Here Is How Gator Fans Can Survive

"The point wasn’t so much to test their loyalty as it was to prepare them for the lean days ahead and the sticker shock fallout from the pain of decommitments. Brace yourself for the siege."

I did something the other day I promised I wasn’t going to do it again: Tell Gator fans how to act out on their emotions. There I was, speaking at the Gainesville Quarterback club, when I blurted out, “Raise your hand, if you love the Florida Gators!“

"Raise your hand if you love the Gators"(Chris Spears Photo)

I guess it was my way, in these tumultuous times, of offering up a litmus test for a people who purport to root for the Florida Gators. Then, not unexpectedly, almost all hundred people raised their hand.

Then I asked “how many of you still love them at 5-5?” Again, most of them still raised their hands, as loyalists are wont to do.

The point wasn’t so much to test their loyalty as it was to prepare them for the lean days ahead, to get them started on a survival kit and the sticker shock fallout from the pain of decommitments. Brace themselves for the siege.

Billy Napier’s crown jewel is the once high-flying recruiting class of 2024, once soaring as the No. 3 ranked class on the strength of quarterback DJ Lagway’s projected 5-star talent.

We’re seeing the fallout, which will only get worse, and all Scott Stricklin can do is hope that the bleeding only requires band aids and not a tourniquet. It is shopping season almost all players are kicking tires.

Almost all of us like Napier and hope he can cultivate the patience Eli Drinkwitz was proffered at Mizzou. Otherwise, Gator fans buckle up, light a candle and store up rations.

I was about to advise fans to lower their expectations, but then I ran across this article:

