The James Bates Family with the Lawrence Wright Family

GatorGalz recently caught up with long-time Florida favorite, James Bates, a member of that unique 1992 freshman class (most of that top-ranked recruiting class red-shirted the '92 season) that set a new standard for Gator football teams. The middle (MIKE) linebacker played in four consecutive SEC Championship games, was a member of the All-SEC team and co-captain of the 1996 National Championship team.

Today, "Bates-y" (as anointed by Coach Spurrier) handles play-by-play for the Mountain West Sports Network, the network for the Mountain West Conference. What you might not know is that James is also a "self-taught" artist who has produced a number of beeswax, gel, acrylic and oil pieces that can be seen at www.jamesbatesgallery.com.

#44 recently shared his significant insight about playing in the conference championship, as well as his views on Carlos Dunlap misconduct, his dad's departure from the Tampa Bay Bucs, Bobby Bowden's retirement, and some of the silly things that went on with that 1996 Gator National Championship team.

GG: James, can you share a few memories of playing in the SEC Championship Game four different times, including three against Alabama?
JB: You know it wasn't just that we played in the game four times, but more importantly that we won four times. To me that's the thing about the SEC Championship game that's so special - the fact that we ran through the SEC with so many great teams and so much tradition. The fact that we came away on top four straight times is really something that I think we almost started to take for granted.

Looking back it's such an amazing feat. It makes me proud to go into the Swamp with my kids who are now old enough to understand what that paint up there means in the end zone - ‘93, ‘94, ‘95, '96 - all of our championships are so special to me and I feel fortunate to have been a part of it.

My favorite SEC story, though, is my senior year we had just lost the week before the SEC Championship in the #1 vs. #2 game in Tallahassee. We lost to FSU, and while we thought while we still could go on and win another SEC championship, we'd been there and done that, and we wanted to win a national championship.

We'd come so close the year before and we knew that this was going to be our year. And when we got upset on the road in Tallahassee, we thought our shot at a national title was gone.

The day before we played Alabama in the championship game in 96, Texas and Nebraska had to play. Nebraska was heavily favored, as they should've been - that team was very similar to the team we played in the 1995 national title game and they should have handled Texas. Had they beaten Texas, they would have played Florida State for the national title in the Sugar Bowl.

Well Texas upset Nebraska in that game, and we all were watching in the hotel there in Atlanta. And when Texas won the game, it was like a bomb had exploded in the hotel. You had big 300-pound guys running up and down the hallway in their underwear hugging and stuff, and it was crazy. Because everyone was in their rooms watching and knew that if Texas won we were going to get a shot at FSU again in the Sugar Bowl. So needless to say we went out and took care of Alabama the next day. We were so excited in the day leading up to my last SEC championship game in '96.

I guess it's like Spurrier said "I think God was just smiling down on the Gators," because if you remember the night before we played FSU we also needed Ohio State to beat an undefeated Arizona State team to get to the national title game, and that was a game that the Buckeyes came back to win late. That's another one we all watched as a team.

GG: Which of the four Championship games you played in was the toughest?
JB: The toughest would have been my sophomore year - 1994. It was a tight one where Chris Doering scored a touchdown late in the game against Alabama who was favored to win. That was a pretty scary one. I also remember the year before that was really pretty special for us, because as ugly as those first rings are, they meant the most to us because we all knew how hard it was to get an SEC ring, so we all wore them proudly.

GG: Where do you keep your rings now?
JB: I wear my big one (the national championship ring) when I work. And while I'd like to say the rest of them were in some place fancy, but I actually have them in a Ziploc bag in my closet. I should probably get a display case for them or something, huh?

GG: What will this year's team be feeling heading into a consecutive conference championship game? What advice would you share with them?
JB: Actually, I ‘m a little bit jealous at how this game has turned into such a nice rivalry and such an intense game. When I played it seemed like the last couple games everybody knew we were going to roll in there and win - which we did with Alabama and Arkansas my junior and senior year. But that's changed. Last year was one of the best games that I've ever seen and this year promises to be even more exciting. This game is going to turn out to be one of the most exciting games in the history of the SEC, no doubt. And so, they have to keep doing what they're doing. And I think Urban, and Timmy and Spikes and all those leaders, they've got it all figured out. So they don't need any advice from me, that's for sure.

GG: So what are your thoughts on Carlos Dunlap and the impact his suspension from Saturday's game is going to have on the team?
JB: I personally think it's the most selfish thing I've ever heard of and I'm really upset for the team. I'm upset for Urban. I just think for a guy, whether he gets caught or not, to be out that late on what should be the biggest week in the history of the UF football program with the chance to go play for another national title, it's just really a selfish thing and it's really disappointing to me.

GG: Will it have an impact on the team?
JB: I'm sure it will have an impact on the team on the field. Here's a guy that's going to go get drafted in the first round and unfortunately when you look at incidents like that he's got plenty of time to convince everybody in the NFL that this isn't a problem that it isn't going to be a problem again. And while there are a handful of NFL teams that will shy of him a little bit, there are also those that can see what he can do on the field so it won't matter to them that much. More than anything the Gators will miss him because he's such a dominate player. He's one of the better defensive players in college football. So I think that will affect them obviously. But they have other guys that can step in and try to help out, but it's tough to replace a guy like that.

Mentally, if you lose a guy like Tim Tebow or Brandon Spikes - guys who are vocal leaders and guys that have led by example all year long - that's where it would really hurt you in the locker room. But more than anything, this one's going to hurt them on the field because he's such a playmaker.

GG: What was the atmosphere like leading up to the Championship game?
JB: It's probably not what you‘d expect from guys getting ready to go play a big game. There were times when we were probably too loose. But it just worked for us. That was one of those things that you couldn't put your finger on before the start of the season. You have all these pre-season publications that make their predictions based on heights, weights, strengths, and who's coming back help identify how good a team is going to be. But what they can never tell is how well a team gets along and how much they like each other.

I would have challenged anybody to have found another team in 1996 that got along better than us. And that showed on the field. The things we did -- hanging around the hotels and riding buses and stuff --were just downright goofy. We liked to have our fun and mess around - make fun of each other. Sometimes we'd wrestle in the hotel rooms. I do remember in 1996 following that Texas/Nebraska game, we were watching Marky Mark in Fear and we just had fun.

GG: Do you keep up with any of your former teammates?
JB: I do keep up with guys like Lawrence Wright, and Danny Wuerffel and Eric Kresser. Fortunately, being in Gainesville means I'm around a lot of events where I run into a lot of the guys. Maybe not as many as I'd like to but it is always great to see them, and I try to stay in touch with as many as I can.

GG: What are you doing now?
JB: I just finished my fourth season doing play-by-play for the Mountain West Sports Network, which is the network for the Mountain West Conference. I'm getting ready to start my fourth year of basketball as well, so I've been out there for four years calling football, basketball and baseball games and hosting some shows as well. And I'm just really enjoying the Mountain West Conference - it's a fun league in all sports. I've enjoyed getting to know more about the west and all these great teams in the conference. And I'm really proud of the job I've done as well.

GG: What's your long term goal?
JB: I just want to keep on getting better. Shoot, I feel so fortunate in this day and age not only to have a job, but to have a job I love so much. I'm making a living by calling games like I did this weekend between BYU and Utah, which featured two Top 25 teams that was won by BYU in overtime. Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I want to keep growing and getting better and keep milking every second I can get with my family.

GG: Gives us an update on the family.
JB: I have an 11-year old son, and two daughters ages 8 and 6. My wife Tina was an all-American swimmer at Florida for the Gators. The girls are great swimmers, and Jake's a baseball player. They're all great kids and we're really proud of them.

GG: So sports run in the Bates Family?
JB: Oh yeah. My dad (Jim Bates) and my brother (Jake) are football coaches. My dad played football at Tennessee. My brother played football at Tennessee before transferring to Rice to play baseball. My mom for many years was a P.E. teacher, so we almost had no choice but to do sports.

GG: What's the latest on your dad, and what happened at Tampa Bay?
JB: They had to have some sort of scapegoat and it's really a shame because here's a team that's $35 million under the salary cap and the guys that he did have were playing hard and he was really enjoying them and enjoying Raheem Morris. And I don't understand the Glaziers thinking. Not sure too many other people do either. But they fired him and then in the same breathe they asked if he'd stay around to help them the next few weeks out. That's just the way it works in the NFL, but it's such a shame. Dad or not, he's the best football coach I've ever been around.

GG: Tell me about the influence your dad had on you both as a player and now in your post-playing days.
JB: He's always been the most positive person that I've ever been around. That's one of the things that I've always admired about my dad. He's just always taken care of people and always made people around him happy. That's one thing that I've always tried to do -- stay positive and happy, and make the most out of whatever I'm doing. When he was down in Miami (with the Dolphins) guys like Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas just really loved him, and to have guys like that tell you that your dad's the best coach I've ever had, that speaks volumes. Trace Armstong's another guy that's spoken so highly of him over the years. I'm just proud of him, and try to make him proud with the things that I do and the way that I treat people.

GG: Fondest on-field moment as a Gator?
JB: I really liked scoring a touchdown in the Swamp against Georgia my sophomore year when I returned an interception for a TD. But I would have to say that my fondest memory that beats that one by a little bit, was standing on the field in Knoxville after we played and beat Tennessee my senior year for the fourth year in a row. At that point it was a game that you absolutely had to win -- early in the season, big rivalry. I went to high school in Tennessee and everybody was disappointed in me for leaving east Tennessee and going to Florida. But I just really felt I was making the right choice.

