From time to time, OGGOA will come across a plethora of news and notes that we wish to share – too much to fit into one of our truncated BITS segments. When stories like these fall through the cracks, we catch and wrap them all up with Gator Bites.

» Rather than doubling down on disappointment while stuck playing in the state North Carolina, No. 2 Florida Gators women’s tennis (4-1) came from behind on Monday to pick up a huge victory over the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels (9-1) in Chapel Hill, NC. UNC, which took over for UF as the No. 1 team in the country last week, held a 2-0 advantage over its visitors after winning the doubles point and a singles match to start the contest. The Gators answered by rallying with four consecutive singles match victories to pick up the 4-2 win. First, junior Olivia Janowicz took down No. 79 Tessa Lyons 6-2, 6-1. Freshman Brianna Morgan then picked up a 6-1, 6-1 win over No. 122 Lauren McHale, leaving the match in the hands of Florida’s two best players. No. 4 senior Lauren Embree came through in the clutch once again with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 victory against No. 7 Gina Suarez-Malaguti, and No. 9 junior Sofie Oyen fought hard on court two to defeat No. 30 Zoe De Bruycker 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. UF’s loss on Sunday at No. 4 Duke was its first in over a year’s time. By taking down the Tar Heels on Monday, the Gators avoided falling in consecutive matches for the first time in three years.

» Former Florida guard Matt Walsh, who signed a deal with Spirou Charleroi of Belgium in August 2012, told OGGOA on Monday that his contract has been purchased by Brose Baskets of Bamberg, Germany. The three-time defending German champions play in the Euroleague and are hoping Walsh helps push them to a fourth-straight title.

» Despite multiple reports pointing to the contrary, Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman on Friday said he has “no intent” of trading wide receiver Percy Harvin, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Harvin raised concerns about Minnesota’s offense (and how he was not utilized much) prior to the 2012 season and reportedly got into an explosive verbal argument with head coach Leslie Frazier during the season. While it does look like he and the Vikings will split ways, multiple players have come out in his defense and expressed their desire to see him return to the team. The latest to do so is quarterback Christian Ponder, who said he “obviously” wants Harvin to return because “he’s a tremendous player” and “a heck of a part of this offense and this team in general.” Ponder told KFAN in Minneapolis, MN that he and Harvin have a good relationship and “spent some extra time together” working on their on-field chemistry during the last offseason.

Read 11 more bites of Florida Gators news…after the break!
Continue Reading » 14 Gator Bites for Tuesday, February 19

Tags: Ahmad Black, Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Brianna Morgan, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bulls, Chris Rainey, Chris Walker, David Lee, David Nelson, Detroit Lions, field, Golden State Warriors, Gregg Troy, Ike Hilliard, Jevon Kearse, Joakim Noah, Kasey Hill, Kelvin Taylor, Lauren Embree, Lomas Brown, Matt Elam, Matt Walsh, Maurkice Pouncey, McDonald's All-American, Miami Dolphins, Mike Holloway, Mike Pouncey, Minnesota Vikings, NBA, NFL, North Carolina Tar Heels, Olivia Janowicz, Olympics, Percy Harvin, Ronni Williams, Ryan Lochte, Sofie Oyen, swimming, tennis, Tony McQuay, track, Will Muschamp, women's basketball, World Outdoor Championships

From time to time, OGGOA will come across a plethora of news and notes that we wish to share – too much to fit into one of our truncated BITS segments. When stories like these fall through the cracks, we catch and wrap them all up with Gator Bites.

» Florida Gators junior forward Will Yeguete as seen Gator Chomping his way into your living room after his team took down LSU 74-52 on the road on Saturday. Animated GIF created for OnlyGators.com by photekxl.

» In addition to being the first center in NFL history to be named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons in the league, Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey learned Saturday that he has also been voted a 2012 NFL All-Pro by the Associated Press for the third-straight year. Pouncey was also named to USA Football’s All-Fundamental Team this season.

» Fresh off winning the 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year award for the first time in her illustrious career, former Florida striker Abby Wambach received some more great news when she was allocated to her hometown team – the Western New York Flash – on Friday by the brand new eight-team National Women’s Soccer League. Wambach, a native of Rochester, NY, was like all players able to submit a list of requested destinations for the league’s initial allocation and of course put the Flash, which are set to play home games in Rochester, at the very top. Though not every player in the league received their top choice – including other U.S. Women’s National Team stars – most were happy with their destinations. None more so than Wambach.

» According to multiple reports, Gators freshman defensive back Willie Bailey has chosen Louisville as his transfer destination. Bailey chose to leave the program in early December in a decision that was a long time coming as he was not likely to see the field much for the duration of his career.

