Tuesday, November 25, 2008

A message of "relentless effort"

"Relentless effort." It's something you hear again and again from U of Florida players and coaches during interviews.

It's a message the UF coaches stress in meetings, practices, and on signs posted in the team's lockerroom.

They hand out awards that recognize players who demonstrated "relentless effort" during a game.

Film sessions include highlights of plays featuring "relentless effort." And in practice, there is a "relentless effort" drill.

On every play, coaches demand their players give "four to six seconds of relentless effort."

From looking around online, it seems Florida coach Urban Meyer began using the "relentless effort" theme in 2006 when he said:

"You call it having relentless effort to be great. From what I was told by Donnie Young [former Gator great offensive linemen on the 1996 national championship team] and some of the players that were on that '96 team, that's what they had. They were so upset when they would fail in practice. They had that relentless effort to be great."

Said the team's strength and conditioning coach: "Our program is based on accountability, self discipline, relentless effort and great attitude."