Urban Meyer admits the way his tenure at Florida ended is painful. The legendary football coach won two national championships with the Gators in 2006 and 2008 before his resignation in 2010. At the time, Meyer cited health concerns as a driving factor behind his decision, but it is still a chapter of his career that carries emotional weight.
“The good thing is that I’m surrounded by a lot of Gators and Gator fans,” Meyer said on Another Dooley Noted Podcast. “And the way Urban Meyer left Florida is something that I can’t change. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s also my life — it is what it is. I look back now, I was not in good shape. I look back now, I had to do that to get myself healthy again because it was awful.”
In 2009, Meyer was hospitalized after experiencing chest pains following the SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama, prompting him to announce he was stepping down due to health concerns. He reversed course shortly after, instead taking an indefinite leave of absence before returning for the 2010 season. But the toll of the job lingered, and Meyer officially resigned for good at the end of that campaign — a decision he now says was necessary for his well-being, though still difficult to reconcile.
“I’m also at peace with the fact that as a Gator, if someone wants to come knock on my door and say, ‘Man coach, I wish you guys would just work a little harder for Florida.’ You know, that’s a fight you’re not gonna win. That’s going to have a bad ending,” Meyer continued. “If they said, ‘You know, coach, I wish you would have stayed a few more years.’ I get that. Or someone says you left the program a mess or something. I heard that, and I’m like, you just told me that one of the best rosters they’ve ever had in the Gators was the year after we left. They had great players everywhere.
“So, I think all of that has kind of moved on. And I know it’s certainly moved on in my heart, other than the fact that I look back now, and I still have great relationships with a lot of those players. I just was with (Tim) Tebow the other day, I talk to (Brandon) Spikes all the time, and I’ll never forget those great moments.”
Meyer coached his final game at Florida in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, 2011. The Gators defeated Penn State 37-24. He led Florida to a 65-15 overall record with a pair of SEC Championships in 2006 and 2008.
Meyer returned to the sidelines in 2012 as head coach at Ohio State, a position he held for seven seasons before retiring in December 2018, again citing health reasons. Meyer won a third national championship with the Buckeyes in 2014.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Power conferences working on contract to bind schools to new enforcement rules, with strict punishments
On May 1, in perhaps an intentionally quiet signing, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee scrawled his name across the bottom of a six-page state bill.Tennessee Senate Bill No. 536, its details unearthed last week, paves the way for state schools — University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Memphis, etc. — and their affiliated collectives to break House settlement-related rules and prevents college sports’ new enforcement entity from penalizing those schools.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn layman’s terms, the law is a launched missile toward plans from the NCAA and power conferences to police the revenue-sharing era of college sports, taking aim at the athlete compensation cap, the severe penalties for rule-breakers and the policies that prevent phony booster-backed name, image and likeness deals to players.But power conference executives have plans to combat such laws.Officials from the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC are circulating a draft of […]
Rizek indica time quase imbatível no futebol brasileiro: “Passa o carro”
André Rizek, jornalista (Reprodução/GE) Os resultados, mas sobretudo as atuações do Palmeiras, impressionam antes da parada para o Mundial de Clubes. Na abertura do Seleção Sportv, André Rizek exaltou a evolução do time paulista superando adversários importantes longe do Allianz Parque. Líder do Brasileirão com 22 pontos, sendo quatro de vantagem para o Flamengo, o Verdão também é dono da melhor campanha da fase de grupos da Libertadores. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Você escuta esse clichê de que todo time vai oscilar no campeonato. É fato. Agora, só um time até aqui esteve sempre ou na liderança ou perto dela. Palmeiras não é um time encantador, mas ele é de uma eficiência absurda, força mental e difícil de ser parado”, disse Rizek. “É impressionante. Fora de casa, ele praticamente está passando o carro. Derrotou o Sport, Internacional, Fortaleza, o Vasco, em Brasília, […]
49ers get A+ for Fred Warner contract extension — but how do rest of splashy offseason moves grade out?
