Posted on 09/07/2012 1:02:56 PM PDT by cdga5for4
Before you join Urban Meyer, who is walking toward the exit of the Ohio State football office, there's a scar you need to see. A few years ago in Gainesville, his middle child, Gigi, planned a celebration to formally accept a college volleyball scholarship to Florida Gulf Coast University. It was football season, so she checked her dad's calendar, scheduling her big day around his job. As the hour approached, she waited at her high school, wanting much, expecting little. Some now-forgotten problem consumed Meyer, and he told his secretary he didn't have time. He wasn't going. His beautiful, athletic, earnest daughter would have to sign her letter of intent without him. Meyer's secretary, a mother of four, insisted: "You're going."
Eighty or so people filed into the school cafeteria. Urban and his wife, Shelley, joined their daughter at the front table, watching as Gigi stood and spoke. She'd been nervous all day, and with a room of eyes on her, she thanked her mother for being there season after season, year after year.
Then she turned to her father.
He'd missed almost everything. You weren't there, she told him.
Shelley Meyer winced. Her heart broke for Urban, who sat with a thin smile, crushed. Moments later, Gigi high-fived her dad without making eye contact, then hugged her coach. Urban dragged himself back to the car. Then -- and this arrives at the guts of his conflict -- Urban Meyer went back to work, pulled by some biological imperative. His daughter's words ran through his mind, troubling him, and yet he returned to the shifting pixels on his television, studying for a game he'd either win or lose.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.go.com ...
The book mentioned in the article, Lead...for God's Sake! by Todd Gongwer is excellent.
Urban Liar is a phoney, UF bent over backwards to accomodate him, and he left, leaving UF’s football program a mess.
Engage the family, or commit another NCAA violation? I wish I had the problem.
I’ve always thought it was grossly unfair to men to say:
1) you’re not a man unless you provide for your family
2) you’re not a man if you spend time away from your family in order to provide for them
Hopefully UCF will send Urbanator home to an early dinner on Saturday. Go Knights
I enjoyed Tebow’s book, and think Tebow is a fine fellow, but it was obvious he was at Florida to get a degree in football, not anything else.
The whole concept of top level college football being associated with “academics” is somewhat of a stretch.
The wifely variant of this is that she’s unhappy he doesn’t make enough money to support her in the manner to which she’d like to be accustomed, but then is equally unhappy with him if he works long hours to try to make the money.
Wow, that really hit home. Outstanding article, well worth the read. Thanks...
Despite demands of my career, I always put my family first. If I ever had to miss one of my sons’ games or performances, it tore me up. Same for my wife. And many times we had to split; one go to Aaron’s soccer game while the other went to James’ baseball game. I also coached baseball and basketball teams for them.
Maybe I’m lucky that God didn’t curse me with too many brains. Then I might have been put in a more demanding career situation, and wound up like Urban Meyer. I’m content with what I had, with no regrets.
You not only have to want what you want, you have to want what your wants lead to...wanting to be a top football coach requires sacrifice of family time...wanting to live upper middle class (or better) as the wife of a coach requires covering for him at many family events. Nothing wrong with either one as long as one has accepted the costs of their wants.
IMHO Urban Meyer is an egotistical ass, and I’m sooo glad he went to OSU amd PSU got Bill OBrien, win or lose, a real man.
Um.... Tim Tebow graduated a year early, with a 3.66 GPA... and if you haven’t noticed, he’s one of the best marketers on earth.
What a crock. If the man was having a heart condition because of the pressure what in the Hell is his wife doing letting him take the job at OSU, the school with possibly the worst, most driven to win at all costs, most unforgiving fans in the nation?
I asked that of myself when he took the job, only to hear his "medical condition", according to Fla rumors was a hot grad student that his wife found out about.
What a fraud.
They don’t call him “The Urban Legend” for nothing.
I could use a hot grad student. Let me get her name when you find it out. :)
-PJ
And make no mistake, I am still the biggest fan of Steve Spurrier, except when Florida plays South Carolina.
And it’s obvious that Florida’s two titles had more to do with Tebow than Meyer.
In fact, Charlie Strong’s defense was more of a factor.
I just hope when they fire Muschamp, they look at bringing back Strong for Head Ball Coach.
Maybe you're unfamiliar with Stanford's football program or the level of "academics" a student must maintain there to participate in the program. Just getting accepted to Stanford is quite an "academic" feat.
There are many other schools that can make the same claim. Your comment shows a serious lack of knowledge about college football.
My daughter was a TA at Stanford a few years ago, in a somewhat academically challenging discipline. One of her Fall quarter students was on the football team. He got NO slack cut. He did go to the after-class sessions she held to help students who were struggling, but he got absolutely no extra credit, much less free pass.
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