executive editor’s letter
GC
THE INSIDER AUTHORITY ON GATOR SPORTS
PUBLISHER Raymond Hines III
LEARNING ABOUT URBAN AND HIS WAY
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Buddy Martin ART DIRECTOR Jason Farmand PHOTO EDITOR Tim Casey CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Franz Beard John Fineran Cody Jones Mark McLeod
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Inquiring minds want to know. Everywhere I have traveled over the past few months this question has been asked: What’s Urban Meyer really like? Well, I wanted to know as well. So over the course of a year I set out to find out. The first fruits of that endeavor can be found in this issue of Gator Country Magazine, with Part I of the three-part excerpt from “Urban’s Way” scheduled to appear here — thanks to the generosity of my publisher, St. Martins Press. I’d like to report to you that my research has revealed his innermost thoughts and secrets to his success, but I can honestly only say that I’ve just begun to learn about Urban Meyer. Hanging out with the Gator teams during 2007 with a backstage pass that allowed me to virtually view the innermost workings of the football program, it wasn’t until we sat down at his North Florida lake home on Christmas Week 2007 that he began to reveal something of himself. One morning at sunrise when Urban looked up and saw the stunning sight outside on the lake, that moment seemed to touch his soul. And talked of spiritual things, his commitment to helping young men succeed in life (not just football) and the love of his family. You can decide for yourself after reading the book, but what I believe to be true is that his commitment to his family, his players and the program extends beyond what is normal of most coaches. You will also learn about his
“Plan to Win,” which governs everything Urban does. This peek behind the scenes comes in a year that should be a special one for Meyer, his team and the entire Gator Nation. This will be a season of milestones for Urban, Tim Tebow and their Gators. Meyer is on track to hit 40 wins at Florida in 2008 which would give him an average of more than 10 wins in four seasons as Gator coach — the only Florida coach besides Spurrier to accomplish that feat. He’s also closing in on his 80th victory overall in 2008 and at age 44 already has an SEC title and national championship to his credit, something that many other coaching icons have not done. Meyer’s 31-8 mark at Florida and overall record of 70-16 put him among the elite college coaches active through 2007, as the list below indicates. 1. Pete Carroll, Southern Cal 2. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 3. Urban Meyer, Florida 4. Mark Richt, Georgia 5. Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee 6. Bobby Bowden, Florida State 7. Lloyd Carr, Michigan 8. Joe Paterno, Penn State 9. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina 10. Jim Tressel, Ohio State
76-14 97-22 70-16 72-19 147-45 373-119-4 122-40 372-125-3 163-56-2 208-73-2
.844 .815 .814 .791 .766 .756 .753 .747 .742 .739
And keep in mind, he has nearly half those 70 wins in the brutally tough Southeastern Conference. That, too, has been Urban’s Way.
Florida’s head football coach Urban Meyer, left, meets with Gator Country executive editor Buddy Martin after the 2008 Orange and Blue Debut game.