In Netflix’s upcoming “Untold: Swamp Kings” docuseries — which explores the 2000s-era Florida Gators and Meyer’s militant-style system .
Urban Meyer struggled during his best days as head football coach at the University of Florida.
In Netflix’s upcoming “Untold: Swamp Kings” docuseries — which explores the 2000s-era Florida Gators and Meyer’s militant-style system — he explained how the pressure and his obsession with winning took a major toll on his health.Uh oh, that one’s over,” Meyer remembered thinking. “Do it again. Right after the game, it was over. Onto the next.
“We won two national championships out of the three years. This was an expectation now, An expectation we have to win it next year and then we have to win it the year after.And the entire time I’m in anguish because we’re not perfect and it permeated down to our players. Our players weren’t enjoying it. I could tell.”
There came a point where players were just holding their breath, hoping they wouldn’t lose so they didn’t have to endure the wrath of Meyer — and more take-no-prisoner style drills.I’d have those moments where I’d just sit there and start sweating and shaking like a panic attack, like something is going on here — ‘We’re not ready. we’re not ready.’”
The Gators ended that season undefeated but hit a roadblock in the SEC championship when they lost to undefeated Alabama, 32-13.
“I felt the dynasty slipping right there,” Meyer said. “I feel all this coming on me because it’s my team. I felt like a failure.
“I’m in deep depression. I couldn’t get out of bed. I was curled up. No energy, no desire I thought I was doing to die. That’s when I started thinking, I’m done.”Meyer was rushed to a Gainesville hospital after his wife was unable to wake him up on the night after a Gators loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, according to ESPN.
At the time, he reportedly had been experiencing chest pains and suffered from dehydration.
Meyer later announced after Florida’s bowl game that he was stepping down after five seasons as head coach at the University of Florida for health reasons — but changed his mind the following day and instead said he would take a leave of absence.
