Shark experts from around the globe recently met in Providence Road Island. Among them was George Burgess from the University of Florida. Burgess wears many hats including work as the Curator of the International Shark Attack File and as the Coordinator for Museum Operations at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Though the BP oil spill was not on the official agenda for the conference, Burgess says it was a hot topic amongst all the shark researchers. In part two of her interview, Donna Green-Townsend talked with Burgess about how the BP oil spill will virtually take a toll on the entire food chain in the Gulf of Mexico.
The University of Florida held a dedication ceremony on Tuesday (May 11th) afternoon for the new Biomedical Sciences Building on campus. Donna Green-Townsend has more on what this new medical facility is expected to offer to researchers.
In late December of 2009, University of Florida Gator Football Coach Urban Meyer stunned Gator Nation when he announced he was stepping down as head coach. Meyer cited a health scare as the reason. Gator fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when Meyer changed his mind. Donna Green-Townsend reports.
Viewers of Sunday’s Super Bowl had the chance to see the new marketing strategy for Gatorade. PepsiCo, the owner of the historic sports drink is banking on its new “G” campaign. But as Donna Green-Townsend reports, Gators in the swamp at the University of Florida, the birthplace of the product, aren’t happy about the move to deemphasize the Gator in Gatorade.
Full Script:
THINK OF ANY MAJOR FOOTBALL VICTORY AND THERE’S ONE IMAGE YOU’LL ALWAYS SEE. TAKE THE FINAL MOMENTS U-F FOOTBALL COACH URBAN MEYERIN THE FLORIDA GATORS VICTORY (WIN) OVER THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS IN THE BCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
(RADIO ANNOUNCER MICK HUBERT’S PLAY BY PLAY FADES UP) – (BEGIN FADE ON) “TEBOW KNOCKS OVER ANOTHER OKLAHOMA PLAYER ON THE SECONDARY, MIGHT HAVE EVEN SCORED (UP FULL ON) AND URBAN MEYER JUST GOT A GATORADE BATH ON THE SIDELINE”
GATORADE BATHS HAVE BEEN A TRADITION ON PRO AND AMATEUR FIELDS FOR YEARS. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA SPOKESMAN STEVE ORLANDO:
STEVE ORLANDO: THAT’LL NEVER CHANGE. THAT’S A GREAT TRADITION.
BUT THERE’S A NEW TWIST ON THAT TRADITION. GONE IS THE EMHASIS ON THE OLD NAME “GATORADE)” IN NEW TV ADS. PLAYERS WILL NOW SIMPLY DUMP “G” ON THE WINNING COACH. THE DRINK’S MAKER, PEPSICO, IS REBRANDING ITS PRODUCT. THE CAMPAIGN IS HARD TO SWALLOW FOR THE FOLKS WHO KNOW GATORADE’S HISTORY.
(GATORADE COMMERCIAL FEATURING SPORTSCASTER KEITH JACKSON) “THE LEGEND WAS BORN IN 1965 IN THE STORIED SWAMP OF FLORIDA WHERE THE SCORCHING HEAT TOOK A BRUTAL TOLL ON THE FLORIDA GATORS. THE PLAYERS WEREN’T ADEQUATELY HYDRATED AND THEIR PERFORMANCE SUFFERED. THE ANSWER? A NEW CARBOHYDRATE ELECTROLYTE BEVERAGE CREATED BY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA DOCTORS. (ROBERT CADE’S VOICE) “NATURALLY WE CALLED OUR STUFF GATORADE.”
MARY CADE IS THE WIDOW OF THE LATE ROBERT CADE, ONE OF THE INVENTORS OF GATORADE. SHE’S L NOT HAPPY TO SEE THE COMPANY MOVE AWAY FROM ITS ORIGIN:
MARY CADE: “WELL, WE’RE JUST VERY CLOSE TO THE WHOLE THING. IT WAS DEVELOPED IN MY HUSBAND’S LAB AND BASEMENT AND THEY HAD A LOT OF FUN DOING IT AND NEVER DREAMED IT WOULD EVER BE ANYTHING MORE THAN HELP TO THE GATORS.”