And standing there my senior year and having beaten them four years in a row, against Peyton Manning, no less, was really special - plus I had an interception in the game. Having the chance to contribute in such a big way in such a big rivalry and in such a big win I have to say that was my proudest moment as a Gator on the field was to finish off four in a row against Tennessee.

GG: It must have been extra special playing Georgia in the Swamp.
JB: What's really neat about my freshman class is that we got to play Georgia in every venue that they've played the Florida/Georgia game. My first year we played them in the old Gator Bowl. And then they started construction for the Jags, so we played our home and away - the following year in the Swamp and then my junior year up in Athens. And by the time my senior year rolled around, Alltel Stadium was complete so we played them there. So we hit all four venues. So I think that's a pretty neat deal to be able to say that.

GG: Favorite on-campus memory?
JB: Like I said I thought I made the right college choice for a lot of reasons but at the top has to be meeting my wife. We were on campus for about five or six days when I met her in the dining Hall in Yon, and one of my favorite memories is - I'm not sure what they call it in Florida, but we used to call it "pumping" in Tennessee - was "doubling" on the bike. She used to ride around on my handle bars to class and everybody used to make fun of us, especially her swimmer friends. That was fun. Tina and I had a good time there, growing up in college.

GG: What events did she swim?
JB: She was a sprinter, so her best event was the 50 free.

GG: Earlier you mentioned Tebow and Spikes. And clearly Tim gets the lion share of the adulation, but as a defensive guy yourself, give me your impression of Brandon Spikes and his legacy on this team.
JB: I think that what Brandon Spikes is experiencing right now is exactly why he came back. He didn't come back to be a part of something that was an also-ran, but he came back to be a part of something special. And that's winning a third national championship and a second in two years. He could've left as a junior and made a lot of money, which is what a lot of kids are doing these days. But he chose to stick around and come back and I think that right there is the best example he could set for any of these under classmen and anyone in college football really.

He passed a lot up because he understands what makes the team and the defense click. One of the neatest things I've ever seen since my playing days ended, was when I went down in the locker room before last year's SEC Championship game. Believe it or not, Urban's a coach who lets the guys run the show and Spikes is one of those guys who runs it. And I respect that about Urban for allowing that to happen.

Urban's got his finger on the pulse and you'd think he'd want to control ever single aspect, and in most cases that's true, but he knows exactly when to let the guys do their thing and he realizes that guys like Brandon Spikes will know a little bit more about what it takes to get guys ready to go out and play than maybe he or some of his assistants would. And Brandon Spikes puts on quite a show in the pre-game locker room. It's one of the neatest things I've seen in college football. And I've been in a lot of football locker rooms growing up with my dad as a coach. And I've never seen anything like the Gators pre-game locker room. It's a lot of fun, it's intense and its crazy.

GG: Can anyone fill Spikes' shoes when he leaves?
JB: I don't know exactly who it would be, because I'm not as familiar with some of the under classmen and their personalities. But I do know that just when you think there's never going to be another one of "these guys," somebody else comes along and just knows how to do it. And I think that's one thing Urban's done a great job of in recruiting talent and personalities as well. And I'm sure that there's someone out there that's going to be the next Brandon Spikes - somebody in high school right now that will take Brandon Spikes place as a leader one day. Now Timmy Tebow, I don't know that you'll ever find another Tim Tebow - he's one of a kind. And hopefully the residual effect of Timmy Tebow will linger for years until maybe someone else will come around that's just like him.

GG: Any thoughts on Bobby Bowden's retirement?
JB: Bobby Bowden is Florida State University. Love them or hate them, Florida State is one of those teams like Notre Dame, that belongs up there in the top of college football year in and year out. And I think it's a shame that he didn't finish off a great career a little more competitively, a little bit more like I knew Florida State in the 90s. I've got nothing but respect for him and what he did for Florida State and I just hope he's happy and has a great retirement. And I'm sure he'll still be around that program in some way, shape or form.

GG: So what's your prediction for Saturday's championship game?
JB: I thought going into last year's game that it'd be a tight one. I felt pretty confident that the Gators were going to win. I think this one could go down as one of the best games that's ever been played in the Southeastern Conference. The two teams are pretty evenly matched but the Gators have won so many big ones in the last couple years and we've got a Timmy Tebow and other great leaders on the team, and that's the difference. So I'm going to say a low-scoring game - 23-17 Gators.

GG: And do the Gators repeat then as National Champs? And who will they play in that game?
JB: This is wishful thinking, but it's going to be the Gators and the TCU Horned Frogs in that national championship game. I'm going pull like heck for Nebraska to upset Texas in the Big 12 Championship and I'll leave it that. Since I work for the Mountain West Conference I don't want to make a prediction on the winner and have everybody thinking that I'm pulling against the people who butter my bread. So I'll just say my national championship prediction is going to be TCU and Florida in Pasadena.

GG: Your thoughts on how the Bowl Championship Series is administered and how it leaves some on the outside looking in, particularly teams from smaller conferences like the one your work for that have great seasons?
JB: I look at the number of teams that could end this season undefeated - Boise State, Cincinnati and TCU - and I think that if they're going to keep it this way that the Mountain West Conference - especially after back to back years and what Utah did last year and what TCU's doing this year -definitely deserves an automatic qualifying bid. But I think that more than ever, what we've seen the past couple of years is a legitimate argument for a playoff. There has to be some sort of playoff system in college football. There has to be. And they can find a way to make it work. I don't understand where the big hang ups are.  

Mike Bianchi is a popular and sometimes controversial sports columnist for the Orlando Sentinel. The native Floridian majored in journalism at the University of Florida and has covered college football throughout the state of Florida for more than 25 years.

Bianchi's career began at the Palatka Daily News where he worked as a part time writer, before moving on to the Gainesville Sun where he covered high school sports and then launched his career as a columnist. Bianchi has also worked at Florida Today in the Melbourne/Cocoa Beach area as well as at the Florida Times Union in Jacksonville. He's spent the past nine years in Central Florida with the Orlando Sentinel.

In a Rivalry Week special, Gator Galz caught up with the witty and award-winning journalist who shared his views on the enmity between Florida and Florida State, as well as some of the memorable moments he's experienced covering sports.

GG: Share a bit about your background - where you were born and where you grew up.
MB: I was born in Gainesville, Fla. and raised in Interlachen, a north Florida town so small we called it a bedroom community of Palatka.

I went to high school at Interlachen High School and played football and baseball, and one year of JV basketball - if you've seen how tall I am, you know why that career didn't last long. In football, I played cornerback and halfback - we played both ways back then because we had maybe 24 players on our team.

GG: Were you a good student?
MB: I could've been better but I was able to get by on my intelligence more than my hard work. I was actually a better student once I got out of high school. I went to St. Johns River Community College in Palatka where I am in the Hall of Fame - I guess because I was the highly successful and wildly popular editor of the Viking Horn newspaper.

GG: What did you dream of becoming as a kid?
MB: I dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player because baseball was my favorite sport back then. I was a pretty good baseball player in high school and actually made the prestigious Gainesville Sun all-area baseball team as a second baseman. But then I tried out for the community college baseball team and didn't make it. Realizing I wasn't going to be a professional baseball player, I decided to write about sports instead.

GG: A frequent criticism by some players and coaches is that journalists covering their professions that have never played the game aren't qualified to report. That's not the case for you, but what's your perspective on that assessment?
MB: I don't think you need to have played a sport to cover it. You have to love sports and have an expertise and working knowledge of the sport, but let's face it, even though a lot of these football coaches make their sport out to be a complex chess match, its really not. It's blocking, tackling; hitting and catching. It's not rocket science.

GG: Explain the challenges of writing a column versus reporting a story.
MB: When you write a column, you're giving your opinion on what's happening in the news and to me that's more fun than just reporting the facts. You get to actually put your opinion and your perspective into what you write. You get to be funnier, more entertaining; you can be more controversial and have a variety of different voices when you're writing a column. Of course the negative side of writing a column is that people may not like or want to hear what you write and then you become sort of a sounding board for a lot of negativity.

GG: Have you ever written a perspective in a column that you might not have really believed in just to stir things up?
MB: I believe what I write. Every now and then if I'm on the fence about something, I'll analyze it and then formalize my position.

The one thing I think newspaper columnists still have over fan websites is that they still have their credibility because they're not rooting for one side or the other. They're offering their honest opinion on what they think is happening in the world of sports.

GG: The deterioration of the newspaper industry has been broadly reported. What's your view on what's taking place and long term impact on the news?
MB: What's happening is pretty evident. With the proliferation of the internet, there are a lot of different places people can go for their news and that fractures the audience...sort of like cable has fractured the TV viewing audience and satellite stations have impacted radio. It's certainly cut in to newspapers' market.  It used to be that papers were the primary source of information, now there are a lot of sources.

I think there will always be a place for newspapers - whether it be in physical form...or logging onto the internet. There's always going to be a place for newspapers because we aren't GatorCountry.com; we're not WarChant.com. We don't have a rooting interest. Our job is to cover the news and be watchdogs of the teams we cover, the politicians we cover. I think there's always going to be a place that people want to come for the unbiased view.

GG: You're a UF grad. Talk about the difficulty of impartially covering the Gators.
MB: It's not difficult at all. The biggest difficulty is the perception. Florida State fans think I'm a huge Gator homer because I went to the University of Florida. Whereas Florida fans think I'm a traitor because I'm not a big homer and I don't only write positive things about Florida. I went to journalism school at the University of Florida in the early 80s when Charley Pell was the football coach.

