1 » Florida Gators quarterback John Brantley has faced his fair share of obstacles over the course of his college career but trainer Tom Shaw does not believe that will prevent him from succeeding as a professional. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Brantley has been training at the ESPN/Disney Wide World of Sports Complex since the season ended and has spent much of that time working with Shaw, the acclaimed trainer/coach of big-time signal callers like Eli and Peyton Manning, Michael Vick and most notably Tom Brady. “You saw what he did at the University of Florida, so a lot of people aren’t giving him an opportunity,” Shaw told the Sentinel. “But with what I’ve seen in the time that I’ve spent with John is that he could be one of the best quarterbacks that I’ve ever had.” Shaw believes Brantley is a better athlete than Brady and has a strong arm but most work on his footwork. “I don’t sell kids. If they’re good they’re good. If they’re bad, I’ll tell you,” he said. “I’m not saying he’s the next Tom Brady or Peyton Manning or whoever. I’m saying this kid has the ability, the talent to be a pro football player and be successful at it because he has all the tools.”

The paper also notes that Brantley is being represented by Joel Segal of Lagardere Unlimited, the agent who has also signed running back Chris Rainey for 2012 and boasts a stable of other Gators including Percy Harvin (Minnesota), Maurkice Pouncey (Pittsburgh), Mike Pouncey (Miami) and Ahmad Black. In other words, it may be wise to expect Brantley to be selected somewhere in the late rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft if Segal has anything to say about it (which he will).

2 » With his show Eastbound & Down set to return to HBO on Feb. 19, Kenny Powers recently decided to write an open letter to Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow called “The Gifted Young Athlete.” The letter, available unedited on Grantland.com, is uncensored and features explicit language. Below is a very short passage appropriate enough for publication here on OGGOA.

Yet here Jesus is, helping me & Tebow out in sports, just because we’re maybe a little bit cooler in his eyes. It’s a raw deal, plain and simple.

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1 » According to The Gainesville Sun’s Pat Dooley, Florida Gators defensive coordinator Dan Quinn interviewed for but turned down the same position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quinn, who has been at Florida for just one season, was a NFL assistant with four different teams from 2001-10.

2 » The 2011-12 season may now be in the books but that does not mean Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow‘s name is out of the news. Tebow, who sat down for a 30-minute interview with ESPN’s Hannah Storm last week, will be featured on ESPN2 in “SportsCenter Special: Face to Face with Tim Tebow” on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 10:30 p.m. Tebow’s recent ESPN rounds included an interview with Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo, which you can view below.

Four more BITS on Crowder, Demps, the Oh Fours and Wambach after the break!

3 » In a similar fashion to what happened in New Orleans two season ago, one former Florida player may unseat another Gators star currently on the roster of a NFL team. According to ESPN, it is unlikely that the Atlanta Falcons will choose to bring back veteran linebacker Mike Peterson for his 14th season. Instead the team appears to have its sights set on former Miami Dolphins LB Channing Crowder, who “retired” in 2011 to spend time with his pregnant wife and new baby after Miami decided to cut ties with him. The key connecting the dots? Former Dolphins defensive coordinator Mike Nolan took the same job with the Falcons in the offseason.

4 » Now concentrating on track and field, Florida junior sprinter Jeff Demps got good news on Friday when he learned that his 6.59-second 60-meter run at the Virginia Tech Elite Meet was good enough to automatically qualify him for the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships. Demps, who has won the individual national title each of the last two years, earned the 6.59 time in his first meet of the 2012 season. “We’re obviously very pleased with Jeff,” head coach Mike Holloway said. “He’ll be the first to tell you that he didn’t execute the race well in the final, but he’s been working a lot in practice and he’ll only continue to improve as we get deeper into the season.”

5 » The Oh Fours received some news on Monday. First the good news, in which former Gators point guard Taureen Green announced on Twitter that he will play for the professional basketball team Tofaş of the Turkish Basketball League in 2012. Since leaving Florida, Green has spent short stints with three NBA teams but left the league in 2008 and has spent the last four years overseas playing in Spain and Greece.

On a much more somber note, Denver Nuggets guard/forward Corey Brewer left the team Monday morning after learning that his father has passed away at the age of 68 in Portland, TN. Brewer and his father, Ellis “Pee Wee” Brewer, were extremely close and shared hundreds of memories both on and off the court, which you can read about in this April 2007 story by Pat Forde of ESPN.com. Our deepest condolences go to the family.

6 » Learning that the WPS would not be active for the 2012 season, former Gators striker and current U.S. Women’s National Team member Abby Wambach is trying to stay positive and focusing on competing in the 2012 London Olympics. “You have to take all of the good things with the bad and make the best of them,” she told ESPNW. “It has been a hard week for women’s soccer. But, as a community, we’ve got to lose the egos. We have to get past the issues that have come between us.” Women’s soccer in the United States got a boost following the 2012 Women’s World Cup, but Wambach believes that a women’s league will need help from the MLS to create a long-lasting professional organization. “I think it’s probably going to be necessary for a league to survive,” she said said. “If we can get into a relationship with an MLS community, you’ve got many things built in. You’ve got infrastructure: people already in place in some jobs who might be able to help, stadiums, fields. There could be many costly things that are at least dramatically cut back, so you’re in a position where you can actually succeed. And then see if maybe in a few years, you could even be making money.

1 » While the Florida Gators wait to figure out which scholarship quarterback to bring in as part of their 2012 recruiting class, the team has offered a preferred walk-on role to three-star Jacob Guy (Dade City, FL). According to the Tampa Bay Times, Guy has scholarship offers from Massachusetts, Ohio and Western Michigan and is also being considered by Memphis and Miami (OH). He is unlikely to make a decision before National Signing Day on Feb. 1, probably in order to see how the situations shake out at all of his potential destinations.

2 » Former Florida golfer Gary Koch will be inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame as part of the 2012 class on March 19-20 in Tampa, FL. He is one of 14 athletes to be included in the ceremony and will be inducted alongside names like Charlie Ward, Alonzo Mourning and George Smith. A four-time All-SEC first team member, three-time All-American, two-time SEC Champion (1973-74) and NCAA Champion with the Gators, Koch won six PGA Tour events but never finished better than tied for fourth at a Major Championship (The Open Championship, 1988). He also spent time on the other tours and has worked for both ESPN and NBC Sports as a sportscaster.

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The Gators will wear theirs for the first time during a home game against Tennessee on Feb. 11 at 4 p.m..

The uniform, which Nike claims was “designed at the intersection of sustainability and performance,” consists of shorts made from 100 percent and jersey fabric constructed with 96 percent recycled polyester.

“Both short and jersey are tailored for the optimal efficiency of movement and are five percent lighter than the previous Nike Hyper Elite uniform,” the company explains regarding the uniforms. “Featuring laser-cut bonded logos, a sharp platinum design as well as prominent accent colors, the Nike Hyper Elite Platinum uniforms are sure to shine on the court.”

Aside from Florida, eight other national championship-winning programs that have provided with the special uniforms include: Arizona, Baylor (women’s), Connecticut (men’s and women’s), Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina and Syracuse.

The Gators’ regular uniforms this season are also part of the Nike Hyper Elite line.

Jerseys, t-shirts and hats promoting the Nike Hyper Elite Platinum line are expected to be on sale closer to the game date of each respective team wearing the uniforms.

According to Florida’s media guide, the Gators have never worn grey uniforms since head coach Billy Donovan took over the program in 1996. Florida is 270-56 all-time in white, 79-78 all-time in blue, 14-12 all-time in black and 3-2 all-time in orange. The Gators are undefeated this season (2-0) in their alternate orange uniforms.

Check out three additional images of the uniform…after the break!

