Three time national championship winning head coach Urban Meyer has left his impact at both Florida and Ohio State.
But when Meyer left Florida after the 2010 season, things got a little dirty, with some suggesting he’d created a toxic culture in the locker room.
Urban Meyer calls leaving Florida ‘Awful’
Meyer retired from coaching twice as a Gator — after the 2009 and 2010 seasons — citing health issues both times. Now, more than 15 years removed, he admitted on “Another Dooley Noted Podcast” it was heartbreaking.
“The good thing is that I’m surrounded by a lot of Gators and Gator fans,” Meyer said. “And the way that Urban Meyer left Florida is something that I can’t change. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s also my life.”
But even though critics still talk about Meyer’s negative impact on the program, he maintains he left for health reasons.
“It is what it is. I look back now, I was not in good shape. I look back now, I had to do that to get myself healthy again because it was awful. I’m also at peace with the fact that as a Gator,” Meyer said.
“If someone wants to come knock on my door and say, ‘Man, Coach. I wish you guys would just work a little harder for Florida.’ You know, that’s a fight you’re not gonna win,” That’s going to have a bad ending.”
“If they said, ‘You know, Coach, I wish you would have stayed a few more years.’ I get that. I get that. Or someone says you left the program a mess or something. I heard that, and I’m like, you just told me one of the best rosters they’ve ever had in the Gators was the year after we left. They had great players everywhere.”
Meyer finished his Florida career with two national championship victories and SEC championship and three 13-1 season finishes, with an overall record of 65-15.
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“So, I think all of that has kind of moved on. I know it’s certainly moved on in my heart, other than the fact that I look back now,” Meyer said. “And I still have great relationships with a lot of those players. I talk to [Brandon] Spikes all the time, and I’ll never forget those great moments.”
Meyer returned to coaching in 2012 with the Buckeyes, where he’d stay through 2018. He helped lead the team to their eighth national championship in 2014 — the inaugural season of the College Football Playoff.
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