Everybody knows that Pell ran one of the most outlaw, renegade programs in the history of college football, and when we were in journalism school, we were stringing for a bunch of papers that were investigating the University of Florida so we certainly weren't rooting for the school back then. We were trying to uncover the wrong-doing in the program. So for the journalists who studied at the University of Florida in the early 80s, that's how we cut our teeth -- investigating our own school.

GG: Do you think Pell was any more rogue than say the Alabama program at the time?
MB: I don't know if he was more rogue, but he certainly wasn't as intelligent a cheater as others. He was probably a little more blatant about it. But you can't deny that some of the biggest cheaters in college football history got their start at Alabama and played for Bear Bryant. Charley Pell played for Bear Bryant. Pat Dye played for Bear Bryant. Jackie Sherrill played for Bear Bryant. But let's face it...a lot of schools in the 70s and 80s had a unique interpretation of the NCAA rule book.

GG: Did the NCAA go too hard on UF and SMU back then and has the NCAA gotten softer of late with programs like FSU and Alabama?
MB: I think the NCAA was a lot tougher back in the 70s and 80s. The penalties they doled out to SMU with the death penalty and with Florida with the massive scholarship sanctions - they weren't allowed to be on TV, weren't allowed to go to bowl games... were incredibly punitive. The NCAA doesn't dole out those types of punishments any more because they were so harsh and they devastated programs. But I do think the NCAA has gone a little bit too far the other direction. I think they've turned a little bit soft.

GG: So in the case of the recent NCAA findings against the FSU athletic program and corresponding penalties that FSU is contesting, what's your perspective on T.K. Wetherell's threat that he'll sue if the proposed sanctions stick?
MB: Anybody who knows T.K. Wetherell, the president of Florida State, knows the guy's not afraid to say what's on his mind and he's been very out-spoken in this case. But I don't think it's a smart thing for him to go after the NCAA. The NCAA doesn't like to be ridiculed publicly and T.K.'s certainly done that. There's talk that if he doesn't get the judgment he wants in this most current appeal that he may take it to court, and I think that would be ridiculous. Florida State needs to put this thing behind them and get on with the future; get on with the post-Bobby Bowden era as quickly as possible. They don't need to be suing the NCAA and making even more headlines with this academic scandal.

GG: You referred to the "post-Bobby Bowden era" as if that were to come to a close in the next couple of games. Do you believe that era will end after this season?
MB: I think it should happen, but I don't think Bobby Bowden wants it to. He's digging in his heels. He wants to stay another year. If they had their druthers, both Florida State's administration and even its fan base would have Bobby leave after this season, but it's a very tough situation because they can't force out the guy who build their program.

They want to do it gracefully so I think Bobby will stay another year.

GG: For every year Bobby stays, how many seasons does it take for FSU to recover?
MB: I do think it hinders them. I don't know how many years it's going to take them to recover. It's not like Florida State can't recruit good athletes. They have some athletes on their team right now. I just think there are too many chiefs on that coaching staff now.

You've got Bobby Bowden, the head coach. You've got Jimbo Fisher, the coach in waiting. You had Mickey Andrews this year who's title was associate head coach. And then you have Chuck Amato who's title is assistant head coach. So you have too much dysfunction on that coaching staff. You have the guys who are loyal to Bowden on that coaching staff. You have the guys that are loyal to Jimbo Fisher, the coach in waiting.

I think Jimbo Fisher needs to be given total control of that program after this season. Let him hire the coaching staff. And if Bobby wants to stay on another year as a figure-head head coach, then so be it. But Jimbo Fisher needs to have complete control to get Florida State back and to expedite their recovery.

GG: So what's preventing that from happening?
MB: Bobby Bowden, who in my opinion has put himself ahead of the program. You read some of the quotes from his wife who said last week in USA Today that "Florida State needs us more than we need them." It started with the hiring of his son Jeff as the offensive coordinator and even though Jeff was a failure as the coordinator, Bobby did not want to dismiss him and Jeff had to be forced out over Bobby's objection. So I think Bobby's put himself ahead of the program, and I think he's doing it now by hanging around even though he's not the coach he once was and the program is suffering as a result.

Bobby Bowden's a competitor and he wants to have one last run at glory. He's even said that he wants one more crack at another national championship before he retires. I think it's about that and his own mortality. He's said in the past that he equates retiring with dying. I think his quote way back when was "there's only one major event left in your life after you retire and everybody knows what that is."

Bear Bryant was Bobby Bowden's idol. Bear Bryant died a month after he retired. Bobby Bowden even told me once that his own father died six months after he retired, so I really think he equates retiring with his own mortality.

At the end of the day, Bobby Bowden's a football coach. He claims it keeps him young, so in that respect I can't blame him for wanting to keep doing it, but he is 80 years old and the program is suffering. You have to take a look in the mirror at some point and say "I need to let someone younger do this job, especially when I'm competing against guys like Urban Meyer and Randy Shannon."  These are young guys with a lot of energy who are recruiting their tails off. Coaching's a young man's game.

GG: What's been your strangest assignment over the years?
MB: It was probably when I got sent out to a bass fishing tournament to cover a transsexual bass fisherman.

GG: And what did you learn covering that story?
MB: I learned the one thing the sex change operation did not change was his desire to be out there catching Lunker Bass.

GG: What is the fiercest rivalry amongst teams you cover?
MB: I would say Florida/Florida State. I don't think its Florida/Georgia simply because over the past 20 years Florida's had its way in that match-up and I don't think it's much of a rivalry anymore.

Florida State/Miami is a great rivalry, but I think those two programs have sort of a mutual respect for one another.

Florida/FSU is the most heated rivalry because Florida State still has sort of a persecution complex. They think the Gators are arrogant, and that the Gators think they're bigger and better, and richer and the flagship university in the state. And Florida to be honest that's how they view themselves. They do think they're better than Florida State, even though Florida State dominated this rivalry during the 80s and 90s. I think there's not a lot of mutual respect between the two which is what makes it such a heated and hated rivalry.

GG: Best game of the series that you've seen?
MB: I think the best game I ever saw because it was the most unlikely was the 1997 matchup. That was an exciting game because Florida State was undefeated and ranked #1 coming into the game. The Gators were having quarterback issues, so Spurrier installed a rotating quarterback scheme with Doug Johnson and Noah Brindise, switching QBs every couple of plays. The Florida State defense was on its heels for most of the game and the Gators ended up wining.

I still remember after the game, Steve Spurrier was out on the field, trying to get fans to run out onto the field to tear down the goal posts - and of course Florida has a strict policy they don't allow fans on the field, which I agree with, and so they didn't storm the field. But I still remember Spurrier waving them out. That was a big win for him because Florida was certainly the underdog that year.

GG: Were you a Gator fan as a kid?
MB: When I was a kid I was a college football fan. I cheered for the Gators, but I remember sitting out in Interlachen listening to Florida games and Florida State games on the radio. I became just a fan of college football as an 8-year-old kid in 1969 when John Reeves and Carlos Alvarez were the super sophomores at Florida and they had a very exciting offense that year. They ended up going 9-1-1 which is one of the best years Florida had ever had up to that point. So I was a Florida fan, but not solely a Florida fan. Back then you could root for a bunch of schools and no one held it against you.

GG: So you listened to Otis Boggs call Gator games on the radio?
MB: I still remember whenever there was a punt, no matter what kind of punt it was, Otis would say "it's a high, lazy spiral," even if it was a low line drive.

GG: Who's given the best interviews?
MB: I'd say it's a tie between Steve Spurrier and Bobby Bowden. Spurrier was a great interview because he was so candid and he would say things that he probably shouldn't, which is always refreshing if you're a sports writer. And Bowden's a great interview because he's so accommodating, so charming. You can write negative things about Florida State's program and Bobby Bowden is still going to act like you're his best friend. He's the consummate professional. He knows we're trying to do our job and while he probably doesn't like some of the things that have been written about him, and his program lately, he's still very accommodating and accessible.

GG: Who's been your most intimidating interview?
MB: Warren Sapp when he was with the Bucs. He was just a surly, mean and very intimidating man, not to mention 300 pounds and one of the best defensive tackles in the league. The thing about Sapp is that he tried to intimidate you...it was a game to him and let me tell you, it worked. The guy was a volatile, boorish human being when he played for the Tampa Bay Bucs and what always drove me and the guys that covered him everyday crazy, was that he was a jerk to most of us, but when ESPN would come in with their cameras, he'd turn into the most charming accommodating funny guy you'd ever interviewed...he became the jolly fat guy when the cameras were turned on. Warren Sapp was nothing like what he appeared on TV.

Although I will say that he could have been one of the most beloved players who ever came from this state. He grew up in Apopka and was a great player in high school. He went to Miami and had a great career there. Probably a hall of fame player for the Tampa Bay Bucs, and if he would have played his cards right, he could've been in the Brett Favre mold as far as people loving him.

GG: Most impressive athlete you've covered?
MB: Even though he was a flop in the pros, Peter Warrick. When he was at Florida State, he was unbelievable. Should've won the Heisman...would've won the Heisman Trophy in 2000 if he hadn't gotten involved in that Dillard's shopping spree incident. To me he was one of those guys who took your breath away every time he touched the ball because you thought he was going to take it the distance. Obviously Gator fans remember him because he was certainly a thorn in their side while he was there. To me Peter Warrick was just an incredibly exciting athlete to cover.

