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Urban Meyer is being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Meyer joins a 2025 class that includes Nick Saban, Michael Vick, Michael Strahan and others. Meyer and Saban were both eligible for the first time under the Hall’s criteria of being retired from at least 3 seasons (Meyer) or retiring after the age of 70 (Saban).
Though brief, Meyer had one of the most memorable coaching tenures in Florida history.
After finding success at Bowling Green (17-6, 2001-02) and Utah (22-2, 2003-04), Meyer took the Florida head coaching job ahead of the 2005 season. In 6 seasons, he would post a 65-15 record, going 36-12 in SEC play.
Following a 9-3 debut season in 2005, the Gators had a magical Year 2 under Meyer in 2006. Employing both senior Chris Leak and freshman Tim Tebow at quarterback, Florida went 13-1 in the 2006 campaign, defeating Arkansas to win the SEC Championship and Ohio State to win the BCS National Championship, UF’s 2nd title in program history.
Meyer would add a Heisman Trophy quarterback to his coaching resume in 2007, as Tebow became the first sophomore to win college football’s top individual honor. The Gators took a step back as a team in 2007, finishing 9-4, but would be back on top in 2008.
The ’08 season cemented Meyer’s legacy as the only Florida football coach to win multiple national titles. A 3rd-year Tebow led the team to another SEC title, this time taking down Saban’s No. 1 undefeated Alabama team in Atlanta. In a matchup with an Oklahoma team led by Heisman winner Sam Bradford, Tebow and Percy Harvin carried the offense while a stingy defensive performance helped secure a 24-14 win.
Meyer and the Gators sought to make it 3 titles in 4 years in 2009, but an undefeated season came to an end with an SEC title loss to Alabama. Florida would finish with 13 wins, capped by a Sugar Bowl victory in Tebow’s farewell game.
Meyer announced a retirement before the Sugar Bowl, citing health and family reasons. He changed his mind, but in 2010 decided to retire after that season. The Gators went 8-5 in the 2010 campaign, defeating Penn State in the Outback Bowl to give Meyer a victory in his Florida farewell.
Following his UF retirement, Meyer spent the 2011 season as an ESPN analyst. His retirement did not last long, as he returned to the sidelines at Ohio State. Meyer coached Ohio State from 2012-18.
At OSU, Meyer posted an 83-9 record, leading the Buckeyes to a 2014 national championship and 3 Big Ten championships. Ohio State sent Meyer out in style, winning the Rose Bowl to complete the 2018 season.
Meyer took a broadcasting gig with FOX following his decision to step away from OSU. He gave the NFL a try, taking the Jacksonville Jaguars job. Meyer was fired by Jacksonville before completing the 2021 season, going 2-11.
After Jacksonville, Meyer returned to FOX.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
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