On a warm Feb. 7 afternoon, a small crowd of Florida Gators fans makes its way to the football team’s Indoor Practice Facility. Decked in orange and blue, they enter through the doors and under the football-helmet archway.
Once inside, the invitees follow the smells to the back of the room. There, tables of complimentary food, beverages, and dessert are set up.
The guests satisfy their appetites with miniature hot dogs, pulled pork tacos, and beef brisket sliders with au jus for dipping. Iced tea and orange-infused water are available to quench their thirst.
As attendees nibble and sip, they head to the mid-field seats and decorated standing tables in anticipation of what’s to come. While they sit and wait, a large screen on the stage displays pictures and highlight reels of players who committed to Florida earlier that day for National Signing Day.
Florida’s mascots, Albert and Alberta, are making their rounds and taking pictures with the littlest of Florida fans. The Gator football cheerleaders soon join, in their scarcely seen all-black uniforms, with a small portion of Florida’s Pride of the Sunshine Marching Band following close behind. The band plays several familiar gameday cheers, such as “Gator Bait,” “Jaws,” and the classic “Go Gators!” to hype up the crowd.
An emcee approaches the stage to introduce the evening’s highly anticipated speaker. “So, if you guys wanna look that way, you might wanna see a special individual about to make his way in!” he says. The band strikes up Florida’s fight song, “The Orange and Blue,” as the crowd applauds and rise to its feet to welcome new Florida head football coach, Dan Mullen.
Mullen is stylish in a gray suit, soft orange tie, and a fresh pair of Jordan’s on his feet. “It’s great to be back!” he says into the microphone.
The coach is no stranger to Florida football. Mullen was the offensive coordinator during the 2005-2008 football seasons.
The Philadelphia native begins to talk about how people have approached him concerning the “big expectations” at Florida. “I understand those expectations, and I embrace those expectations,” he says with passion. “This might sound crazy, but I probably have higher expectations for our football program than everybody else!”
Mullen says the responsibility is to bring back the “Gator Standard.” It does not have an exact definition. It’s just “the standard in which we live by.”
According to Mullen, achieving the goal of bringing back the “Gator Standard” starts with a relentless effort from everyone. “It’s not just the guys on the field,” Mullen says. “It’s everybody in the Gator Nation doing the absolute best they can to be the best that they can.”
Mullen goes into detail about what else the “Gator Standard” entails. The list includes the players’ conduct on and off the field, fans having pride in everything the players are doing and the players living by the standards expected of them in the classroom and the community. Mullen’s most notable aspect of the “Gator Standard” receives cheers and applause from attendees: expect to compete for championships every year.
Mullen says he has a few favors to ask of Florida fans. First, he doesn’t want to see one empty seat at the Orange and Blue Debut spring game on April 14. Fans are encouraged to “pack the Swamp” and show support for the team, even if it is just a scrimmage game.
Second, Mullen says he wants the fans to create the “best home-field advantage in all of college football.” Make Florida a tough place to play for opposing teams. “Every game we have the most intimidating home-field advantage, and everybody is scared to come into the Swamp. That is critical for us,” he says.
Mullen’s speech concludes, and he opens it up to the audience for questions. When one man asks him what he’s going to do about the University of Georgia’s head football coach implying the Bulldogs have overthrown the Gators as Southeastern Conference (SEC) Champions, Mullen gives a zesty, humorous reply.
“Listen, making it to one SEC Championship Game doesn’t make you a dominant program,” he says. “Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.” Applause, cheers, and laughter ensue after this comment about the school’s long-standing in-conference rival.
To conclude the light-hearted evening, Mullen thanks all for coming and leaves Florida fans on an optimistic note. “I can’t wait to give you the team that all of you deserve next year on that field every single Saturday,” he tells the crowd with conviction. “Go Gators!”