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Call University of Florida football players a bunch of classless trash talkers if you want. Call them dirty if you want. But racist? For using the term "cracker"? That seems a stretch.

Tim Stroh of Hobe Sound has been hunting alligators with his mom and dad for five years. Over the weekend he reeled in the catch of a lifetime. Stroh and his family and a friend were boating in the St. Lucie County Canal when they saw a huge gator just before a bridge. "I've just never seen a gator that big and so close," said Tim. "When I saw how big it was it even intimidated me," added Tim's dad, Steve. With his bass fishing rod he tossed his line and the 800 pound alligator chomped down. Tim has a...

The residents of Fairview Estates in Citrus Hills are on edge. "I'm not frightened, but I'm concerned," said John Hoagland, a homeowner in this Hernando neighborhood. Pat Lisotta, who lives nearby, echoed the tension, "This is very upsetting, it is," she said. "Everybody's just being cautious," said John Littnan. It's all because of what got out of an enclosure in a wooded area nearby. There are eight alligators still on the loose. As Littnan points over the fence near his property, he said, "They came from right here, where you can see the pit that's been made. And they dug...

Football Star Tim Tebow talks pro-life in new book by Rebecca Millette June 3, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Twenty-three-year-old former college football legend and 2010 first-round draft pick as quarterback for the Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow, may be an up-and- coming NFL football star, but according to his mom, he is first and foremost her “miracle baby.” In his new autobiography, “Through My Eyes,” Tebow writes about his miraculous birth, his home schooled upbringing, the impact of faith and family on his life, and his determination to succeed, which led him to two NCAA National Football Championships with the Florida Gators...

How much did it cost Notre Dame to get rid of Charlie Weis? Start with $6,638,403. And keep counting until December 2015. Notre Dame made an initial "termination payment" to Weis of more than $6.6 million and will continue to cut smaller checks to its former football coach for the foreseeable future, according to federal tax documents obtained by the Tribune on Thursday. Weis' apparent buyout is revealed on the Form 990 Notre Dame must submit to the Internal Revenue Service. It was made available to the Tribune upon request. Weis' total severance pay — which was subject to debate...

Urban Meyer has stepped down as coach of the University of Florida football team. Meyer resigned one year ago but changed his mind and came back to coach the 2010 season

Well, it looks like the New Black Panther Party is finally back in the news once again. A couple of months ago, as many of you will remember, Attorney General Eric Holder dropped the voter intimidation case against the Philadelphia chapter after they were caught on video carrying batons at a polling station in ’08, which led to a firestorm of videos being released against the group. Now, a new video has surfaced showing King Samir saying that whites use black babies as ‘alligator bait’, while lambasting Fox News for the coverage after it was found the case was dropped....

Mary Ellen Mara-Christian is only five feet, five inches tall, weighing in at 115 pounds. She's looks small, but this week she proved she can take on a lot. Mara-Christian killed a 13-foot, six-inch, 1,025-pound alligator during South Carolina's alligator hunting season. How did she do it? In an exclusive interview on "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," Mara-Christian explained she was out on a boat on Lake Moultrie with her husband and a few friends when she hooked the alligator with her heavy-duty fishing pole. "We stuck him with a harpoon," she said. "We had two lines on him,...

CLINCH COUNTY, Ga. -- A crazy gator frenzy was caught on camera in Clinch County. Fishermen in Stephen C. Foster State Park came across hundreds of alligators in the water. Biologists say it can happen when a large population of fish is available to eat. The animals somehow signal to each other to join in on the hunt. The video is posted on YouTube.

Remember JagGator, the annoying marriage of Jaguars and Gators that some enterprising fans came up with shortly after the Jaguars were born? Now there's BroncoGator. Someone has done the same thing, combining the Denver Broncos horse logo with the University of Florida Gator head logo. The end result looks something like a dragon, but it's sure to catch on with Gators fans that are not quite yet ready to let go of Tim Tebow.

No teeth to gator sighting in South Bay A lost gator in Los Gatos? That’s how the call came in Tuesday morning to CHP. A driver called 911 to report an alligator on the left hand shoulder of the Northbound 85 on ramp off northbound Highway 17. Other news outlets relayed the traffic hazard info from CHP, even called it a "loose animal" in the roadway. Yes, at 50 miles an hour, it looked very much like a dead gator on its back. Our photographer Rob Hughes even risked life and limb along the busy roadway to investigate. Then he...

A Boston sports-radio host yesterday likened former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow’s NFL draft party to a “Nazi rally,” a remark one media observer called an “amazing double standard.” Fred “Toucher” Toettcher said yesterday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, “It looked like some kind of Nazi rally. . . . So lily-white is what I’m trying to say. Yeah, Stepford Wives.” Station spokesman Cha-Chi Loprete said the station “received no inquiries regarding” the morning drive-time show and declined further comment. Efforts to reach Toettcher for comment were unsuccessful.