1 » Florida Gators head basketball coach Billy Donovan continues to insist he is not too worried about sophomore center Patric Young’s ankle, noting Monday that team doctors have determined he is not in jeopardy of aggravating or worsening the injury though he will “deal with periodically some discomfort and he’s going to have to work his way through that.” “He’s fine right now,” Donovan said. “I don’t expect him to miss practice. He’s not complaining of anything. It could flare up. Patric’s never really I think ever had a sprained ankle. He’s never really dealt with this before so it’s all new to him.” Young himself said that doctors have told him the tendinitis has to do with the lining of his joints and that he does not have any tears or sprains. “It was just from overuse or something like that. It’s just a nagging thing, like a lot of pain whenever I try to just move or walk, lateral movements really affect it,” he said. “I still can’t really jump too well off my right foot and not too well off of two feet. When it comes time for the game, I’m normally ready and it doesn’t really bother me. After a certain level, I have to pass the threshold of pain and then I don’t feel it anymore.” It is unknown whether or not Donovan intends to start Young for the first time in three games on Thursday at Ole Miss.

2 » Gators redshirt freshman defensive tackle Leon Orr, who received a written arrest on Jan. 10 and was given a notice to appear in court for misdemeanor possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, has agreed to deferred prosecution with the State Attorney’s Office, according to Florida Today. As a result of the agreement, Orr will pay $50 in court costs and either an additional $150 fine or perform 12.5 hours of community service. Orr was the fifth player to be charged with possession of marijuana since head coach Will Muschamp took over in Jan. 2011. “At the end of the day a mistake was made, and I’ve learned from it,” he tweeted on Jan. 19. Orr played in all 13 games in 2011, registering 10 tackles, a sack and a pass defense.

3 » There is not much to talk about in regards to Atlanta Hawks forward/center Al Horford now that he is out at least until the end of April with a torn labrum. However, ESPN’s Marc Stein dropped an interesting note about Horford in his Friday column, explaining that he is “a likely down-the-road top contender to succeed” Los Angeles Lakers’ point guard Derek Fisher as president of the players’ union two years from now when the latter’s contract expires. Known for his personable yet serious character, Horford is already heavily involved with the league serving as one of the NBA’s biggest international ambassadors. A shift into a role like this would seem natural to many who know him, and Horford himself even tweeted “Maybe…” when a fan asked if he was up for the gig on Jan. 22.

Click to expand and read three more BITS in this post.

Though commissioner Mike Slive received approval from the SEC’s coaches to adjust the schedule and make the deal, the league has found and continued to do its best to work out kinks in the scheduling ever since.

During No. 13/14 Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan‘s press conference on Monday, he spoke at length (nearly nine full minutes) about one major flaw in the schedule – teams being forced to play late games on Thursday and early games on Saturday. This type of scheduling, he argues, provides the players with little (if any) time to rest and the coaches with even less time to put a solid game plan in place.

Florida is set to face Ole Miss Thursday at 7 p.m. on the road before turning around and returning home to take on No. 16/18 Mississippi State on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Donovan’s complete thoughts on the issue and how he believes it makes the SEC schedule unbalanced for some of the teams in the league is available…after the break.

“This all started about three years ago in spring meetings. All the coaches in the league meetings really felt like the opportunity to have this contract with ESPN was a great thing. Our league was pretty much a Tuesday-Wednesday-Saturday league for a long, long time. The team that played on Tuesday was generally a Super Tuesday game on ESPN and then maybe some different regional networks or national TV on the weekends. Pretty much it was a three-day league. The commissioner let us all understand that in order to do this with ESPN, there’s going to have to be some consideration taken into playing on Tuesdays, playing on Thursdays, playing on Saturdays. The only two days that are probably somewhat off-limits to our league [are] Monday and Friday. Pretty much every other day we’re going to play. Since I’ve been in the league, this is the first time we’ve never ever ever had a Wednesday game. We don’t play one game on Wednesdays, that mid-week, which is really surprising. It’s also good because you’re playing on TV.

“When all this started to talk, the biggest thing that everybody talked about is how do we really expose and pump up the SEC and basketball. One was the contract with ESPN. And how do we get more teams into the NCAA Tournament? Everybody was all on the same page that we all have different battles that we’re dealing with in terms of scheduling outside of conference, trying to get those home-and-home, those neutral site games. Everybody’s dealing with different set of elements to try and create those kinds of games. We all felt like there was some give-and-take with that. My problem with it is, if you want to get more teams into the NCAA Tournament and you want to do more with your non-conference schedule, our league should not put teams at a disadvantage competitively. There are teams in our league that are put at a disadvantage competitively. I don’t think that’s right to he players or to the teams that are playing. I think we all agree that we need to play Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday. We’ve done it, but I think everybody needs to do it. The league needs to understand what those competitive disadvantages potentially are.

“Just using it as an example: Alabama’s got to play a 9 p.m. game on Thursday night then they’ve got to play a noon game on Saturday. That should never happen. Not the Thursday-Saturday, we’re OK with that. But there’s got to be some level of consideration taken into these guys just played at 9 [p.m.]. They got to go to school on Friday, then they got to leave Friday and they got to play at noon. Pretty much have to wake up, eat and play the game. Give them an opportunity and play the game at 6-7-8 [p.m.]. If you’re trying to get more teams into the NCAA Tournament, don’t put the teams inside your league in a competitive disadvantage. That’s my only problem with it, where teams are at a competitive disadvantage.

“I got a lot of confidence in Mike Slive and [Mark] Whitworth, who does the scheduling. All these guys are great guys, and this is all new so they’re all trying to figure it out. It’s like the same thing with Alabama football a year ago. Alabama wins the national championship in football and all of a sudden they have to play six-straight games against teams that have basically two weeks off that are laying in the weeds getting ready to prepare for them. I don’t know if it was an oversight or what but that’s not going to happen anymore.

“There’s probably some things that are going on right now inside of our league with the whole contract being somewhat new that I think our league will figure out as time goes on. I got confidence they will. If we’re going to talk about trying to get more teams in the league [in the NCAA Tournament], don’t put teams in a situation where one team has got a huge advantage. I heard the argument, ‘It’s like that in the NCAA Tournament. You got to play Thursday-Saturday or Friday-Sunday.’ That’s great, but you know what? So does the other team you’re playing against. That’s where we’ve got to try and figure out a better way to make it work. Our schedule is what it is. We’ve done this now for a few years. There’s no excuses for us. We got to go out and play games. The schedule is set, this is the hand we’re dealing with and we got to do the best job we can preparing and getting ready to play.”

“There’s got to be some level of balance there. The league needs to look at those situations where maybe there’s a clear, distinct advantage. An advantage sometimes is if a team is playing a late night game on a Thursday night, there should be some rule put in that you’re not going to play Saturday until after 4-5 pm. I’m using Alabama [as an example] because it just recently happened. We’re in a very similar situation this weekend playing a 1:30 p.m. game on the road. We’re all under the understanding there is going to be some level of sacrifice that we all have to make inside of our schedule to do that, but I think it really needs to be leveled out across the board and be fair for everyone.”

“There needs to be some level of balance when you’ve got a new contract, which is great for the league. The commissioner has done a great job being on the selection committee. He’s done a great job bringing this ESPN package together. He’s done a great job promoting basketball inside of our league. I think all of those things have been great. Either everybody’s got to go Thursday-Saturday-Tuesday or it’s got to be a rotating thing every other year, but everybody should be under those same elements. There should not be a huge discrepancy in those kinds of games, in my opinion, where you have teams playing three or four times a year Thursday-Saturday-Tuesday. That just shouldn’t happen, in my opinion.”

“The biggest thing is, like I said earlier, it is what it is. We have no excuses. This is when we need to play. This is when the games are playing. We need to figure out and find out a way to get ourselves prepared to play at ole miss and get ourselves prepared to play on Saturday against ole miss. That’s the hand. I’ve never believed in making excuses.