CADE SAYS PEPSICO TOLD HER AND OTHERS ABOUT THE MARKETING CHANGE AT A RECENT GATORADE TRUST MEETING …BUT SHE ISN’T TOTALLY SOLD ON THE “G” CONCEPT:
MARY CADE BITE “PEPSICO HAS BEEN VERY GRACIOUS TO US. THEY CONTACTED US AND LET US KNOW WHAT THEY WERE PLANNING TO DO AND THEY’VE HAD VERY GOOD MARKETING IN THE PAST. THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO ESTABLISH A NEW MARKETING PLAN BUT WE WERE A LITTLE SADDENED BY THAT. AND UH, I SAW ONE MAN JUST LOOKING IN PUZZLEMENT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT WAS. I THINK IT’S BEEN HARD FOR QUITE A FEW PEOPLE JUST SEEING IT ON THE SHELVES AND WHERE IS THE GATORADE.
ADVERTISING HAS BECOME AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE SUPERBOWL WITH COMPANIES SPENDING MILLIONS TO SHOW VIEWERS THEIR LATEST CAMPAIGNS. DURING SUNDAY’S SUPER BOWL, PEPSICO BOUGHT TWO THIRTY SECOND ADS WITH THEIR NEW “G” CAMPAIGN.
(COMMERCIAL STARTS AND FADES UNDER) “G” TO ME MEANS GREATNESS, GOING TO THE GYM I SWEAT. I FEEL PAIN GETTING HIT BY A TRUCK ENDING UP IN A WHEEL CHAIR, GOING BACK AND DOING THE IRON MAN THREE TIMES. IT’S WHAT GETS YOU UP AT 6 A.M. WHEN NO ONE ELSE IS AWAKE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE…. (FADE UNDER AS NEEDED FOR TIME)
MUHAMMED ALI, BILLIE JEAN KING, TIGER WOODS AND PEYTON MANNING ARE JUST A FEW OF THE ATHLETES LENDING THEIR VOICES TO THE NEW PITCH.
SPOKESMAN FOR GATORADE, PETE BRACE.
(PETE BRACE BITE) “YOU KNOW ALL ICONIC BRANDS REFRESH THEMSELVES TO BE RELEVANT AND CONTEMPORARY AND THAT’S REALLY WHAT WE’RE DOING. GATORADE REMAINS VERY MUCH A PART OF OUR HERITAGE. WE HAVE NO INTENTION TO WALK AWAY FROM THE 40 PLUS YEARS OF SWEAT EQUITY WE HAVE BUILT IN THIS ICONIC TRADEMARK.”
THE NEW DESIGN FEATURES A BOLD LETTER “G” WITH ITS ICONIC LIGHTNING BOLT. GATORADE IS STILL THERE, BUT IN SMALL PRINT AND THAT’S WHAT UPSETS MARY CADE:
“IT DOES SAY IT, BUT IT’S NOT VERY NOTICEABLE. THE “G” IS WHAT’S NOTICEABLE. IT’S JUST SO DIFFERENT LOOKING AND THE LIGHTNING BOLT IS A GOOD THING. I DON’T THINK THAT WAS ORIGINAL, BUT WHOEVER STARTED THAT, I THINK THAT’S SORT OF ASSOCIATED WITH GATORADE, BUT IT’S PRETTY SMALL COMPARED TO THE “G” (LAUGH). WE’LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. BUT THEY KNOW, THEY KNOW PRETTY MUCH HOW MOST OF US FEEL AND OF COURSE WE’RE VERY SENTIMENTAL ABOUT IT, AND THAT’S THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH.”
PEPSICO WHICH OWNS GATORADE PAYS ROYALTIES ON THE TRADEMARK. THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA HAS RECEIVED WELL OVER 100-MILLION DOLLARS FROM PEPSICO. ROYALTIES ALSO FUND THE GATORADE TRUST WHICH SUPPORTS THREE FOUNDATIONS. SO NO ONE WANTS THE NEW MARKETING CAMPAIGN TO FAIL. THEY JUST WISH THE COMPANY WOULD LEAVE THE “GATOR” IN GATORADE. U-F SPOKESMAN, STEVE ORLANDO:
(STEVE ORLANDO) “YEH, IT’S AN EMOTIONAL THING. I’LL JUST PUT IT RIGHT OUT THERE. IT’S AN EMOTIONAL ISSUE FOR A LOT OF REASONS. FOR ONE THING, THE DEATH OF DR. CADE SO RECENTLY. AND THE CAMPAIGN, THOSE ARE GREAT SPOTS, THE KEITH JACKSON SPOTS AND IT SHOWED SO MUCH ABOUT THE HERITAGE OF THE PRODUCT AND ITS HISTORY HERE AT THE UNIVERSITY AND OF COURSE THERE WAS THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP THAT THE FOOTBALL TEAM JUST WON. SO YOU KNOW, ALL THOSE THINGS ARE COMPLETELY COINCIDENTAL. WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT ALL TOGETHER, IT SEEMS LIKE, BOY, THIS MAY HAVE BEEN BAD TIMING, BUT I KNOW IT WASN’T PLANNED TO BE THAT WAY AT ALL. BUT YOU CAN’T HELP BUT THINK OF THOSE THINGS SORT OF TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME.”