Blood trickles from a gash below Paul Bedard’s left ear, a wound that could have been worse considering that he incurred it while kissing an 8ft (2.5m) alligator under water. In the viewing stands overlooking the pool where he is performing, a crowd of 800 people cheers and gasps as he dives to wrangle the reptile, anxious to impress the panel of judges who are assessing his moves. He resurfaces holding the alligator over his head before hauling it to the side of the pool, staggering on to the adjoining sandy beach and flopping it on to its back, a...

Florida redshirt freshman defensive tackle Gary Brown has been suspended from all team activities following his Sunday arrest for allegedly striking two women at an off-campus party. According to Alachua County Jail records, Brown has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor battery. He was released on his own recognizance on Monday morning. The 19-year-old Brown is accused of striking a woman in the face with an open hand as she tried to get people to leave a party at a Gainesville apartment complex. When another woman tried to intervene, Brown allegedly slapped her arm away and caused several scratches....

Super Bowl ad turns Tebow from football player to political figure. Two games into Tim Tebow's tenure as a starting quarterback in college, I predicted he would win Heisman Trophies plus national championships and go down as one of the greatest college football players ever. Now that his college career is officially over following his performance in Saturday's Senior Bowl, it's time to make another bold prediction: Tim Tebow will be the President of the United States someday. Go ahead and laugh if you want. They used to laugh, too, at the notion that another charismatic, conservative former college football...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Chandler Parsons' 75-foot 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer lifted Florida past North Carolina State 62-61 on Sunday. Vernon Macklin scored 14 points and Erving Walker added 13 for the Gators (11-3). Florida appeared headed for a loss after Farnold Degand's free throw with 2.6 seconds put N.C. State up 61-59. But Degand missed his second free throw. Parsons grabbed the rebound, took two dribbles and uncorked a shot from roughly three-quarter court that swished through, sending the Gators pouring onto the court to mob him. Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CE6x1GdfLY&feature=related

BLOW OUT THE GATORS!!!!

Florida coach Urban Meyer, who announced Saturday night that he would step down after coaching the Gators in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, is having second thoughts about retirement and will instead take an indefinite leave of absence following the bowl game, a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN on Sunday.

Urban Meyer is stepping down as coach at Florida because of health concerns that came to light when he was admitted to a hospital because of chest pains following the Southeastern Conference championship game. The 45-year-old Meyer resigned Saturday, calling it quits after five seasons in Gainesville and two national titles. He leaves Florida with a 56-10 record that includes a 32-8 mark in league play and a school-record 22-game winning streak snapped early this month against Alabama. "I have given my heart and soul to coaching college football and mentoring young men for the last 24-plus years and I...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida coach Urban Meyer, who was admitted to a hospital because of chest pains following the Southeastern Conference championship game, is stepping down because of health concerns. Meyer resigned Saturday, calling it quits after five seasons in Gainesville and two national titles. He leaves Florida with a 56-10 record that includes a 32-8 mark in league play and a school-record 22-game winning streak snapped early this month against Alabama. HISTORIC RUN Urban Meyer is stepping down at Florida after the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and he goes out on top among current FBS coaches. His win percentage is...

Urban Meyer leaving Florida according to ESPN

Just announced on the broadcast of UNC vs. Pitt. No reason given. Meyer will be available at the arrival press conf. at their bowl game.

Here's an interesting note from Florida's camp heading into Saturday's big game ... President Barack Obama is rooting for Florida to beat Alabama on Saturday, according to Gators right tackle Marcus Gilbert, whose father Jeff helped protect Obama as a U.S. Secret Service agent during his president campaign. According to the Palm Beach Post ... Marcus said Obama often asks his dad how Marcus and the Gators are doing."He's rooting for us all the way, like he did last year," Gilbert said.

Florida Gators starting defensive end Carlos Dunlap was arrested for DUI early Tuesday morning in Gainesville, according to Gainesville police department spokesman Lt. Keith Kameg. Dunlap, a junior from North Charleston, S.C., was arrested at 3:25 a.m. near campus and was booked into the jail at 5:52 a.m., according to police. Kameg said officers responded to a reckless driving complaint and found Dunlap's 2000 Chrysler stopped at a traffic light near the 200 block of W. 34th Street. Kameg said officers found Dunlap's car stopped at a green light. "They approached the car and found the suspect slumped over....

Fire fighters rescue a 7-foot gator from a storm drain Urban myth our fat fannies! Miami-Dade Fire Rescue pulled a 7-foot, 150-pound alligator from a storm drain in a residential neighborhood Friday afternoon, just before it could burst from underneath the street and take its revenge on the person who flushed it down the toilet. Not really. No one knows how the reptile got stuck in the sewer, but our guess is it was flushed as a baby and then grew up in the sewers while eating rats, beef patties and the occasional chihuahua. Rescue officials think it just wandered...