“In the spring meetings, when we talk about what’s best for the entire league, I’m speaking about not in terms of just Florida, I’m talking about every school in our league. What is best for everybody? How does everybody benefit, how is there balance in all of this stuff? That’s all I’m saying. I don’t think there should be a competitive disadvantage. I don’t know if there is or is not a competitive disadvantage, but I do know when you’ve got to play a Thursday game, to get your guys back preparation-wise, it should be a little bit later in the day on Saturday. That’s just my opinion. That’s something I think our league will look at.

“Like I said before, it’s like the Alabama situation a year ago. I’m sure they probably never even recognized that or realized that. That was probably unfair to Alabama’s football team being ranked No. 1 in the country going into the season and winning a national championship and now they’ve got a bull’s-eye on their back and they’ve got six teams they’re playing against, half their schedule has two weeks off. That’s a heck of a bind to put them in. that was unfair to them, and they just won a national championship. I guarantee that’s not going to happen anymore. This is something that our league will look at and get it corrected. I don’t necessarily think there’s favoritism being played. I just don’t know if it’s an oversight or what it is, but it’s something we need to address.”

“We talked a little bit about what was best for our league [at the spring meetings]. A couple years ago when Commissioner Slive brought the whole ESPN contract to us that we needed to agree to play on Tuesdays and Thursday and Saturdays, maybe a Sunday game and Wednesday games. We all agreed that this was best for the league. When we talked about going to one division and not having an east and a west, everybody felt like this was best for our league. I’ve been in the league for a long time. I get [it]; you want what’s best. [...] That’s what it’s always been about. The league is bigger than, per se, one institution. That’s what makes this league great in my opinion. Everybody’s had to make a level of sacrifice.”

1 » Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan confirmed to UF’s Chris Harry on Thursday that sophomore center Patric Young will indeed be playing Saturday against LSU though he does not know if he will be in the starting lineup for the game. Harry also caught up with Young, who said his ankle tendinitis hurt so much that “when it was hurting the worst, I really couldn’t jump off two feet.” He knows that he can impact his team even if not on the court. “You can be a vocal and encouraging presence for your teammates,” he said. Florida’s trainer Dave Werner, asked by Harry about Young’s injury, said that it is going to be “a discomfort that he’s going to need to play through [so he] might as well get used to it.”

2 » UF’s Scott Carter dropped a tidbit about a football player Friday, noting that Gators freshman fullback Hunter Joyer will compete in his first collegiate track and field meet on Sunday. Joyer will participate in the shot put at the Gator Invite in Gainesville, FL. He is one of three Florida football players who will do double duty with the track and field squad this year as senior running back/junior sprinter Jeff Demps and redshirt junior wide receiver/senior jumper Frankie Hammond, Jr. will also participate.

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1 » A pair of Florida Gators – redshirt seniors running back Chris Rainey and defensive tackle Jaye Howard – have officially accepted invitations to participate in the 2012 Senior Bowl, the organization announced on Wednesday. The duo will play on the South roster and are the only Florida players currently invited/committed to the event. “It feels good. I know a lot of great players have come to this game and I’m glad I’m invited and hope to do the best that I can to compete with the other greats,” Rainey said in the event’s official release. “The first thing I’m going to tell the scouts and coaches is that I want to be on special teams. They are going to have to set up some scheme for me to block a punt or do whatever they want me to do on special teams, because I love special teams and that’s the number one thing that wins games.”

Howard said he is playing in the game because he wants to “prove that I’m one of the elite defenders in this class this year and it’s a business trip for me.” He continued, “I’m quick, I can run all over the field and chase plays down. I want to prove that I can play several positions on the defensive line, not just d-tackle. I can play the end, nose guard—everything on the d-line, so I can bring that to a system.” The Senior Bowl will be played on Jan. 28 and air live on NFL Network beginning at 4 p.m. Practices will also be televised during the week leading up to the game on the same network.

2 » Four former Gators who decided to transfer this season have already chosen their new destinations, according to various reports. Defensive back Joshua Shaw has chosen to head closer to home (Palmdale, CA) and picked UCLA where he will sit out a season per NCAA transfer rules, while linebacker Dee Finley announced that he will play for Tuskegee, a HBCU, beginning next year. Two Florida players are expected to be heading to Louisville to play for former UF defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. Tight end Gerald Christian told the Palm Beach Post on Wednesday that he will be going to Louisville, while multiple reports over the last two weeks have wide receiver Robert Clark planning to join him. Like Shaw, each will have to sit out one year due to NCAA transfer regulations and will be eligible to play beginning in 2013.

11 » JOHNSON, BRANTLEY, KITCHENS SUFFER SCARY INJURIES
Plenty of Florida student-athletes suffered injuries in 2011 but three in particular caused fans to gasp and remain worried about the future of said player. Participating in the semifinals of the 2011 SEC Tournament, Gators baseball wound up dropping a close game 4-3 to Georgia, a loss that forced an elimination game which Florida would later win. However, UF sophomore right-handed pitcher Brian Johnson was taken off a stretcher in the top of the first inning after giving up two earned runs and accidentally being beaned in the back of the head with the baseball by sophomore catcher Mike Zunino. Trying to pick off a runner stealing second, Zunino got his leg tangled with the batter, tripped and flung the ball into the head of a crouching Johnson. He was quickly stabilized, brought to the hospital and deemed responsive though he had a massive headache and was diagnosed with a minor three concussion (no skull fractures or bleeding). Johnson missed the entire Gainesville Regional but returned to action in the Super Regional after being sidelined for more than two weeks.

Redshirt senior quarterback John Brantley was in the middle of playing the best game of his collegiate career (despite throwing a costly pick-six) when he went down with an ugly lower leg injury at the end of the first half against Alabama. Brantley had thrown a pretty 65-yard touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Andre Debose on the first play of the game and was in the middle of driving Florida in for another score before being sacked twice and having his lower leg contorted the second time. Brantley was nearly immediately ruled out of the team’s next game against powerhouse LSU with a high-ankle sprain, and UF was forced to start a true freshman who had not even taken a snap in the team’s first five games in consecutive road contests against LSU and Auburn. Needless to say, the Gators lost both of those contests.

Brantley was never the same after the injury. He nearly helped Florida beat Georgia but was pretty much immobilized in the pocket and threw three interceptions in the team’s first five possessions against Florida State before being knocked out of the game with a head injury that was equally painful to watch. However, that was not the Gators’ only major injury in that game. Perhaps the scariest incident of the year came on kickoff coverage when sophomore linebacker Darrin Kitchens was hit hard from his blindside and laid motionless on the field while trainers attended to him. To this day Kitchens does not remember anything about being hit. Lucky for him, he was cleared that evening with “just” a concussion, released from the hospital and allowed to return to practice with the team just before Christmas. He is expected to play in the 2012 Gator Bowl.

10 » LACROSSE WINS FIRST CONFERENCE TITLE, REACHES ELITE EIGHT

The Florida lacrosse program has been making history since the day it signed the nation’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class prior to the team’s inaugural season in 2010. The Gators were a young but talented group and won over the school even if falling short of some of their goals one year ago. Florida took the next step in 2011, ending the regular season with an 11-0 record at home and on a 13-game winning streak. The Gators capped their stellar regular season by defeating Northwestern for the 2011 ALC Championship just 419 days after the team played its first game in school history. Florida would fall to Northwestern just over three weeks later in the finals of the 2011 ALC Tournament, splitting the season’s conference title down the middle, but took home a number of awards from the league. Sophomore midfielder Kitty Cullen won Player of the Year honors while head coach Amanda O’Leary was named Coach of the Year in just her second season. Two more players were All-ALC first team selections and three others earned spots on the second team. The ladies made it all the way to the Elite Eight of the 2011 NCAA Tournament as well before being taken down 13-9 by Duke, their only loss at home on the season. The Gators were the first program in the history of the sport to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament in only their second year of existence and defeated some of the top teams in the country on the way to an unforgettable season that sets Florida up as a favorite heading into 2012.

