I AM old enough to remember that 0-10-1 season, and, sadly, quite a few more — the alternative notwithstanding. Sometimes those days were not easy to handle, but, at the risk of sounding trite; “Once a Gator, ALWAYS a Gator.” And that’s what sets the Nation, apart from all the rest!

I was fortunate, in that I was a scholarship player and had my education paid for. And aside from the feeling of comradeship and unity that one acquires in a situation like that, it also left me with a feeling of a debt that I owe the University. So you see, I couldn’t be anything but a Gator; win, lose or otherwise.

And to those who have been through the “lean times,” and can truly understand, I am thoroughly enjoying these past 10 years, no matter what all of the “bandwagon,” “fair weather,” fans whine about; no matter what the “haters” may have to say about us — and I’m positive that some of them are the “bandwagon, “fair-weather” I refer to above; and no matter what our opposition has to say about us not being “good winners,” not deserving of our titles, rankings, recognition, I can only say; “Eat your hearts out!” We were a long time getting here, and we are going to enjoy every minute of the ride, every bit as much as you did when you were here.

And if that’s a problem for you…..get over it! We are on the top right now, and until you can knock us off, on the field, not by your mouth, we are better then you, as you pointed out to us many, many times in the past!

“Once a Gator, ALWAYS a Gator!”

True fans literally belive “in all kinds of weather, we’ll all stick together for F-L-O-R-I-D-A. All the whiners need to stop and smell the roses.

They may pretend to be Gators, I call them “fair weather” Gators, but they’ll never be a part of the Gator Nation. That has to be earned!

It occurred to me last night, after reviewing this post; I have to believe that most of these “unsatisfied” Gators, are neither students nor alumni, but are the so-called “bandwagon” fans that jumped onboard during the Spurrier years, likely left during the Zook years, and are back aboard with Meyer’s two national titles. They only follow wins. Nothing more.

You know, we weren’t erxactly going RUTS on our opponents back in 2006 either - in spite of all the whining going back then, we managed to win a NC.

This year’s team is no different; our kids find a way to win, are relentless in their effort, and persevere. If Coach Meyer and his staff weren’t as organized and efficient as they are, no way would we be 9-0 with a 19-game winning streak at this point in time.

These kids are the real deal, and the proof is in the pudding.

GO GATORS!!!!!!!!

Those boys often had very ugly wins, with lots of fans complaining because they couldn’t put teams away early on. Yet, in spite of the whining and the fact that every team they played brought their best effort, the team won that second national championship. They played with their guts and oftentimes were not having fun, but they kept on playing and took every win in whatever fashion they could. End result - UF wins that title and is deservedly considered one of the best all-around teams ever. Ask THEM if it was worth it.

Go Gators!

There’s also a lot of Canes/Noles/Dawgs/Vols/Tigers/et-al in Gator clothing here, because…..well…..where else can they go and what else can they do?!

Hell, we had someone here on Sunday, who stated that Florida was “overated.” After shruging off his apparent short changed education (probably a Cane), my response; “By who? The AP Poll voters? The USA Today Poll voters? The BCS computers? That’s a hell of a stretch for a conspiracy. I submit Pat, the only overrating being done here, is your opinion of your own intellect,” has drawn no reply, as yet.