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was taken to the UK Medical Center by ambulance after taking a shot to the head while being sacked in the third quarter of the top-ranked Gators' 41-7 victory over Kentucky at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday night.

Welcome to Waldo, Fla., home of a giant flea market (NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA'S LARGEST!), a superb antiques village (OPEN 7 DAYS) and one of the most devious speed traps in the world. Over the course of a quarter mile on the way into town, the speed limit plunges from 65 mph to 35. Word is, Waldo's finest aren't real big on giving out warnings. There, just north of the antiques village, a southbound semi sat on the shoulder on a recent July evening, its driver a picture of surliness as an officer wrote him up. Cruising past in the opposite...

Gainesville Police arrested and Tased Florida Gators cornerback Janoris Jenkins following his involvement in a street fight over the weekend, according to Alachua County jail records. **** Jenkins is the Gators' 24th arrest in the last four years, a trend the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Dave Hyde recently pointed out. Jenkins is the third Gator to be arrested in 2009, following offensive lineman Carl Johnson and walk-on Marquis Hannah. Defensive tackle Torrey Davis was arrested shortly after leaving the team in March.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY DARRYL SJOBERG Nokomis resident Jan Keith found an 8-foot long alligator on her front porch in the Calusa Lakes subdivision Friday morning. Trapper Harry Flechig and two Sarasota County Sheriff's deputies quickly captured the animal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD1yJBZzK4M

After spending the season as college football’s marquee stars, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford now hold the biggest off-season question in their hands. One N.F.L. scout said that Sam Bradford is a "no-brainer" overall No. 1 pick in the draft.

Tim Tebow took over for Florida and the top-ranked Gators grabbed a 14-7 lead over No. 2 Oklahoma after three quarters at the BCS national championship game Thursday night. With two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks and offenses that combined to average 99 points per game in the regular season, the Gators and Sooners were expected to trade scores most of the night at Dolphin Stadium. But the defenses came up with most of the biggest plays in the first 30 minutes, and Tebow was the show in the third and forth quarter. Florida wins 24- 14.

We've reached the final game of the college football season. I know that we've had some arguments regarding who really should be the national champion (and due to my own bias I've tried to stay away from it). But anyway, somebody decided #'s 1 and 2 for this game a long time ago and here they are. The BCS National Championship Game: Florida vs. Oklahoma (8:00 pm, FOX) The last two Heisman trophy winners take to the turf for the waterford crystal shaped football from Sears (or at least it used to be from Sears). Leading up to this game,...

MIAMI -- Florida Gators defensive coordinator Charlie Strong believes race is a reason he hasn't been offered a head-coaching job during his 25 years in college football, a newspaper reported Tuesday. Strong, a 48-year-old black man, shook his head affirmatively when an Orlando Sentinel reporter asked him if his interracial marriage was a factor in getting passed over for jobs, including one at a Southern school a few years ago. Strong, whose wife is white, said he heard that too many times for it to be rumor.

Florida Upsets No. 1 Alabama For SEC Crown SEC Championship: Florida 31, Alabama 20 Florida appears headed back to the national championship game after Alabama picked the worst possible time for its first loss of the season. Tim Tebow threw three touchdown passes -- including the decisive score with just under three minutes remaining -- to lead the No. 2 Gators to a 31-20 victory over No. 1 Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Saturday. The win should be enough to give Florida (12-1) a spot in the BCS title game for the second time in three years....

This is where life imitates ... what exactly? What began two years ago with a quirky jump-pass in a college football game has evolved into this extraordinarily surreal life: communicating with heads of state, preaching to prisoners and, yes, circumcising children in a Third World country. All in one offseason. Tim Tebow won the Heisman Trophy in December, the first sophomore to do so. In the six months since, the Florida Gators' iconic 20-year-old quarterback has traveled more than 15,000 miles to be honored by 15 organizations in nine states. A devout Christian, he has spread the gospel all over...

Talk about getting off on the wrong foot. A Plant High School (Tampa, Fla.) tight end broke the Florida Gators’ 2006 BCS National Championship trophy over the weekend at a NIKE football camp. I kid you not. Orson Charles, who is being recruited by Arkansas and at least 10 other schools including Florida, bumped into the “handcrafted Waterford crystal trophy” outside of UF coach Urban Meyer’s office this weekend. The poor guy declined to talk about breaking the Gators’ crown jewel to a local TV crew, as did his head coach, according to a report. The trophy has a reported...

