...that's us! We'll be rolling into town with a case of PBR under each arm to! I just have to dig out my jorts.
Go Gators!!!! Sent From Shane's iPhone Go Gators! & Skål Vikes! ALPCA #8756 Europlate #1045 > On Dec 17, 2014, at 12:43 PM, Arthur Polhill <[email protected]> wrote: > > I thought you all were going as our necked redneck contingent? What happened? > Need more body paint? > > A. Leon Polhill, Gator > "I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. > I said I didn't know." - Mark Twain > > > On Wednesday, December 17, 2014 1:27 PM, Shane Ford > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I'm glad Foley and crew moved quickly as well! They really had to! I don't > know if Coach Mac would have survived on the open market too long anyway. > I'll bet Michigan would have come calling sooner or later. > > I think we hired a great coach who wants to be here. I love his DC hire and I > hope they can work things out with T Rob to keep him on staff. > > WOO-HOO on the tickets! Anyone else from Gator Talk going to the game? I'm > sure we'll end up by the Alumni tent sooner or later. I may have to wait > outside tho. I'm glad Oliver's saving face about me possibly being wimpy. > I'll take a game day picture and show you the light coat I'll be wearing and > the snow parka and multiple layers that Oliver will be wearing. > > Go Gators!!!!! > > SHANE > > > Sent From Shane's iPhone > Go Gators! & Skål Vikes! > ALPCA #8756 > Europlate #1045 > >> On Dec 17, 2014, at 11:03 AM, Oliver Barry <[email protected]> wrote: >> > > I was afraid what happened with the Tennessee coaching job search would > happen to us. > There was a radio guy, Clay Travis, who would make up something like it was > gospel and everyone would get their hopes up. > John Gruden was involved in intense negotiations with Tennessee. A decision > was imminent. > Trouble is, it was all fiction. They went from coach to coach expecting > Superman. When they finally got Butch Jones everyone was disappointed. > Of course, they could have hired John the Baptist at that point and everyone > would’ve been disappointed it wasn’t Saint Peter. > It was awful. > You can see here in our search there were a lot of rumors. All of them > false. Luckily the negotiations didn’t go any longer. > A lot of the rumors were started by these blogs like SDS and others. If you > don’t have readers just make up something juicy. Then you’ll get interest. > This internet thing is a great invention. But, one sure has to wade through > a lot of sewage to get to potable water. > > Meanwhile, Shane’s and my tickets have arrived for the Birmingham Bowl. > Section 12, row 18, seats 13 and 14. > I just hope it’s not too cold. Shane might get a little wimpy. > > > Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI > Bob Parks Realty, LLC > Real Estate Broker > 145 Maple Row Blvd > Hendersonville TN 37075 > Phone: 615-826-4040 > Mobile: 615-972-4239 > [email protected] > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of Shane Ford > Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2014 7:32 AM > To: GatorNews > Subject: [gatornews] [SUN]: Foley reveals details of coaching search > > Foley reveals details of coaching search > > > > UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley, left, began the search for a new coach > shortly after the firing of Will Muschamp on Nov. 17. That search ended with > the hiring of Jim McElwain, right, on Dec. 4. > Staff photos by Brad McClenny and Elizabeth Hamilton/Illustration by Jon > McDonald;Flight map from flightaware.com > By Pat Dooley > Gainesville SUN Staff writer > > Published: Wednesday, December 17, 2014 at 6:01 a.m. > Last Modified: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at 8:11 p.m. > It was always about progress, this 2014 football season. It was never how > many wins vs. how many losses, but whether or not Florida football appeared > to be on the right track. > UF athletic director Jeremy Foley was familiar with that track, having ridden > it before. This track was being derailed. > First, there was the mind-numbing loss to LSU. Then the embarrassing loss to > Missouri. > “Everyone was concerned after Missouri,” Foley said. “Obviously, the antennae > were up, but there was a lot of football to be played.” > The clincher came against South Carolina in The Swamp when Florida lost at > home for the sixth time in eight games. The fans knew it had to end. Even > Will Muschamp knew he was finished. He spent an inordinate time in the locker > room after the game, didn't meet with recruits and prepared to accept his > fate. > On Sunday morning, as Muschamp sat in his office watching video of the > previous game. Foley lowered the boom on Coach Boom. > “I was disheartened,” Foley said. “There was a lot of negativity that was > going to be hard to overcome, especially in recruiting. This business is hard > when a big ball starts rolling downhill and you have to catch it and roll it > back up the hill. > “After sitting down and talking about it, some of it late Saturday night with > (UF president) Bernie (Machen) and the staff, and Sunday morning with Bernie, > the decision was made.” > And so the process began anew of finding a head coach for the University of > Florida. It would be the fourth in 13 years and Foley understood how > important this one was. The Gators had been the dominant program in the > second half of the last decade, but had found themselves on the edge of > irrelevancy the last two years. > “We started gathering info after the press conference on Monday (Nov. 17),” > Foley said. “I don't know how many hours we went through, 8,000 agents > calling you. You really don't know if anyone is interested until you talk to > them personally. > “Everyone thinks everyone wants to drop the job they have and come here, but > you have to wade through that. You have to find someone who wants THE job.” > Foley's inner circle of administrators — Chip Howard, Lynda Tealer, Mike Hill > and Steve McClain went to work. > One of the first names that was mentally checked off the list — Jim McElwain. > Once Foley learned of the $7.5 million buyout, it seemed like too large