Florida’s $87 million football facility, 90,000-person crowds at the Swamp and a brand as recognizable as any in college football did not happen overnight.
Coach Billy Napier wants his players to realize the source of the fan interest, creature comforts and opportunities they receive as Gators.
“It’s important that we understand the history behind the place,” Napier said, “the significance of history and why we have the brand we have today and how dominant the University of Florida football was in certain eras.”
UF’s second-year coach offered a window into the past last week courtesy of former player Kevin Carter, a Gators star from 1991-94 and Super Bowl champion with the 1999 Rams during his 14-year NFL career. Now a college football analyst at CBS Sports, Carter provided an enthralled audience perspective, a powerful message and a history lesson.
“He gave us 30 minutes of absolute fire,” Napier said. “This guy was passionate and really challenged our players in a lot of ways … challenging them to take this opportunity that they have and make a great memory.”
A native of Miami, Carter was a star at Tallahassee Lincoln before heading to Gainesville where he made plenty of memories during the early days of Steve Spurrier’s program.
Prior to his 1990 arrival, Florida football had weathered scandals and NCAA probation in football and enjoyed some pockets of success, including during Spurrier’s Heisman Trophy-winning 1966 season. As a coach, Spurrier turned Florida football into a national power, made a home game in the Swamp one of college football’s hottest tickets and helped elevate the SEC to the top of the sport.
The ripple effect and positive impact is felt decades later.
Napier wants his team to appreciate the program’s evolution because of the efforts of players like Carter, who addressed the Gators last Friday.
“We kind of have a generational gap here, right?” Napier said.
Tulane transfer Cam Carroll is a Mississippi native who played four seasons in New Orleans. Upon his January arrival at UF, Carroll received a crash course in Florida football.
Photos, championship trophies and banners adorn the Heavener Football Training Center and adjacent indoor practice facility.
“It sticks to you quick that this is a very special place,” Carroll said. “And being able to know there’s a lot of great guys that have come through, it kind of motivates you to want to be one of those guys.”
Carter, a two-time All-SEC player, drove home the point.
“He’s a very amped-up guy,” Carroll said.
Carter’s passion for the Gators echoed the message Napier has delivered since Day 1.
Sophomore receiver Caleb Douglas hails from Missouri City, Texas, where Florida football had little meaning to him before he came to Gainesville. After hearing Carter, Douglas said he has gotten up to speed.
“Wearing the emblem, that Gator, it goes a very very long way,” he said. “Before us, it was greats then, also still got greats coming out of here. We’re a big-time program, so to wear that emblem it means a lot.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
