Tebow fan turns 13-foot-4-inch alligator into Heisman tribute

photo submitted by Don Perkins

This is George.

I’m talking about the alligator, by the way.

He’s sporting an triple-extra large Tim Tebow jersey and comes with a football signed by Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel and of course, Tebow.

For $15,000, Don Perkins will sell you this alligator.

For more information on the gator, its capture by Perkins’ cousin (a gator trapper by the name of Dennis), the process of getting the gator in the Heisman stance, altering the jersey, searching for the perfect ball and to hear more about the adventures of George, take a look at my article in the Independent Florida Alligator:

http://www.alligator.org/news/campus/article_cd446ab0-fbcb-11e1-80d7-001a4bcf887a.html

But I thought y’all deserved to hear the backstory on how Perkins named the alligator:

Perkins named it after another alligator named George, one that almost bit him when he was in sixth grade.

He grew up by a creek, the home of an alligator his friends used to call George.

“I was on the edge of the bank fishing one day,” Perkins said, “and I noticed something dark in the water in front of me…and I thought it was one of those clay clumps. I poked it with my rod, and it was George.

“It scared the ever-living poo poo out of me.”

More pictures (all submitted by Don Perkins)

Steele has big shoes to fill

It’s almost football season, and when Saturday rolls around, something just won’t feel right.

No, I’m not talking about Missouri and Texas A&M playing in the SEC, although that’s not quite right either.

No, that is a story for another day.

On Saturday, the college football world will have to face another change (as if the conference-switching shenanigans weren’t enough.)

Erin Andrews has walked away from ESPN, and in doing so, left a pair of rather large shoes behind. Knowing Andrews, they are probably very cute shoes, but still, they’re huge for a girl her size.

Samantha Steele will replace Andrews on ESPN’s College GameDay, which begins Saturday morning at Cowboys Stadium.

I think that’s just the question: Can Steele, or really anyone for that matter, actually replace Andrews?

Steele, who has only been working for ESPN for about a year, is an interesting choice. A 26-year-old Liberty University grad, she interned with ABC Sports, worked for Fox Sports and then joined ESPN’s Longhorn Network.

The girl obviously has some talent. She’s moving up pretty fast.

But don’t take my word for it. Look at her website (http://samanthasteele.com/) or follow her on twitter (https://twitter.com/Samantha_Steele.)

See what Bleacher Report (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1313805-espn-college-gameday-2012-what-you-need-to-know-about-new-host-samantha-steele ) has to say about her.

We all love Andrews. But let’s not only cheer for our teams this weekend, let’s cheer for the new girl.

Let’s turn on our TVs and see how she does.

Because after all, I think the whole world wants to know: Just how big are Steele’s feet?

Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys of Fall”

With less than two weeks until college football season starts, I’ve decided it’s time to start playing one of my football theme songs.

I’ve never been one to enjoy music videos, but I love the one for this song. C’mon, who doesn’t love locker room pep talks?

Let the countdown to the season continue. I sure am ready.

Meyer will be home for dinner: a behind-the-scenes look at Urban’s career

Success is addictive.

Wright Thompson’s piece on Urban Meyer is an eye-opening read about the behind-the-scenes mess of Meyer’s pursuit of perfection. Readers can see a different Meyer than the one popularly criticized for returning to the college football scene after only a year spent rebuilding his family and recovering from health complications.

The article seems a brutally honest depiction of Meyer’s failure to balance family time with coaching, followed by his realization of the person he had become and his promises for the future. It is a heartbreaking and detailed account of the negative impacts of Meyer’s dedication to his job and passion for his sport, crafted through vivid images and perfect words that leave readers in tears.

Some may never forgive Meyer for his so-called betrayal of the Gator Nation, but it should be interesting to see the college football world’s reaction to this article. Some may never see it and some may never read it, but some might just be able to find a small spot in their die-hard fan hearts to forgive.

I encourage you to read this link, to think about Meyer as a father and a husband rather than coach, and to appreciate Thompson’s incredible writing. It is a lengthy article, but worth every word.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE:
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/8239451/ohio-state-coach-urban-meyer-new-commitment-balancing-work-family-life

Thompson talks about the article, Meyer, Ohio State: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGTsUW-I15k

Florida cowboy boots: a staple closet item for a southern belle

Girls living in the south must own two essential pieces of clothing. Cowboy boots and gameday dresses are top-priority items in the Southern Belle bible.

I recently bought these boots, arguably the most beautiful pair of shoes I own. With about three weeks remaining until football season begins, I can’t wait to sit and sweat in the Swamp wearing these, a dress and orange and blue accessories.

Football season can’t get here fast enough.