Mac's Open Letter to the Students

[MissouriGator]

All of this.

Yep, Mrs. SQ gets it.

Chit sure has changed since the 80s. Most point to the SOS years and rightfully so, but the whole Gator atmosphere was something to behold long before Spurrier was the head coach.

 

[Theologator]

Given the bunker mentality of the previous staff, whose loud message was "Leave us alone! Your interest is an unnecessary distraction!", I'm glad to see Mac reaching out to the students.

I'm also starting to notice bits of information that appear to be coming from the assistants or other staff talking to reporters along with allowing people to see practices. All of that is better PR.

The only negative has been a mild irritation from reporters that Mac has said something (for example our WR coach hire is imminent) that turned out to be inaccurate. So far I've chalked that up to being more open in a fluid situation & it not working out like he thought. I don't mind erring a bit on talking too much and/or coach speak. The atmosphere has clearly changed for the better. I don't think that directly impacts wins or losses, Meyer was a bunker guy too, but I like this better.

 

[Theologator]

I was there in the mid 80's and we always filled the stadium and we showed up on time. We didn't roll in fifteen minutes after kickoff. For those of you that remember we weren't great back then, the 84 and 85 teams were very good but other than that we were pretty average, but we still showed up. Most of the games were at 1:00PM when it was hotter than hell. We hardly ever had night games back then. It's time for this new group of students to step up and make themselves heard.

'84 still stands as one of the best teams in school history - especially when you look at the NFL careers of those guys as a measure of talent. I was a student then too & feel like the modern era began with a play action pass from Bob Hewko to Cris Faulkner to open the season against Cal in 1980.

And I was there in 1990 for the start of the SOS era. That was a huge beginning as well.

These are different days - not just in football. I'm glad they are making every effort to boost attendance and establish a next generation of fans.

 

[Chomper]

I think it's about half and half. Half of it has to do with students. The other half with Champ's product on the field.

Chump's teams were boring, even painful, to watch, on television and certainly in the stands. An axiom in marketing is that it is easier to attract a new customer than to reclaim a former customer who went elsewhere due to dissatisfaction with a product or service. Our "reclamation" project will take time and it is already a full year behind where it should have been if Chump had been fired following GSU game. For some reason, this brings Jeremy Foley to mind. But I do laud Coach Mac and his proactive approach. He seems to know the score.

 

[Chomper]

Screw wifi in the stadium. What they should have instead is cellphone jammers so people put the damn things down for a minute and experience life with their own eyes.

I never quite understood why people buy tickets, spend money and take time to go to games, then sit in a stadium full of people and do everything except watch the game.

 

[MJMGator]

I never quite understood why people buy tickets, spend money and take time to go to games, then sit in a stadium full of people and do everything except watch the game.

It's today's youth. They don't have the attention span to be able to wait the 30-60 seconds between plays without getting on social media or something and they certainly can't sit idle and converse during a commercial timeout. Everything is NOW!

 

[alcoholica]

I hate the students today. They don't deserve to have one of the largest student sections in the country.

 

[stephenPE]

My legacy daughter started her Gator career today - first class as an incoming freshman. The average high school GPA for this incoming class is 4.3

THE AVERAGE!!

She's a smart kid, but I raised her right - she is a diehard football fan who knows and understands the game, the history, and the pride of being a Gator. She knows more football than the majority of the boys she went to HS with, and belittles them for it. It's not a UF thing...kids are too involved in Xbox or teen-wolf or YouTube channels.

My kid went to UF 02. She was a national merit scholar but a BYGOD gator fan that could talk football as good as any frat boy or even real football fan. She got it honest and to this day as a William & Mary Law School grad living in DC still gets crazy over gator football. I dont know WTF is going on over there now with the students but they are half the real student fans we used to have. Hey, studying is great and so is scholarship and hard work but you still gotta cheer for your team.

'84 still stands as one of the best teams in school history - especially when you look at the NFL careers of those guys as a measure of talent. I was a student then too & feel like the modern era began with a play action pass from Bob Hewko to Cris Faulkner to open the season against Cal in 1980.

This......I will never forget that program from the FLa UM game. There were over two dozen future NFL players drafted in that game. That Cal game in Tampa was the hottest gdm game I ever went to .......and all I wore were running shorts and a tank top. The stadium smelled like vomit by the 3rd qtr from all the sick people. But it was glorious after that previous year of futility.

 

[Theologator]

I never quite understood why people buy tickets, spend money and take time to go to games, then sit in a stadium full of people and do everything except watch the game.

I've never quite understood why people buy tickets, spend money and take time to go to games, then sit in a stadium full of people and get so drunk they couldn't possibly enjoy or remember the game - which is why I won't even accept free tickets to a Bucs game (even pre- jaMEis.)

And then there's the cocktail parties in the boxes with a game going on in the background...I understand that but I'd much rather be waist deep in The Swamp.

 

[-THE DUDE-]

He left out the part about getting their asses in their seat prior to kickoff and not at the end of the 1st quarter.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

He left out the part about getting their asses in their seat prior to kickoff and not at the end of the 1st quarter.

Where the hell have you been, mister? We need you over here, man.

 

[VulcanAlex]

I've never quite understood why people buy tickets, spend money and take time to go to games, then sit in a stadium full of people and get so drunk they couldn't possibly enjoy or remember the game - which is why I won't even accept free tickets to a Bucs game (even pre- jaMEis.)

And then there's the cocktail parties in the boxes with a game going on in the background...I understand that but I'd much rather be waist deep in The Swamp.

Even if you don't spend money to go to the game folks do this when they watch the game. I don't get that either. Being drunk means your brain is not enjoying Gator football. I never do that.

Now if I was close I would like to see a game from the pirate boat, especially firing the cannon.

 

[-THE DUDE-]

Where the hell have you been, mister? We need you over here, man.

Work has been crazy...i can only post when I'm in the office...too much traveling. Not to mention this place has been dead...everyone must be in the super secret saloon

 

[soflagator]

He left out the part about getting their asses in their seat prior to kickoff and not at the end of the 1st quarter.

It's not their fault that UF decided to schedule a football game right in the middle of a Kardashians marathon.

 

[lagator]

Even if you don't spend money to go to the game folks do this when they watch the game. I don't get that either. Being drunk means your brain is not enjoying Gator football. I never do that.

Now if I was close I would like to see a game from the pirate boat, especially firing the cannon.

If you watched Muskcrack ball sober you're a braver man than most.

 

[VulcanAlex]

If you watched Muskcrack ball sober you're a braver man than most.

Or rather a Vulcan and stubborn too boot.