9 » 10 NAIL-BITER FINISHES FOR GATORS BASKETBALL
Florida basketball had some struggles at the start of the 2010-11 season, dropping two games to unranked non-conference opponents but things appeared to be heading in an upswing for the team when UF defeated Tennessee 81-75 in overtime on Jan. 11 even after allowing UT to score the last four points in regulation and force the extra period. However, just four days later, the Gators suffered another upset by blowing a six-point lead at home and allowing South Carolina to earn a 72-69 win on the back of Bruce Ellington. Instead of getting down on themselves, Florida regrouped and pulled off three close victories (two against ranked opponents) in 12 days against some of the best competition in the SEC. The Gators started with a nail-biter on the road against Georgia that was forced into a second overtime after junior point guard Erving Walker hit a three-pointer from about 30 feet out at the end of the first extra period (UF wound up dominating the second OT and winning 104-91). Florida then hosted Vanderbilt at home and was forced into another overtime; sophomore guard Kenny Boynton‘s heavily contested trey with 1:04 left gave the Gators another win. UF was forced into another tight spot at home against Kentucky, down one with just under four minutes to play. Florida hit three clutch free throws in the waning seconds and senior forward Alex Tyus made a nice hook shot to give the Gators a 70-68 win over their SEC East rivals. UF did not have to wait too long for another opportunity to stun their fans, utilizing a go-ahead layup from Walker with 14 seconds remaining to defeat Tennessee 61-60 on Feb. 12.

Florida had a bit of a break from nailbiters until the NCAA Tournament, which saw them go into overtime against BYU for the second-straight year. This time the Gators got a measure of revenge as Tyus led them with 19 points and 17 rebounds as UF triumphed 15-6 in extra time and 83-74 in the game. Florida, however, would suffer its most crushing defeat of the season in the very next game, blowing a late lead against Butler in regulation and missing three shots at the end of overtime to be eliminated from the Elite Eight. With the new season still young, the Gators have already seen two close calls. Florida beat Arizona 78-72 in overtime after a questionable foul call gave their opponent a chance to tie the game at the end of the second half (they did). UF also suffered a shocker on Dec. 29, losing in two overtimes on the road at Rutgers. The Gators had a seven-point lead with 2:06 to play but turned the ball over twice in under 30 seconds, allowing RU to keep the pressure on and eventually pull out a win. With the entire SEC slate ahead of them in 2012 and high expectations once again, Florida basketball is sure to provide plenty of breathtaking moments in the new year.

8 » BASEBALL, SOFTBALL REACH CWS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES; TEAMS PRODUCE PLENTY OF EXCITING MOMENTS, BIG ACCOMPLISHMENTS
So much happened in 2011 that the baseball and softball teams are forced to share a spot here on the countdown but that should not at all lessen the achievements of both squads this past year. The regular season saw its share of prime performances. Senior pitcher Stephanie Brombacher tossed the second perfect game of her career in just 67 pitches on Feb. 14 as the softball team won an astounding five games in three days. Almost one month later to the day, Gators baseball rallied back from a four-run deficit as a walk-off single by junior left fielder Daniel Pigott propelled Florida to a 5-4 extra innings win against in-state rival Florida State. Gators baseball also swept LSU on the road for the first time in school history in March and swept Alabama on the second-to-last weekend of April though something else even more notable occurred over the course of a two-day stretch. Senior LF Kelsey Bruder, leading a scorching hot softball team, hit a walk-off three-run homer that Saturday against No. 3 Alabama and followed it up with a walk-off infield single in extra innings the next day to send her squad to consecutive wins.

Florida cleaned up the annual SEC awards to end the regular season. For softball, Bruder earned Player of the Year honors, while head coach Tim Walton was named Co-Coach of the Year. Three Gators earned spots on both the All-SEC first and second team, while two more made the Freshman All-SEC team and a pair earned SEC All-Defensive team honors. Zunino captured Player of the Year honors for baseball and was one of three placed on the first team. Three more Florida players made the second team with a pair each being placed on the freshman and defensive teams. It was the first time in school history that student-athletes representing the school won Player of the Year honors in baseball and softball. Baseball began its postseason by blanking Vanderbilt 5-0 to win UF’s first SEC Tournament title since 1991. It was then softball’s turn to shine, staving off elimination in the 2011 Women’s College World Series with a 5-2 victory over California. The Gators went on to stun the Crimson Tide 16-2 and 9-2 in consecutive wins on June 5 to advance to the WCWS Championship Series, reigning victorious in three consecutive elimination games on their way to the title series. Unfortunately things did not go swimmingly for Florida after that. The Gators were left questioning the officiating in their first game against Arizona State and wound up being swept in consecutive games to lose the championship for the second time in three years. Florida’s path on the baseball diamond was a bit more dominant but nonetheless ended with the same result. The Gators walked off in the bottom of the ninth with a 5-4 win over rival Miami in the Gainesville Regional and crushed the Canes 11-4 the next day to advance to the Super Regional. Florida then fought off Vanderbilt 6-4 to advance to the 2011 College World Series Championship Series but was similarly silenced when playing for the title. SEC rival South Carolina swept UF in consecutive games, giving the Gamecocks 16-straight NCAA Tournament victories and their second national championship in as many seasons. The Gators head into the 2012 campaign considered the No. 1 team in the country but have the ‘Cocks firmly nipping on their heels hoping to square off once again late in June.

7 » RYAN LOCHTE SETS WORLD RECORD IN 200-METER IM

Already gaining the upper hand on 14-time Olympic gold medalist and U.S. teammate Michael Phelps at the World Swimming Championships in China earlier in the year, former Gators standout Ryan Lochte continued his efforts to become the face of USA Swimming with a world record performance on July 28. Previously the owner of four world records, Lochte added a fifth by topping Phelps for the second-straight race and finishing the 200-meter individual medley with a world-best time of 1:54.00 in Shanghai, China. Lochte shaved 0:00.10 off his previous best and set the first world record since high-tech bodysuits were banned at the beginning of the year. “I wanted to do something that everyone thought was impossible,” he said after the race. “Since they banned those suits, everyone thought a world record would never get touched again. I just wanted to show everyone that can happen. That’s why we have records — they’re meant to get broken. Hopefully everyone now can start realizing that, ‘Hey it’s possible,’ so hopefully a lot more records will fall.” Lochte will represent his country and Gator Nation at the 2012 London Olympics next summer and will have plenty of opportunities to win more gold medals and set additional world records.

6 » MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD WINS NCAA, SEC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ranked as the top team in the country all season and attempting to continue dominating both their league and the nation, the Gators men’s track and field team captured their sixth conference title and first since 2004 in February, winning the 2011 SEC Indoor Championship. Sophomore sprinter Jeff Demps won the SEC 60-meter dash championship with a 6.55 (one-hundredth of a second faster than his record-setting time a year ago), and seven other Florida athletes captured individual titles, too. Junior Gray Horn won the first heptathlon title in school history, junior Christian Taylor earned his third-straight triple jump crown, and junior Dumisane Hlaselo won the 3,000-meter run for the first time since 1993. (Florida also finished 1-2-3 in the triple jump with Gators taking home the silver and bronze). Just over two weeks later, Florida went on to win the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championship and became just the fourth different program in event history to win back-to-back national titles. Demps (60 meters) and junior Will Claye (triple jump) each won individual titles, while Taylor ended up grabbing the silver in the latter event. Though Demps may not compete in 2012 and Hlaselo was dismissed from the team after the season, the Gators have a number of seniors looking to make it three-straight national championships for Florida next year.