As far as best athlete at Florida, it was Emmitt Smith back when he was a Gator. I was a beat reporter for Florida Today at the time. The best runs Emmitt Smith ever had were 4-yard gains...they looked like he was going to be tackled in the backfield and then he had this great vision and ability to just slide and avoid tacklers.

GG: Coolest sports event you've covered?
MB: The Masters when Tiger won his first Major. It obviously was at Augusta National but that course for the longest time didn't allow African Americans to become members. So when Tiger won his first major there, it was not only a big golf tournament, but it was a socially significant sporting event because Tiger became the first golfer to win a tournament at a place that never allowed African Americans. I can still remember the some of the workers and course caddies that came out of the restaurant and caddie shack to watch Tiger walk down the 18th fairway in the final round ... they were so happy.

GG: What's the coolest venue you've been to?
MB: Since college football's my favorite sport, the coolest venue I've ever been to was the Rose Bowl simply because of all the history. If you grew up a college football fan and you've never been to the Rose Bowl (and maybe Gator fans will get the chance this year) it's just a remarkable venue set in Pasadena and surrounded by the San Gabriel Mountains.

GG: Leonardos or Burrito Brothers?
MB: Leonardos

GG: The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?
MB: Stones

GG: Thanksgiving pie preference?
MB: Peanut butter pie.

GG: What's on your i-pod?
MB: I've got a variety. Tom Petty. I've got Brooks and Dunn. I've got Bob Dylan, Jimmy Buffet. I've got stuff on my i-pod that most 40-something men from North Florida would listen to.

GG: What's the most creative name anyone has ever given you in response to a particular column?
MB: A "sawed off little peckerwood."

GG: How do you handle that sort of "feedback?"
MB: I handle it with humor and grace (laughs).

GG: What's the most shocking thing anyone's ever done to you in response to a column?
MB: That happened when I was a first-year columnist at the Gainesville Sun taking over for the legendary Jack Hairston, who always picked the Gators to win no matter what. The Gators were playing a tough game that year, and I was going to stir up the masses by picking the Gators to lose, and I picked them to lose to Tennessee. The Gators ended up losing the game, and I came into the office the next week and started going through my mail - this, of course was before the Internet. And there's an envelope waiting for me. I open it up and this disgusting smell comes pouring out of the envelope and I pull out this copy of my column that someone had used as toilet paper.

And they had a little note that said: "We have to put up with your crap, now you have to put up with ours."

GG: Prediction for Saturday's Florida/Florida State game?
MB: I think its going to be a blowout. I think Florida State's defense can't stop anybody, especially on the ground and Florida has a great running game. Florida State's got a freshman QB going against Florida's defense. It might be the biggest blow out in the series history.

GG: How about SEC championship game?
MB: I think its going to be a great game. But it's hard to pick against Tebow in a big game. Now of course depending on what happens in this Saturday's game, that could change. But I think the Gators will win because Tebow won't allow them to lose.

GG: Is Tebow the greatest Gator ever?
MB: Actually no. He's the greatest Gator player ever, but Steve Spurrier is the greatest gator ever because of what he did as a player and a coach. But Tim Tebow is the greatest Gator player ever, no question about it. Look at what he's done with his record, two national championships, and even though he wasn't a starter with that first one, he was certainly a key player. He's got two titles now, and he might have three at the end of this season. So this is the greatest run in the history of Florida football and he's the key cog in that run and so you'd have to say he's the greatest Gator Football player of all time.

GG: Does his persona match up live?
MB: No question about it. What you see on the field is what you see in person. He's intense, he's charismatic, he's honest, he wears his emotion on his sleeve. He's all that. I don't care whether you're a Florida fan, a Florida State fan, a Georgia Fan - you have to respect this guy for what he's done for the sport. He's been a great role model for college football. What better face would you want - with the eye black and the Bible verses? He is an icon. He's 20-something years old and he's an icon in college football and a positive icon at that.

GG: What do you think is next for Tim?
MB: I think he'll get drafted in the NFL, but I don't know how good of a pro quarterback he'll be. I think he'll give the NFL a shot and I think you can look at his idol Danny Wuerrfel and see what might be next. Danny knocked around the NFL for a few years and then decided to do something really meaningful with his life. I think that's the same type of thing Tim Tebow's going to do. Everybody knows how important his faith is to him and how important his missionary work is ... so I think Tim Tebow is going to do something bigger than football.

Urban Meyer's rise to the upper echelon of college football coaching has been well-documented. The only coach to capture two BCS Championships and three-time Coach of the Year, Meyer is noted for his passion, his meticulous planning and his determination to build a program that not only produces success on the field, but successful men off of it.

Coach Meyer's achievements, however, have not been a solo pursuit. They are a result of a remarkable partnership and bond he has with his wife, Shelley. Proving there's truth to the adage beside every successful man is a wise woman, Shelley Meyer not only serves as Urban's career partner, confidante and advisor, she also balances her own career as a psychiatric nurse/educator, effectively runs the Meyer household (including hustling two kids to their respective and multiple sporting events, keeping up with the housework, as well as mowing the lawn), and teaches cycling classes at Gainesville Health and Fitness. Oh yeah - she also serves as surrogate mom to 105 18- to 22-year-old college football players every year.

And while those around her might be quick to dub her "Super Woman," the Frankfort, Ohio native is the first to admit that she experiences the same frenetic demands, concerns, challenges and life-balance issues we all do, and relies deeply on her faith to carry her and the family through.

She recently shared her perspectives with GatorGalz.

The Meyers on signing day w/daughter Nicki

GG: Share with us some insights as to your role in Urban's success.
SM: I have a couple of different roles. One is to support Urban in any way he needs - attending events, talking with the boosters and the fans. He and I are a team. When Jeremy interviewed us he knew that right away. Any of the decisions he's made in his career we've made together. We're a team and I think its kind of fun to be a part of Urban's career. Sometimes he just needs my ear - because I'm the one person he can trust because of our relationship and our marriage. I'm able to offer him an unconditional ear.

My other role is with the team - to be the unofficial "mom" of the team. All of the coaches' wives share that role. With each of the different positions - they're the team mom for their position. I'm the surrogate mom for 105 players whose moms are far away or can't be with them. Anything that Urban's team needs ... anything that needs a woman's touch - I'm here for that as are all the rest of the wives.

GG: Can you give me an example of how or when you offer that "woman's touch."
SM: When kids go away to school that first semester it's really tough. As much as they've been looking forward to going away and being on their own, there's an adjustment period. If they get homesick; maybe they left a girlfriend back home; maybe they need someone to talk to - that's where we come in. The coaches have them on the field and they're really hard on them. They have to be. They have to build them up to be tough and be able to play the game and last through four quarters. And then off the field they care about them by checking in on them and making sure they're going to class and help them with any issues they might have. But sometimes they need a surrogate mom to talk to, to get a different opinion on what they're going through; a different look at their issues, their stress. We're the softer side of our husbands.

Sometimes Urban will bring a player home to just sit and talk to a mom figure. And that happens quite often.

GG: I imagine your degree in psychiatric nursing then comes into play in those situations?
SM: Absolutely. I even use it with Urban. I've been a psych nurse for over 20 years - I got my masters in it - so I've made a living helping people solve their problems. To learn new coping skills and get their life back together so they can function in society. Listening is a huge part of being a psychiatric nurse. Letting them vent.

Letting them say what they need to say without being judgmental, or coming down on them for saying something that someone else might think is silly or dumb. I definitely have...all those communication, listening, coping and relaxation skills I've been trained in. I can use with my husband and with any player that's having issues. Any kind of social issues. Obviously our players want to go out and be social, and there's a lot of peer pressure to do things and make decisions that maybe aren't in their best interest.
I'm really thankful that I went into this profession not knowing I'd be marrying a coach either.

GG: How did you meet Urban?
SM: I met Urban at the end of my freshman year at the University of Cincinnati. He was a sophomore and he was in a fraternity...I was in a sorority and it was at a Greek function that we first met. He always hates me saying this, but it was him who showed interest first. We spoke at the event for a little while. I came from a really tiny town in Southern Ohio, so my experience with people in the broader world was very limited because everyone in my hometown I had grown up with since I was a baby.

So I was off to college and met all these new people. And so Urban was very interesting, and very funny, very good looking, and we just clicked right away. I didn't see him again until we went out three weeks later. And while I hate to use clichés, we hit it off right from the beginning.

GG: How did Urban propose?
SM: We dated all through college. He graduated from college a year before me and went to work at Ohio State as a GA (graduate assistant). A year later after I graduated, I moved up to Columbus with a girlfriend of mine who was also a nurse, and we lived there for a year. From there Urban got a job in Illinois and we're now four years into the relationship. And he's starts talking about what we're going to do when we move to Illinois, and I finally said ‘you know we have to make a plan here because I can't just follow my boyfriend around all over the U.S.

So we were on spring break in Florida in March of 1988 and he was going to propose on the beach in Bradenton. But it rained on the day he'd planned to propose. So we were in our friends' house and he had a ring that was a family ring, beautiful diamond, that had been passed down three or four generations. He gave me the ring, asked me to marry him and then proceeded to tell me what the original plan had been with a romantic setting on the beach but that the rain had messed all of that up. But I didn't care. It was a very special day and we got married a year later in July of 1989.

