Bye Bye Boom

Author’s note: This post has a little extra ramble at times, just go with it.

I’ve identified myself as a fan of the Florida Gators since I was in elementary school. The first real game I remember watching was the 1997 FSU game. If you ask my parents about it, they will probably tell you about how I turned the game off with a little over 2 minutes remaining and missed one of the greatest finishes in Gator history. But at that time I was Gator fan much like most Americans are hockey fans during the Winter Olympics or soccer fans during the World Cup. I checked the team records and scores now and then, but only watched a game if I accidentally stumbled across it while channel surfing, or was at someone else’s house while they had it on. I didn’t become a true Gator fan until September 2^nd 2006 (Here I could write out the full anecdote about being a wide eyed freshman stepping foot onto Florida Field with the marching band and how in the course of 3 hours I went from being a casual college football observer to an Orange and Blue blooded fanatic, but that’s not why I’m writing this.) Since that muggy summer day 8 years ago I’ve watched every single Gator game and I’ve been in attendance for the majority. In that time frame the Gators have lost 32 games (Will Muschamp was the head coach for 20) and I’ve witnessed them all: last second field goals (sometimes twice), improbable 4^th down conversions, fake kicks, questionable calls, and blow outs that all resulted in a mark in the loss column for Florida. But I can say with absolute certainty that none have stung as much as the 2014 loss to South Carolina. I have never been watching a game in the 4^th quarter with 3 minutes left, almost certain we were going to win, only to watch my team self-destruct in the most spectacular of fashions. So while I’m not 100% positive that firing Will Muschamp was the right move by Jeremy Foley, I do know that it was the only move he had left.

Foley didn’t cut Muschamp loose just because he wanted to, it was mostly because if he didn’t Gator fans would have been reaching for their torches and pitchforks. Some fans were even calling for Foley’s firing along with Muschamp’s (which is single handedly the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard). Personally, I believe Muschamp has potential and still could be a very successful college football coach, but the patience of the Florida faithful has officially worn out. Nobody will argue that Will Muschamp isn’t a good defensive coach, but the offense at Florida has been on life support since Tim Tebow left after the 2009 season. Yet not all of that is Boom’s fault. You can’t form a cohesive offensive unit over the course of four years when you go through three offensive coordinators, three offensive line coaches, and three wide receivers coaches (one of whom was originally hired as a “quality control” graduate assistant.) And let’s not even get into the 2013 injury typhoon. In reality Muschamp’s eventual downfall was the fact that he tethered himself to a floundering Jeff Driskel. STILL, that wasn’t completely Champ’s fault. He did make the move to Treon Harris at the end of the Tennessee game. Nobody knows who would have started the LSU game and what could have happened if it wasn’t for… well… you know.

Pretty much everyone at Florida knew Muschamp was on his way out the door after the SC game, many were even cheering about it. But in our haste to show him the door we forgot what good Muschamp has done for Florida Football the last four years. The team’s GPA and graduation rate is higher than ever and the locker room is under control. Muschamp may not have developed the best players at UF, but he did develop quality people. Quality of character is something that the college and professional football society has taken for granted for a very long time and still continues to do. We don’t care who the person behind the facemask is, so long as he makes that tackle or completes that pass.

There is no shortfall of scandals among football players today, Gurley, Winston, Rice, Winston, Peterson, Winston, Harvin, Winston, Incognito, Winston, and Hernandez just to name a few. This starts at the collegiate level where coaches shrug off accusations, hire lawyers to defend their players so they can get them back on the field, or just shield them from scrutiny in general. When Treon Harris was accused of sexual assault Muschamp and the program were very open and forthcoming about the investigation and surrounding circumstances. Even after the accusations were recused, just days after being made, Harris still sat out the next game and wasn’t even on the sideline during the contest.

Currently FSU is the program to beat when it comes to locker room disarray and public image. Jimbo Fischer is as close as you can get to today’s Urban Meyer. He has an amazing athletic program on the field, but seems to completely lack control when it comes to off the field issues. Jameis Winston is likely going to receive a multimillion dollar deal when he’s drafted this April, and he has the maturity level of a highschool student (a highschool sophomore at best.)

So thank you Muschamp, for helping the UF football program become a winner at least off the field. Hopefully the next guy will manage a few more wins and still carry on the tradition of integrity that you have restored.  Sorry about the bad beats and the fact that we didn’t always have your back. Hell, you were at least a lot of fun to watch. Personally, I wish you the best of luck (unless you end up coaching at UT, UGA, or “shudders” FSU, in which case I wish you Ron Zook levels of success.) And as always GO GATORS.