A new beginning covering the Florida Gators but the same old Sunshine State of mind

To me, Gainesville always has been home. 

I attended middle school here. High school here. College here.

And every time I leave, it always has a way of bringing me back.

I first arrived here from Miami in the late 1970s. Dad was president of the old University City Bank near University and 13th. Mom cut hair a block away.

We left for a few years then returned.

Since graduating from UF, I’ve worked in Gainesville twice and left twice — once to work at Foxsports.com in New York and then the St. Petersburg Times. Another time, I landed in Atlanta.

For the last 10 years, I’ve covered Auburn football recruiting.

But now, Gainesville is calling me home once again.

Though I now live in Tampa, I plan to be in Alachua County a lot moving forward. That’s because starting now, I’m joining Gators Online, where I’ll focus mainly on recruiting coverage but also will help in other areas whenever it’s needed.

The timing feels right.

I relocated to Florida a couple years ago. My mother was getting older and I liked the idea of being closer to her. After she died last May, I knew I didn’t want to leave the Sunshine State again.

I could have covered Auburn for life and been perfectly happy. The fans of that program have treated me like family and for that I’m eternally grateful. But the truth is, I wasn’t covering the Tigers like I needed to cover them because I couldn’t be on campus as often as one in my role needed to be due to distance.

So it was time for a switch.

Moving forward, covering the Gators is priority No. 1 to me. And wherever there are legit Florida targets I’ll visit them in person.

With Zach Abolverdi, Corey Bender, Nick de la Torre and some strong interns, Gator Nation already has a terrific site with Gators Online. But hopefully, my addition will help make the product even better.

Some of you may know me and my work. But many of you don’t. And a few of you probably are asking yourself, “Who the hell is this dude?”

So what can you expect from me?

Well I guess the first thing you should know is this: I’m consumed by two things. Work is one of them. Golf is the other. Sadly, I don’t have much else going on. 

The truth is, I genuinely enjoy meeting recruits and sharing their stories. If I have juice, I’m eager to get it to subscribers. I enjoy talking Gators history and meeting fans. And I especially like the back and forth on the message boards, even if that means catching hell a lot.

I’ve been away from the Gators beat for awhile, so I’ll need time to build a stable of sources. Hopefully, I can do that through hard work and by taking a true interest in UF athletics. If you show people you care, it makes it easier for them to share … or something like that.

You deserve nothing but the best coverage and that’s what we aim to provide. Given time, I’ll do my best to earn your trust. And your respect.

My first recollection of being at Florida Field was the 1982 Florida-Miami game. The Gators won 17-14. We sat in the northwest corner of the end zone, probably 20 or so rows up. If my memory is correct, James Jones made his famed one-handed touchdown catch in the same end zone but on the opposite side. It was featured in Sports Illustrated the next week.

I’ve been to countless games at Florida Field since. I was there to watch the Gators beat Auburn on a field goal in ’82. I saw Emmitt Smith set the school record for the longest touchdown run against Mississippi State. I watched the Gators beat FSU 14-9 in ’91. While in school, I covered three Steve Spurrier seasons, back when I was allowed to watch each and every practice in their entirety. I saw Charlie Ward drain the Swamp. But I also watched in awe as Spurrier rotated quarterbacks to beat the No. 1 Noles in 1997. 

We couldn’t afford season football tickets when I was a kid, but we had them for hoops and baseball. I saw some sorry Gator basketball teams in the early days. But I also was there to watch the program rise. My favorite player: Eugene “The Dunking Machine” McDowell.

At baseball games, I used to see Yankees owner George Steinbrenner at Perry Field now and then. And I still remember the old left-field lump there.

While growing up, I often attended the Gator Invitational golf event, too.

For a child who loved watching sports, you couldn’t beat Gainesville. For all the changes the city has seen, that’s still the case.

Now, it’s time to chronicle a little more Gators history.