The Cry of the Gator "Wait til next year"

We moved to Gainesville in 1971. I immediately learned we lived in Gator Country, it's great to be a Florida Gator and the cry of the Gator is "Wait til next year".

Alabama came to town and showed us how to play football, 35-0 worth of football. Still we had our thrills with the next tier.

My dad and I were there when Nat Moore blew through the line and into the Gator consciousness. He ran so fast he looked like his head could not keep up with his feet.

We listened and laughed when the Gators laid down against Miami, and Miami was my dad's alma mater. We stood with "did you see that" looks on our faces when Wayne Fields, from our own Gainesville High School and one of the most dynamic players ever before his knee injury, turned games around with his hard hitting and hard running. For three years we saw the most exciting one of all, Wes Chandler, leave defensive backs sitting on their behinds.

Among all the thrills, there was always, "Wait til next year". Every year there were a few sad losses. The worse was to Georgia. Scott and I, went from celebrating our upcoming SEC championship to mourning over fourth-and-dumb.

Our senior year came fast, but it was still great to be a Florida Gator, even at 0-10-1, with walk-on Larry Ochab at quarterback, Chris Collingsworth at wide receiver and the guy that beat me out for the Gray team in the eight-grade, Westside Park basketball league, Kyle Coburn at cornerback.

After graduating college, I was living in Manhattan. My dad had an office in the Empire State Building. He called up a childhood friend of mine. Peter gave me a call the next day and said, "hey come on up, you can stay on our couch." Peter was living in a studio apartment near my dad's office, with the Dickster, Mike, Stan and Mark. Dickie had the back of the apartment, Peter had the front loft, Mike had the high loft in the living area and Stan was in the hole under Peter's loft. Mark was on the couch under Mike's loft and his three months were up, so out he went and I got the couch. We went to a sports bar to watch the Gators get run over again by Herschel. The Gators held their own and despite a couple hundred yards by Herschel, had the win until, "Run Lindsay, run".

So it went, always great to be a Florida Gator and always "Wait til next year". Then next year came.

Our good friends and neighbors the Heaneys moved to Colorado and bequeathed their season tickets, on the alumni side, 20-yard line, to my dad for twelve years. With us cheering the Gators on from the 13 row, the Gators would be forever changed. UF hired the Ol' Ball Coach. And now the Gators have three football and two basketball national championships. My family and the Gator Nation will be forever grateful to the Heaneys. Thanks for the tickets.