This week in Gator Nation, we experienced our fair share of jubilation and sorrow. The Florida Gators spring sports teams are all playing outstandingly, while at the same, time the Gators lost, in my opinion, one of, if not, the best coach in UF sports history – Rhonda Faehn.
We must move on, however.
And fortunately, there is a ton of excitement heading into the next few weeks and months of Florida Gators athletics.
Congratulations to Graduates!
It has been nearly five years since I graduated from the UF (May 1, 2010) – it is amazing how quickly time passes!
During my four special years at UF, I learned, I grew, and I was molded into the man I am today. While I was always a Florida Gators fan growing up, I didn’t want to attend UF, I wanted to go elsewhere (for a variety of reasons at the time), and I was ready to go to school in Washington, D.C. But life has its weird ways of working out and I enrolled at UF, instead. And boy, was that the greatest decision of my life.
I want to congratulate the students that will be graduating from the University of Florida over the next few weeks – it is truly a special honor.
Farewell Faehn
While it is tough to lose a coach like Faehn — really freakin’ tough — it is important to celebrate what she helped create and mold at the University of Florida, and realize that while all good coaches must leave some time; good programs prevail.
I said it on Twitter and I will say it again – Rhonda Faehn is the best coach in Florida Gators history.
While I am sure many folks will say Billy Donovan or Urban Meyer, I disagree.
While the Gators had a pretty rich gymnastics history Before Faehn (B.F.), she brought the Gators to the highest of heights – consistently.
Besides the three consecutive National Championships, she has brought the Gators to the “Super Six” ever year since 2006, and 11 out of the 13 years she was at UF. Her teams finished in the top five nine times, including one-second place finish.
Faehn was a six-time SEC Coach of the year and a one-time National Coach of the Year. Moreover, she secured the number one recruiting class in the country five times in the last six seasons.
Coaches like Faehn don’t come around often, so you must make sure you appreciate their time.
Top Five Coaches Jeremy Foley has Hired
- Rhonda Faehn
- Billy Donovan
- Urban Meyer
- Tim Walton
- Mike Holloway
Quick Thought Britt McHenry
What Britt McHenry said was wrong, very wrong, but since when did we become a culture that gets so offended for others?
McHenry was wrong, over reacted, and said some very, rude, and vile things, but we reacted, as a society, with such damning burning torches, that we didn’t even care that the heavily edited video only crafted one side of the story.
Society loved to watch celebrities fail and fall and to chastise them publicly that we all of a sudden become a society that cheers people failing and social media allows everyone to become holier than thou – just to watch her fail.
McHenry was wrong, no doubt, but the dragging of McHenry through the mud and the attacks on her, her looks, and her education (graduate of Northwestern, by the way), were just as shameful.
In the future, when we see people fail, let’s remember that they are people first.
Good luck to Dante Fowler and the Rest of the Gators
Dante Fowler , in my opinion, the best player in the NFL Draft, is about to get drafted and realize a dream. Fowler has been an incredible Gator and deserves everything.
It is looking like the Gators will have two players drafted into the first round (Fowler and D.J. Humphries), while Matt Jones and Max Garcia should be a great late round value picks, while Quinton Dunbar, Tyler Moore, Mack Brown, Kyle Christy, and Andre Debose should get picked up as undrafted free agents.
Must Watch Video of the Year
Must Read Articles of the Week
- Jerry Beach | Death in the Family
- Doug Bock Clark | The Bot Bubble
- Dan Barry | A Son of Football Calls His Mother
- Nathan Schneider | Have We Seen the End of the 8-Hour Day?
- Elizabeth Yale | First Blood Transfusion
- Will Harris | Surely you can’t be serious: An oral history of Airplane!
Song of the Week
A few of you have asked for some Texas country rather than Nashville. Here you are: Wade Bowen — one of my favorites.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wade+bowen+songs+about+trucks+
Might want to add a warning on that video. My 4 year old just learned a new word.
Great stuff. Thanks Dan. In this day and age of social media people will be exposed and judged very quickly. While we all have blundered in our lives, that gal was especially rude and narcissistic with some delusions of grandeur. Sports people making big bucks, announcers, news guys that offer up story-teller embellishments (or fabrications) all are exposing themselves to our scrutiny; and rightly so. Social media and video backlash are the new paradigm…I saw enough of her personality to have an opinion about her character or lack thereof. And, yes… everyone deserves a mulligan. Entitlement issues come to mind. It’s probably best not to be on camera when you’re car has just been towed! “I screwed up, therefore it’s your fault!” Not a ton of sympathy from me. But, Dan, I applaud you taking the high ground. I’m just another guy with an opinion . :)
Daniel, I don’t want to disagree with your top 5 coaches hired by Jeremy Foley in terms of taking anyone off the list. However, Roland Thornqvist (Women’s Tennis) and Becky Burleigh (soccer) are as good as any hire made by Jeremy Foley. My list would have to be a top 7.
Kevin O’Sullivan will be on the list too when he wins his baseball first national championship.
Daniel – Great read. Rhonda’s run has been amazing, special, particularly when you consider
UF has supplanted UGA and Bama as the top program in the SEC.
However leaving SOS off this list …………… I attribute that to your age. We forgive you this time.
It’s one thing to say or do something boneheaded in public and get caught. It’s something all together different when u attack someone personally. Telling someone to lose weight, they’re uneducated, missing teeth etc. I’m sorry, she is a horrible human being. she was on her high horse, trying to impress her friend and was nothing more than a big bully with someone just trying to do their job. I hope she never works in TV again.
Gatorhead, Spurrier was hired pre-Foley by Arnsparger.
Daniel, Foley did not hire Urban Meyer. President Bernie Machen brought him in and Foley drew up the contract. Besides, Steve Spurrier was the catalyst to the “Gator Nation” as we know it. 7 SEC Championships in 12 years and had tremendous integrity. Urban was what 2 for 6 I believe and went out with lack of integrity.
I recognize that for some Jeremy Foley has cult hero status. But when I think of Jeremy Foley I think primarily of Will Muschamp and what Foley’s lack of due diligence and sound judgment has done and is doing to the once proud UF football program. There is no entitlement, no guarantee the Gator program will return from the damage inflicted by Foley-Muschamp. Time will tell. And, for those who think that the Muschamp hire was essentially sound but that ‘things did not work out’, please remember Foley’s responsibility was to hire a top-quality head coach not a DC with no head coaching resume and questionable sideline maturity. The result is the reality of the present.