The Relationships

In an interview of both Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow on ESPN, the strong relationships within the Florida Gator’s football team are revealed. Tim and Urban share one of the strongest relationships in the program. Meyer looks at Tebow as an unbiological son. Urban Meyer relates Tebow to his actual son, Nate, saying he spends nearly as much time with Tebow as he does Nate. While not as strong, Urban cherishes his close relationships with his players and truly values all of them. Tebow is a strong leader in the team and holds strong devotion to his fellow players. This was apparent in his half-time speech at the national championship. After feeling like he let his team down the first half, he encouraged them by saying, “we’ve got thirty minutes for the rest of our lives… give everything you got for thirty minutes and we’re gonna win this game” (Tim Urban Sunday Conversation). Tebow closed by expressing his loyalty and respect for his coach. He hopes to give him a team that cares more about each other than themselves and the crystal ball at the end of the season, of course.

A football team that takes things deeper than the game is more than a football team; they have grown into a family. Closeness within a team off the field helps to build a better team on the field. The players can trust each other and hold the others accountable for their actions. The Florida Gators know the devotion of each of their fellow players which leads to their own passion building. The relationships don’t stop at the players, but the coaches also have a tight knit bond. Urban Meyer opens his house and heart to all of his players. He sees them as family to help in any way possible. When you can depend on someone like that, it builds respect. Respect for your teammates and your coach means a better experience on the football field.

"Tim Urban Sunday Conversation." YouTube. Web. 8 May 2010.

The Speed

Mike Kaminski saw the value of Florida’s speedsters and wrote his article, “What’s in a Nickname? At Florida, it’s Speed”. He evaluates the importance these quick players have had on the Gator’s success. Nicknames throughout the Florida team range from gazelles, jackrabbits, and cheetahs. Players such as Rainey and Demps have running styles that reflect that of the gazelle. Jenkins goes by jackrabbit not only for his speed, but also for his time spent as a kid chasing rabbits around. The biggest honor of all, the title of the cheetah, goes to Percy Harvin. Kaminski quoted Coach Meyer saying, “I want to have the fastest team in America” (Kaminski). Meyer strongly focuses on potential player’s speed while recruiting. Florida already has twelve players who have clocked at or under 4.4 seconds when running the forty yard dash. Meyer is so confident in the ability of his players he held an open race for the students of the University of Florida. If any student could beat his speed demons, he ensured a scholarship. Needless to say, none were given.

Speed puts the Gators one step ahead of all the other teams out there. It’s a secret weapon that not all teams have the pleasure of having. However, it is only a small part to a big picture. Having speedy players has saved Florida in the past, but I believe they are more for bragging rights than success. Florida players think they have the best of the best. One player in the article was quoted saying that “we [Florida Gators] can line up with anybody” (Kaminski). All cockiness aside, Meyer should continue to look for quick players but not make it a necessity.





Kaminski, Mike. "What's in a Nickname? At Florida, it's Speed." First Coast News 06 Jan 2009: Web. 8 May 2010.

Tim Tebow Interview

Tim Tebow starts with letting his interviewer know that he is loyal to University of Florida and will spend his senior year there. The next topic brought up is the Gators’ one point loss to Ole Miss. After the game, Tebow made a pledge; he stated, “To the fans, the Gator Nation, I’m sorry. Extremely sorry. But I promise you one thing: a lot of good will come from this. You will never see a player, in the entire country, play as hard as I will play the rest of the season. You will never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of this season. And you will never see a team play harder than we will play the rest of the season. God bless” (Tim Tebow on ESPN). He goes on to say that that set the mood for the rest of the season. It was cool to him how they were able to bounce back from that loss and win a championship. They went through the rest of their games not being the prettiest team, but they cared the most about each other and winning together. The next subject brought up is Tebow’s penalty for excessive celebration. Tebow comments that it was worth the yards they lost in that game. Doing the gator chomp wasn’t expressing his success but the success of his team and the gator nation as a whole. When asked which year was better for his individual accomplishments, 2007 or 2008, Tebow answered 2008 saying wins are more important than statistics. He believes that leadership will keep the edge for the year after their championship. Tebow ends the interview by praising his head coach, Urban Meyer, saying, “how hard he works that’s how hard we have to work, his character that’s our character, his integrity that’s our integrity” (Tim Tebow on ESPN).