5 » BASKETBALL TAKES HOME SEC TITLE, LONG OVERDUE YEAR-END AWARDS; BILLY DONOVAN WINS CAREER GAME NO. 400

The storybook season for Florida basketball had its share of bumps in the road but in the end the Gators still captured their first SEC regular season title since 2007 by dominating Alabama 78-51 on Senior Night. Fittingly, Florida’s trio of senior forwards – Tyus, Chandler Parsons and Vernon Macklin combined to score 50 of the team’s 78 points in the game. The Gators won the SEC title outright just a few days later and earned a No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament by taking down No. 20 Vanderbilt 86-76 on the road. All five of Florida’s starters scored in double figures in the game and the team was obviously motivated to prove their worth with an impressive 11-3 offensive rebounding margin. Florida’s impressive – and to many somewhat unexpected play – landed head coach Billy Donovan the first SEC Coach of the Year award of his career despite the fact that he had coached in three national championship games, won two titles and been victorious in three prior SEC Tournaments. The Gators’ team leader in rebounding and assists as well as a double-digit point scorer, Parsons became the first UF men’s basketball play to ever win the SEC Player of the Year award, learning about the honor the same day Donovan received his. Though the 2010-11 season ended in disappointment, Donovan has already gotten Florida out to a hot start in the 2011-12 campaign. Two of the Gators’ three non-conference losses have come to two of the top three teams in the country, and the Florida coach added another notch to his quickly expanding belt. On Nov. 28, Donovan picked up the 400th victory of his head coaching career as UF routed Stetson 96-70 in Orlando, FL. He became the youngest active coach with at least 400 Division I victories but lauded his players for his success. The Gators were sure to reward Donovan with a Gatorade shower in the locker room and hope to thank him further as they try to win another conference and national title in 2012.

4 » TEBOWMANIA DOMINATES THE NFL, ESPECIALLY ON THE FIELD

A Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion with the Gators, Florida fans already knew what quarterback Tim Tebow could do and hoped that the Denver Broncos and the rest of the NFL would realize the same as the year went on. Tebow was the talk of the league all year long for plenty of off-the-field reasons. His religion is always a topic of conversation, his legions of fans posted billboards trying to get him to replace Kyle Orton as Denver’s starting quarterback, his book became a New York Times’ bestseller and his pre-darft documentary was well-received both on ESPN and DVD. However, Tebow’s on-the-field accomplishments were undeniable as well and are what landed him on this particular list. Finally named the Broncos’ starter on Oct. 11, Tebow had a tall task ahead of him trying to rescue Denver from a 1-4 start. He started that journey by leading an improbable come-from-behind 18-15 victory against the Miami Dolphins on the road in his first game at the helm. Tebow’s team was down 15-0 when he engineered an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. After the Broncos recovered an onside kick, he led a 10-play, 56-yard scoring drive that ended in a two-point conversion to tie the game. Denver eventually won with a field goal in overtime. All of this occurred, ironically enough, as Miami hosted Gator Day at Sun Life Stadium. After a tough loss to Detroit the following week, Tebow led the Broncos on a six-game winning streak including five-straight close victories. A fourth-quarter touchdown pass led Denver over Kansas City 17-10 on Nov. 13, and Tebow really became the talk of the sports landscape the following week after his 20-yard rushing touchdown with just 58 seconds left sent the Broncos to an upset victory over the New York Jets. Tebow kept Denver in a shootout against Minnesota and led consecutive field goal drives in the fourth quarter for a 35-32 win, and his kicker again helped him lead another victory after a fourth-quarter touchdown pass and two 50+ yard kicks gave the Broncos an overtime win at home versus Chicago. Tebow ended 2011 with back-to-back losses including the worst performance of his career against Buffalo but can begin 2012 on a high note by beating Kansas City and sending Denver to the playoffs.

3 » BLACK’S PICK-SIX ENDS OUTBACK BOWL, SENDS MEYER OUT SMILING; GAME BALL PRESENTED TO LOCKWOOD IN PRESS CONFERENCE

A play, victory and moment that occurred on Jan. 1, 2011 stood for months as the likely No. 1 moment of 2011; in fact it took two pretty amazing accomplishments to knock it all the way down to No. 3 on this list. With former Florida head coach Urban Meyer looking to go out with a bang and the Gators in desperate need of a victory to end an underwhelming 2010 season, senior safety Ahmad Black truly came through in the clutch. With Penn State threatening to score a potential game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the 2011 Outback Bowl, Black intercepted QB Matthew McGloin and returned the ball 80 yards for a touchdown to ice a 37-24 win for Florida. The Gators celebrated on the field, Meyer got a Gatorade shower prior to his wife joining him to cheer the team on and chants of “Urban Meyer, Urban Meyer” rained down from Florida’s side of the stadium during the post-game interview and as the team walked off the field.

Black, the team’s leader all season and Meyer’s favorite player on the squad, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Meyer said after the game that he felt it was “rather appropriate that Ahmad Black, the best safety in college football, won that award.” He also called Black “one of my closest friends” and a “family” member who has “turned into a grown man, a grown man who is going to pay taxes some day, a grown man who is going to have a family some day. He’s going to be a great father and a great husband because Ahmad Black is a grown man now.” Meyer continued to wax poetic about Black after the game, again calling him the “best safety in college football,” and Black responded in kind saying that the most important thing about the game was Meyer going out with a victory. “I just wanted to go out there and do it for him,” he said. In perhaps an even more touching moment following the bowl win, Meyer and Black presented the game ball to Ian Lockwood, a high school football player who had to stop playing on Oct. 8 and became patient at Shands Hospital who was receiving treatment for brain cancer. Black gave Lockwood the very ball he intercepted to ice the game and said “it was our goal and objective to win the game for Ian.” Lockwood embraced Meyer and Black after saying a few words, capping a day that could not have gone any more perfect for either of the three men or any member of Gator Nation. Lockwood passed away later that month at the all too young age of 18.

2 » EMBREE’S LATE-MATCH HEROICS PROPEL WOMEN’S TENNIS TO NCAA TITLE

Florida women’s tennis, from a national standpoint, is the most accomplished program in school history, and sophomore Lauren Embree ensured that the Gators added a school-high fifth national championship to their catalog with a heroic and historic performance on May 24. After four hours of action between No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 Florida, the Gators defeated the Cardinal 8-6 following Embree’s third-set come-from-behind victory against Mallory Burdette. Florida defeated Stanford on their home court and served the Cardinal a loss for the first time in 12 years; Stanford had been undefeated at home over 184 matches dating back to Feb. 27, 1999. The Gators took the doubles point right away but fell behind 2-1 with a pair of singles defeats. The Cardinal then brought UF to the limit in three matches that all advanced to a third set. Each took one victory and Stanford held a 3-2 lead but as Embree and Burdette were doing battle, freshman Olivia Janowicz won her match to tie the contest up 3-3.

No. 22 Burdette had fought back from a 5-1 deficit in the first set to win 7-3 but gave up the second set 6-3 to No. 17 Embree. The former had a 4-0 advantage on the latter in the third, but Embree turned the tide by winning five-straight games to take a 5-4 lead. Attempting to break Burdette’s serve and win the match, Embree had double match point with a 40-15 lead but gave it up as Burdette powered her way to deuce and then to victory tying the third set 5-5. Embree answered back to take a 6-5 lead, but Burdette responded by winning the next game to once again tie the match 6-6 and force a tiebreaker. Burdette started with two quick points but the duo kept trading pairs of makes and found themselves knotted up at 6-6. With the home crowd and history against her, Embree forced Burdette into consecutive errors and watched the ball sail long as she won the third set 6-6 (8-6) and clinched the title for the Gators. Not only did Embree pull out the victory for UF, she also earned a measure of revenge for former teammate Marrit Boonstra, who was in a similar situation as Embree one year ago facing Burdette with the national title on the line. Boonstra fell to Burdette 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-5 and was devastated by the loss but was on the court as a student coach that Tuesday, smiling as Embree redeemed her failure one year prior. Florida finished 31-1 on the season and handed Stanford (28-1) their first loss of the year, all while winning a national title and completing a mesmerizing match that will be remembered for years to come.

