UF Hires Will Muschamp as new head coach

"This is a dream come true to be the head coach of the Florida Gators," said Muschamp, who spent 10 years of his childhood living on 27th Street in this city. "I grew up watching the Gators and whatever
other SEC team was on television. I have great memories watching SEC football with my father on Saturdays and playing football in the backyard with my two brothers right here in Gainesville." Will Muschamp

There is something very special about returning to your hometown, especially for your dream job.  When I was in college at UF, I remember many fellow students who dreamed of working at their hometown television stations.  Several of them grew up in Miami or West Palm, which are major market television stations.  That meant they would have to go to a couple of smaller markets first, then work their way up to the big time.  My goal was to work at my hometown t.v. station too, but for me that was small market Gainesville.  You might think that would be easy to achieve, but at that time there was only one t.v. station here and the news director didn't hire recent college grads.  Even if you had the experience, there were only a handful of positions and of those positions only a couple would be for a female anchor or reporter so the odds were never in my favor.  It would be six years and several applications before I finally got a job there as the morning anchor. 

I'm amazed when I think of all the things that have to come together for a person to land a highly coveted job.  It's even more amazing when that person comes full-circle.  Often, the seeds of a dream are planted at home and sometimes they are fulfilled there too. 

Urban Meyer Resignation

    "At the end of the day, I'm very convinced that you should be judged on how you are as a husband and a father, not the bowl games you've won. .. I've not seen my two girls play high school sports. They're both very talented Division-1A volleyball players. I missed those four years."    Urban Meyer

    I get it.  I think most parents who work a demanding job also get it.  It really doesn’t matter how much success you have if you feel you’ve missed watching your children grow up.  As a Mom, my heart is always tugged in two directions.  Over the years I’ve come and gone from television news in this community, always taking a break to focus on family.  Somehow, the business keeps calling me back in… sometimes full-time, sometimes part-time.  This time to launch a local news program--certainly nothing like coaching a national football team, but very time consuming for the past few months.   Usually I can adjust my schedule to be there for the important events in my children’s lives, but as most parents know, it’s those unplanned moments that really count with your child.   At the end of the day, do we ever feel we’ve done enough for our children?

     A time may come when you know you need to step away.   But, there may also be a time when you need to jump in the game.  If your priorities are in line, you will know which action to take.

     There's no telling how many young men have benefitted from Coach Meyer's wisdom and direction during his six years at UF.  Not to mention all the charities he and his wife Shelley have supported over the years.  I appreciate all they have done for our community and I hope they enjoy this time to focus on their family.  They have left a great legacy for the Gator Nation that extends far beyond championship titles.