My first Gator quarterback star was a guy named Angus Williams from Tampa as described on radio by Otis Boggs on plays like the touchdown pass he threw to the great Charlie Hunsinger (I think) to beat Georgia – Charlie being such a big star that they purportedly wrote a song about him (“Hunsinger The Humdinger.”) As thrilling as it was, that was 1950 when Bob Woodruff’s first team went 5-5, as good a record as Florida had in 10 seasons. (Thanks, Google.) It just goes to show you that joy can be found in mediocrity, except when we know better. In the aftermath of a 6-7 Billy Napier debut, a potential superstar quarterback gone before his time, a spring practice overhaul and stiffening competition, Gator fans are going have to make some hard choices about their level of support and which corner of the ring they will occupy. I’m going to come clean on Anthony Richardson. For two years I’ve raved about him as the best-looking Gator quarterback prospect I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen them all – from Angus Williams to the Statues. On my podcast/streaming show I’ve gotten my ears boxed by my colleagues and friends like Shane Matthews, David Moulton, Frank Frangie, etc. for saying that, and my listeners/parishioners are tired of hearing me say it -- but I stand by my conviction. We never got to see him fully blossomed because he was such a phenomenal athlete the NFL swept him away to make millions. Happy for him. Sad for us. We’ve come a long way from Angus Williams to Anthony Richardson. Or have we? Not according to this guy on Twitter: New World Order: “I f--ng hate this era of florida athletics. Bullsh*t AD, bullsh*t coaches, bullsh*t players. whoever in the seat wearing the logo is certified to suck at whatever the f -- their job description is … “ New World Order’s attitude notwithstanding, I am here to inform you that in today’s crazy, bombastic, confusing, mucked up modern version of college sports, there is still much joy to be claimed and even exciting change ahead in the play-for-pay, gimme mine, musical chair conferences, stupid scheduling, rent-a-coach, rent-a-player, rent-a-team scheme of things. Catch a rising star! Don’t be like New World Order. Each season, pick a school, team, coach and player to root FOR – not to hate on. Oh you can be mad at them, yell at the TV or go to the game and express dissatisfaction in some form (be careful about booing), but know this: You must OWN your team. Otherwise, why would a knucklehead like N.W.O. even go to the Gator game in the first place? Go to Miami where you’d fit in better! Twinkle, twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high. Like a diamond in the sky. This is where we get back to the essence of fandom. Pick your star and believe in him or her with little boy/girl imagination. In this world awash with negativity, sports can cleanse your soul and distract you from your demons. Trust me, I’ve lived around it since the Guttenberg press was invented. And don’t let it become your new demon – like some knuckleheads on social media. How do you know a star? Sometimes just by their presence felt in the room. Others by their accomplishments. Did you ever see or meet someone that you knew right away was either or star or would become one? Mostly we keep them in the theater of our mind. It was especially so in the days of radio where all we had were the semi-imagined versions. Then later when live sports were televised, the images we’d garnered from radio didn’t exactly match up with what we saw on the screen. I.e. Harry Caray’s verbal description of Stan Musial was different than what we saw – seems like Stan The Man never struck out on radio. It’s been a blessed life. Upon occasion we are allowed to meet them or experience these stars closeup. In my line of work as a paid observer of sports and somewhat of an admirer of show biz and the arts I’ve seen and known a few. These things I can tell you first hand. Steve Spurrier will always be my favorite Gator – coach, player and person. I’ve known him since before he even took his first varsity snap, ghosted his “Passing Thoughts” column when he was in the NFL, wrote his autobiography and been good friends with he and Jerri through thick and thin. The other night when I was honored to be one the cameo speakers for the naming of “Steve Spurrier Way,” I made note of all the things bearing his name and said, “As far as I’m concerned, they can’t name enough things after him.” Then I suggested they name I-75 from Tennessee to Gainesville "Steve And Jerri Spurrier Expressway" because it brought them to us. I forgot to say this, but will add: “And I’m not so sure we shouldn’t change it from Gainesville to ‘Spurrierville.'” Many of you know Terry Bradshaw is one of my closest friends and has been for 40 years, although we didn’t meet officially until he began at CBS, where we worked together and eventually wrote a book. We remain close today and I consider him one of the kindest, most considerate, generous and funniest people I’ve ever known. Also a great prankster. Sometimes at dinner in New York when he was interrupted by a rude autograph seeker who wouldn’t go away (he rarely did NOT sign them), I would lapse into a fake sign language routine as if I were translating the message. On occasion when Terry returned the fake communication, the guy would ask me: “What did Terry just say?” One of them once followed me into the rest room and exclaimed, “I didn’t know Terry couldn’t hear or talk” – forgetting that Terry worked for CBS where he did it pretty well. And this one is not going down easy. I like Urban Meyer very much -- know him well, and also wrote his authorized biography. (And no, writing their book is not a prerequisite!) It’s been sad to see him fall from grace, but he’s back on the horse as Fox CFB analyst, deserves this mulligan and is doing well. I’ve had far too many arguments in defending Urban, so I’m done being his defense attorney in public and we’ll save the debate for his future in the Ring of Honor for another day. Just want to share that some of my deepest, most intellectual and meaningful conversations about life and football with Urban have been one of the highlights of my career. I could go on here, adding people like Larry Dupree, who former quarterback Tom Shannon says is “still the greatest Gator player I’ve ever seen.” A future Florida star that I “discovered” on the high school fields of Macclenny’s Baker County team playing vs. Starke, the night he got knocked out cold, was carried off and came back two plays later to run for a 65-yard touchdown – how’s that for concussion protocol? -- as one of three he scored that night for Baker County... And maybe add a few New York stories like: Joe Namath, as big a star as there ever was, may have been an arrogant jerk to some, but in being around him at private dinners and on the Jets team plane, I can tell you he’s fairly kind and even semi-humble. On the plane ride home from a preseason game in Tampa where he tore up his knee making a tackle after an interception – in an EXHIBITION game – I disembarked last only to discover he’d left his metal, collapsible cane, picked it up and called the Jets PR man Frank Ramos, who said, “don’t worry about it – he’s got plenty more.” (I gave that cane to a friend Joe Williams in Denver for his 50th birthday.) Once when we were sharing a bathroom and occupying adjacent urinals during a dinner break of considerable alcoholic intake, he even let slip out the secret detail of his “huge” contract of $427,000 from Sonny Werblin, which I didn’t print until weeks later. When you wish upon a star Makes no difference who you are Anything your heart desires Will come to you… To some of you, this rambling recollection is meaningless and sounds like a brag book -- and for that I apologize. My point is that there is so much in life and sports to be celebrated if we approach it with childlike enthusiasm. It’s dangerous to get jaded by what you perceive as some kind of conspiracy designed to rob you of your rightful entitlements. When I look back as a fan, it’s been a rewarding experience, even in the mud of mediocrity. Because part of the exhilaration is climbing out of the pit of despair to enjoy the rarified air of triumph. Then it feels like a privilege and not an entitlement. Make a note of that Mr. New World Order and spread the word in Coral Gables.

Of course, those were my words and as I pondered the future for Gator fans, it seemed repetitive to regurgitate what I have already said countless times. We have had a reality check. Steve Spurrier or Urban Meyer don’t coach here anymore and there won’t be anybody like them at UF for a long time – if ever. Pick a happy place and go there for a spell. It’s going to be a long winter (or two).

Watch The Buddy Martin Show "Must-Have Survival Kit for Gators Football"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF0eTg_9g78