Urban's Way: Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators, and His Plan to Win [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Buddy Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

“Members of the ‘Gator Nation’ are going to burn the midnight oil turning these pages because Buddy Martin will be boldly taking them where no Florida fan has gone before.”
---Tony Barnhart, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/CBS

To write the Urban Meyer story, Buddy Martin enjoyed a vantage point rarely afforded authors in constructing the authorized biography of the University of Florida’s high-profile coach. Martin takes the reader where no other journalist has gone before as he reports the most intimate details about one of the nation’s top college football programs and its coach.

During the show-and-tell story of the 2007 Gator season, Martin listened on the headsets in the coaching booth, monitored Meyer’s locker room speeches, conducted in-depth interviews with assistant coaches and support personnel, ran on Florida Field with the team prior to the Gators game against Tennessee, and gave Tim Tebow his first Heisman Trophy quiz while having dinner together just weeks before he was named as the winner.

Urban’s Way, however, is much more than a look at the 2007 season. Martin dug deep into Meyer’s background, from his growing-up days in Ashtabula, Ohio, under the strict guidance of his father; to his tumultuous days as a young assistant when he almost quit the profession; to the dynamics of his close relationship with mentors Earle Bruce and Lou Holtz; to the ultimate prize as coach of the 2006 national champion Florida Gators. Readers learn how Meyer was encouraged by his father and his wife, Shelley, to keep going; how his career took off at Notre Dame and then as a head coach at Bowling Green and Utah; how the Falcons came together after their historic “Black Wednesday”; and the impressive manner in which he championed diversity among players in Salt Lake City. Florida fans will be surprised to discover how close Meyer came to choosing the Notre Dame job over the one in Gainesville, despite his yearnings as a small boy to someday coach the Fighting Irish. Through his intense research---and talks with Urban himself---Buddy Martin provides an amazingly detailed look into how a football coach is made.

This is not simply the authorized biography of one of college football’s top coaches; Buddy Martin also gives fans the inside scoop on the 2006 National Championship. In the chapter “The Joy of Winning It All,” players and coaches share their stories of that championship season that produced the middle leg of the “Gator Slam,” leading to the good life on the so-called Cul de Sac of Champions, which Urban shares with Gators basketball coach Billy Donovan.

It is rare that fans get inside the head of a top coach, but here full disclosure is offered about Urban’s personal faith, his Plan to Win, and the inner workings of the Spread offense. Readers are also treated to Meyer’s own breakdown of the national championship tape, including his Six Key Plays of the game.

Buddy Martin shines a bright light on Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators, and one of the top programs in the country. This is a must-have for Florida Gator football fans and one of the most insightful books ever written on college football.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Buddy Martin and Urban's Way

“I know no one better than Buddy Martin to deconstruct the inner workings of the current ‘It’ Coach.”  --Jack McCallum, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated

"Members of the ‘Gator Nation’ are going to burn the midnight oil turning these pages.” --Tony Barnhart, Atlanta Journal-Constitution/CBS

“Everyone knows Urban Meyer is a great coach...In Urban’s Way, he reveals why he is successful in every facet of his life.” --Lou Holtz, ESPN

"Few journalists gain such access and fewer still are Martin's equal..." --Dave Kindred, author of Sound and Fury

"Martin, a longtime chronicler of the UF program, does fine research and...reveals the coach's 'Plan to Win.'" --Tampa Tribune

"Florida football fans wanting an inside look at the Gators' program will be appeased with Urban's Way...The book by UF graduate and longtime sports writer Buddy Martin contains compelling tidbits." --Florida Times-Union

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

BUDDY MARTIN is a Florida-born-and-raised journalist who grew up in the shadow of the Swamp and has known and interviewed every Florida football coach of the past fifty years. This is his fourth book on Gator football. The son of a newspaperman, Martin has won more than 150 awards during his journalism career, which includes sports editorships of four major newspapers—Florida Today, The St. Petersburg Times, the New York Daily News, and The Denver Post. Among the awards Buddy received was an Emmy in 1992 as an associate producer of The NFL Today show on CBS for his work with Terry Bradshaw. Martin left as associate editor of the Charlotte Sun (Florida) in 2008 to become executive editor of GatorCountry.com and Gator Country Magazine, where his popular columns now appear. He is a regular sports talk-radio commentator in Denver and in Florida. Buddy is also co-creator and associate director of the Sports Journalism Summit, held annually at the Poynter Media Institute in St. Petersburg. He and his longtime wife, Joni, and dog, Rinny, reside in Ocala, the birthplace of Buddy, his oldest daughter, Lori, and his late father, Wilton.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312384076
• ASIN: B002SB8QUA
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #346,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Victory, on the Field of Life, September 2, 2008

By 

Bicycle Day - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Urban's Way: Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators, and His Plan to Win (Hardcover)

This is not one of those typical chronicles of a special season that delves about as deep as speeches at a booster club confab.

Author Buddy Martin - in this authorized biography - delves into the life of Urban Meyer and produces an excellent exploration into what may have appeared to be an open-field scamper from the mid-level head coaching ranks to leading one of the most storied programs in the rich history of college football.

But a cursory glance of a career hardly tells the real story.

With his family roots in a state that is a hotbed for football - Ohio - Meyer was a solid athlete for Saints John & Paul Catholic School in Ashtabula, a defensive back for the Cincinnati Bearcats - graduating in 1986 - and a minor-league prospect in the Atlanta Braves farm system.

The real challenge, though, was on the horizon, as Meyer entered the collegiate coaching ranks, spending 1986-2000 in a variety of capacities with Ohio State, Illinois State, Colorado State and Notre Dame. Martin tackles these oftentimes frustrating years for Meyer, where self-doubt and concerns about a stalled career are juxtaposed with mentors like the legendary head coaches Earle Bruce and Lou Holtz.

When the door opened in 2001 for a head coaching opportunity at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, though, Meyer placed himself on an amazing fast-track in the rugged profession. Two seasons at BGSU landed him the head coaching post at Utah, where his teams - in 2003-2004 - tallied a 22-2 mark and two bowl victories, including the Fiesta Bowl.

And the next logical step was tackling a major program, with several opportunities on the table - including his dream job at Notre Dame - but Meyer accepting the task of bringing glory back to the University of Florida.

The exploration of the National Championship season is outstanding and Martin's reporting of 2007 has more important gems than the continued media focus on Meyer's harsh comments concerning "The Celebration."

Covering Meyer's game plan for life - personal faith and philosophies - and playbook for the turf wars - the breakdown of the Spread Offense is a must for any fan - Martin shows the continuing growth of a true educator.

Meyer is not just achieving victories on Saturday afternoons in "The Swamp," he is a role model to each player on the biggest field of the all....life. Ultimately, that is Urban's Way.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Go Gators, October 3, 2008

By 

Twin Mom (CT, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Urban's Way: Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators, and His Plan to Win (Hardcover)

Got my husband this book as a gift for his birthday. It arrived right on time. He read the first 200 pages waiting for his turn at jury duty, and is really enjoying this book. He said that although there's nothing amazing about the writing style, it has a lot of really great insights into the coach and the team ... a great behind-the-scenes look at Gator Football.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book, February 6, 2009

By 

A. Philpott "go gators" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Urban's Way: Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators, and His Plan to Win (Hardcover)

Hard to put down, very enjoyable both for football fans, Gator fans, and really gives you a new respect for Urban Meyer.