Mary Wise
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- Nov 9, 2015
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Not true. I do not have the time nor the mental capacity to remember every coach's name.
Neither do I, but a coach of a very successful sport over so long a time should be recognized at least.
- Jun 9, 2014
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I probably should. I'm not nearly as ardent over any of this as I used to be.
Those were really terrific moments for Gator peripherals in 1980. We had a new high-tech arena (the O'Dome), and it brought immediate interest to swimming, volleyball, gymnastics and (esp) Norm Sloan's hoopsters.
I'll never forget the first time I walked in the place. It seemed so technologically advanced, and the smell of chlorine from the pool pervaded. It was so different than Florida Gym, aka the Alley.
Good times.
- Aug 11, 2015
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Did you know anyone who ascended the drains to get on the roof? I was told there were flaps over holes meant to regulate pressure on the (then) fabric roof that you could lift and peer into the arena. I’m too afraid of heights to try it but I heard tales.
And if you used the regular doors rather than the revolving ones, you’d feel the whoosh of air pressure that held the roof up.
- Jun 18, 2014
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- Jun 19, 2014
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ccsdk
True Gator
- Nov 12, 2017
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Hey...I remember Randy Reese and coach Bill Harlan when I tried out for the team in 75. They were loaded that year with several olympians like Tim Makee and Gary Chelosky. I think we were ranked 7 in the nation. Didn't Reese move to Auburn and turn them into a power house or was that his brother?
- Jul 20, 2014
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I made it on the roof. They had little door near the top. My friend worked for a contractor so he took em up. You could see Paynes Prairie easily and it was like a very big pillow up on the roof.
They would try to funnel you to the revolving doors but sometimes we would run to those doors to feel that air pressure push you out.
- Jun 9, 2014
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Randy and Eddie Reese formed one helluva dynamic brother duo in swimming. Eddie coached Auburn and later Texas, where he led the Longhorns to a slew of national titles. Randy was at Florida from 1976-90. The two couldn't have been more unalike. As much as Eddie could be gregarious and easy to approach, Randy was just the opposite, standoffish, sarcastic and quick to criticize. He tested me a lot, but over time he softened a little. Regardless, they were both hugely successful.
The last time I saw Randy he looked like this.
He's in his 70s now and coaching the Clearwater Aquatics Team down here. It's a bit jolting to realize how much time has gone by.
- Jun 9, 2014
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- Mar 27, 2016
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Early on in her career I wondered if the softness of the SEC lead to her teams not being as ready for post season as they could be. The SEC is better in volleyball now. Maybe she just needs the right break to win it all. I thought possibly drawing UNL in the finals this year would be the trick, but alas.
- Jun 18, 2014
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I was just messing around
- Mar 27, 2016
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I did not take your post seriously, just as sign of interest in why she has not won a title. So I replied to it. I might have replied to others.
- Oct 5, 2014
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http://floridagators.com/news/2013/9/12/1496.aspx
Bill Harlan --- there's a name to remember from out of the past. Back then Florida had some really big meets with Tennessee for SEC supremacy in swimming.
- Jun 9, 2014
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Your post just helped revive a memory from my first quarter at UF. Handball. I hadn't been able to remember who the instructor was for years until just now.
It was Bill Harlan.
- Oct 5, 2014
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https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AAIBAJ&sjid=jekDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4522,195201&hl=en
I remember in physical education class taking handball and playing out on the outdoor courts on University Avenue. One of the PE coaches whom I had for handball was a character by the name of Permillas Arten Lee who went by his initials of P.A.Lee. He was a character but also a real gentleman. There was another coach at UF by the name of Jim McCachren who also was a good handball player. He was an assistant to Tommy Bartlett the Gators' basketball coach. Those handball courts were eventually named the Lee-McCachren Handball Courts in their honor.
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ccsdk
True Gator
- Nov 12, 2017
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Coach Harlan and coach Reese were brutal. Oh man ...i thought I was a hotshot high school All American sprinter from California, when I tried out for the team. But these guys were complete studs. I remember one workout swimming 10 broken 200's on the 2:00 minute mark. This is oxygen deprevation stuff. This is ghastly training. This kind of stuff is throw-up nausiam after 5 of them. Damn if the top 4 guys were repeating these 200's within 5 seconds of the national record. Needless to say I trained with them for 6 mos. and then joined the Gator Band.
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ccsdk
True Gator
- Nov 12, 2017
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No he's saying I want 5 more or we'll do them all over again!
- Jul 20, 2014
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Remember both of them well. I had Mac for a basketball class and PA for baseball. These were classes PE majors had to take. They were buds that played racquetball on the old courts and many years later a plaque was put up with their names on it there. Of course all that was demolished by the UAA for the stadium parking years later. I remember back in the 70s when those courts were always full with someone waiting for each one. 3 wall racquetball was very popular.