With this interview, you are able to see more of what went into the success of the Gators in 2008. Tebow expresses the determination of the whole team after the loss to Ole Miss. It brought out a need to prove that they still had it. To pull it together and come out with a championship after that struggle was a huge accomplishment for the team. It showed what they were made of and that nothing could make them stumble and fail. The Gators have a very strong sense of pride. Sometimes that pride can hurt them as it did with Tebow's penalty. However, in a sense, they deserve the bragging rights. The Florida Gators want players and fans to realize who they are and what they've done. They did it all together with the help of an amazing coach. Having that loyalty, pride, and determination, that is what makes the Gators stand apart from other college football teams.

"Tim Tebow on ESPN." YouTube. Web. 07 Apr 2010.

The Redefined Defense

Bill Trocchi begins his article, “Once-maligned Gators Defense Rises to Ultimate Challenge”, by unraveling the players’ relationships. Before the big SEC championship game, a safety, Ahmad Black, texted big time linebacker, Brandon Spikes, “you are the leader, and I’m following you” (Trocchi). The players had recently been inspired by pro-linebacker, Ray Lewis, who related football players to soldiers at war. A head soldier leads as his troops follow. Spikes got the message and reinforced it to his fellow athletes. He built them up through reminding them of the ridicule the defense got last year; this year was their time to shine. The defense managed to pull it together in the final quarter and bring in some outstanding numbers. One of the biggest accomplishments was Cunningham’s sack of John Parker Wilson: the first of the game. One player went as far as to say, “That sack was the play of the night. We just knew we had to come out and make a stand” (Trocchi). Coach Meyer gushed about his teams’ win and commented on the toughness of the program. Many doubted the Gators’ defense could pull out the force to stop Alabama, but they succeeded.



The defense has a huge responsibility on a football team. The offense gets most of the glory for putting the points on the scoreboard. However, they wouldn’t make it within out their fellow players putting a halt to the other teams’ attempt to score. Alabama is a wonderful team, one of the best in the nation according to their rank. Fans doubted Florida’s ability to put Alabama’s success to an end. Florida’s program is known for their speedy players versus their tough, unbreakable defense. They had several plays in this final game before the national championship that showed they were here to play; they had improved from the year before. Without a defense to stop Alabama’s offense that game could have gone in a completely different direction for the Gators.

Trocchi, Bill. "Once-maligned Gators defense rises to ultimate challenge." Sports Illustrated 07 Dec 2008: Web. 07 Apr 2010. .

The Heisman Quarterback

The athletic department at the University of Florida struck gold with Tim Tebow as Mark McLeod showed in his article, "Hand Tebow the Hardware". At only a sophomore, Tebow had a record of twenty-two for thirty-two passes for a total of 304 yards. Tebow is also one of the most daring quarterbacks when it comes to running the ball. Meyer explained that “you can’t jeopardize running Tim as much as he likes to run and as much as we’d like to have him run” (McLeod). However, he still ran for 120 yards on twenty-six carries. This led to five rushing touchdowns. He did all this at what some consider newbie status. Many believe that his lack of experience on the team meant he wasn’t ready to be an all-star; he hadn’t paid his dues. Yet, the numbers can’t be denied. He threw for twenty-three touchdowns with only five interceptions. McLeod even stated that “he [Tim Tebow] leads the nation in passing efficiency, while ranking among the nations leaders in total offense, and points responsible for per game”. Head coach, Urban Meyer, praised the young athlete by saying, “He’s a full functioning quarterback” (McLeod). The author ends the article by relating Tebow to Herschel Walker who lost the Heisman because of his freshman status. Unlike Walker, however, Tim walks away with the trophy.

Tim Tebow was a huge asset to this football team. He brought in a new sense of diversity. A quarterback that is built like a lineman is every coach’s dream. Tebow knew when to throw and when to run. That option isn’t available with every quarterback in college football. His head coach was obviously very proud of him and supportive. I believe Tim Tebow came out on top because of the support given to him by his coaching staff. He was young, but he took charge. Earning that trophy at that age proved a lot from him. The Heisman is rewarded to an outstanding football player every year. At that age to be good is wonderful; to be outstanding is a whole different story. Tebow showed the nation that something amazing can come in any package, so you better watch out.

McLeod, Mark. "Hand Tebow the Hardware." Florida Gators Country 11 Nov 2007: Web. 1 Apr 2010.