Urban Meyer and How We All Lose

Urban Meyer stepped down as the head coach of the Florida Gators on Dec. 26 citing health issues. While the university is in a bind, they will find a capable replacement, as for fans, they will not find another Urban Meyer for a long time.

Having Meyer leave coaching at this age is as if MJ decided at 25 to leave basketball. We all would have been robbed of seeing one of the greatest careers of all time play out.

Everything Urban has touched has turned to gold. He turned an unknown Bowling Green program into a winner, made Utah into the first real BCS buster and created a dynasty down at Florida. He has been nothing but a winner and literally changed the landscape of college football.

The work he did at Utah is unbelievable. While he came into a good program his unique offense was able to take it to the next level. His first year there he won 10 games and the next year he lead the team to an undefeated season and became the first non BCS-conference school to win a BCS game. He basically created the idea of a BCS-Buster.

Florida quickly grabbed up Meyer and he completely changed the landscape of college football. Many screamed that Meyers unique spread offense could not survive against the speedy defenses of the SEC. Within two years he shocked the doubters and won his first national championship. Two years later he added another. This year, after falling short of what looked like a third Meyer has shocked college football again.

Meyers unexpected move has crushed not only gator nation but our entire nation. While the Gators may have underachieved they were without a doubt reloading for next season. They had another top-5 recruiting class and Urbans dream of building the "fastest team in the country" would continue to live on at Florida.

This is what is so unbelievable about Meyers decision. As sports fans we find it hard to imagine the titans as people (see Woods, Tiger). The idea that a great career can be stalled by something outside of sport seems absurd and more importantly unfair. But we are faced with it yet again. Football has not stopped Urban and Florida but rather his health.

Urban Meyer had the potential to be one of the greatest although we will never know. Sometimes sports just is unfair.