Tomorrow, September 19th will be the sixth anniversary of the day my Father passed away. It was a Friday and my home away from home back on September 19th, 2003 was the Hampton Inn off of Archer Road in Gainesville. I had been in effect living there because I at the time was having intense chemotherapy and radiation at Shands due to having Leukemia, the same Leukemia that I am now 4 years in remission from. The phone rang in my room and it was my brother Stephen who said he was on his way to see me to "keep me company". I told him his company was welcome but that it would be pretty boring for him as about all I would be doing is either sleeping or (sorry for the visual), vomiting. He said he still wanted to come and in fact was already well on his way. When he arrived, it was your standard greeting but I could tell something was amiss. He sat down and said he had something to tell me. He struggled as to how to put it. Finally I said, "Whatever it is, just tell me." He then said, "Dad has gone home to be with Jesus." I sat there in utter shock. He said Dad passed away earlier that morning but he didn't want to tell me on the phone. Dad had cancer, was a '52 UF grad, and loved his Gators. He would have turned 76 the following December 29th. I was absolutely crushed. He was my best friend in the world and every time the "Your favorite Gator game" thread comes up, mine always seems to be the one out of left field. It was a non descript game between a mediocre Florida team and a mediocre Georgia team on November 5, 1977. My Dad took me to my first Gator game that day and there I sat in awe watching these larger than life heroes of the gridiron go at it next to my Dad. I was 10 and he was almost 50. The Gators won 22-17 and I remember him telling me that I would know when I got older just how big a deal the Gators winning over Georgia was. He was right. I was there with my Dad at one of the only 5 UF wins over the Dawgs between 1970-1989.

Frankly, I had planned to sit out the UT game in 2003 which was to be played the next day in Gainesville as I was sooooooooo sick, I just couldn't pull it off. Those here who know me can attest, I would really have to be in a bad way to miss a UT game. Even if I had any ideas of going, the news about Dad clinched it that I'd be missing it. I left my tickets in an envelope in the lobby for two of my great Gator friends from Mt. Dora and just said, "Get what you can for them." Stephen and I headed home to St. Augustine and then the wait began for family members to come home. That Saturday, my brothers and two brothers in law as well as myself watched the UT game on tv. UT won 24-10 and some of us joked that "If Dad was going to go this weekend, it is just as well that he went before the game."

Ever since Dad died, while I think about him everyday as it is, when the Big Orange comes up on the schedule the painful memory of that time just comes rushing back full throttle. I can think of no better way to honor the date of my Father going to Heaven than to have the knowledge that he is up there looking down on his Gators blasting UT into the stone age. THAT'S why I want this and every UT game as bad as I do.  I'll be in The Swamp tomorrow Dad and I'll be thinking of you then more than ever.

Go Gators!