Urban Meyer is one of the most successful coaches in college football history. He led the Florida Gators to two national championships and later led the Ohio State Buckeyes to another. But before any of that happened, he nearly lost his job in his very first season.

Florida lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2005. It was Meyer's third loss in his debut season as Florida's head coach. South Carolina was coached by Steve Spurrier, the same head coach who had won Florida its first-ever national title in 1996. For Gator fans, comparing the two was unavoidable.

"After that loss at South Carolina, I walk into this restaurant in Gainesville, Florida, and they boo me," Meyer said in UNTOLD: Swamp Kings, which debuts Aug. 22 on Netflix, as reported by 247Sports. "I've never had that much doubt. I thought there's a decent chance this one's over."

The booing made sense to Meyer in that moment. Fans wanted Spurrier back. Meyer was still unproven. And the losses were piling up before he had even found his footing.

When the team flew home, Meyer sat on the tarmac at Gainesville Regional Airport for a full hour. Two players walked off the plane and never came back to the program after they witnessed three losses in that season.

Paul Finebaum, who also features in the documentary, called Meyer a "relative unknown" via UNTOLD: Swamp Kings. Meyer had come from Utah. Nobody in Gainesville really knew what he was capable of yet.

The 2006 season, however, changed the entire picture. Florida beat South Carolina that same year on a Jarvis Moss blocked field goal as time expired. After the game, Spurrier told Meyer to go win the national championship. Florida did exactly that, lifting the Natty in 2006, breaking the ten-year drought.

The doubt Meyer felt on that tarmac was the lowest he had ever been. It also became the fuel that drove everything after.

How Meyer Turned That Low Point Into Back-to-Back Championships

Florida won the 2006 national championship and then repeated in 2008. Two titles in three years. That is how fast the program went from Meyer being booed in a restaurant to being one of the most celebrated coaches in college football.

The 2006 class was the foundation. Tim Tebow gave the offense an identity. Brandon Spikes stepped up on defense in the very South Carolina game that helped spark the turnaround. Meyer built depth year after year off the back of that early doubt.

By 2009, Florida was the standard for college football.

At Florida, Meyer guided the Gators to a 22-game winning streak, one of four 20-plus-game streaks he recorded during his career. He also coached Tebow, a Heisman winner, Campbell Trophy recipient, and 2023 Hall of Fame inductee.

Do you think Urban Meyer's lowest moment made him a better coach in the long run? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar