Gator Fans, We Feel Your Pain: Urban Meyer's Shocking Departure

Of all the nation's college football fans, Utah fans are in the best position to understand the disappointment of University of Florida Gator fans over the surprising resignation of head football coach Urban Meyer.

I was weirdly heartbroken in 2004 when Meyer left the University of Utah Utes after posting a 22-2 record and leading the Utes to their historic, unbeaten, first-ever-BCS-buster perfect season of 2004-05. Back then, Meyer was leaving Utah for the bigger stage and the bigger paycheck of the SEC. This time, Meyer is leaving coaching altogether because of health problems, including a brain cyst that inflames with stress, causing severe headaches, and two recent hospitalizations for chest pains, one of which occurred shortly after Alabama beat Florida in the SEC title game.

Of course things turned out fine for the Utah Utes, now coached by Meyer's former assistant Kyle Whittingham, who has deep Utah roots and who led the Utes to another perfect season in 2008-09. Things will likely turn out fine for Meyer as well, and I hope his coaching career isn't truly over. Utah fans know that Meyer doesn't always tell reporters everything he's thinking, and it could be that he has future prospects in mind assuming his health problems can be resolved.

Meyer captured two national championships, two Southeastern Conference Championships and three SEC Eastern Division championships in his five years at the University of Florida. He took the Gators to five straight January bowl games, including three BCS bowl games. He was recently named Sporting News and Sports Illustrated "Coach of the Decade." Meyer is the only coach in the nation to win two BCS National Championships. He was named National Coach of the Year three times and is currently the NCAA's winningest football coach, posting 95 victories against just 18 losses for a .841 winning percentage in nine seasons.

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