1 » WAMBACH SHOCKS WORLD, LEADS U.S. IN WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

There is only one way to a pair of moments that make an entire fan base scream in delight and cry in happiness – making an entire nation (and most of the world) do the same. That is why former Gators striker Abby Wambach’s run with the U.S. Women’s National Team in the 2011 Women’s World Cup is OGGOA’s top moment of 2011.

On the brink of the earliest elimination from a World Cup in U.S. history, the Americans were snatched from the jaws of defeat on July 10 as Wambach directed a sharp header into the net two minutes into injury time during extra time to tie the match with Brazil 2-2 and force a penalty kick finish. The USA made all five PKs to complete the incredible come-from-behind victory and remain alive in the World Cup, and Wambach (along with teammate and fellow former Florida player Heather Mitts) celebrated with Gator Chomps after the match. Wambach, however, was far from done.

Just three days later with the United States facing elimination once again in a 1-1 match with France, Wambach again saved the day with a deft header from the far post to give the Americans a 2-1 lead and propel her team to a 3-1 victory that sent the U.S. to the finals of the World Cup for the first time since 1999. Later that evening, Wambach’s header against Brazil from three days prior won the ESPY award for Best Play. A late entry into the category, the play was voted by sports fans as the winner, immediately jumping all of the other accomplishments that year.

Four days later, Wambach nearly did it all again. For the third time in as many matches she appeared to be the savior for the United States, heading in a goal 14 minutes into extra time to put the Americans ahead 2-1 on Japan in the World Cup finals. Unfortuantely, for the second time in the match, the U.S. squandered its lead and allowed Japan to score an equalizer. The Americans eventually fell 3-1 to the Japanese in a highly-contested penalty kick finish, losing the World Cup in Germany. Wambach earned both the Bronze Boot and Silver Ball Awards for her amazing effort and left the event with 13 World Cup goals, more than any other American in the history of the sport.

The United States’ run was fueled by Wambach’s passion and desire, and she took the entire nation on a roller coaster of emotions as she did everything she possibly could to help bring a victory home to the U.S. No one had as many “I can’t believe that just happened” moments on the field in the whole year as Wambach did in the month of July and there is no denying that her efforts in Germany placed her firmly at No. 1 on this list.

Photo Credits (in order): Matt Stamey/The Gainesville Sun, USA Swimming, University of Florida, Associated Press, Rob C. Witzel/Matt Stamey/The Gainesville Sun, University of Florida, Unknown, Martin Meissner/Associated Press

11 » LEGAL ISSUES/EMBARRASSMENTS HANG OVER PROGRAM
Like 2009 and 2010, Florida could not escape its share of unfortunate arrests and embarrassing incidents in 2011. It started simply enough early in February when a pair of Gators swimmers – Lily Ramirez and Daniela Victoria – were arrested and indefinitely suspended from the team after being accused of shoplifting from Nordstrom at the Orlando Mall. Next up was Florida senior outfielder Bryson Smith, who was picked up on March 13 for driving under the influence. Oakland Raiders wide receiver Louis Murphy was arrested in Gainesville, FL three weeks later and charged with a trio of misdemeanors for failing to obey a police officer, possession of a drug (Viagra) without a valid prescription and resisting arrest without violence. The month of April was a tough one for the basketball team. Forwards Erik Murphy and Cody Larson were arrested in St. Augustine, FL and charged with third-degree felony burglary charges after allegedly breaking into a car, and team manager Josh Adel was also arrested for principal to burglary for allegedly serving as a lookout. Charges against the players were eventually reduced and each settled their respective case, while Adel had all charges against him dropped. Additionally, former Florida F Dan Wener was charged with a DUI even though he blew below the legal limit (0.08) on the Breathalyzer twice. The State Attorney’s Office eventually dropped his charges due to insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction.

Unfortunately the year of brushes with the law was just getting started for the Gators. It surfaced on April 24 via a news report that both linebacker Chris Martin and defensive end Kendric Johnson were cited with misdemeanors for possessing approximately two grams of marijuana each in their respective vehicles on separate occasions. Former Florida WR Reche Caldwell was arrested one month later for possession of marijuana and driving with a suspended license. Gators runner Andries Dumisane Hlaselo had the darkest arrest of the year, being picked up in June after being accused of rape and sexual assault. He was immediately dismissed from the team. The Florida football team had the remainder of the year’s arrests. Sophomore safety Matt Elam was cited for underage drinking for the second time in as many years in July, and an August report noted that freshman defensive back De’Ante Saunders was cited for misdemeanor possession of marijuana in May. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Dee Finely was arrested on Sept. 13 on a first-degree misdemeanor for driving a scooter with a suspended license as well as a third-degree felony for resisting arrest without violence, and freshman cornerback Marcus Roberson was served with a written arrest for underage drinking just one day later. Sophomore defensive tackle Dominique Easley had the last brush with the law of 2011 as he was accused of attacking a former Alabama player early in October but was cleared of the charges one month later. All-in-all, for every positive thing accomplished by the Gators in 2011, there always seemed to be something negative about the program just around the corner.

10 » SIX BECOME A PART OF THE GATOR NATION IN THE SKY; THREE SUFFER SERIOUS MEDICAL ISSUES DURING THE YEAR
It would be difficult to recount everything that Gator Nation has gone through in 2011 without remembering those close to the University of Florida who left us for a better place or suffered through serious medical issues in the past year. Young and old, these Gators departed too soon or had plenty to deal with as the year went on. Jimmy Carnes (76), a former Gators track and field coach, passed away in March after losing a four-year battle with prostate cancer. Former linebacker/safety and three-time Super Bowl winner Godfrey Myles (42) suffered a massive heart attack in June and, while in the hospital on life support, had a stroke that took his life. Former punter and 12-year NFL veteran Don Chandler (76) also lost a long battle with cancer in August. Mike Heimerdinger (58), who was diagnosed with cancer early in the year, passed away in October. He was a former graduate assistant and wide receivers coach at Florida and won consecutive SEC titles with the team from 1984-85. Ending the year on a sad note, beloved Gainesville, FL businessman and former Gators long snapper Harold Monk III (42) died suddenly in December. OGGOA once again sends our deepest condolences to the families and friends of these men.

Florida freshman linebacker Neiron Ball was the first of three members of the Gators family to suffer serious health issues during the year. He was rushed to the hospital in February after a blood vessel in his brain ruptured as part of a congenital vascular condition. The doctors were able to stop the bleeding and Ball was released from the hospital four days later, but he was forced to miss the entire season for recovery purposes. In the middle of the year, Miami Heat guard/forward Mike Miller was lucky enough to have his wife give birth to a daughter named Jaylen. Unfortunately for the family, she was forced to spend two weeks in a pediatric intensive care unit after doctors found that she had five holes in her heart upon being born. The Millers eventually brought Jaylen home with them in a bit of a coincidence considering they actually donated $1 million to a pediatric intensive care unit at children’s hospital in his home town in 2007. Later that month, former Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, which he is currently still recovering from and will continue to do so over the next few months.