GATORADE SPOKESMAN PETE BRACE SAYS THE COMPANY IS SENSITIVE TO THE UNIVERSITY’S SENTIMENTS AND ITS HISTORIC TIES TO THE PRODUCT.
(PETE BRACE) “THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO US AS ARE THE GATORS AND AGAIN, WE’RE NOT WALKING AWAY FROM THAT HERITAGE THAT WE’VE BUILT UP.”
COACHES LIKE UF TENNIS COACH ANDY JACKSON HAVE A SOLUTION:
(ANDY JACKSON) TO US AND I’M SURE MY GUYS AND ME PERSONALLY, I TAKE A LOT OF PRIDE THAT SUCH A GREAT PRODUCT IS CALLED GATORADE AND I GUESS THEY’RE DOING WHAT’S BEST FOR THEM …FOR US MAYBE THEY CAN MAKE US SOME SPECIAL ONES THAT CONTINUE TO SAY GATORADE
ATHLETES LIKE UF BASKETBALL PLAYERS CHANDLER PARSONS AND RAY SHIPMAN SAY THEY DON’T CARE WHAT’S ON THE LABEL.
(BASKETBALL PLAYERS) I SAW THE COMMERCIAL AND I MEAN AS LONG AS IT STILL TASTES GOOD I’M GOING TO DRINK IT. I LIKE THE PURPLE FROST, I LIKE GRAPE.
THAT’S GRAPE WITH “G” For Mid-Florida Public Radio, I’m Donna Green-Townsend
Tale of Three Quarterbacks Broadcast on WUFT-FM in the Summer of 1997
When the college football season opened in the Fall of 1997, two quarterbacks from SEC football teams had big dreams. Tennessee’s “golden boy” Peyton Manning and the University of Florida’s Doug Johnson had big shoes to fill and goals to accomplish….all in the shadow of one of the most decorated and accomplished college football players, Danny Wuerffel. Wuerffel had moved on to the NFL after winning not only the Heisman Trophy, but also an SEC Championship and the College Football National Championship. Donna Green-Townsend has this tale of three quarterbacks.
The Dream To Go Pro (originally aired on WUFT in June 10th,1997)
Part 1
For many Florida sports fans, the 1997 NFL will go down as one of the most memorable. All three major universities had draft picks in the first round. Playing in the pros is a dream for many college athletes, some even forsaking a degree to follow that dream. Florida State University’s Walter Jones made that decision when he got drafted as the sixth pick by the Seattle Seahawks. The University of Miami’s Yatil Green also chose to leave early as the Dolphins first pick and Kinard Lang made that choice when picked by the Washington Redskins. And at the University of Florida wide receivers Ike Hilliard and Reidel Anthony chose to forfeit their senior year at UF to follow their pro dreams. As Donna Green-Townsend reports, it’s a tough choice and one that worries some coaches and parents.
Part 2
Full script of Part 1:
For many Florida sports fans the 1997 NFL draft will go down as one of the most memorable. All three major universities had draft picks in the first round. Playing in the pros is a dream for many college athletes. Some even forsaking a degree to follow that dream. Florida State University’s Walter Jones made that decision when he got drafted as the sixth pick for the Seattle Sea Hawks. The University of Miami’s Yateel Green also chose to leave early as the Dolphins first pick. And Kinnard Lange made that choice when picked by the Washington Redskins. And at the University of Florida wide receivers Ike Hilliard and Reidel Anthony chose to forfeit their senior year at UF to follow their pro dreams. It’s a tough choice and one that worries some coaches and parents. Donna Green-Townsend prepared this report:
(nat snd of Mick Hubert….. “Wuerffel back to throw…..Hilliard…..fade up a touchdown throw to Anthony) (fade up song of Pink Floyd’s Money song)
(Montage or voxpop of bites from John Reaves, Jeremy Foley, Lee McGriff and Danny Wuerffel)
John Reaves, “Show me the money. That’s what the market is nowadays and more power to ’em.”
