GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Urban Meyer surprisingly resigned Saturday as Florida’s coach after five seasons and two national titles because of health concerns that came to light when he suffered chest pains following the SEC Championship Game.
Meyer, 45, will coach his final game at the Sugar Bowl against Cincinnati on New Year’s Day.
He leaves No. 5 Florida with a 56-10 record that includes a 32-8 mark in league play and a school-record 22-game winning streak that was snapped by Alabama in the SEC title game Dec. 5.
“I have given my heart and soul to coaching college football and mentoring young men for the last 24-plus years, and I have dedicated most of my waking moments the last five years to the Gator football program,” Meyer said in a statement.
“I have ignored my health for years, but recent developments have forced me to reevaluate my priorities of faith and family.”
By stepping down, Meyer leaves a program that has become one of the jewels of college football and at a time when he is considered one of the best coaches in the nation.
He has scheduled a news conference in New Orleans this afternoon.
Meyer consulted with his family, doctors, Florida President Bernie Machen and Athletic Director Jeremy Foley before making his decision.
“Coach Meyer and I have talked this through, and I realize how hard this was for him to reach this decision,” Foley said. “But the bottom line is that Coach Meyer needed to make a choice that is in the best interest of his well being and his family.
“I certainly appreciate what he has meant to the University of Florida, our football program and the Gator Nation. I have never seen anyone more committed to his players, his family and his program. Above all, I appreciate our friendship.”
Although reports quickly surfaced that Meyer was suffering from, among other things, a stroke and a defective heart muscle, a person close to Meyer said they were false. The person spoke on condition of anonymity out of respect for Meyer’s privacy.
“He just had a wake-up call,” the source said. “He got scared and realized he can’t do it anymore. His tank is empty.”
Last month, Sports Illustrated chronicled Meyer’s coaching career and reported that he suffered from persistent headaches caused by an arachnoid cyst that becomes inflamed by stress, rage andexcitement. Meyer told the magazine that since the diagnosis in the early 2000s he has tried to stay composed during games.
News of Meyer’s retirement stunned his peers.
“He is a first-class coach, and the success he’s had is unmatched in our profession, especially over the last five years at Florida,” Alabama Coach Nick Saban said. “We hope he is able to regain his health and have the opportunity to coach again in the future. Urban Meyer is a great person as well as a great coach, and the game of college football is better with him as a part of it.”
“It’s a surprise to everybody,” said Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, who retiredDec. 1 after 34 years. “I hope he’s OK physically because he’s done as great a job at the University of Florida as has been done there, or anywhere else. I admire the way he handles himself, and I really like his family. The college coaching profession will really miss him.”
A seemingly tireless recruiter and creative motivator, Meyer came to Florida from Utah in fall 2004 amid speculation he would end up at Notre Dame.
Meyer brought most of his staff with him - some of whom worked with him at Bowling Green (2001-02) and Utah (2003-04). Together, they restored the program to national prominence two years later with the school’s second national championship.
The Gators upset Ohio State 41-14 in Glendale, Ariz., then won another one last January by beating Oklahoma 24-14 in Miami.
With just about his entire team returning this fall, Meyer spent all season coaching under intense pressure and skyhigh expectations. He said he welcomed it all as the defending national champions tried to become just the second team in the past 14 years to repeat.
But the season was far from smooth. Florida dealt with distraction after distraction, prompting Meyer to call it “the year of stuff.”
It included preseason talk about perfection, flulike symptoms that ravaged the team, Tim Tebow’s concussion, linebacker Brandon Spikes’ eye-gouging incident, Meyer’s hefty fine for criticizing officials, defensive end Carlos Dunlap’s drunk-driving arrest, a few controversial calls, someclose games and what seemed to be a season-long offensive slump.
Still, the loss to Alabama was the most crushing blow - until this.
“He leaves a lasting legacy on the field, in the classroom and in the Gainesville community,” Machen said. “I am saddened that Urban is stepping down, but I have deep respect for his decision.”
Sports, Pages 25 on 12/27/2009