TERRE HAUTE — A member of Terre Haute North’s state-finalist golf teams in 1978 and 1979, University of Florida professor Greg Moreland doesn’t find time to hit the links nearly as often as he did in high school.
One reason is he’s too busy cheering on the football and basketball teams with the rest of Gator Nation.
“It’s been phenomenal,” Moreland said of Florida’s successful defense of its national basketball title on the heels of a football national title. “My wife and I are hard-core sports fans and boosters of the basketball program since 1994. I find it hard to put into words. I’ve just been walking around with a grin on my face for I don’t know how long.”
An avid sports fan before making a new home in Florida, Moreland has celebrated many Florida athletic triumphs over the years, including the Gators’ run to the Final Four under coach Lon Kruger in 1994.
Moreland, who graduated from North in 1980 and from Indiana State with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1985, has been in Gainesville, Fla., since then.
He finished his doctorate in spanish-american literature in 1996 at the University of Florida, which happens to be the same year Billy Donovan took over the Gators’ men’s basketball program.
Moreland teaches a class called “business and culture of sports in the spanish-speaking world.” At times, he finds that he and his students end up talking about Gator football and basketball.
The Gators are certainly the talk of the country right now after becoming the first starting five to win back-to-back titles.
“I’ve been trying to impress upon my students that they’re living unprecedented history,” Moreland said. “Your grandkids are going to be asking you, ‘What was it like when the Gators were winning all those national titles?’
“This isn’t going to happen again.”
Moreland plans to be in attendance Friday when Donovan and the Gators celebrate with their fans on their home court. The highly-touted group of Florida players used the occasion last year to declare they would all return for their junior season.
This year, Moreland is hoping for a declaration from Donovan.
“I’m just curious if this could be that chance for Billy to do a similar type thing,” Moreland said.
Despite all the speculation that Donovan will bolt Gainesville for Lexington, Ky., Moreland is confident that Donovan’s loyalty to his athletic director and to the community will keep him at Florida.
“It would go against everything he has ever said and ever done [for Donovan to leave],” Moreland said. “This would be a hundred times worse than Steve Spurrier going to South Carolina.”
Donovan, paid $1.7 million annually with one year left on his contract, turned down an extension to a little more than $2 million after winning the national title last season. He said it would look like he was profiting off the ability of his players.
Now Donovan is looking at the chance for an even bigger raise. Will it come from Florida or Kentucky?
Moreland said he read that Donovan said he was disgusted with how Kentucky treated Tubby Smith. He hopes that statement is one that could mean Donovan hopes to stay in Florida for a long, long time.
Donovan has turned a hard-core football school into one that loves its basketball as well.
“Right now, it would be tough to say that the two aren’t on even footing,” Moreland said. “If you talk to the average fan, basketball is in the culture. People start puffing their chest out when they talk about Florida basketball now.
“Donovan staying would help that tremendously. If he stays at Florida, he could become a Dean Smith type of coach, staying at one place his whole career.”
I’d be up for Billy the Kid returning. Maybe four of his junior starters coming back would be enough convincing to keep him in Florida. It would be fun to see them go for a third straight.
Craig Pearson can be reached by email at craig.pearson@tribstar.com.
Given to Fly
April 4, 2007
Given to Fly: North grad in center of Gator celebrations
- Given to Fly
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GIVEN TO FLY: Come to expect new standards of excellence
Records are definitely meant to be broken; athletes today are faster and stronger than those in the past in many endeavors in athletics.
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GIVEN TO FLY: ISU women have solid recruiting class
The caliber of athletes that the Indiana State women’s basketball coaching staff is bringing in is on an upswing.
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GIVEN TO FLY: Major leaguers John, Dorsett meet up at tonight’s game
Terre Haute’s only two big leaguers of the last 50 years — Tommy John and Brian Dorsett — will catch up with one another today.
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FOOT NOTES: Valley natives perform well on national stage
Several Wabash Valley natives continue to shine on the national track and field scene.
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'Til It's Over: Sycamores ‘in a good place,’ but searching for more in MVC
Can Teri Moren lift Indiana State, last year’s seventh-place team in the Missouri Valley Conference, to one of the league’s contenders in her first year on campus?
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'Til It's Over: Two sets of identical twins should keep North Central baseball a contender
The last high school baseball team standing in the Wabash Valley was the North Central, the Thunderbirds falling short 4-3 in the Class A Semistate on Saturday just one game shy of Victory Field.
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'Til It's Over: Jarvis, Anderson confident Olney, hard work leads to Division I dream
Olney, Ill., population 8,000-plus and known for its population of white squirrels, might not be the dream destination for high school basketball players in Indiana.
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'Til It's Over: Robinson 7-footer more focused in postseason; 6-foot Jones keeps producing
Robinson 7-footer Meyers Leonard is not going to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA some day, but his odds of reaching the league are pretty solid if his game continues to evolve as it has during high school.