DAN: Before the game on Friday night a nice honor for you, you'll play in San Antonio, Texas in the US Army All-American bowl in January... TIM TEBOW: It's very exciting, we've known for a while but they didn't want us to let anyone know..its a huge honor and I am looking forward to it... DAN: I've heard that you may be making an announcement about your college intentions December 14th... TIM TEBOW: Yes sir, that's when ESPN wants me to do it..and they're doing this series thing too, so we're looking at that...but it's a good possibility we'll announce...

Ed Long thought he was shooting at a snapping turtle, but got a surprise when he pulled his trophy from the Milwaukee River: a metre-long alligator. Long had been in the river Saturday hunting for ducks. "At first, I thought it was a turtle tail," he said. "The it turned and came back at me. I seen the eyes come out of the water, but my brain didn't click. This is Wisconsin. There's not supposed to be gators in Wisconsin." "I'm still just absolutely 100 per cent shocked," said Long's uncle, Herb Sagan. "You've got a better chance of shooting...

Gwendolyn Wunneburger never thought she would shoot an animal older than herself in this stage of her life. On Wednesday, Wunneburger, 77, shot a 12-foot, 4-inch, 750-pound male alligator estimated to be around 80 years old. Just two hours earlier, she had shot another male alligator measuring 10 feet, 4 inches and weighing 650 pounds. The 4-foot-5, 110-pound Wunneburger, who lives in Lakeway, has hunted wild game all over the world. She has stalked leopards in Africa and grizzly bear in Montana, but said Wednesday's hunt was one of her most exhilarating. "Not many people go after big alligators because...

Billy Donovan informed the Magic and the University of Florida over the weekend that he had second thoughts about agreeing to be Orlando's head coach, but it's unclear if the NBA team will let him go. Orlando has a signed contract from Donovan and are making a decision as to whether or not to let him out of the five-year, $27.5 million deal that he signed Thursday, multiple sources told ESPN.com Sunday. If the Magic do let Donovan out of the deal, they have to decide whether to enforce a financial penalty. Both sides aren't talking publicly since there are...

It is a stats page. Go Gators!

It was the end of Monday night's BCS Championship party and we still weren't having Fun Bunch yet. Oh, you remember the Fun Bunch, a four-pack of Ohio State Buckeyes that colluded to put 42 points on Michigan and at least 35 on nine of their 12 ruthlessly-whacked opponents. Well, after weeks of mind-numbing analysis, we now know the Fun Bunch was no match for the Run Bunch. Yeah, the Run Bunch checks in as a collection of speed freaks from Florida coached by Urban Meyer and, at 41-14, better on title night than the long-running favorite.

THE BCS NATIONAL TITLE GAME vs. Florida vs Ohio State (-7) The BCS National Title game is being played in Glendale, Arizona and features the BCS #1 team and Big Ten conference champion Ohio State Buckeyes vs. the BCS #2 and SEC Conference champion Florida Gators. Being that this is the National Title game as we know it, I’ll break it down by groups. Feel free to disagree if you like, but I’ll do my level best to keep it even here. Ohio State’s offensive line vs. Florida’s defensive line: This is one of 3 critical match-ups in the game....

Florida's fine, but how is Michigan left out? If you're Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, how do you explain to your players that they won't be in the BCS Championship Game? How do you tell the second-best team in the country to get pumped about playing USC in the Runner-Up Bowl? How do you resist the urge of wishing Nutcracker drills on every person who jumped one-loss Florida ahead of the one-loss Wolverines in the final polls?

AUBURN, Ala., Oct. 14 — It can be a merciless existence in the Southeastern Conference, with a team’s schedule stacked with Top 25 opponents and fierce crowds of up to 107,000 people screaming from start to finish at a visiting squad. Given all that, it was not exactly surprising that No. 2 Florida, trying to stay in the national championship hunt, was finally taken down by the SEC gantlet here Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Gators were surrounded by a howling crowd of 87,541, which revved up the Auburn defense in the second half as the No. 11 Tigers...

Traffic keeps back from an amphibious assault vehicle from “Team Gator,” D Company, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5. Team Gator patrols the highways to keep them clear of improvised explosive devices and insurgent attackers. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva ‘Gators’ Prowl Highways Surrounding Fallujah Team Gator is tasked with keeping the main routes in the area open for Coalition and civilian traffic. By U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq, Aug. 28, 2006 -- Forget murky swamps or backyard swimming pools. Regimental Combat Team 5 (RCT-5) has “Gators” stalking...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It was curtains for Crusty. The 8-foot alligator had been fed too many marshmallows, jelly beans and M&Ms, and had lost his fear of humans. Under state policy, he was deemed a nuisance, which is a virtual death sentence. But then an anonymous donor last month paid to have the gator moved to a nearby animal exhibit. Crusty was one of the lucky ones. More than 7,000 gators, or about 20 a day, are killed each year under Florida's nuisance alligator criteria — 4 feet or longer and a perceived threat to people or pets....