The changes at UF since I was a freshman (1963) have been stunning. We are among the top public universities in America. We have won multiple national championships in football, basketball, baseball and other sports. It’s been an amazing journey to be part of as an undergraduate, and after serving 4 years during the war in ‘Nam, law school. Our daughter has a masters in speech pathology. It’s ALWAYS great to be a Florida Gator!!
I have a certain respect for you folks who were at UF 50+ years ago. Also the folks who went through 0-12-1 and then later having UF's first SEC championship stripped in a time when so many other schools were cheating too. My UF journey began a mere 37 years ago. Got to see Emmitt play for a couple years. Saw us lose at home to Memphis State, among so many other disappointing events. Even when Spurrier came in to bring us to new heights, his first season was relegated to "Best in the SEC" since the new sanctions (again) precluded UF from winning the SEC. Of course, that ship was righted in '91 when we also exercised the FSU demon. When I was younger, 2-3 year losing streaks to FSU/GA seemed like an eternity. Of course with age comes perspective. It took a little while, but SoS got us to the top the year after a devastating loss to Nebraska. Even then, it was a mountain to climb after the gut-wrenching loss in Tallahassee '96. That same day, Ohio St lost to MI for its only loss, effectively knocking them out of the national championship. Then FL beat Bama in the SEC and Texas pulled off a stunner against Nebraska, setting the table for a possible UF title . . . in a rematch against the hated Nolies no less. Still, there was one more domino that had to fall. Undefeated Arizona State, led by Jake "The Snake" Plummer, needed to lose to OSU in the Rose Bowl. Joey Germain (sp?) connected on a late TD pass to beat ASU 20-17 and the stage was set for UF to right the wrongs. Spurrs started weeks before by criticizing the FSU coaching ("echo of the whistle"). This took the media hype/pressure off his team and placed it squarely on his chest. He made the shotgun adjustment before the Sugar and we got our starting center back for the game. Gators crushed and the rest is history. 52-20 and I was privileged to see it live. I got to do a second tour in Hogtown from 2005-09 for a terminal degree. It was special being on campus for 2 football and 2 hoops NCs. What an amazing time to be (back) in Gainesville. Now we have a dynamic hoops coach, a budding (?) football coach who does so many things the right way, and a wildly different college sports landscape with NIL/transfer craziness. Meanwhile, as the OP noted, UF is a top academic institution. There will always be ups and downs. There will always be changing rules, some for the worse. One thing remains true, though. It's GREAT to be a Florida Gator!
Good soliloquy. I could say something similar. I would only say that I never grew up in Florida and so I was never attached to a college or college sports in general. But I spent my high school years in the northeast (Jax) and wanted to study engineering. I didn't have any aspirations to "go for it" towards the so-called "elite" engineering schools of the day. I saw that UF had an engineering school and thought it not too far away and seemed like a good idea and decided to attend (yeah, I realize most of you young'uns can't fathom that aspect, a WAY different time back then). Actually, I didn't really have a good grasp of what IS an engineer, other than they made pretty good money (I got paid an ASTOUNDING $17,000 after leaving college. Cha CHING!) and liked math and science (I prefer to call it the inquisitive gene). Anyways, I got to the school and realized that I wasn't in Kansas anymore, including what I thought being smart involved. I am sure this is as true today as it was WAY back then, but so many folks who aced their studies in HS just weren't prepared to use their brains the way they had to in order to succeed in college, at least in my areas. And so, you had to build a personal system that tackled the new and real aspects or else you became an ex-college student. Or even worse, a FSU graduate!!! What I did not recognize when I began my journey was how incredibly unique UF is. There are (and will still be) more elite academic institutions and there will also be those so-called "Blue Blood" sports fanatics who do things so...um..."creatively" as to "guarantee success" for which I am hopeful (although hope is beginning to be lost FAST) UF never participates fully in earnest. But because of its size and legacy to the old school Floridians it has some DAMN FINE resources. And so, UF is a combination of Vandy and USC/UCLA with a bit of Ga Tech thrown in for us engineering types. That is unheard of. And if I may say, the posting on these forums shows a level of sophistication that just about none of the other boards or teams' fans can exceed. It is a testament to what the UF experience has wrought. Match? potentially, but not exceed. I truly feel blessed to have been placed in the northeast Florida region during my formative years and got to stumble upon this thing 80 miles away. And now, about the only thing I can add to this, and it comes straight from my heart to most of you perusing this forum, is... Thanks for listening to me, now...Get off my damn LAWN!!!
