Divided loyalties in Gainesville?
Not long after Steve Spurrier took the job at South Carolina before the ’05 season, I got a call from an older man in the Tampa area saying he would root for the Gamecocks’ every week but the Florida game.
During Spurrier’s inaugural season at USC, an FM station in Gainesville, Fla., carried all of the Gamecocks’ games.
In 2006, Spurrier visited the Swamp three times, attending the 10-year reunion of his 1996 national championship team, the ceremony honoring Spurrier and a few other Gators as Florida’s first “Ring of Honor” inductees and for the Gamecocks’ 17-16 last-second loss to UF.
Clearly, Spurrier remains a Gators icon.
But does Gator Nation revere Spurrier so much that UF fans are secretly pulling for the Visored One and his new team this weekend in Gainesville?
Florida fans haven’t been this upset since Billy Donovan spent a night as the Orlando Magic’s head coach.
But when Donovan came back to Gainesville, he at least was still wearing the Gators’ orange-and-blue Nike gear.
Spurrier’s visor collection now features Palmetto trees and block-Cs.
Spurrier will get a loud ovation Saturday at Florida Field. The Gators will get a louder and longer one.
10 Comments to “Divided loyalties in Gainesville?”
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USC football beat writer Joe Person has covered the Gamecocks since the start of the 2002 season. He's been on the college football beat since 1993. 
For being half human – half hobbit Bianchi is pretty good at what he does.
By the way, while that blog post by Bianchi is mostly just an attempt to stir the pot there is a sorta bit of truth to it. There are a small number of fans “led” by Shane Matthews who don’t like the offense and are big time Spurrier fans. I don’t think that they will openly root for Spurrier but they will crack a smile if the Gators lose. Esp if it unfolds with the Gamecock defense slowing down the Gators offense and the Gamecock offense going vertically downfield with a few big plays here and there. Here is a previously Bianchi post where he mentions Shane Matthews.
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_bianchi/2008/10/ex-gator-great.html
Go Gamecocks, give’m hell…that’s all any Gamecocks can ask for!
Win or lose, we always have your backs!
GO COCKS!
Was there two years ago and it was a heart breaker…We have a better team this year by far…gut feeling tells me we get it done this time some how..call me crazy but I think its going to happen..go cocks
Brock you are crazy. Hey, you asked for it….
no faith no hope so sad jt
Never say never but I seriously doubt it will happen. It is was it is. This is a really good team and they are focused right now. There is always that extra incentive of stickin’ it to the man ( Spurrier), but it’s much more than that. Florida is still in major contention for the national title. Tebow took the Ole’ Miss loss personally and plans to win out. UF has more weapons this year and is fully capable of spreading the defense and scoring points early. I wish Spurrier would take a page out of Michigan’s playbook in their bowl game last year. Michigan put Superman’s face in the grass all day. Ole’ Miss pressured him into hurries and played great special teams. We are fully capable of defending. However, it is the quick strikes and long plays that concern me with UF’s spread O. Our offense needs to show up and make very few mistakes. Urban is great at adjustments and we have struggled with O assignments. We will play them hard. Never know………that’s why we play the game. Go Cocks!
Let’s go play the BEST GAME we can play and let nature take care of the rest. Florida has alot of weapons, at least as many as Georgia. We need to pressure Tebow yet keep him under control. Another key will be if we can RUN the ball and keep Florida off the field for as long as we can. Go Cocks!
Jack Pavon, “Let’s go play the BEST GAME we can play and let nature take care of the rest.”
Let nature take care of the rest? hmmm…..nature…..?
What like get up on them with an early field goal 3-0 and then pray for a huge lightning storm to end the game prematurely? You know, I like it.
We are going to hammer you guys, give it about half way through the first quarter. Tebow to Harvin, Tebow with a TD run, ect.!!! 52-14 Gators!!