Check out 13 more Gator Bites…after the break!
Continue Reading » 17 Gator Bites for Monday, January 14

Tags: Abby Wambach, All-Pro, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, baseball, Billy Bullock, Brandon James, CFL, FIFA, Gator Chomp, Kasey Hill, Kevin Carter, Kyle Christy, Maurkice Pouncey, Miami Dolphins, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, MiLB, Minnesota Vikings, NASCAR, NFL, Olympics, Percy Harvin, Pittsburgh Steelers, Player of the Year, Pro Bowl, Ryan Lochte, soccer, Stephen Alli, swimming, Tim Tebow, Western New York Flash, Will Yeguete, Willie Bailey

The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived 2012 draft selection and former Florida Gators running back Chris Rainey.

Selected by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Rainey performed well in his rookie season with the Steelers but was released by the franchise on Thursday after being arrested for a domestic violence incident.

“Chris Rainey’s actions this morning were extremely disappointing,” team general manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement. “Under the circumstances and due to this conduct, Chris will no longer be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

Rainey played in all 16 games for Pittsburgh in 2012, carrying the ball 26 times for 102 yards with five touchdowns as a running back. He also grabbed 14 receptions for 60 yards, returned 39 kickoffs for 1,035 yards (long: 68) and returned three punts for 16 yards. He had a stellar preseason for the team with two long offensive touchdowns and a pair of punt returns for touchdowns as well.

The team reportedly used Rainey’s previous transgression as a motivator during practice throughout his rookie season. Head coach Mike Tomlin supposedly used a version of his unfortunate “time to die” text message as part of that motivation. “OK, 22, time to die!” he apparently yelled during the first full-contact practice of his career. “I hear it every day, about five times a day,” Rainey said at the time. “It’s all good. I made a bad mistake in the past but I’ve moved on. It’s funny now.”

Rainey signed a four-year, $2.282 million contract with the Steelers and received a $181,000 signing bonus along with a $390,000 salary in 2012. He was set to earn $480,000 in 2013, $570,000 in 2014 and $660,000 in 2015.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he had another brush with the law just last month as he was “cited for defiant trespass, a summary offense, when he entered the Meadowlands Racetrack and Casino outside Washington, PA., after he had signed himself onto a self-exclusion list.” A self-exclusion list, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, exists as a safeguard that a person can request as a measure to ban oneself from such facilities under penalty of a fine.

Rainey was one of four former Gators on the team. The three former Florida players remaining on Pittsburgh’s roster include center Maurkice Pouncey, left tackle Max Starks and right tackle Marcus Gilbert.

OGGOA RELATED: Former Florida RB Rainey arrested for battery

Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Steelers

Tags: Chris Rainey, Draft, Marcus Gilbert, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers

At the conclusion of the 2012 NFL regular season there were 31 former Florida Gators football players spread over 23 teams.

A total of 27 players participated in week 17 action, many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performance.

For the third-straight year, OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what all of these Gators accomplished during the last week of the 2012 regular season.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DE CARLOS DUNLAP, Cincinnati Bengals: Two tackles (one solo for loss), sack, two QB hits, pass defense, interception (14-yard return) for touchdown [Video]^

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NFL played this week…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Week 17 (2012)

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Andre Caldwell, Brandon Siler, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chris Rainey, Cooper Carlisle, Deonte Thompson, Janoris Jenkins, Jaye Howard, Jeremy Mincey, Jermaine Cunningham, Joe Haden, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Maurice Hurt, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Rex Grossman, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow, Will Hill

Pittsburgh Steelers center and three-year veteran Maurkice Pouncey was named Wednesday to his third-straight Pro Bowl, becoming the first center in NFL history to receive the honor in each of his first three seasons.

The former Florida Gators star has been selected every year he has been in the league. He did not play in the 2011 Pro Bowl due to being on a Super Bowl team but started in the 2012 Pro Bowl. He will also start the 2013 game after receiving the most fan votes at center for the AFC.

Pouncey is the 20th former Florida player to be picked for the Pro Bowl; his nomination in 2010 made him the fifth to receive the honor in his rookie season (Cris Collinsworth, Jevon Kearse, Emmitt Smith, Percy Harvin). Former Gators have received 58 total nominations to the game and have been honored with a selection to the Pro Bowl in 36 of the 43 years it has existed.

Harvin was named to the 2010 Pro Bowl following the 2009 season, making it four consecutive years that a former Florida player has been recognized. He likely would have made this year’s event had he not injured his ankle in the middle of the season.