Jeremy Foley, “Yes, money is one thing but feeling productive getting up in the morning and contributing to the lives of our kids and society or whatever have you, that’s where your degree comes in.”
Lee McGriff, “financially it’s about like hitting the lottery”
Danny Wuerffel, “It’s a big money game. There is a lot of money’ You get money that you can’t get at any other job coming out of college for the most part.”
(MONEY SONG UP FULL AND DOWN) Big Money, something two University of Florida football players probably considered when they made a choice between finishing college or turning pro. And for wide receiver, Ike Hilliard, the first round draft choice of the New York Giants and Reidel Anthony, the pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that choice may have a handsome payoff:
John Reaves, “you know both of those young men are about to become millionaires,”
John Reeves knows what Hilliard and Anthony face. The former Gator star quarterback was a first round draft choice for the Philadelphia Eagles and played fourteen years in the pros. Now an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina Reeves finds it hard to fault the decision to leave school early.
John Reeves, “One of the reasons you go to school is to prepare yourself for a good job. Well obviously the University of Florida’s helped them to do that and they’ve got a great job. They’re going to make a lot of money.”
But for every Hilliard or Anthony there are others who may pass up a college degree only to get nothing in return. Mike Cobb a sportswriter for the Lakeland Ledger has followed college football for 23 years.
Mike Cobb, “In the NFL draft that was just held there were 44 underclassmen that declared for the draft, and 16 of ‘em weren’t drafted. Uh, so now they’re going to have to scrounge around and get a contract as a free agent somewhere or go out and find a job somewhere…or come up with the money to pay their way back to school and just go to school and not play sports and just be a college student. And I doubt that most of the sixteen would do that.”
But the hard facts that less than one percent of college players ever make it to the next level pales next to the dream of every athlete to make it professionally. University of Florida Head Basketball Coach Billy Donovan:
Billy Donovan, “I think it’s only normal for every kid to dream. I think one of the biggest problems and I really disagree with it is you’ve got everybody out there saying , “you’ve got a better chance of being struck by lightning than you do of making the NBA,” and you know that might be realistic. But that’s all I was told growing up. And I was told all about what I could not do and I played in the NBA. And I played for a very short period of time. But I reached that goal. And I would say that 95% of the people I came into contact with when I was a youngster when I said I wanted to play in the NBA laughed in my face or said you can’t do that. Forget about it worry about getting your degree and all this other things. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having stars in your eyes.”
It’s a constant question that dogs college athletes and those who coach them. Is it better to take a chance on the dream now or hang in there and get a degree that might provide some security later on. FSU rising quarterback Chris Weinke knows firsthand about pursuing a professional career. After leaving college early to play baseball for the Toronto Bluejays he discovered a harsh reality. Now at 24 he’s come back to school to play football and more importantly to get a degree:
Chris Weinke, “The most important thing that I can tell or that I can say about the whole situation is it’s not going to last forever. Um. I think the most important thing is to get a college degree because that’s really what’s going to help you in the long run. And I think the average time spent in the NFL is 3 ½ to 4 years right now once you make it. And what are you going to do when you’re 28 years old or 29 years old. That’s the important thing and I can’t stress that enough. And you know I think that I realize that now more than I did coming out of high school.”
But that’s an argument that may be hard to sell to a young man or woman who has the opportunity to make sometimes literally millions. And it’s an argument that coaches and even parents might have trouble making. Former gator standout. Lee McGriff, who spent a couple of years in the pros and whose son now plays on scholarship for the gators says turning down that kind of opportunity is hard.
Lee McGriff, “Someone said if you sent your child to college and in their junior year IBM or whoever came knocking and said, ‘gee will you come to work for us now. Here is x millions of dollars. We will train you. Would you send your child? Now that doesn’t mean IBM can’t fire them five years later or anything else, but if it was another line of work and they had the unique opportunity to leave school and make that kind of money so immediately, would you advise the to do it. Most probably would.”
