will come up a lot. In that sense it will work for the Florida Gators—as well as becoming a powerful recruiting tool.
It’s just tough to find a reason not to like Tim Tebow, even if he appears to be flawless.
In an era downtrodden sports stars — Barry Bonds and Mike Vick being the chief miscreants — Tebow comes through in the national limelight like a beacon of integrity. Mamas and daddies embrace him. Mothers want their daughters to marry him. College football gets to keep him around for two more years. And the promise of the 2008 season has Gator football coaches giddy. Perhaps two more trips to the Nokia Theater in Times Square are in Tebow’s future.
By the time Tebow graduates, he could be a regular in The Big Apple and in the Page Six gossip column of the New York Post. He might even have his own table at Elaine’s or a corner office with a window in the Trump Building, or perhaps have a Broadway play written about him.
All the folklore figure talk has been fun and the spirit of the Tebow mythology is priceless.
In final round of the Merrill Lynch Shark Shootout at Tiburon in Naples on Sunday, a couple of Gators came to the final tee, hit their shots, and promptly displayed their colors. Chris DiMarco and Camilo Villegas whipped out white No. 15 Tim Tebow jerseys in honor of the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and finished play.
This is the proper way to cherish blessings and good fortune: Have fun with it. These kinds of riches don’t last forever.
Some people already want to talk about Tebow’s future to a point where they can’t enjoy his current success.
Less than 24 hours after the coronation of their quarterback as one of the 72 greatest college football players of all time, there were discussions on talk radio and message boards about what’s next for Tebow.
Will he play two more years? (yes).
Can he win two more Heismans? (Maybe, maybe not.)
Will he be able to quicken his release to make it in the NFL? (I believe so.)
Yada, yada, yada.
So far, the choices of this 20-year-old have been pretty good. And unless he gets hurt, Tim Tebow will become The Greatest Gator. He’s going to improve and, most importantly, is his the cast around him will, too, as the talent is stockpiled in Gainesville.
Urban Meyer could be about to carve his own likeness on the Gators’ football version of Mount Rushmore (Or Passmore, whichever he prefers).
Life as a Gator fan wasn’t always this good. Back when Bob Woodruff was coaching the post-war Gator football team, anything more than five wins was a stellar season. It wasn’t until 1952 that the Gators played post-season game, beating beat Tulsa in the Gator Bowl. OK, it was only Tulsa, but Gator fans celebrated it like it was an SEC title.
When you’re hungry, table scraps taste like fillet mignon.
It took a while to dig out, starting with Ray Graves in 1960. Steve Spurrier had to reach to bring the program respectability when he arrived as coach in 1990: Twice in the 1980s the UF was put on NCAA probation and may have been only a few breaths from “death penalty.” The Florida Gators have come back like Lazarus.
First Spurrier’s team crashing through with the school’s initial SEC title. Then he delivered Florida’s very for national championship in 1996. It was like Roger Bannister cracking the four-minute mile once Spurrier did it.
What followed was this period of riches. And if you really want to appreciate it even more, imagine yourself — just for now — as a fan of Notre Dame, Nebraska, Florida State or Miami.
For most of the decade from 1996 to through 2007, indeed, this has been a spectacular ride. I once thought it could never be any better than it was from April 1, 2006 to April 2, 2007: 366 days, three national titles and three SEC championships.
Now I’m not so sure the flow of blessings will end anytime soon — even though the titles and trophies may not arrive in such bunches and no doubt will come in a more protracted time frame.
With Meyer and Billy Donovan, the best football-basketball coaching tandem in the business, anything is possible. Enjoy these good times, every step of the way, and make the memories for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. History is being written.
Dominance in life, war, business and sport isn’t forever. Ask the Romans.