a > burden to overcome. > “That's a huge amount of money,” Foley said. “But the word got back to me as > I went along that it was negotiable. I thought it might be a deal-breaker at > the start. But once you got by that hurdle, he was back in the mix.” > Much of the first two weeks of the process was eliminating coaches who either > were happy where they were or were not that right fit at Florida. Sometimes, > silence was the best indicator that a coach wasn't interested. > “The one thing the South Carolina thing did for us was give us two weeks to > do a lot of work,” Foley said. “Who fits here, who wants to come here, who's > doable. I didn't want to get somebody a raise or get left at the altar.” > There was some interest in at least checking into some NFL coaches. > “Is there a diamond in the rough?” Foley asked his staff. > One of the popular names in cyberspace was New England assistant Josh > McDaniels. Foley did ask some questions about him, but it never went any > further. > Meanwhile, there was the report that Foley wanted to talk to Philadelphia > coach Chip Kelly. Foley knew better than to go down that road because Kelly > has made it clear he likes coaching in the NFL. > “I didn't ask anybody about Chip Kelly,” Foley said. “I never poked around > Chip Kelly at all.” > As the process continued, Foley kept hearing good things about McElwain. He > talked to a lot of people about the Colorado State coach, including two > former McElwain quarterbacks — Greg McElroy and AJ McCarron. He also talked > to Alabama coach Nick Saban. > On the Saturday night following Florida's loss to Florida State, Foley pulled > into his Gainesville driveway and called John Morris, the interim athletic > director at CSU, to ask permission to talk to McElwain. > He then called the coach to set up a time on Sunday when they could talk. > “Everyone I talked to spoke highly of him,” Foley said. “I liked the fact > that he took over a team that was 3-9, 3-9, 3-9. I liked the fact that he > would take on that challenge. I liked the fact that he went for it against > Air Force and wasn't afraid to lose. You can't be afraid to lose at this > level.” > At noon on that Sunday, Foley called McElwain and the two talked for 45 > minutes. > The last thing he asked McElwain was, “Are you seriously interested in this > job?” McElwain said he was, that the opportunity was one he didn't want to > pass on. > Meanwhile, what Foley calls “the silly season” was in full force. Names were > flying all over the place and there were reports that an offer had been made > to Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze. > Foley said he never talked to Hugh Freeze. He did talk to Ole Miss athletic > director Ross Bjork, but only because Bjork called him. > “I talked to Ross because he called me,” Foley said. “I told him, 'Ross, if I > want to talk to your coach, the first person I'll talk to is you.' But I > never did. Hugh is a great coach, but I never talked to him. > “I've been through it before. I said at the first press conference that half > of the information out there was going to be false and that was the truth. We > don't pay attention to that because it will distract you.” > Foley and his staff were convinced that they had their target. > A booster plane took the Florida contingent to Fort Collins, Colo., on > Tuesday, Dec. 2. They made a stop in Joplin, Mo., to try to throw off the > media members tracking the plane on the Internet. > “The one thing you didn't want to happen did happen,” Foley said. “At the end > of the day, we can't get distracted by that — people taking pictures through > windows.” > Reporters stalked McElwain's home while Florida's administrators met inside > with the coach and his wife Karen. She served them dinner — pot roast — and > the meetings continued into the night. > At one point, McElwain and Foley sat down for a private discussion. Foley > went upstairs after the meeting and talked to his staff. They knew they had > their guy. Once the reporters decided to abandon their post, the Florida > group headed for a hotel. > The process began on two fronts — to negotiate a contract with McElwain and > also to deal with the buyout. > On Wednesday morning, Foley and his staff waited at the hotel for some news. > When it became clear that the buyout negotiations were between McElwain, his > agent and the Colorado State people, Foley decided it was time to head home. > “I just wanted to know what we were dealing with,” Foley said. “When we left, > we didn't know. > People made a big deal because I didn't bring my coach back. I didn't bring > Urban (Meyer) back or didn't bring Will back. > “It was a tough night because I don't like uncertainty. Bernie (Machen) knew > some folks out there and he got involved.” > On Thursday morning, the deal was getting close. > “The final result (of the buyout) was something we suggested,” Foley said. > “What if we try this? That began to get some traction. Once that did, I > started to feel good about it.” > Finally, the call came that the buyout had been negotiated. Foley walked down > the hall to tell Tealer, who was working on the contract for the new coach. > He walked back down to his office and McClain was there. > “It's already out there,” he said. > Foley just shook his head. But at least the silly season was over. > Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at [email protected]. And follow at > Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Sent From Shane's iPhone > Go Gators! & Skål Vikes! > ALPCA #8756 > Europlate #1045 > -- > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at http://www.gatornet.us/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "GatorNews" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at http://www.gatornet.us/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "GatorTalk" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "GatorTalk" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > -- > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "GatorTalk" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GatorTalk" group. 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