Meyer beams over UF's new front door

By PAT DOOLEY
Sun sports writer
8:49 pm, April 9, 2008

Urban Meyer was like a kid with a new bike. He couldn't wait to show it off even if dad had yet to attach the
chain or the horn.

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So he excitedly marched a visitor over to the area that has been behind closed doors for months — the southeast
corner of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium that has been shielded by fences and green tarps. Brick by brick, the new
front door to Florida football has been rising into the sky leaving imaginations to wonder how orange-and-bluey
it will be.

It won't be ready until July and the inside is still just a hollow shell with a high ceiling. But you can imagine it,
the Heismans over there and the national championship trophies here. Is there a market for Gator goosebumps?

What Meyer wanted to show off was outside what will be the new entrance. There, chiseled into granite bricks
lined up on the sidewalks, are the names of each of Florida's All-America football players.

“The first time I saw this, I had tears in my eyes,” Meyer said. “Really, I did. To think of all of these guys who
gave their lives to Florida football and made it what it is today.”

He pulled back a sheet of plastic to reveal the first one — Dale Van Sickel, 1928. There's Carlos Alvarez, Steve
Spurrier, Ralph Ortega. By the time I got three words into a Ralph Ortega story, an excited Meyer moved to the
next column.

“Reidel Anthony, Ike Hilliard, Fred Weary.” 

You can tell he will never tire of stopping on his way into the building at 6 a.m. to reflect on the players who
have meant so much to the University of Florida. Or that he can't wait to show this new toy off to recruits in
the fall.

“Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin, we've already got them in here,” Meyer beamed.

And then he was a tour guide explaining how things would be set up. One element of the entrance will be a
large alligator with the names of every player from the 1996 and 2006 national champions engraved in it.

While the Gateway of Champions is a collaborative effort of the University Athletic Association, you can tell
Meyer is treating it like a proud father.

That's the thing about Meyer. Coaches can talk about embracing tradition but few have given it such an
emotional hug. He has talked the talk and stepped up to do something about it. It is possible to look back while
still being able to look ahead.

That's why they have the Gator Walk now. Meyer couldn't believe that the team was bused into the stadium
through the south entrance, took a left turn and walked into the locker room. How is that supposed to fire
anyone up?
And anyone who has been to the football offices — first of all, congratulations for being able to find them —
knows that they were about as dramatic as a visit to the podiatrist. Think about it as if you were a recruit. You
walked up stairs with no pictures on the walls into a waiting room that made you feel like you might have to fill
out some paperwork and have a proof of insurance card. (The breaking point came when a recruit's father
referred to the facilities as “dirty, dull and dingy.”)

That said, Florida football did fine in the 1990s without a Ring of Honor or a Gator Walk or a recognizable
front door. But it's not a coincidence that Meyer's tenure as the Gator coach has coincided with a sudden interest
in honoring the history of the football program.

“If you're going to build tradition, you have to recognize tradition,” Florida athletic director Jeremy
Foley said. “The thing about Urban is that he is a college football coach who understands about honoring
the past.”

In a way, it was a perfect storm in that Meyer came to UF the year before its 100th football anniversary. He was
the guy who would not only reach out to former players but put them all in a metaphoric group hug. 

“We made a concerted effort to do something special for our fans, the former players and our recruits,”
said Meyer.

Meyer is reaching back into the past while also striding confidently into the future. The new front door will be a
pat on the back for former players as well as an enticement for future ones. 

For the thousands of fans who will head to The Swamp on Saturday for the annual Orange and Blue game, the
Gateway of Champions will remain a mystery, still under lock and key. The granite slabs remain covered for
now, the names of the greatest UF warriors shielded from the elements.

Never forgotten.

Soon to be remembered.