USATSI The San Francisco 49ers are having one of the most interesting offseasons in recent memory, taking care of their own players while letting a significant amount of talent depart. The latest major move by the 49ers involved standout linebacker Fred Warner, who inked a contract extension that made him the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL. The Warner extension was the second major move the 49ers completed over the last four days, inking Brock Purdy to a massive contract extension that made him one of the seven highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. San Francisco also signed George Kittle to a contract extension in April. Prior to these extensions, the 49ers watched other teams sign their players in free agency. Teams spent $319 million on the 49ers' free agents, the most money spent on a team's departing free agents in NFL history. […]
NBA rumors: Teams expect 76ers to consider trading No. 3 pick with Kevin Durant as a potential target
Getty Images The Philadelphia 76ers just endured several months of desperately clinging to their first-round pick. If the pick had landed outside of the top six, it would have gone to the Oklahoma City Thunder, so the 76ers spent the second half of last season tanking in an effort to keep it. Last week, that pick officially landed at No. 3 overall, and now that the 76ers have actually secured it, they need to decide what to do with it.After the NBA Draft Lottery, top 76ers executive Daryl Morey said that the "plan is to keep" the pick. The rest of the league, however, does not seem to trust him. ESPN's Jonathan Givony is reporting that "some teams expect the Sixers to be active in trade conversations" now that they know where they are picking. Two names Givony mentions as candidates? […]
Luis Perez’s head-scratching decision headlines UFL storylines from Week 8
Eric Williams NFL Reporter <!--> With the Arlington Renegades trailing by three points and needing only a field goal to send the game into overtime, quarterback Luis Perez took matters into his own hands — with disastrous results.Instead of spiking the ball to set up a long field goal, Perez faked the spike and tried to connect on a quick out route to get a couple yards closer. However, DC Defenders cornerback Deandre Baker picked off the fluttering pass to seal a 33-30 victory and a spot in the postseason. "I thought we were just spiking the football and were going to kick the field goal," Arlington head coach Bob Stoops said. "And Luis thought he had the out route, so he threw it. It didn’t work that way."Despite Perez’s season-high 350 passing yards, the Renegades were eliminated from the playoffs […]
Caitlin Clark says bigotry has ‘no place’ in WNBA as league probes allegations of hateful comments from fans
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark on Monday denounced hatred and bigotry directed toward the league and its players, one day after the WNBA announced it was investigating “alleged hateful fan comments” that were made toward the Chicago Sky during the Fever’s season-opening win Saturday.Advertisement“There’s no place for that in our game. There’s no place for that in society,” Clark said after practice. “Certainly, we want every person that comes into our arena, whether a player or a fan, to have a great experience, so I appreciate the league doing that (investigation). … We’ll leave that up to them to find anything and take the proper action if so.”According to a source briefed on the matter but not authorized to speak publicly, the WNBA’s investigation is in response to allegations of “racial” comments directed toward Sky star Angel Reese […]
Related
Power conferences working on contract to bind schools to new enforcement rules, with strict punishments
On May 1, in perhaps an intentionally quiet signing, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee scrawled his name across the bottom of a six-page state bill.Tennessee Senate Bill No. 536, its details unearthed last week, paves the way for state schools — University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Memphis, etc. — and their affiliated collectives to break House settlement-related rules and prevents college sports’ new enforcement entity from penalizing those schools.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn layman’s terms, the law is a launched missile toward plans from the NCAA and power conferences to police the revenue-sharing era of college sports, taking aim at the athlete compensation cap, the severe penalties for rule-breakers and the policies that prevent phony booster-backed name, image and likeness deals to players.But power conference executives have plans to combat such laws.Officials from the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC are circulating a draft of […]
Rizek indica time quase imbatível no futebol brasileiro: “Passa o carro”
André Rizek, jornalista (Reprodução/GE) Os resultados, mas sobretudo as atuações do Palmeiras, impressionam antes da parada para o Mundial de Clubes. Na abertura do Seleção Sportv, André Rizek exaltou a evolução do time paulista superando adversários importantes longe do Allianz Parque. Líder do Brasileirão com 22 pontos, sendo quatro de vantagem para o Flamengo, o Verdão também é dono da melhor campanha da fase de grupos da Libertadores. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Você escuta esse clichê de que todo time vai oscilar no campeonato. É fato. Agora, só um time até aqui esteve sempre ou na liderança ou perto dela. Palmeiras não é um time encantador, mas ele é de uma eficiência absurda, força mental e difícil de ser parado”, disse Rizek. “É impressionante. Fora de casa, ele praticamente está passando o carro. Derrotou o Sport, Internacional, Fortaleza, o Vasco, em Brasília, […]
49ers get A+ for Fred Warner contract extension — but how do rest of splashy offseason moves grade out?
