Cincy
Alum Meyer says UC on path to big time
Florida coach impressed with Kelly's progress
BY BILL KOCH |
BKOCH@ENQUIRER.COM
Urban Meyer, a Bearcat in 1984, said of his time at UC: "It wasn't major college football."
From Tim Murphy to Rick Minter to Mark Dantonio and now Brian Kelly, Florida coach Urban Meyer has followed the University of Cincinnati football program and its head coaches. After all, UC is Meyer's alma mater.
He has watched the Bearcats from a distance as he's gone about developing into one of the nation's most highly respected coaches.
But Wednesday morning, Meyer showed up at Nippert Stadium for spring practice to see first-hand just how far UC has progressed since his days as a reserve defensive back and special teams player in 1984.
"There's been a lot of progress made here," he said, "a lot of hard work."
When he played at UC, Meyer said, neither he nor the program was very good. The crowds were small, the facilities were outdated and fan interest was minimal.
"I heard players back in the day that would complain about the locker room, complain about the weight room," Meyer said. "But the real complaint was that we were really a bunch of players that were not committed. Now that I've been doing this for a long time, (I see) that it was really comical.
"It just wasn't good," he said. "It wasn't major college football. It was a masquerade. It was not what it is today. The facilities are phenomenal. That practice was a legitimate practice with a bunch of good football players."
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