One athlete who did decide to put a hold on his pro dreams to stay in college is Tennessee’s ‘Golden Boy,’ Peyton Manning, the quarterback who turned away from a possible first pick first round draft selection and possibly millions to try and achieve collegiate goals:
Peyton Manning “I said I wasn’t going to look back when I made my decision and I’ve certainly held true to that. ..I really enjoy this semester of school after the decision. My decision was a unique decision and Ike Hilliard’s decision to leave was totally different than mine I think. I never fault anybody for leaving early. It’s a personal decision and my decision to stay was what I wanted to do. I wasn’t making a statement for what people should do, I was doing what I wanted to do, although I certainly don’t mind being a ambassador for college football.”
At her home in Patterson, Louisiana, Ike Hilliard’s mother, Doris Francis, says she hopes her son will follow in the footsteps of former gator running back and Dallas Cowboy football star Emmitt Smith who came back to complete his collegiate goals.
Francis, “I hope so. I hope he does. He told me he said, “momma, I can always go back to school and I just said okay I just hope you do, but like I say, that’ll be his decision. His mom, I don’t make those decisions, but I’m hoping he decides to go back and get his degree.”
But it’s the players themselves who finally decide and even when parents and coaches tell them the cold, hard facts that message may not have much effect. 1996 Heisman Trophy Winner Danny Wuerffel, himself a fourth round draft choice for the New Orleans Saints says each player has to face a reality check himself:
Wuerffel, “It’s a good job, but there are so many factors you can’t control with injuries and things like that, that it’s kind of like building on not a very solid foundation. I think the guys that really understand the things that last in life, are the people that really you know at least hopefully in the beginning are serious about their education, but so often it takes people you know, as humans we have to learn it the hard way and you get guys who go give it a shot and don’t make it and end up back at the university to finish up.” soc
In December of 1996 University of Florida Quarterback Danny Wuerffel was a strong contender for the Heisman Trophy. It had been 30 years since UF had another player up for the Heisman— young Gator QB Steve Spurrier. At a 1996 press conference following the Gators 24 to 21 loss to FSU, and just before the Alabama SEC Championship game, Steve Spurrier talked with Donna Green-Townsend and shared his thoughts about his QB Danny Wuerffel’s Heisman chances 30 years after he himself had won the coveted trophy as QB for the Gators. Spurrier also addressed Wuerffel’s NFL chances.
Coach Spurrier also addressed whether he and Wuerffel had any similarities in this Heisman contender profile of Danny Wuerffel produced by Donna Green-Townsend for NPR’s Morning Edition which aired on December 13th, 1996, the day before the official announcement that Wuerffel had won.
On December 10th, 2013 Danny Wuerffel was named to the 2013 College Football Hall of Fame Induction Class. Voters said he had one of the most impressive records ever compiled. Wuerffel was the only player in college football history to start at quarterback for a conference champion four straight years — plus win a national title and the 1996 Heisman. In addition, Wuerffel, a two-time first-team academic All-American, was awarded the Draddy Trophy (also called the “academic Heisman”) presented annually by the College Football Hall of Fame, to the nation’s top football scholar-athlete.
And then there were his statistics. In Wuerffel’s career at UF he completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 10,875 yards, 114 touchdowns and 42 interceptions in starting 36 of his 46 games.
During Wuerffel’s four seasons, Florida won four-consecutive SEC title games. As a senior, Wuerffel’s 3,625 yards passing yards were an SEC record. He also set a national record for his 39 touchdowns. In his final two games in a Gator uniform, Wuerffel threw for 401 yards and 6 touchdowns to beat Alabama (which at the time was the No. 1-ranked pass defense) for that fourth-straight league crown. In the Sugar Bowl national championship rematch over rival Florida State, Wuerffel threw for more than 300 yards and 3 touchdowns (also rushing for a TD) in a 52-20 victory against the top-ranked defense in the country
Lake Alice on the University of Florida campus presently serves as home to a number of species of fish and wildlife, including bats. UF has two bat houses directly across from Lake Alice on Museum Road.
In a feature originally produced and aired in 1990 on public television statewide, Donna Green-Townsend shares how the bats were moved to their special homes because of the mess they were making at three of UF’s sports stadiums.