GG: If Urban wasn't coaching, what would he be doing? What would you be doing?
SM: He's always talked about being a lawyer if he wasn't in coaching. He says that, but I cannot imagine him doing anything else. It's really stressful during the season, and he gets really warn out, but after the season's over and after recruiting is over, once we've gone on vacation, he just can't wait to get back to the team and back to work. So he always gets rejuvenated. He has said many times he's said that he'd be a lawyer, and one time he almost left coaching with the plan to go to law school. I still can't imagine him doing anything else but college football coaching.

I was a psychiatric nurse before we got married and I'd still be doing that, in fact I still do. I teach at UF at the college of nursing. I teach in the fall semester ever year, just one semester, to senior level nursing students. I actually have students in their rotation at a psych hospital.

GG: Urban's all over the place these days - Nike ads, ESPN spoofs, award show appearances, etc. How have you all handled this new-found celebrity status?
SM: The best thing we've ever done is to remain grounded and remain ourselves. We haven't changed. And we've had people tell us that. Friends we knew when we were at U.C. or people we knew in Illinois State, or Colo State. Even now, when friends come and visit, they tell us ‘you have not changed.' And we haven't changed our beliefs or our morals or our values in how we raise our family or how to run our life. It's no secret we have a lot more money now than we did, but we don't spend lavishly.

We are humble. We appreciate everything we have and know that God has provided it and our success in our career. We are a Christian family - we go to church and worship God, and we give to a lot of charities. And we've raised our kids to appreciate that as well.

I just live a normal life. I run around town in my workout clothes most of the day before I take a shower. I workout everyday and I've got my girlfriends down at the gym; and I teach at UF, and we go out to dinner; we try to be part of the community. And that's part of what I love about every place we've lived. We have involved ourselves in the community just like everyone else who lives here. Because I want this to be home and it is home.

GG: How do the kids handle all the attention?
SM: The kids have done a really good job just being normal kids. The thing that they notice the most about their dad being the head coach of the Gators is when we've lost a game, and someone will actually come up to them at school and say something nasty. But, the thing that happens is there are 15 friends right there to come to their side and defend them against that one person who has that nasty thing to say, and then the person who's said it feels like a complete and total jerk. Our kids play all the sports; I drive the carpools; we're just part of their schools, activities.

The one thing we had to tell them in teaching them how to make good decisions and live their lives the right way, we've told them we know there are more eyes on them than other kids, because someone is just waiting for them to mess up, so they can talk about it.

Our kids - things just roll of their backs. They're just trying to get good grades, and excel in their sports.

GG: Talk a little about the recruiting process you all experienced when your daughter was considering schools to play volleyball for. What was it like being on the opposite end of the recruiting process?
SM: That was really interesting. Probably even more interesting for Urban and Coach Bond (Georgia Tech Volleyball coach). Coach Bond was the head coach who was recruiting Nicki. And Georgia Tech was the school we got most serious with that actually Urban visited and talked with that coach. We did visit a couple of other schools but the one Urban was involved in most was Georgia Tech.

It was just a great dynamic for the rest of us to watch. Bond and Urban talking back and forth with Urban asking the same questions that he gets over and over from parents. Bond did a great job and Bond didn't appear to be nervous or intimidated. And Urban was great too. He wasn't trying to put any pressure on the coach, he just wanted to know that his daughter was going to be safe; and that there was good support for those athletes. We wanted to know that the coaching staff would be there for our daughter when we cannot...just like we are with our own athletes at UF

Unfortunately Bond isn't there anymore, but Tech hired a great new coach - Tanya who came from Texas and everything's working out great for her there. I wasn't as nervous about the recruiting process as some parents might be because I knew Urban had so much experience with it. And then I'm also involved with the football recruiting process - all the wives are. So we kind of had an advantage because of all the experience we had with it.

GG: What should parents look for when their kids are being recruited for college athletics?
SM: One of the main things we were concerned about was Nicki's safety on a college campus. That was our main concern. And then with Georgia Tech being in Atlanta, that's a big city and there are definitely areas of Atlanta that she should not be going to. But after we visited, we realized the campus is enclosed and is its own little place - even though it is in downtown Atlanta, it's really not. It's encapsulated on its own. The kids have to be smart about where they go, when they go off campus.

That was our main thing...that she was going to a safe place.
We also wanted to make sure that the coaches cared about the athletes. This is our daughter; this isn't some 300-pound football player going off to college who can pretty much fend for himself if someone tries to threaten him. So we wanted to make sure the coaches cared about the athletes.

Definitely ask about academic support. Georgia Tech's a tough school and even though Nicki's been well-prepared here at Buchholz with her AP classes, we wanted to make sure she wasn't going to be flailing around with the tough schedule she was going to carry with volleyball and school and we felt real comfortable with the academic support available at Georgia Tech. It's great to be an athlete going to school on a scholarship. You have so many services available.

Make sure your kid fits in with the group of athletes they're going to be with. Have your kid spend time with that group of athletes when you visit and go on more than one visit. You can take unofficial visits. Nicki went three or four times and spent time with those girls on that team and they were just great with her and Nicki felt real comfortable.

GG: What about the other Meyer children? What are they involved in?
SM: Gigi is a junior at Buchholz. She's a volleyball player as well - she plays year-round. She's a setter - Nicki's a libero, Gigi's a setter. Gigi works really hard at her sport. She's real gritty and is a very, very competitive athlete. She only played boys sports up until we moved here. She preferred to match up with guys who were competitive. That had to change as she got older, but she's done very well. She also works hard in school.

Then there's Nate who's 10 and in 5th grade. He plays all the ball sports - flag football, baseball and basketball, and he's been doing karate for the past 9 months and has really been enjoying that.

GG: The team's undefeated, and yet there's still a lot of gripping about the team's lack of offensive production. How do you deal with criticism?
SM: Over the years I've calmed down a lot. I used to get really mad, and I have been known not to bite my tongue. And even here at UF, there are certain things that really set me off. One thing is if I hear booing around me I will not tolerate it. I will stand up and tell you to stop booing those kids that are on the field.

I will not tolerate personal slams at my husband. That's happened to me at LSU a few weeks ago. I stood up and told that person to stop saying personal things about my husband.

Or if people say things about specific players that are just awful. I just won't tolerate it. There's no place for that. Just because you bought a ticket does not give you the right to use profanity and say nasty things about coaches or players. People in my section at Florida Field understand me. I've been sitting there now for four and a half years and actually have a lot of support in my section. Some people don't like it and I have to say things back to them, but I have to express my opinion. If they're giving their opinion and I don't agree with it, particularly if its really ugly, then I have to give my opinion back. I have to defend my guys out there on the field.

GG: What's the roughest opposing environment you've been to?
SM: LSU by far. LSU is the most hostile, ugly environment I've been in in college football. Tennessee is second. This past visit to LSU wasn't as bad as previous trip. I've been to LSU with Colorado State and with Notre dame and with UF and its way, way uglier with Florida.

The SEC in general is more hostile than any other place I've been. The passion of the fans is so much greater than other conferences, but it's such a shame that the passion turns into such hatred and hostility. Alcohol usually has something to do with how heated, nasty or profane things get at the games. That's the thing that's really hard, but I refuse have it make me run to the box and sit in the suite - I just don't like sitting up there. It's not a part of the game and it's my right to sit out, and I guess I have a pretty thick skin and I let a lot of stuff go, except for the things I mentioned earlier. No one's ever tried to punch me - so that's at least a good thing.

I've seen fights too, but fortunately things have never gotten out of hand enough that they've gotten physical close to me.

It upsets me if any Florida fans get ugly also. I can't believe the passion of the fans in this league, even 5 years later. It's just a concept that's hard to grasp. The passion I witness in the SEC and Florida fans is amazing and wonderful and unlike any other conference. It is just a shame that sometimes it causes some people to lose their manners.

GG: How do you cope with defeat? What is the household like after a loss?
SM: It's really dark and depressed. I can honestly say no one takes losing harder than Urban. He takes it all on himself and there's nothing I can tell him to make it better. I've been doing this for so many years - trying to find the right thing to say, the right thing to do, and there's nothing except supporting him; sometimes just sitting with him because there's nothing I can do to make that hurt go away that he feels from losing a game.

The only that makes it better is to get back out there and win the next week. And that is the only thing that can make him feel any better. It's really sad that he takes it so hard, but he's just such a competitive, compassionate person. He always he wants to do right by the kids, and that means putting them in a position to win. And he just feels like he failed if we can't win.

GG: How has he handled recent criticism?
SM: He definitely wants things to work the right way. He's been working very late nights this week trying to figure out why we're not scoring like we have in the past. He has never lost sight of the fact that we're 7 and 0, and he's very, very proud of the team for continuing to win and fighting through the adversity,. But when things aren't running perfect, he's still going to work to make it run perfect. And while he knows perfection isn't possible, that isn't going to stop him from trying to make it work as best he can. He still in there working really hard.

I just wish the games were a little easier. I'm so thankful when we win but it's been so hard getting through these past couple of games because it's been so stressful. He just wants to do right by the kids and put them in a position to win, and that's what he and the staff are working so hard to do right now to keep getting them into position to win the game.

I think it's easy for the fans to lose sight of the fact that winning championships is hard. The expectations placed on this team from the beginning- - since January 9th - that's a lot of pressure to put on 18 to 22-year-olds and all these men that are responsible for these kids. And it's hard. The SEC -- are you kidding - this league is brutal.
As for the criticism - that junk goes on all the time. In the end I don't let what people are saying bother me. I try to get Urban not to let what people are saying to bother him He's gotten way better at it than he used to be.

