Florida Gators Athletic Director Scott Stricklin is many things. He isn’t Jeremy Foley.
When Foley retired, he left Florida athletics in a strong position. After spending 40 years with the program, Foley built winners in just about every conceivable sport. Not just football and basketball, but baseball, track and soccer. Foley loved the University of Florida and took the entire program to new heights.
Now, Scott Stricklin sits at the helm of a program at a very important crossroads. Most of this mess is honestly his own doing.
The Cornerstone
When you think of University of Florida athletics, the football program springs to mind. Winning SEC titles, bowl games and national championships became the lofty standard that Foley left for Stricklin. In a state with three football powers, the Gators separated themselves from their in-state rivals on the field. Recruits saw Gainesville as a gateway to the NFL.
Now, to see the state of Florida athletics must turn the stomachs of the most ardent Gators fan. Misfire after misfire turned a once-proud program into the subject of memes, mockery and derision. Now, people look at Gators football like the kids at the high school reunion that peaked fifteen years ago and refused to live right.
Weird Firing Practices
When Stricklin fired Jim McElwain, some people wondered why. In his two full seasons, the Gators won the SEC Eastern division. Additionally, the Gators made two bowl games, winning one. McElwain inherited an offensively-challenged program, and he clashed with Stricklin. Stricklin fired McElwain and hired Dan Mullen, a coach whom he hired at Mississippi State.
After four seasons and a record of 34-15, including three New Years Day game appearances (two wins), Stricklin showed him the door as well. If the Gators went either winless or hopeless, you can make a case for each firing. Yet, in essence, you can’t. While Florida can withstand any buyout, why keep firing quality coaches and paying them not to work for you?
Ugly Truth
Scott Stricklin will never fill Jeremy Foley’s loafers. Not in substance, results or handling of the football program. Foley matriculated at Hobart, but dedicated his entire working career to the betterment of the Gators athletic program.
Stricklin ambled over from his alma mater Mississippi State with zero emotional investment and visceral connection to the athletic department. One saw the position of athletic director as a culmination of a sterling career at the school he toiled at for decades. The other probably sees the job as either just employment or a stepping stone to greener pastures.
They are not the same. In American lexicon, Florida Man is an embodiment of chaos, disorder, and malfeasance. In this case, Foley’s dedication to the athletic program gave birth to a newer definition. Don’t hire someone outside your program that doesn’t just want the best for your program but possesses a vested, personal interest in its success.
All of the eyes are on Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier in September, but his isn’t the only seat that is getting hot in Gainesville.
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