- 'Til It's Over: ‘Stepping stone’ game points Sycamores in right direction Whether the win comes against a top-25 team or a conference pushover, ending a four-game losing streak is always a relief.
- 'Til It's Over: Indianapolis ISU recruit rolling along in senior season As Indiana State recruit Anna Munn approached Christmas with the Decatur Central basketball team, the senior guard didn’t seem to need much of a wishlist.
- 'Til It's Over: Magic’s still there for '79 Sycamores For the former Indiana State players who visited the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in late November, the weekend was a chance to relive memories with teammates and see Larry Bird’s career with the Sycamores celebrated again.
- CRAIG PEARSON: North has strong history in cross country state finals Vigo County is home to just four IHSAA state championships in team sports. Most recently, Terre Haute South won girls titles in basketball (2002) and tennis (2001).
- 'Till It's Over: It’s been rough year but no need to break up Cubs' core Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is only in the first year of a three-year contract, and aren’t back-to-back division championships enough to keep him around despite this year’s season filled with bad luck?
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'Til It's Over: Hansbrough, Hibbert give Pacers glimpse of future
You might have heard of the Indiana Pacers’ 2009 first-round draft pick. He was on the television once in a while during his four-year career at North Carolina.
- 'Til It's Over: Bertoli, Moore put on show in abundance of events “Anthony and Erica” may not have the marketing capability of “Dan and Dave,” but neither of Indiana State’s outstanding multi-event participants had let-down performances this weekend in the Missouri Valley Conference Championships.
- ‘Walking wounded’: ISU seniors return to provide spark All three ISU seniors will graduate in May, and all three will be in uniform today as Indiana State battles Bradley in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament quarterfinals.
- Given to Fly: Northview standout runner Thacker coming to ISU Doc Brown told an old-timer in a saloon in “Back to the Future III” that despite having automobiles in the future people run for recreation.
- Given to Fly: Schilli’s Rodman-like performance aids ISU With Indiana State’s women’s basketball team ranking eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference in field-goal percentage (36.5), the Sycamores need as many shot attempts as possible to maintain their standing on top of the league.
- Given to Fly: A classic in every sense of the word What tournament director and co-founder Gary Fears had in mind when creating the tournament came to fruition Tuesday. Marshall, with an enrollment of 438 students, became the smallest school to win the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic in the ninth season of the tourney.
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Given to Fly: ISU women should build confidence off strong outing
Indiana State did not pull off the monumental upset Saturday against No. 23 Kansas State, but the Wildcats are —aside from Connecticut in 2005 — the best team the Sycamores have played in the Jim Wiedie era.
- Given to Fly: ISU women's hoops team slides onto commercial radio Coach Jim Wiedie expects the Indiana State women’s basketball team to have a bit of a retro feel this season, meaning the Sycamores have the potential to get back to creating havoc with their full-court press.
- Given to Fly: ISU vets hope to prove pundits wrong Indiana State’s only two seniors were surprised to see they were picked ahead of just three Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball teams Tuesday morning.
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Footnotes: In first marathon, former Sycamore comes out a winner
Indiana State graduate Dani Prince made her debut in the event with a victory in the Columbus Marathon on Sunday.
Prince’s goal was a time under 2 hours and 50 minutes, and she ran a 2:48.56. -
Given To Fly: ISU volleyball turning things around
It was an extremely busy weekend for Indiana State athletics this weekend.
- Footnotes: Here’s hoping perfect weather is still around for Nationals in November The weather made for a perfect fall afternoon Saturday at LaVern Gibson Championship Course. For what it’s worth, the Farmer’s Almanac calls for more sunny conditions from Nov. 20-24, with the NCAA Championships falling on the 24th this year.
- Terre Haute natives cherish memories of ‘House that Ruth Built’ Yankee Stadium was packed as usual on Easter Sunday in 1979. George Steinbrenner’s Yankees were one loss away from being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers to start the season. That was no way for the two-time defending World Series champions to perform, so the boss had a conversation with his new veteran left-handed starting pitcher prior to the game.
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Footnotes: Oregon men and women have strangehold on preseason NCAA cross countryrankings
The Oregon men and women were almost both unanimous picks as the No. 1 teams in the nation in the preseason cross country national rankings released recently.
- Given to Fly: Bronze medalist has strong ISU ties One of the remarkable American medalists of this 2008 Olympics thus far also provided one of the most sparkling stories in the brief history of the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course here in Terre Haute.
- Former ISU QB gets back to Amarillo This week, Indiana State signed its most highly-touted football prospect in years, and former quarterback Julian Reese is ripping it up for the Amarillo Dusters of Arena2.
- Indiana State track sending strong group to NCAA regional Three sophomore women and three senior men lead a large Indiana State contingent of track and field athletes into the NCAA Mideast Regional this weekend at Fayetteville, Ark.
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