Urban's Way: Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators, and His Plan to Win
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“Members of the ‘Gator Nation’ are going to burn the midnight oil turning these pages because Buddy Martin will be boldly taking them where no Florida fan has gone before.”—-Tony Barnhart, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/CBSTo write the Urban Meyer story, Buddy Martin enjoyed a vantage point rarely afforded authors in constructing the authorized biography of the University of Florida’s high-profile coach. Martin takes the reader where no other journalist has gone before as he reports the most intimate details about one of the nation’s top college football programs and its coach.During the show-and-tell story of the 2007 Gator season, Martin listened on the headsets in the coaching booth, monitored Meyer’s locker room speeches, conducted in-depth interviews with assistant coaches and support personnel, ran on Florida Field with the team prior to the Gators game against Tennessee, and gave Tim Tebow his first Heisman Trophy quiz while having dinner together just weeks before he was named as the winner.Urban’s Way, however, is much more than a look at the 2007 season. Martin dug deep into Meyer’s background, from his growing-up days in Ashtabula, Ohio, under the strict guidance of his father; to his tumultuous days as a young assistant when he almost quit the profession; to the dynamics of his close relationship with mentors Earle Bruce and Lou Holtz; to the ultimate prize as coach of the 2006 national champion Florida Gators. Readers learn how Meyer was encouraged by his father and his wife, Shelley, to keep going; how his career took off at Notre Dame and then as a head coach at Bowling Green and Utah; how the Falcons came together after their historic “Black Wednesday”; and the impressive manner in which he championed diversity among players in Salt Lake City. Florida fans will be surprised to discover how close Meyer came to choosing the Notre Dame job over the one in Gainesville, despite his yearnings as a small boy to someday coach the Fighting Irish. Through his intense research—-and talks with Urban himself—-Buddy Martin provides an amazingly detailed look into how a football coach is made.This is not simply the authorized biography of one of college football’s top coaches; Buddy Martin also gives fans the inside scoop on the 2006 National Championship. In the chapter “The Joy of Winning It All,” players and coaches share their stories of that championship season that produced the middle leg of the “Gator Slam,” leading to the good life on the so-called Cul de Sac of Champions, which Urban shares with Gators basketball coach Billy Donovan.It is rare that fans get inside the head of a top coach, but here full disclosure is offered about Urban’s personal faith, his Plan to Win, and the inner workings of the Spread offense. Readers are also treated to Meyer’s own breakdown of the national championship tape, including his Six Key Plays of the game.Buddy Martin shines a bright light on Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators, and one of the top programs in the country. This is a must-have for Florida Gator football fans and one of the most insightful books ever written on college football.
Foreword Urban Meyer Meyer, UrbanPreface: Lunch with Urban by the LakePt. 1 The Road to Gainesville 51 The Cul-de-Sac of Champions 72 The Man with the Plan 273 The Book of Urban 334 "Winning Prevents Anarchy" 455 The Good Life in Ashtabula 506 Bud and Earle 657 Loving Fort Collins 728 Lou Holtz Calls 799 The Bowling Green Boys 9310 Utah: The Land of Diversity 108Pt. 2 Becoming a Gator 12711 Shelley, the Go-To Girl 12912 Getting the Band Back Together 14213 The Spread for Arizona 15814 The SEC Stairway to Heaven 17415 Two Battles to Win in Atlanta 20516 The Joy of Winning It All 215Pt. 3 The Season Inside Gator Football 2007 24117 Making History-Maybe 24318 Waltzing Past Tennessee 25619 Learning the Truth in Oxford 26220 Murderer's Row 2 26921 Madhouse in Baton Rouge 27722 Remembering Sunshine 28323 The Georgia Surprise 28724 The Tim Tebow Show 29225 The First "Heisman Dinner" 30126 "That Was a Wow!" 30927 Living Large on Times Square 31528 In the Rearview Mirror 322Epilogue 333Index 337