Me - I don't care. These coaches and my husband are doing the right thing with these kids and teaching them to be successful young men and fathers. They're getting them to graduate and getting them to go to class. They're getting them to live their lives right. And, they're winning games, and winning championships and in the end, that's what matters. We know we're doing the right things for these kids. And you know what? Sometimes putting up 50 points per game isn't possible. So all that matters is that Urban is producing the way his contract says he needs to produce. As long as Jeremy Foley is pleased with what's going on, and we're successful not only in winning games but in a lot of things. Wining games is important but there are a lot of other things that go into a program.

GG: What's the hardest thing about being a coach's wife?
SM: The hardest thing is not being able to have control over the things I'd like to. I would love to be able to have Urban not worry about things so much. Like not worry about things going on on the field. Urban's a worrier anyway; he's a worker and he's a driven person. And he wants things to go right. I wish I could help him relax a little bit. But I don't have any control over that.

I can't control him. I can't control what the team's feeling; with the pressure of winning and repeating a championship. I can't get out there and play - gosh, I wish I could play sometimes - just put me out there - I always wanted to be a corner back. Because I would just love to hit people; sometimes I just want to hit people and when do we as women ever get the chance to hit people?

You know what I'm talking about - sometime wouldn't you just love to smash a quarterback right in the back and have the ball bounce loose, and have one of your teammates pick it up and run it back for a touchdown?

I think that would be the best play ever.

GG: Have you ever offered any advice to Urban or suggested any plays?
SM: I have. Urban knows what kind of offense I like. I loved, loved, loved when we had our spread offense at Bowling Green and Utah, when we ran a lot of trick plays - double reverses, halfback passes, reverse on the kick return, the hook and ladder. I love all that stuff just like a regular fan does. But sometimes that just isn't called for in a game, and in the SEC it's even harder to run that kind of stuff. The speed is just amazing on all these teams. I don't make suggestions anymore, but Urban knows what I like. It's just really hard to do that in this league with those trick plays.

GG: Any gameday superstitions?
SM: First of all we don't call them superstitions, they're routines. I have certain routines. Urban has certain routines. The team has certain routines. I like to - depending on what time the game starts - I always get up and do some type of workout. On game day, I usually run get up and do my run. If it's a late game, I do my run and then do some housework. Laundry - sometimes I'll mow part of the yard...whatever needs to get done. And then I have to prep for my tailgate. I always make pepperoni bread is what I make for game day - the special thing I bring to our tailgate.

The coaches' wives have a special private place where we all tailgate together. We all bring food. We put it all together. Anybody that's with us -- guests, family - all get together. We have the best tailgate, because our wives can cook - and we've got some good stuff.

I like to get to the game somewhere between 3 to 4 hours before kickoff because I like to go to GatorWalk two hours before. I'm always on the corner to greet my guys - give them hugs, tell them to kick butt, whatever. After that I go back to my tailgate are and hang out with my friends and family and the wives before kickoff.

GG: What's your game day attire?
SM: I've had an eclectic approach to that this year. In 2006, I wore my tie dye shorts every single game. And I had my special routine items that I carried - one was a Buckeye and one was a Gator coin that came from Iraq.

This year I've done something different with every game. I just can't decide on if I need to settle into a routine - kind of the way the games have been going, how tight they've been - how nervous I've been (I've chewed off all my nails). I've tried to shake things up and wear something different all the time.

I have had some designers send me some items that I have enjoyed wearing to games this season and I have the BEST, most extensive collection of embellished/bedazzled/decorated Gator Flip Flops you have ever seen!! I feel like the "Gator Flip Flop Queen." I'm not kidding. Fans and designers send me gifts all the time and I SO appreciate them. I love all my flips!

Of course I'm always in Gator colors, but it's been something different every time.

GG: Is there anything else that's a game day staple?
SM: I do have one staple that I've worn to every single game since Urban's press conference when he accepted the job and that is a special Gator type charm bracelet - kind of a chunky bracelet with all these different Gators beads on it and some charms that was given to me by Katie Pressley one of our awesome booster. She gave it to me the day of Urban's press conference and said this is your game day bracelet and you only wear it on game day, so I have worn that every single game. I even got so excited one game that it busted all over the place and all the charms went flying. And I had to tell Katie about it and she got me another one. So I still wear that bracelet every time.

GG: Favorite away game?
SM: Vandy and/or Kentucky. Hard to choose between those two, and the reason is because their fans are so nice and welcoming. I've gone to both of those games and had fans come up and thank us for coming. And it's not because they know who I am. I just happen to be a Gator fan and they say "thank you for coming" and "we're so happy to have you here." That's happened at both places. The other reason is sometimes when we go up there it's during the fall and I get a taste of fall flavor with the leaves changing colors and I love to see that. I don't want to move back up north, but I love to get to see that every other year or so.

GG: What do you do when you find any spare time?
SM: I work out a lot. I teach indoor cycling classes at Gainesville Health and Fitness. And I'm at the gym almost every day. That's my favorite hobby. The other things I do is watch my kids play - volleyball, Nate's basketball, flag football, going to his karate classes - doing the kid thing in the evening, whatever activities they have.
That's how I spend most of my spare time. Any charity work that I'm doing committees I'm on. I volunteer at Buchholz and St. Patricks (Nate's school) - all those things absorb my time.

GG: We're you an athlete growing up?
SM: Absolutely. My first thing I ever played was bitty basketball in kindergarten. That evolved into softball in 4th through 6th grade. And once I got into jr high, I could play volleyball and run track and play basketball. I was a three -sport athlete all through high school. When I went to college, I went into nursing school and I just didn't think it'd be possible to walk on and play volleyball. I just thought it would be too hard; so I didn't play a college sport although now I wish I would have. But I continued to play in volleyball leagues and I continued to play in leagues for a long time after that. In track I ran the relays - I wasn't the fastest girl around, but I sometimes ran the 400 meters and did the long jump too.

GG: Tell us about your relationship with Tim Tebow and other Gator players.
SM: I love them all but there are some I know better than others because they play offense.

Timmy and Urban are so close, so I get to spend a lot of time with him. I can't tell you anything you don't already know because he is who he is. He just continues to amaze me. His influence on our family has been tremendous. As far as even us going on our mission trip a year ago this summer. We'd always talked about going on a mission trip, but talking to Tim about all of the missions he's been on, that inspired us to go on one our selves. And we're so glad we did; it was just amazing. And we want to do more. Tim's just such a nice kid - he's so friendly and so happy and so at peace. And he's had just a great influence on me - reminding me not to worry. He's made me more prayerful and our family more prayerful. And that's something that's helped me a lot just being at peace about stuff that's going on and the stress.

Chris Rainey I just adore. He's just a cute guy who's come from a really tough background. You just want to love him because of things we know he's been through. So any chance I get to spend time with him I just love it. And my little Nate just loves him. He and Nate just giggle together. Chris just loves to be part of a family. We feel like on our team we are a family. And so many of these kids need that and so we try to continue that so they can feel they're part of it.

And Emmanual Moody is another great guy too. He's a Christian guy; a prayerful guy. A great leader who's strong and continues to be positive. There are so many other great ones - it's hard to single guys out. It's hard for me to get closer to the defensive guys because I'm more used to the offensive guys. Urban was a receiver coach for 19 years - so I've always been a little partial to receivers because of that. Because I was their "mom" for so many years.

Carlos Dunlap is a great guy too. I love to see them when I go to practice on Thursdays followed by dinner.

When I travel with the team I get to spend a little more time with them - especially on the plane. I just treasure getting to know the kids. And it keeps us young too being around them.

GG: Do you keep in touch with former players?
SM: We do as much as we can. We get phone calls all the time. We get invited to weddings, but never get to go which is such a bummer. Bo Nagahi is one of our favorite guys from Utah that just got married in October and he writes us a note saying "please - I'd really want you guys to be here." And we said are you kidding? You're getting married during football season? You think we're going to be able to come to Utah? It's such a bummer that we can't. When we've been fortunate the couple times we've made it to the national championship game - several of our former players have made it to the game and that is so fun. And they're so happy for us that we made it.

GG: What perhaps the best kept secret about his year's team?
SM: It may not be a secret - but this team is persistent. I don't think that's a secret because the Gator Nation has struggled with them through these tough games that they've had over these past weeks. But look at the persistence of this team. They found a way to win.

They're not scoring 50 points per game like everyone thought we were going to - which would make the game so much easier - we're not able to do that - it's just too tough right now - but this team has refused to give up. We've had big injuries on the defensive side. Especially against Mississippi State.

But look what happens? Somebody steps up. There's persistence; there's accountability. There's a commitment to each other. And I don't think that's any secret because our team has always played that way. And that's what's made us successful and they stick together. And I look for them to continue to do that through the second part of this season because it's not going to get any easier.

GG: What else should the Gator Nation be aware of?
SM: We have the greatest group of coaches' wives. Even though we lose one or two families every year, Urban does such a great job of hiring that we gain two that are just as great. And we are very close and very, very supportive of our husbands, and completely back them. And back each other. We don't have bickering among our wives. Our defensive wives don't say "what's the matter - can't your offensive guys score more points so we don't have to work so hard?"

We don't have any of that. We are a network of women that knows that our job here is to support our husbands and support our team however we can. We will support them to the end. We have a Bible study group that's made up only of coaches wives and we pray for our team and we pray for our husbands. We're prayer warriors - that's what we call ourselves. And that really keeps us strong and keeps us together.