9 » 10 FOOTBALL PLAYERS TRANSFER IN EIGHT MONTHS
There is bound to be attrition with any major coaching change, and that is exactly what happened to head coach Will Muschamp and the Gators football team this season. A total of 10 players decided at some point this year to try their hand at playing elsewhere. The first two defections were wide receivers redshirt freshman Chris Dunkley and freshman Javares McRoy, who both left the team in April. Dunkley was suspended from team activities during the spring for academic reasons and wanted to leave the program, while McRoy realized he made a wrong decision committing to Florida and instead wanted to play with his brother at Texas Tech. One month later, freshman running back Mike Blakely also decided to leave the program. He enrolled early and had shoulder surgery in the spring but realized he should not have committed because he wanted to play in a spread offense. Redshirt freshman transfer Chris Martin was the next to go. After being arrested on Jan. 29 for misdemeanor possession of marijuana (and having a number of other off-the-field issues), he decided to transfer out of Gainesville in June before ever officially suiting up for the Gators. Just one week later, redshirt freshman tight end Michael McFarland also chose to try his luck elsewhere. Muschamp said the decision was mutual, and McFarland also never stepped on the field for Florida.

The Gators began the season without further defections, but redshirt sophomore linebacker Dee Finley decided to pursue another opportunity on Oct. 12 after appearing in 14 games over two seasons. Another duo transferred just two weeks later as former high school teammates and sophomores TE Gerald Christian and WR Robert Clark decided to head elsewhere over concerns about playing time and future opportunities. Florida announced three days after its final regular season game that redshirt freshmen safety Joshua Shaw and DE Lynden Trail would also be leaving the team. Shaw said he wanted to be closer to his family, while Trail said he loved the Gators but realized he would not be playing anytime soon. Additionally, redshirt junior offensive lineman David Young, who played in 12 games, told the team he would choose to graduate and not return for 2012. The lacrosse team was also hit with a transfer shocker as midfielder Janine Hillier, their fourth-leading scorer from a year ago, left the program in order to head to Stony Brook where her sister is an assistant coach.

8 » FLORIDA ATHLETIC PROGRAM WINS 200TH SEC TITLE
It may have occurred with an on-field victory as the men’s golf team won the 2011 SEC Championship on April 17, but the milestone is a huge off-the-field accomplishment for the Gators athletic program, which this year won its 200th league title. The SEC started awarding league titles in 1933, and Florida currently leads the conference in total league championships won. “The 200th SEC title is a testament to the dedication and drive shown by Gator student-athletes and coaches over these many seasons. Every title is celebrated because winning a championship in any of the league’s sports is a truly an accomplishment because of the strength of the SEC,” UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley said. The Gators have double-digit SEC titles in seven sports (both swimming and diving programs, women’s tennis, volleyball, men’s golf, baseball and soccer) and have won five or more in every sport except three.

7 » HEISMAN STATUES UNVEILED; GATOR GREATS IN HALLS OF FAME

At halftime of the Gators’ 2011 Orange & Blue Debut, UF officially unveiled a trio of statues to commemorate the school’s three Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks – Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996) and Tim Tebow (2007). The statues, each of which is 15 percent larger than life-sized and features the players in different stances, cost approximately $550,000 to construct – all funded by private donations. Spurrier sent in a pre-recorded message for the occasion because South Carolina’s spring game was the same day, but Wuerffel and Tebow stood at midfield as the statues were unveiled and expressed their appreciation to the fans, administrators and donors that paid for the project. Former Florida WR Carlos Alvarez also received a special honor this year when the National Football Foundation announced that he would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Alvarez was one of 16 inductees honored in a Dec. 2011 dinner, but he will not be officially inducted until July 2012. He will be the third former Gators player to be inducted since 2006 and the ninth in school history. Seven letterwinners were inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in April with LB Mike Peterson, punter Judd Davis and basketball’s Bob Emrick leading the way. Peterson spoke with OGGOA in an exclusive interview about his career and how honored he was to be included honored by his alma mater.

6 » GATORS SELECTED IN NFL, NBA, MLB DRAFTS

It is a far cry from last year’s amazing accomplishment of having nine players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft, but the Gators did quite well this year when you look at how many players were picked in the drafts for all three major professional leagues. Four former Florida players – center Mike Pouncey (Round 1, Pick 15 to the Miami Dolphins), tackle Marcus Gilbert (Round 2, Pick 63 to the Pittsburgh Steelers), safety Ahmad Black (Round 5, Pick 151 to the Tamp Bay Buccaneers) and guard Maurice Hurt (Round 7, Pick 217 to the Washington Redskins) were all picked in the 2011 NFL Draft but were unable to sign with their respective teams until the NFL lockout was lifted in July. At that time, eight additional former Gators were signed as undrafted free agents though only punter Chas Henry (Philadelphia Eagles) and DE Justin Trattou (New York Giants) made it out of training camp, onto practice squads and eventually onto the active rosters of their respective teams. Pouncey and Henry have started every game this year, while Gilbert and Hurt have each started the majority of games this season.

The Florida basketball program had two players picked in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft with forwards Chandler Parsons (Pick 38) and Vernon Macklin (Pick 52) headed to the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons, respectively. Like the football players, neither was able to report or sign with their team right away due to the NBA lockout but each has since agreed to a deal and made the roster. Parsons spent part of the fall playing overseas for Cholet Basket in France, while Macklin stayed in the United States and worked out. Gators F Alex Tyus, who also graduated last season, signed in June with Maccabi Ashdod of the Israel Loto League. Joining all the football and basketball players was a school record 11 Florida baseball players picked in the 2011 MLB Draft. Though three wound up returning to the team, junior LHP Nick Maronde (Round 4, Pick 104), junior LHP Anthony DeSclafani (Round 6, Pick 199), junior LHP Alex Panteliodis (Round 9, Pick 282), junior RHP Tommy Toledo (Round 11, Pick 341), senior infielder Josh Adams (Round 13, Pick 403), junior catcher Ben McMahan (Round 23, Pick 701), senior RHP Matt Campbell (Round 24, Pick 751) and senior outfielder Bryson Smith (Round 34, Pick 1,045) chose to sign with the teams that drafted them. The Gators roster is so loaded, however, that Florida baseball was given a preseason No. 1 ranking heading into the 2012 season.

5 » FRED TAYLOR, JASON WILLIAMS, CHANNING CROWDER RETIRE

With so many former Gators finding success in the professional ranks, each of their respective careers inevitably has to come to an end, and that is exactly what happened for three former Florida players this year. Point guard Jason Williams announced his retirement on April 18 after playing in the NBA for 12 years. Williams, the No. 7 overall pick in the first round of the 1998 NBA Draft, spent his entire career with five teams and finished with totals of 8,266 points, 4,611 assists, 1,810 rebounds and 933 steals. He averaged 10.5 points, 5.9 assists and 2.3 rebounds for his career while shooting 39.8 percent from the field, 32.7 percent from three-point range and 81.3 percent from the free throw line. Williams had previously retired for one season but returned to the court last year before finally calling it quits. He also won a NBA title during the 2005-06 season with the Miami Heat. After being cut by the Miami Dolphins in August, LB Channing Crowder announced live on the air that he would be retiring from the NFL. At just 27-years-old, Crowder amassed 469 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception in 82 career games after being selected with the No. 70 overall pick in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He made his mark in Miami as a locker room and on-field leader but chose to hang up his cleats mostly because his son was about to be born and he did not want to be far away playing in another state. There are some who believe Crowder will attempt a return to the field in 2012.

Not taking anything away from Williams or Crowder, the retirement of running back Fred Taylor after a 13-year NFL career was undoubtedly the most important one of the year. Taylor, who signed a one-day contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars (the team that picked him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft), is the team’s all-time leader in rushing attempts, yards and touchdowns. His final stat sheet includes 11,695 rushing yards, 66 rushing touchdowns, 2,384 receiving yards and eight receiving scores. Taylor is also one of just 30 NFL players who have run for more than 10,000 yards in a career and one of three to average at least 4.5 yards per carry over eight seasons (Jim Brown, Barry Sanders). A member of the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame and University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, Taylor will be inducted into Jacksonville’s hall in the near future and will likely get consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame when the time comes.