USATSI The San Francisco 49ers are having one of the most interesting offseasons in recent memory, taking care of their own players while letting a significant amount of talent depart. The latest major move by the 49ers involved standout linebacker Fred Warner, who inked a contract extension that made him the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL. The Warner extension was the second major move the 49ers completed over the last four days, inking Brock Purdy to a massive contract extension that made him one of the seven highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. San Francisco also signed George Kittle to a contract extension in April. Prior to these extensions, the 49ers watched other teams sign their players in free agency. Teams spent $319 million on the 49ers' free agents, the most money spent on a team's departing free agents in NFL history. […]
NBA rumors: Teams expect 76ers to consider trading No. 3 pick with Kevin Durant as a potential target
Getty Images The Philadelphia 76ers just endured several months of desperately clinging to their first-round pick. If the pick had landed outside of the top six, it would have gone to the Oklahoma City Thunder, so the 76ers spent the second half of last season tanking in an effort to keep it. Last week, that pick officially landed at No. 3 overall, and now that the 76ers have actually secured it, they need to decide what to do with it.After the NBA Draft Lottery, top 76ers executive Daryl Morey said that the "plan is to keep" the pick. The rest of the league, however, does not seem to trust him. ESPN's Jonathan Givony is reporting that "some teams expect the Sixers to be active in trade conversations" now that they know where they are picking. Two names Givony mentions as candidates? […]
Luis Perez’s head-scratching decision headlines UFL storylines from Week 8
Eric Williams NFL Reporter <!--> With the Arlington Renegades trailing by three points and needing only a field goal to send the game into overtime, quarterback Luis Perez took matters into his own hands — with disastrous results.Instead of spiking the ball to set up a long field goal, Perez faked the spike and tried to connect on a quick out route to get a couple yards closer. However, DC Defenders cornerback Deandre Baker picked off the fluttering pass to seal a 33-30 victory and a spot in the postseason. "I thought we were just spiking the football and were going to kick the field goal," Arlington head coach Bob Stoops said. "And Luis thought he had the out route, so he threw it. It didn’t work that way."Despite Perez’s season-high 350 passing yards, the Renegades were eliminated from the playoffs […]
Caitlin Clark says bigotry has ‘no place’ in WNBA as league probes allegations of hateful comments from fans
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark on Monday denounced hatred and bigotry directed toward the league and its players, one day after the WNBA announced it was investigating “alleged hateful fan comments” that were made toward the Chicago Sky during the Fever’s season-opening win Saturday.Advertisement“There’s no place for that in our game. There’s no place for that in society,” Clark said after practice. “Certainly, we want every person that comes into our arena, whether a player or a fan, to have a great experience, so I appreciate the league doing that (investigation). … We’ll leave that up to them to find anything and take the proper action if so.”According to a source briefed on the matter but not authorized to speak publicly, the WNBA’s investigation is in response to allegations of “racial” comments directed toward Sky star Angel Reese […]
Be the first to leave a comment