You don't have to be a coach's wife to do this (be prayerful). To be strong you have to be prayerful. You need to have God in your life and you got to be behind you husband, supporting him. Urban and I have been married 20 years. All this that I've just talked about has made our marriage very strong. I just love what he does. And although it's not always the easiest thing, I love it and we all love what we do and we will continue to.

I can't imagine living life without having God in my life. I've gone away and come back; and gone away and come back; but I just can't imagine doing life without my Bible study and my group and prayer and church and our team pastor who has just pulled our team together.

P.L. - he's been such an incredible force in pulling our team together - Pastor Lindsey.

And finally, our team has really gotten involved in community service. That started with Timmy and we've embraced it and it's been great for our team.

Catching up with the Throwin' Mayoan

The thick drawl; the genteel spirit - the two attributes that endeared the Gator Nation to him more than a quarter century ago - still come shining through when you talk to Kerwin Bell.

When we were first introduced to the Throwin' Mayoan just before the first game of the 1984 season, Gator fans were bracing themselves for another "coulda" season. Afterall, just four weeks earlier, Bell's name appeared in 8th place on the depth chart...that's right, 8th. The plan originally had called for then senior Dale Dorminey to be the one to lead the Gators in its first real legitimate shot at an SEC title behind the Great Wall of Florida - an offensive line many consider the best in UF history.

But as luck would have it, this walk-on had the "it" factor - an intangible that molds serviceable quarterbacks into legends.

GatorGalz recently caught up with Kerwin Bell to reminesce about that great 1984 team and other memorable games from his tenure, as well as share his thoughts on Tim Tebow and John Brantley, give some insights on his job as head football coach at Jacksonville University, and update us on his family.

GG: Everybody loves the Gator QB. What's it like to have "Big Man on Campus" status?
KB: When you get there and are an unknown, and then wind up the starting QB in a small town like Gainesville; you got out, everybody recognizes you and asks for your autographs. Then the media's another big thing you have to deal with...they start requesting interviews week in and week out especially during the season. That gets added to your plate and you're trying to get ready for football games and you have the responsibility for juggling all of that.

So all those things come together and it's quite a change in your lifestyle you have to get used to and I'm sure it's even much worse now. With Tim Tebow winning the Heisman as a sophomore, that really elevated him, and then you add two national championships, he's had to deal with so much more than the average starting QB would have to deal with.

GG: What's it like going from the limelight of being a star college QB to a relatively unknown on an NFL sideline?
KB: It's definitely a transition. College is something you embrace because you're playing against a lot of rivals, the fans are very involved, it's your college that you're playing for, and you have the opportunity to play in a great atmosphere. The game sort of changes once you get to the professional level, and all you're really trying to do is make a living. In the NFL, there's a bit of a letdown because the game turns into more of a business deal. You're still playing the game you love but because there's money involved it's not quite the same excitement that you get at the college level.

GG: So in your opinion, did Tim Tebow make the right call to come back for his senior year?
KB: I get to see Tim in the off season because he helps out with my football camp, and so I had the chance to talk to him this summer. Not surprisingly I think he just enjoys the college experience like we all did and understands that he was never going to get that experience back, so why not come back the last year and enjoy it. He has a great team around him, so why not?

I was sort of in that same position after my junior year. I had only 6 credit hours remaining, and could have taken those classes in the summer and graduated early but I decided to come back. Some people said I should have left after my junior year because the team wasn't very good and I dropped in the draft, but for me it was a great experience to go back my senior year and play one more season for the University of Florida and represent the Gator Nation.

GG: The Gators beat Arkansas this past Saturday on a game-winning drive at the end of the game. You led one the most memorable game-winning drives in Florida Field history during the 1986 Auburn Game. Do you ever tire of talking about that game?
KB: It's funny, that when you get older and have been out 20 years or so, fans don't remember you quite as well as they once did. People seem to forget all but those very special moments, and that one moment for me was the '86 Auburn game.

I know wherever I go that one game is the one that's brought up so by Gator fans. Most of them seem like they were there at the game and it was a game that people really recognize during my career. To be able to come back the way we did that day - its one of those last-second things that you dream as a kid playing in the back yard. We came back to win 18-17 and seems like it meant so much to fans throughout the Gator Nation that's the one game people bring up whenever they think about me and the Gators.

GG: When you scored on that two-point conversion, you were buried at the end of the play by your teammates. Tell us about that.
KB: I had been out for four weeks prior to that game because of a torn medial collateral and sprained MCL. I also had bad tendinitis in my knees. When I did score, I was on my knees and Bob Sims who was one of our starting guards and weighed 290 pounds jumped right on top of me. I ended up bening my knee backwards which hurt more than the old injury did; but fortunately I was able to play the next week against Georgia and finish out my career.

GG: There were a lot of injured Gators in that game included Ricky Nattiel who made a critical catch on a corner route to get the Gators to the 5 yard line, and followed that play an over the shoulder catch for a touchdown.
KB: People talk about me playing injured but Ricky's ability to play with a shoulder injury was just as remarkable.

I was amazed because later on in my life I had a similar injury while snow skiing - a 3rd degree separation of my left shoulder. Ricky had that same injury in the start of the 4th quarter in that game against Auburn, and Dr. Indelicato told him he wasn't playing anymore and made him stay on the sidelines for the next series.

When we had a chance to win the game on that last series, Ricky snuck himself back into the game. The reason I'm amazed when I had the same injury I couldn't even raise my hands and had to go straight to the emergency room. Here he was out there playing with that injury and raised his hands and extended his arms out to catch the ball as he was heading out of bounds and was still able to drag his foot and get us in. It was an amazing catch and got us to the 5 yard line. From there I threw a fade route to him in the end zone and he again raised his hands to catch it and it was just a great play by him.

GG: Who do you still keep in touch with?
KB: As a coach I don't really get to talk to a lot of people, but Jarvis Williams is around here (Jacksonville); I've had the chance to talk to John L. Williams a few times. Neal Anderson and I really stay in touch quite a bit; he's in Gainesville now and has retired there. Ernie Mills and Eddie Frazier are coaching on my staff. Billy Hanson is in town in Jacksonville.

You know I would like for someone to bring the 1984 team back together and see everybody. It was quite a team, it was quite an accomplishment during at tough time at the University and pulled together. And I think it was a really special thing for that team to pull together and win Florida's first SEC championship on the field like we did in that environment with everything that we went through.

That was a special memory. When I look back on it I remember when we left Kentucky after that last conference game of the season (the Gators pulled out the 25-17victory over the Wildcats in Lexington); the pilot actually took us over the stadium on the way back into town and all the Gator fans were there waiting for us. And then we got to the airport, the streets all the way into town, all the way through Gainesville were lined with people. The stadium was filled with fans and that team has a very special memory of that night.

GG: The injured player you replaced to make your first start as quarterback for the 1984 team was Dale Dorminey. Ironically enough, his son is on your JU football team. Tell us about that.
KB: Dale's son Michael is on our roster as a safety and has played special teams for us. He's a sophomore right now. Dale also introduced me to a player - Josh McGregor - who's now our all time leading passer and he's only a sophomore. Josh started as a freshman last year and Dale had coached this kid in youth football down in Ft. Lauderdale area. I got a call from Dale and we brought this kid up, and he's been phenomenal for us. He started his freshman year and has already thrown for 17 td passes this year with only 4 interceptions. He's already broken the school record for touchdown passes in a career and he's only half way through his sophomore year.

So Dale's done quite a bit throughout my career for me (laughs). I'm sure he didn't want the first thing to happen in 1984. That was such a freak injury. We were in shorts and shoulder pads and we were just running through some goal line plays. The fullback was running with him and someone tripped the fullback into Dale's knee - just a freak thing to happen. That was sad for him - to have a chance to finally start your senior year and have a career-ending injury just days before starting his first game.

Now, Dale comes up to all our games and his son Michael's just a great kid and he's playing extremely hard for us.

Dale's continued to help me out throughout my career. With my offense here at JU, we've really got to have a guy that can pull the trigger and him introducing me to Josh McGregor gave us an opportunity to win a championship in my second year here at JU.

That's something that's never been done here at the university and a lot of that goes back to having a good guy at quarterback. Sort of like Tim Tebow - when you have a QB with a lot of ability you can win championships.

GG: What are your impressions of Tebow and Brantley as quarterbacks?
KB: I've had the unique opportunity to be around both. I've known Timmy since he was in ninth grade. He's always come to my QB camps and I got the chance to see him grow each summer and coach him a little bit.

They're both very special athletes. They're sort of different. Tim was a very mature kid. Even at an early age he knew what he wanted in life. He was very grounded and had those great intangibles even as a young kid. He's always been a strong leader who could make people around him believe in what he wanted to do and follow him.

Being Johnny's high school coach, I was with him all the time. Johnny is more of a pure passer and wasn't as mature early on - he was more of what you see in high school players. Over last 2-3 years has grown a whole lot, especially being around Tim. Johnny's grown into quite an impressive young man. When we thought he might have a chance to play in that LSU game, I thought it was the perfect opportunity for him because he's had the chance to grow and go out and handle that type of situation. He's ready for it. Johnny has as much ability as any quarterback I've ever been around, including the professional level.

And I'm not the only one with that assessment. Shane Matthews and Bob Stoops who recruited him at Oklahoma, believe he's as pure a passer as they've ever seen come out of high school and I think he's going to have a very successful career when he takes over at UF. He's got a very bright future on the professional level as well.