A player many believe has been snubbed from the Pro Bowl is Miami Dolphins C Mike Pouncey. Analysts believe he had the better season of the two brothers.

The 2013 Pro Bowl is set for Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, HI.

Photo Credit: Unknown

Tags: Maurkice Pouncey, Miami Dolphins, Mike Pouncey, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, Percy Harvin, Pittsburgh Steelers, Pro Bowl

Now 16 weeks into the 2012 NFL regular season, there are 31 former Florida Gators football players spread over 23 teams.

A total of 21 players participated in week 16 action, many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performance.

For the third-straight year, OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what all of these Gators accomplished during the 16th week of the 2012 regular season.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
S REGGIE NELSON, Cincinnati Bengals: Three solo tackles, interception [Video], two pass defenses^
CB JANORIS JENKINS*, St. Louis Rams: Six solo tackles, interception returned for touchdown (41 yards) [Video], pass defense^

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NFL played this week…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Week 16 (2012)

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Brandon Siler, Carlos Dunlap, Chris Rainey, Cooper Carlisle, Janoris Jenkins, Jeremy Mincey, Joe Haden, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Maurice Hurt, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow, Will Hill

From time to time, OGGOA will come across a plethora of news and notes that we wish to share – too much to fit into one of our truncated BITS segments. In these instances, or when stories fall through the cracks, we catch and wrap them all up with Gator Bites.

» The New York Jets finally decided to bench quarterback Mark Sanchez after a five-turnover performance on Monday night. Despite the fact that Tim Tebow had been Sanchez’s back-up all season long, the team decided to promote third-stringer Greg McElroy to starter, leapfrogging Tebow and breaking a promise the team made to him when they traded for him in the offseason. When Denver was shopping Tebow and had equal offers from New York and Jacksonville, the player evaluated the situation to determine which would be his best destination. Sources close to the player told me at the time that Tebow chose the Jets for two reasons. New York told him that they would utilize him in a number of roles right away and that he would also get a legitimate chance to start for the Jets should Sanchez either be injured or benched. While the team did put him in occasionally as Wildcat quarterback and as a punt protector, he was barely used in the offense and never correctly. He was inactive the first time New York replaced Sanchez during a game and has now been jumped over by McElroy for the starting job this week.

» Sports Illustrated’s Peter King summed up the situation well Wednesday on Twitter: “I think what happened w/ Jets is they saw Tebow have some bad practices, then he wasn’t electric on early touches, and they gave up on him.” Putting it another way was ESPN’s Ed Werder, who tweeted: “Jets traded 2 draft choices, paid Broncos part of Tebow’s signing bonus, ignored Bronco performances, never gave him chance” With all of that being true, ESPNNewYork.com’s Ian O’Connor went off on the franchise in his latest column. “The Jets used Tebow, and then abused him,” he wrote. “They used him to sell tickets and PSLs and steal a few more headlines from the local big-boy franchise that had just won another Super Bowl title. They abused him Tuesday by declaring that a seventh-round pick who has been inactive for 13 out of 14 games gives the Jets a better chance to do something they fail to do: win.” O’Connor also looked to Tebow’s record, noting that he was 8-4 last season before falling to New England in the playoffs and is 9-7 in 16 career starts, which included three with an interim coach and did not include last year’s victory in Miami when he came in for Kyle Orton. “How is he less qualified to face San Diego than McElroy, who has one moderately successful relief appearance behind him and who has eternal backup written all over him?”

Check out NINE more Gator Bites…after the break!
Continue Reading » 11 Gator Bites for Thursday, December 20

Tags: baseball, Billy Donovan, Brian Jeroloman, Chicago Bulls, Chris Rainey, Cleveland Indians, Jabari Parker, Joakim Noah, Maurkice Pouncey, Miami Dolphins, Mike Pouncey, MLB, NBA, New York Jets, NFL, Olympics, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rashon Burno, The Bowerman, Tim Tebow, Tony McQuay, Toronto Blue Jays, track, USA

Now 15 weeks into the 2012 NFL regular season, there are 31 former Florida Gators football players spread over 23 teams.

A total of 23 players participated in week 15 action, many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performance.

For the third-straight year, OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what all of these Gators accomplished during the 15th week of the 2012 regular season.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
TE AARON HERNANDEZ, New England Patriots: 10 receptions [team-high] for 92 yards (targets: 19 [team-high], long: 20), touchdown [Video]; solo tackle^

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NFL played this week…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Week 15 (2012)

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Brandon Siler, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chris Rainey, Cooper Carlisle, Janoris Jenkins, Jeremy Mincey, Joe Haden, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Rex Grossman, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow, Will Hill