4 » CHARLIE WEIS HIRED, LEAVES 11 MONTHS LATER
Just 364 days ago (from the day this is published), ESPN’s Chris Mortensen had Gator Nation in a stir when he reported that then-Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Charlie Weis had been contacted by Muschamp and offered the same job with Florida. The Gators still had their bowl game to play the next day and were concentrating on sending Meyer out in style with a victory, but hours after Florida’s game ended on Jan. 1, a second report surfaced that Weis would officially be hired that Monday. Before the Gators had the chance to make the official announcement, Weis told the Kansas City Star that the chance to coach at UF and spent so much additional time with his son was “almost a dream” for a number of reasons. That dream became a reality one day later when Muschamp announced his decision to hire Weis, calling him a “perfect fit for what I was looking for in an offensive coordinator.” Weis brought both college and professional experience with him on his resume and many believed he was the perfect person to almost be the head coach of the offense while Muschamp concentrated on running the team and especially the defense. The hire immediately paid dividends as Weis convinced then-redshirt junior QB John Brantley to return for his senior season, explaining that his pro-style offense and opportunity to be his personal QB coach would help him improve.

Fast forward 10 months to just days before Florida’s final game of the 2011 regular season against Florida State when Weis told the media that he planned to serve as the Gators offensive coordinator “for a long time.” It was undoubtedly a surprise to everyone when, just over two weeks later, Weis was plucked from Florida to be Kansas’ next head coach in a whirlwind 24-hour period that went from inquisition to contract offer to acceptance. Muschamp said that he understood and supported Weis’s decision, and Weis himself said that it was “one of those unique situations” that he could not turn down but neither opinion changes how much of a shock it was to Gator Nation to see Weis leave less than a year after being hired.

3 » JANORIS JENKINS RETURNS, DISMISSED THREE MONTHS LATER

Arguably the Gators best player in 2010, junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins was expected to declare for the 2011 NFL Draft shortly after the team’s bowl game. Instead Jenkins, who played the season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder and had surgery to correct the injury prior to the 2011 Outback Bowl, announced that he would return for his senior season. “After careful consideration, I’ve made the decision to return to school for my senior year. I spent some time with my family and Coach Muschamp and came to the conclusion it was in my best interest to return to school,” he said in a school release. “Coach Muschamp was very supportive throughout the whole process, regardless of my decision, but he wanted to make sure I had all of the facts. I’m looking forward to working towards my degree, completing my rehab and getting back on the field with my teammates.” Florida fans were ecstatic about the announcement and overjoyed that the team’s shutdown defender would give the Gators a level of consistency with so much change going on around him.

As it turns out though, Jenkins never suited up for Florida again. Two weeks after his announcement, he was cited for misdemeanor possession of marijuana when police caught him rolling a joint in a nightclub bathroom. It was his second legal incident in less than two years (Jenkins was arrested in May 2009 on misdemeanor charges of affray and resisting arrest without violence). He was punished internally but allowed to remain on the team. However, Muschamp’s hand was forced as Jenkins was arrested again on April 23 (less than 90 days later) when police caught him smoking a marijuana “cigar” in his car in a parking lot at 12:35 a.m. Three days following his third arrest in less than two years, Jenkins was dismissed from the team by Muschamp, who claimed that it was a mutual decision between the two parties. Jenkins made it clear the next day that it was the coach’s decision. “I was dismissed as soon as I walked in the room. He washed his hands of me,” he said. He wound up transferring to North Alabama and having a nice senior season as a cornerback and kick returner. In fact, if he can convince teams that his legal issues are behind him, Jenkins may even be picked in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, which would have otherwise been a sure thing if he never got in trouble and remained at UF for his senior season.

2 » FLORIDA SWEEPS SEC ALL-SPORTS AWARDS; MEN WIN CAPITAL ONE CUP

There were up and downs for Florida throughout the entire year, but the Gators received a pair of major honors in May and June that gave fans plenty to cheer about in 2011. Any doubt that UF had the dominant athletic program in the SEC during the 2010-11 school year was put to rest on May 22 when the university was named the unanimous SEC All-Sports champion for the third-straight season. Florida swept all three titles – overall, men’s and women’s – by staggering numbers and literally dominated the competition, continuing to be the only school to sweep all three titles in a single season. The Gators in 2011 accomplished that for the 11th time in school history, fourth time in the last five years and third-in-a-row (2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10). Florida learned one month later that the men’s athletic program was the winner of the first-ever Capital One Cup, awarded annually to each of the top men’s and women’s Division I college athletic programs. The Gators (93 points) won by an 11-point margin over Virginia (82) and finished 23 points above the next SEC team, Auburn (70). Though Florida did not place in the top 10 in any fall sports, the Gators found much greater success in the winter and spring with the performances of indoor track & field (first), baseball (second), outdoor track & field (third), swimming & diving (fifth), tennis (ninth) and basketball (10th) earning the school the honor. The women’s team wound up finishing No. 4 in their respective category but was first among SEC schools. Recognized regionally and nationally for its excellence, the Gators had plenty to be proud of this year.

1 » URBAN MEYER LEAVES WITH A WIN, TAKES ON-AIR GIG WITH ESPN, SEVERS TIES WITH FLORIDA, AGREES TO COACH OHIO STATE

Just one year ago, the resignation of Meyer and hiring of Muschamp captured the No. 1 spot on the Top 10 for 2010, so it should not come as much of a surprise that Meyer’s moves in 2011 landed him back here 12 months later. Announcing that he would leave Florida for the second time on Dec. 8, 2010, Meyer exited on a positive note as UF defeated Penn State 37-24 in the 2011 Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 (check out Saturday’s post). However, just 30 days removed from his last game with the Orange and Blue, Meyer agreed to begin a new form of employment by signing to work as an on-air college football analyst with ESPN for the 2011 season and beyond.

He explained that the job would not cut into his decision to spend more time with his family because it would only keep him away from home for sport periods of time each week. As part of Meyer’s separation from the Gators, Foley said that he would retain an office inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and would continue to work with Florida in some capacity. As it turns out, ESPN and Florida quickly realized that situation would create a conflict of interest (including a perceived bias as well as potential NCAA recruiting violations), and Meyer was forced to sever ties with the school on Feb. 2. Despite Foley’s efforts to ensure that Meyer remained a part of the program even though his tenure as a coach had ended, Meyer’s decision to take another job essentially forced his hand. While Meyer excelled in his role with ESPN, rumors persisted all year that he would eventually take over the Ohio State Buckeyes job vacated when head coach Jim Tressel was forced to resign while under immense pressure from numerous NCAA violations. He scoffed at most of these comments and reports but was forced to address the situation in late November after numerous reports had him heading to Columbus, OH sooner than later. He again denied rumors on Nov. 23, saying that he had neither been offered the job or nor reached any deal with Ohio State just before Thanksgiving.

However, Meyer wound up accepting that very job just five days later, and was officially announced as the Buckeyes’ next head coach after signing a six-year, $24 million contract. Though Foley wished Meyer the best of luck at his new job, most Gators fans were enraged that he agreed to coach another team just 10 months after coaching his last game for Florida amidst concerns about his health and time with his family. OGGOA took an in-depth look at Meyer’s move to Ohio State in a 3,400-word post that included sections about his health and family issues as well as a number of other issues like the Gators fan base, media scrutiny, state he left the program in and the timing of the move. Though he may have only been employed by Florida for one month in 2011, Meyer’s actions were once again the most notable and memorable ones that occurred this year.

Photo Credits (in order): Associated Press, Unknown, ESPN, Cleveland Plain-Dealer