Over the next several years Gator fans will have the chance to say they got to watch two of the best QBs that have ever played at UF.

GG: Do you expect the Gators will experience a drop off then when Tebow leaves?
KB: One thing I worry about a little bit is the expectations. I don't know that Johnny will be able to live up to the things that Tebow has done and that's because the spread offense is so unique and relies so much on the quarterback's abilities to maximize that offense.

I think Johnny's going to put up some big numbers and people will be awed by the numbers he'll put up and the way he can throw a football. I think he's going to do some things in the passing game that have never been done there before, but as far as maximizing that offense and doing some of the things that have been done over the past couple of years, I don't think any QB in the country can do that other than Tim Tebow. And the reason is that he's a freak of nature. Here's a kid that can play QB and still be a 240-pound running back.

I don't know of any other QB that can do that other than Tim. He brings a uniqueness to that offense that I don't think anyone else can match. I expect there will be times when people are going to say "man we're missing Timmy because of this third-and-2 that we didn't get," but that's just something fans will have to live with.

There aren't a lot of guys who come along that are 6'3" 240 that can play QB and have that special leadership ability that Tim has and also be able throw the ball the way he's able to. But I think Johnny's going to do a very good job and be a great QB there.

GG: You've what been a QB, an assistant coach, and a head coach...what do you wish fans were more cognizant of?

KB: One thing Gator fans have to understand is that the offense this season isn't as open. I know they're not scoring as may points as you'd like for them to; or doing the things they've done it in the past, and you want to know why.

I'd love for more people to understand that as a coach your job is to win football games. For some reason if you don't feel as comfortable throwing because you don't have the receivers you used to like Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy, and your defense is playing tremendously and maybe you're offensive line is banged up there are all kinds of areas that you're having to consider as you develop a game plan each week.

Maybe the defensive secondary you're going against in the next game is a really good one, so you don't want to turn it over . Maybe the team is so good on special teams and on defense its okay to be more conservative on offense. There are a lot of things the average fan doesn't think about. And as the head coach, that's all we do from daylight to dark, Sunday through Friday night. We analyze all of those variables that give our team the best chance to win.

I'm JU's coach - we're pretty good on defense but I still try to win on every snap. That's my philosophy. We're going to throw it around and we're going to be very good throwing the ball; we going to throw for some big plays.

We're going to be aggressive and I think Urban's a lot like that. Look at the field goals he fakes. He'll fake a punt on special teams. He's very aggressive. But you have to look at that and figure when it's the best time to risk those plays and evaluate when its the best move you can possible make to help your team win. I think a lot of fans don't really understand the hours you put into hitting those things at the right time, and if it's not then you don't do it. You play it by the numbers. And a lot of fans don't think about that all the preparation that we put into it.

GG: Is there a talent shift taking place in D1 college football that's creating parody?
KB: The big thing is when the NCAA went from 95 to 85 scholarships. Think about that -- if UF loses 10 (scholarships), where do those 10 go? Where are the 10 that used to be on the Florida State roster? Where are the 10 that Miami would have had? Those players are winding up on other teams. And those teams are now springing up because they're getting that talent that used to be on the sidelines of all those major schools. Because the talent is more spread out, you have more teams that can play with the traditional powerhouses.

Every season there's parody throughout college football because there's so much talent in the nation. Talk about the state of Florida alone. What surprised me is when I came here to JU three years ago, we arrived in the middle of recruiting season and dived into the 1,000+ dvds that we had sitting here ready to be watched. You wouldn't believe the talented kids we still had a shot to get.

There's so much talent in the state of Florida. When you start taking away the scholarships at those major universities and start giving it to the others, that's when you have teams that can go out and play with each other.

Lightning Round.
GG: Favorite rival?
KB: Florida State; but playing Georgia in Jacksonville was also special to me. It's such a great atmosphere - like a bowl game in the middle of the season. But the one I enjoyed the most as far as the rivalry was Florida State.

GG: Who's on you i-pod?
KB: Kenny Chesney.

GG: Who was you role model growing up?
KB: I wore #12 because of Roger Staubach who played for the Dallas Cowboys. I loved to watch him play. He was a great leader and he was a great person off the field. I got the chance to meet him my junior year in college out in Dallas so he's someone I sort of idolized growing up.

GG: Where's there more pressure - as a player or coach?
KB: I think there's more pressure when you're playing. I think that's one thing that prepared me to coach. I see a lot of coaches that take jobs and the crowd gets on them and they get tight and won't call the plays they need to call because they feel the pressure.

When you're a QB and you got booed as many times as I did, especially up in Canada, and by your own crowd cause you're not playing good, nothing bothers me. It doesn't bother me to have the pressure of a coach. When you're playing, you're out there having to perform, but when you're coaching you have to call the plays but those guys have to go do it. As I tell my players when that ball kicks off, it's all about you as players. You all have to come together as a team and it's you all who have to go out there and make plays. I think when the game starts, the pressure on the player is at the highest.

GG: What's the best think about Canada?
KB: I really enjoyed Canada. The big cities are so clean, they're safe. Even a major metropolitan city like Toronto, we spent a lot of evenings in the city and felt very safe. There's always a lot to do.

Edmonton (Kerwin played for the Eskimos of the Canadian Football League) was spectacular. We loved being right there by the Canadian Rockies which I think is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The scenery was very unique.

GG: What was the worst thing about playing in Canada?
KB: The exchange rate and taxes. By the time you paid the Canadian taxes and then came back to Florida in the off-season and had to exchange to US dollars you didn't have a whole lot left. Back when I played it was about 80 cents on the dollar so it was quite a hit to take.

GG: Coldest temp you ever played in?
KB: People think the Canadian game is cold, and it is, but the season runs only into November. In Winnipeg we played one game it was 7 degrees and with wind chill it was -10.

GG: What's your wife, former Gatorette Cosette, up to?
KB: She has a number of college degrees. She got her exercise and sport science degree at UF, and then got her master in sports science as well. When I played, she would travel with me during the season but then would teach school in the offseason. Once I retired seven years ago, she decided to go back to college and take advantage of a pilot program the University of Florida was offering for nursing.

She got a nursing degree in two years and then also a master's in nursing, so she's a nurse practitioner now and working part time as a nurse practitioner at a clinic in Jacksonville.

GG: What about the rest of the family?
KB: We have three children. The oldest - Kade Kerwin - is 16and the starting quarterback as a junior for the Providence Stallions a private school in Jacksonville Beach. He's a left-handed QB, but plays basketball right-handed. Our middle child - Kolten - is the starting QB for the Providence middle school team. And our daughter - nine-year-old Kenzley is into dance, softball and basketball. She does it all.

GG: What are you proudest of?
KB: My life is coaching. I love spending time with our young people here. One of the things about being a coach that a lot of fans don't realize because they only see us when we're out there trying to win games, is that we have the opportunity to have such a positive influence on young kids. When you're off on your own in college - often for the first time - there are a lot of tough decisions you have to make and so for me it's great to have the opportunity to be a father figure to some or a counselor.

Another thing I'm proud of is what we've been able to do here at JU. We're developing a comprehensive football program. Before we arrived two years ago, the school had never had a winning record and had never won a championship. But in our two years here we've gone 9-3 with a conference championship in 2008, so there's a lot of excitement and people are rallying around what we're trying to do. We've made big strides.

After I leave the office, I love to go watch my kids - my other pride and joy - play sports.

Catching Up with Danny Wuerffel

Danny Wuerffel is one of the most decorated players in UF history and an all-time fan favorite.  Today he's the executive director for Desire Street Ministries, an Atlanta-based organization focused on helping the impoverished in several urban areas in the U.S.

Gator Galz recently caught up with the leader of the 1996 national championship team and Heisman Trophy winner to get his perspectives on his upcoming duties as master of ceremonies for this year's Gator Growl, and favorite memories of his days as a student.

GG: You'll be one of the hosts for this year's Gator Growl. Nervous?
DW: Even though I'm used to being in front of crowds, this is definitely a little different. I feel real comfortable with all my speaking parts, but if we get into some comedy or singing (which you never know...it could happen) I'm sure I'll have some butterflies.

 
GG: How will you prepare?
DW: I've been watching some you tube videos of Dana Carvey, but that's all I'm saying.

GG: Favorite Homecoming memory (prior to hosting this year's event)?
DW: I got to hug my mom and dad during pregame at the 50 yard line my senior year. A great memory.

GG: What are your fondest on-field memories as a Gator?
DW: There are three favorite memories that come to mind. First, my freshman year at Kentucky was sort of my coming out. The pass to Chris Doering with 8 seconds left to win the game was just a phenomenal experience and a real defining moment in my career in terms of what would go on to happen. (Editor's Note: The play Danny refers to is immortalized in Gator folklore as "The Catch" and it not only resulted in a 24-20 Gator victory, it also salvaged the season and led to an SEC Championship).

The next memory would be, the touchdown pass I threw to Chris my junior year. For years we'd been practicing a play in which Chris would run along the back of the endzone while I ran along the 15 yard line. I'd then throw a pass at about 10 feet high; and he would leap up and make barely catch it and get a foot down in bounds. We'd practice that play over and over.

The other memory is sort of the whole experience and closing moments of the national championship game. As that came to an end and we were beating Florida State, I savored that moment with my teammates and coach Spurrier and realized that it was the last time I'd be on the field as a Gator. To go out that way was just unbelievable.