Urban Meyer has devoted 27 years of his life to college football molding young men into premium athletes and honorable individuals. However on Wednesday, he officially decided to end his coaching career, resigning from his post as the head football coach at the University of Florida. He didn't have to look very far to be reminded why he's leaving one of the premier jobs in college football.
It's all about family.
Meyer resigned from Florida on Wednesday, stepping down for the second time in less than a year. His first attempt, which lasted just a day, was for health reasons. This time it's to be a better husband and father.
"At the end of the day, I'm very convinced that you're going to be judged on how you are as a husband and as a father and not on how many bowl games we won," Meyer said at his farewell press conference.
The 46-year-old coach led Florida to two national titles but briefly resigned last December, citing health concerns. He had been hospitalized with chest pains after the Gators lost to Alabama in last season's Southeastern Conference championship game.
Meyer called Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley on Saturday to tell him he was contemplating retirement. They met Tuesday to finalize his intentions.
Meyer signed a six-year, $24 million extension in 2009, meaning he's walking away from about $20 million in guaranteed salary. But Foley did agree to pay Meyer a $1 million retention bonus the coach would have received had he been employed on Jan. 31, 2011.
This time, Foley doesn't anticipate another change of heart.
"He's worked his tail off," Foley said. "You think of what he's rebuilt. He built one at bowling green, he built one at Utah, he built one here. It's not just sacrifices here the last six years. That's 10 years of their lives, not to mention what he did before that as an assistant coach. It's his time to step back and spend time with his family. You're not getting it back. I admire him for that."
Foley said the coaching search will begin immediately and hopes to have a new coach before Christmas. Although Foley declined to offer names, Utah's Kyle Whittingham, Mississippi State's Dan Mullen and Arkansas' Bobby Petrino are likely on the list.
Meyer said he planned to be involved in the search, which could make Whittingham and Mullen front-runners. Whittingham was Meyer's defensive coordinator in Utah, and Mullen served as the offensive coordinator at Florida. Petrino was Foley's second choice behind Meyer in 2004.
Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow applauded Meyer's decision.
"I respect that Coach Meyer had the courage to make the decision that was right for himself and his family," the Denver Broncos quarterback said in a statement. "He will be blessed and better off for it. I am truly glad that he's happy and no matter what, we both will be Gators for the rest of our lives."
The decision to walk away was even tougher because of Florida's struggles this season. The Gators were near the bottom the SEC in every offensive category, got blown out in games against Alabama, South Carolina and Florida State, and finished 7-5.
It was the most losses in Meyer's 10-year coaching career.
Meyer was hired away from Utah by Florida after he led the Utes to an undefeated season. In his second season in Gainesville, he led the Gators' to a national championship. Two seasons later he won another, the third time overall the school topped the final AP Top 25.
A bid for another national championship fell short in 2009, and the day after Christmas, Meyer surprisingly announced that he was giving up the job. Less than 24 hours later, he changed his mind and decided to instead take a leave of absence.
Meyer scaled back in January — he didn't go on the road recruiting — but still worked steadily through national signing day. He returned for spring practice in March, but managed to take significant time off before and after.
Florida lost five regular-season games for the first time since 1988. The season ended with an embarrassing 31-7 loss to Florida State, Meyer's first loss to the rival Seminoles.
After that game, Meyer vowed to fix the Gators' problems.
Now, he'll help find the person to do it.
"It has to be fixed," he said. "It's broke a little bit right now. But the way you fix it is hard work. When I say broke it's broke because of a constant attrition of coaches who, God bless them, have gone on to be great head coaches. ... You lose five juniors to the NFL draft and you have a little bit of a void in there right now. But it's Florida. We'll be back strong, stronger than ever."
Find out what else Meyer had to say about leaving the Gators, hear the thoughts of Jessie Palmer from ESPN who is also Florida alum and receive my take on Myer's legacy and the impact he had on the Gators football program. It's all in the Thursday edition of the McShan Sports Beat Report.
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