We’ve got to cut Urban Meyer a little slack on thisone. Though he is a self-proclaimed fan of college football pageantryand a big advocate of tradition, Florida’s head football coach hasnever heard of the trophy that goes to the winner of the Florida-Miamigame.
When I mentioned the “War Canoe” to the coach on Monday as he was leaving his press conference, it drew a blank look.
“Better coach him up on it,” I said to Gator publicity Steve McClain.
“He hasn’t read it yet,” said McClain, implying that studying up on theSeminole War Canoe would be part of Urban’s homework for this weekend’sgame with Miami, The Intermittent Rival.
Urban Meyer isn’t alone.
Go ahead and admit it --- most of you didn’t know about the SeminoleWar Canoe, either. You didn’t realize that, as pointed out in JohnFineran’s story in the upcoming issue of Gator Country Magazine, thatthere was a canoe hand-carved out of a 200-year old cypress tree fromthe Everglades which had been struck by lightning.
Hey, we’re trying to drum up a little passion for this Miami-Florida sometimes-rivalry, but it’s difficult.
It is said to be one of the few authentic Seminole War Canoes incaptivity. Since 1955, the canoe has gone to the Florida-Miami winnerand currently sits on display in the University of Miami Hall of Fame.
Hey, so it’s not the Little Brown Jug (Michigan-Minnesota) or eventhe Commander-in-Chief Trophy (Army, Navy and Air Force), but it’s ourvery own boat. And it has been parked in Miami far too long (since1985).
Truth of the matter that so little is known about this so-calledcanoe that it was once forgotten after the game, left behind in therain.
You get the idea here. The Miami Hurricanes have to stand in linebehind the Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs and maybe even theTennessee Vols when it comes to Gator rivals --- and maybe even theAuburn Tigers if they still played Florida every season.
As Steve Spurrier once said of his reasoning not to play Miami, “We can just hate so many teams.”
Miami is back on the schedule as the 12th game. When Spurrier firstarrived in Gainesville back in 1990, he declared his three prongedplan: 1) Turn the Florida Field surface into natural grass; 2) Bringback the blue jerseys. 3) Put Miami back on the schedule.
No. 1 and 2 worked out well --- not so much No. 3. The last time a Gator team beat the Hurricanes was Sept. 7, 1985.
So is Urban happy about having Miami back in the schedule?
“No,” he said, candidly honest. Then he revealed the truth about what Spurrier told him.
“Steve told me he always said publicly he wanted to play them, but ‘I didn’t really want to play those guys,’” Meyer said.
Not that isn’t some history and color behind the 53-game series: 28 won by Miami and 25 by Florida.
Over the years there have been some controversial events andcolorful plays. Some will remember the Brawl on Bourbon Street prior tothe Sugar Bowl game. There was that “Florida Flop” thing in 1971 whenDoug Dickey’s team took a dive to get the ball back for quarterbackJohn Reaves so he could set an NCAA passing record in his last game.
In terms of critical games to decide a national championship, however, the Florida-Miami series really hasn’t come into play.
On Saturday night in The Swamp, when this Intermittent Rivalryresumes, there will be so many jets that Ben Hill Griffin Stadium willlook like LaGuardia Airport on a Sunday afternoon. Speed everywhere.World class athletes will abound. Spectacular plays may be unveiled.
More aptly, this will be like “The Recruiting Bowl,” as Florida tries to get a hold in the fertile fields of South Florida.
What will be missing, however, is that two-way hate. Envy andjealousy, perhaps, but as Spurrier says, the Gators can just hate somany teams. And should Florida prevail, as expected, I just don’t thinkJeremy Foley is going to send a posse out to bring back the SeminoleWar Canoe. Unless, of course, it came floating up the Inland Waterwayfull of South Florida blue chips.
Bring Back the War Canoe
Bring Back the War Canoe
Interesting story. As for the War Canoe ... pffffttt, the co-Canes can keep it. That should let them know how irrelevant a rival they are to us. Maybe they can use it as a raft for Cuban refugees.
Never argue with an idiot. They'll just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience.
