Posted on 10/25/2004 6:54:10 AM PDT by dfwgator
I just heard reports out of Orlando that Zook is resigning and UF has scheduled a press conference for 3:30 this afternoon. Gator Nation, our long nightmare is almost over.
You know the old saying "you can't go home again." I suspect that is the case with SOS, as Joe Gibbs is finding out in Washington. A lot has changed in the last few years since SOS left. I don't think he has the fire anymore. I would prefer someone like the Boise State coach who has something to prove, and has shown that they can build a winner. Spurrier was tired of not being satisfied with winning 10 games every year, that's why he left in the first place. In other words, he ain't coming back.
The Florida Gators have fired third-year football coach Ron Zook and his staff, ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit reported Monday.
Ron Zook and the Gators fell to 4-3 on Saturday.
Athletic director Jeremy Foley will meet with members of the team this afternoon and then announce that Zook and his staff will coach the team for the remainder of the season, Herbstreit reported.
The firing comes on the heels of the Gators' 38-31 loss Saturday to Mississippi State, the worst team in the SEC.
The Gators are 4-3 this season, 20-13 overall under Zook.
His teams haven't had the swagger of those under his predecessor Steve Spurrier, who lost only six home games in 12 years and won a national championship.
When asked about his future Sunday, Zook focused on next Saturday.
"I just have to worry about this next game right now," Zook said. "That's all I have any control over."
Why on earth, Gator fans, would Bob Stoops leave Norman? There's no more consistent, dominant progam in the country, and Stoops *owns* the state of Texas when it comes to recruiting.
Why leave that to have to fight tooth and nail against Fla. St, Miami and others to get the best players in Florida? Plus, the Big XII North sucks whereas the SEC West is very strong.
I wonder if a certain Bull Gator whose baseball team choked against the Red Sox had anything to do with it?
I know that Stoops has alot of connections to the state of Florida. Would he make the move? I see it as too much of a lateral thing, going from head coach of a great school, to head coach of a great school. Just a sidewise move. However, he might have personal reasons to move, I dont know.
Why would you allow the humiliation of continuing on at UF if you just got canned. Its like my company saying "Hi, you are fired, but you can sit there at your desk for another 2 months. Have fun!"
Go Gators?
Didn't the FL AD come from Utah where he hired Urban Meyer? I think he will be the Gator's guy.
Sorry Kristan,
They are talking about an American College Football team's coach. Not soccer football, but American football. Zook is short for Zookerman, he is the head coach at the University of Florida, thier mascot is a Florida Aligator. But thank you for your support for our President.
Making the move now makes this THE #1 job available this off-season, ensuring two things: 1-No coach with aspirations of landing a big-time collegiate coaching job will move without touching base with Florida first and 2-This lets Spurrier know, without a doubt, that the job is open, just in case some behind the scenes talks with Texas have already begun.
And, if you think about it, why would Stoops have wanted to follow a legend like Steve Spurrier. Let a Stoops come in here and "turn things around". I don't want to be heretical, but as far as Florida Football is concerned, like him or not, Steve Spurrier was like a savior. Stoops could have a similar effect if he brings back greatness to Florida Football.
I live in Gainesville and after the loss Saturday night, this seemed inevitable. It's what everyone was talking about...from the gas station I stop off for coffee to my kid's friends birthday party to the local talk radio shows.
Though, in earnest, I didn't think it would happen this fast. Maybe Jeremy Foley finally realized that while Zook is a great recruiter (and he is, no argument) and an energetic defensive coordinator, he's just not head coaching material.
Hey, I wish Zook well. He's not a good coach, but from what I understand he's a real nice guy. But, you know what they say about nice guys...
I think Zook is a great guy, but some of the best coaches around have been guys with personality problems, like Spurrier or J. Johnson...
Easy: he gets to redeem himself somewhat by, say, beating Georgia again. This make his re-hiring by Spurrier as an assistant a little easier for Gator fans to digest.
The problem is the entire staff, including Zook was fired. So the interim coach would also have been a lame duck. So basically UF had no choice, where are you going to get a coaching staff in the middle of a season?
So I guess pacifying the boosters and fans was the main goal here. For what its worth, Zook was never an interesting hire when UF got him. It was like the whole college world gave a collective *sigh* at the hire.
Hope Florida does better. Im sick of seeing UM.
Meyer doesn't have enough cache with FL Alumni. They'll go after a big name.
It's a shame they won't promote from within. I think Charlie Strong (The Def Coordinator) is one of the best coaches in the country. He deserves a shot somewhere as a head coach.
rumor is spurrier is headed to UK after the season.
It had to be done. Part of the reason UF was in this position was that SOS left UF in a lurch. If he was going to leave, he should have said so before UF's bowl game, so they could have had time to get a decent coach. Instead Zook was their only choice at the time. By announcing the firing now, at least UF gets a jump on hiring a coach and also alleviates the situation so that recruiting won't be as adversely affected. I suspect UF will have their new coach a few days after the FSU game. We may lose Leak to the NFL, as Zook was a major factor in Leak coming to UF.
Did you see what MSU did to his defense?? He sucks worse than Zook.
I'll take Spurrier or Stoops, but I'd prefer Spurrier only because I know what he'd bring back. Fun n' Gun, baby! Complex offensive schemes with greased lightning at the wide-outs and fast, bruising running backs that defenses tend to overlook! From the get-go, I'm sure he'd insist on an awesome defensive coordinator like Stoops, too. Hail Spurrier! How many SEC championships did we rack up under him? And we were screwed out of another one his first season when we had the best record in the conference.
To think, Jon Gruden said he would have been VERY interested in taking the job when Spurrier left, but no one contacted him and Zook was hired almost immediately.
By the way, I'd take him, too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.