Great To Be A Gator The Gators, They Are Everywhere By TOM McEWEN Special to the Tribune Published: Jul 18, 2006 Surely, these are the "next years" that Florida Gators fans have anticipated for so long. Forgettable years were wedged between Charley Bachman's 8-1 squad in 1928 that led the nation in scoring (336 points), the carefree Silver Sixties of Coach Ray Graves, the Great Wall of the Charley Pell-Galen Hall years and, of course, the championships - SEC and national title - Steve Spurrier brought home. There just wasn't much in between Bachman and Spurrier on which the Gators could count - oh, perhaps a few special wins and memorable times - but, it should have been better. But now, the Gator Nation has more than 78,000 sold seats in a new Swamp (Spurrier's aptly named moniker for Florida Field), 13,000 boosters, more than 50,000 students, a committed new president in Bernie Machen, money in the Gator bank, recruits in line, and Athletic Director Jeremy Foley productive and happy at one of the truly great universities and sports programs in America. And we have not mentioned yet the basketball Gators of Coach Billy Donovan, who surprised us all by winning the national championship - decisively. Lord knows there are some of us around who appreciate these recent wonders, of Super Steve particularly, a couple of games by Ron Zook and the new man, Urban Meyer, and are cocksure the table is set for Coach Meyer to take the football program onward and upward. Got some players, too, and more on the way. And he has the kind of support he could not have imagined a few years ago. I am not a rookie to these scenes of the good, the bad, the very bad, the ugly and, yes, the championship times Spurrier taught us to expect. I am not a new member of the Gator Nation, now accepted as a union of the sports programs - its fans and athletes - with the academic side. The Gator Nation in years past was exclusively football, but now academia has joined up. Terrific. Plenty To Cheer About The Gators have a cheer - the Gators have a lot of cheers, a lot of originality. Goooooo Gaaators. Please Go Gators. … It's Great To Be a Florida Gator. That last cheer is how most of them feel about these days just past and those ahead - despite a tough first-year schedule for Meyer, who, friends say, now realizes the great fortune he had with this job coming open when he was available. But, then, plenty also say the Gators were lucky he was available. It is his second season at Florida, my umpteenth, in a way or two. My late mother, Virginia Milton McEwen, was a graduate of Florida when the university was based in Lake City. Her dad, Thomas Milton, fought at the Battle of Olustee on Feb. 20, 1864, near Lake City, for the Confederates. We won. Excuse me, the South won this one. My grandfather, who lived to 91 and had nine children, was a private/bugler in the Civil War. He later moved to Safety Harbor. My late brother, Red McEwen, went to Florida and played football there, halfback and quarterback, on the great 1928-29 teams. First Gator game I saw was in 1928 against Washington & Lee at Jacksonville. Florida won, 60-6. Red played well. We drove up in Daddy's new Buick to some games. He was the Hardee County tax assessor then and made $200 a month, a fortune then. He was beaten in the next election by a cousin. My dad grew up a cowboy, but after his county government job he learned the auction business and managed farmers' markets in Wauchula, and then Plant City. I went to Florida because it was cheap (worked my way through) and you could get in with a diploma from a certified high school (my high school was in Wauchula), and I never had a problem with grades. Was an ATO, active on all publications and graduated with a bachelor of arts in journalism, cum laude and en absentia. I was in the Army in World War II babysitting POWs in the Philippines and missed graduation, as did good friends and good citizens Burke Kibler, John Germany and the best of us all, the late Red Pittman. Son Rick attended and daughter Gabriella was a UF graduate, so the roots are long and deep. I would move on to write about the Gators in Fort Myers, St. Petersburg and Tampa. In 1973, I wrote the book, "The Gators," which published 5,000 copies. Sold them all, but the book is now out of print. The Huntsville, Ala., publishing house that distributed the book burned down. Lifelong Relationships Of course, my work at newspapers - as columnist and sports editor in Tampa - expanded and sealed a vast Gator historical experience and friendship with coaches and players, none better than with Spurrier, who is a fast and trusted friend and a dead-level honest man and coach. And so we are folks. All these games, these cheers and tears later, the great wins and the crushing defeats by the Gators - whose fans are as passionate, as loyal, as forgiving as any, who consider all opponents Gator Bait and all those on their side members of the Gator Nation. Former Gators quarterback John Reaves, one heck of a player, was discussing the Gators with Gator Forever Carter McCain the other night at Bern's Steak House. McCain said, "I am a lawyer, a father, good citizen, Tampa resident, Buccaneer, but first off a through-and-through Gator. I am eaten up with it. I am consumed by it. And I wouldn't trade it for anything." Reaves stood and proposed the toast: "The Gators!" Didn't have to say anything else. A couple of others joined in. They are everywhere, folks, and they always will be because they graduate more than other Florida colleges each year and always will. Tom McEwen is the former sports editor and columnist for The Tampa Tribune.
I'd say it's great to be a Gator right now, esp with the programs at FSU and Miami in decline and Urban Meyer new on the scene. If Urban does with Gator football what you guys hope and expect, then you'll be on top in the SEC and in the state of Fla. Although I would quibble with the author on one point. He rightfully points out that you guys have good sports programs across the board, esp basketball of course. But I can tell you that I know football is what stirs the drink at schools like Texas, Fla, etc. We can have great baseketball, great baseball, great track, great academics, etc, but when football isn't great the alums are glum!! Terry
You are right about football Terry. It's the King at Florida and in the south in general. But it is great to have Billy the Kid coaching at Florida and to be a top dog in basketball also.
Bill, Texas alums have the same feeling, we are very happy with Rick Barnes and the way the Texas Basketball program is going. We recruit extremely well, have been a factor in the NC race, but not got one as yet. Plus throw in the job Augie Garrido has done in bringing home multiple NC's in baseball and the other programs like womens softball which is nationally ranked. And in the minor sports we have great golf, tennis, track, swimming programs. But it's Football that people really care about in the end and gets them wearing their Texas gear proudly everywhere. BTW it's the same at ND. Women have won nat'l championships in soccoer and basketball in recent years, Mens baseball has been very good, mens socceer has been very good, very competitive teams in lacrosse, field hockey, volleyball, softball, etc. But no joy unless the football program is in the top 10 and competing for the NC. We finished very highly ranked in the Directors Cup (we means both Tex and ND) but it's ho hum whens football start! Terry
Terry, I would not say there is no joy in Gatorland if we win let's say basketball but football isn't going so well, but I would say we need to football to be complete as Gators.
It's better when hoops is strong as well and when UF plays well in the NCAAs like in 2000 and certainly last year it is a huge Gator bonus. Now, not only is football kicking off in the fall but there will be quite a few glances at the hoops team to see how they are doing as well. It's great.. to be.... a F-l-o-r-i-d-a Gator!!!