Urban Meyer Stepping Down After Sugar Bowl

In one of the most shocking stories to come out of the sports world in recent memory, Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer is leaving after this season health reasons. While reports are murky about the exact cause, you have to hope and pray that Meyer is okay and it is nothing life threatening. Though this move is the best for Coach Meyer and his family it is sad to see him leave coaching in his prime.

In five years with the Gators, Meyer has won two National Championships and won at least nine games a season (three seasons of 12 or more). Meyer has led the Gators to a 56-10 record* (with the Bowl game to go) and has a career 95-18 record (again with one game to go). Everywhere Meyer has coached, he has won and built a solid program. In two years with Bowling Green, two with Utah and five with Florida, Meyer has won five conference titles and never finished lower than third in the conference. By comparison over the same nine year period USC coach Pete Carroll  went 97-19 (including his Bowl Game this season), one undisputed National Championship and one AP National Championship. While Carroll’s numbers are impressive, it should be noted that twice his team finished 5th in the Pac-10, and he also had the recruiting resources of USC for all nine seasons, which might be a bit better than those of Bowling Green and Utah.

To me there is no question that Meyer is the greatest coach in college football over the last ten years. While questions now swirl about the future of Meyer and the Gators, I wonder how Meyer will be remembered years from now? And are his two National Championships enough to keep him in the great coach conversation and even in the College Football Hall of Fame?