"We've had some super periods, some very famous people that were involved with our program," Carlson said. "And then we had a down period in the Thirties and Forties when the state of Florida had some real problems financially... and in the Fifties, they brought Bob Woodruff in as the athletic director here and he got a stadium addition and got a lot of good things going. And that's what we call the modern era of Florida football."

Carlson was full of stories today about UF football. He ought to know more than just about anyone. After graduating from Florida in 1956, he worked as a reporter, then a Sports Information Director at Auburn, before returning to his alma mater in 1963 (the same year Spurrier arrived). Carlson served as SID for UF football from 1963 until 2002.

"The thing I enjoyed about it was dealing with athletes. I think it's one reason I stayed in college athletics is I think you're on a college campus, and you're dealing with young people that are full of energy, enthusiasm, and I think it keeps you energized."

I asked him to name players that he especially enjoyed working with. He narrowed it down from a large list, and then told me about Chris Collinsworth, a high school, college, and NFL star that now is an NFL television analyst.

"Chris Collinsworth was a great one," Carlson said. "He, as he's proven in his career, he's able to talk and he certainly likes to talk."

Collinsworth was always willing to deal with the media during a horrendous 0-10-1 season in 1979.

"Until the last member would ask his last question," Carlson said, "Chris would sit there in front of his locker and never lose his composure."

Carlson's office was, as you might expect, covered with UF memorabilia. He had a blue and orange clock in the shape of a Gator that celebrated Florida's 1984 SEC Championship. Emily was sitting in a rocking chair that was given to Carlson for 35 years of service at the university. There was a Billy Donovan bobblehead doll, and several framed posters and pictures that remembered the 1996 National Championship team.

I don't have to tell you who coached that squad.

As we flipped through the new book of Florida football, we saw a picture of Fleming Field, which preceded The Swamp.

We saw Dale Van Sickel, UF's first All-American. Van Sickel became one of Hollywood's most famous stunt men. In fact, he eventually performed stunts for Clark Gable.

Eventually we kept flipping and Carlson showed us a picture of Steve Spurrier kicking a field goal in 1966 to beat Auburn. It was that field goal that made Spurrier a lock for the Heisman.

"Spurrier, as a player, was a very confident guy that was a team leader that made big plays, particularly under pressure," Carlson said. "Great pressure player."

UF football had its share of memorable moments before Spurrier came back to coach. But on December 31, 1989, everything changed. When Spurrier agreed to take over the program, UF achieved greatness it had never achieved before.

"He followed the Gators the whole time he was gone from the University of Florida, so he knew the terrain here," Carlson said. "He knew what it took to win, and he was able to take all these great resources and use them. He put a mindset in our team that there's no reason to have excuses for losing."

As he arrived, the Gators just could not beat Georgia. The same way Georgia can't beat the Gators now. Spurrier started pointing out that, while Florida had a brief drive to Jacksonville, the Bulldogs had to get on a plane. They had to come down to UF's state and play in a stadium called The Gator Bowl. He gave his team a psychological advantage when playing Georgia, and he beat them 11 out of 12 times.

Carlson told us about a play Spurrier ran every day at the end of practice in the early Nineties. The coach called it, "Emory and Henry" after the college that he saw run this play while growing up in Johnson City, Tennessee.

"He kept working on it, and everybody would say, 'Are you ever going to run that play?' And he'd say, 'At the right time. At the right time.'"

Then, in the 1994 SEC Championship game, Alabama intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown to take a 23-17 lead with just a few minutes left. The Gators got the ball back and completed a pass close to midfield.

"And here comes 'Emory and Henry,'" Carlson said.

The play involved lining up a receiver out wide with two offensive linemen in front of him. The Gators ran it once, and Reidel Anthony gained 11 yards.

"Alabama didn't know how to line up defensively," Carlson said. "So we get in a hurry and line it up again the same way. Only this time, it's Chris Doering, a receiver out there who could throw the ball."

Doering completed a pass that moved the Gators down to the two yard line. Soon after, UF scored and won by a point.

"Finally," Carlson said, "the proper time had come, and he had picked it out. All those years, he had picked it out. That time. That moment was the right moment."

What will it be like for Carlson to see his old friend enter The Swamp without blue and orange on?

"It will be surreal to see him come out of the visiting tunnel."

Carlson looks back fondly at the UF accomplishments over the last century. He talked about a 1969 upset of highly ranked Houston, during which UF quarterback John Reaves threw a 70 yard touchdown pass to Carlos Alvarez on the opening possession. He talked about UF President John J. Tigert, who raised his own money to build the stadium that is now known as The Swamp.

And he talked about The Swamp, too.

"It is an extremely loud stadium and noise stays in the stadium."

He told us the building is so loud because, among other reasons, 32 rows are beneath ground level. Also, the stadium was designed so the fans would be remarkably close to the field. The design worked perfectly, producing one of the noisiest places to play in all of college football.

Eventually, the conversation found its way back to the Ol' Ball Coach. Carlson used to introduce Spurrier when the coach would speak to Gators fans.

"After I would introduce him, he would say, 'Well, you know the Buckman Act... brought the University of Florida to Gainesville from Lake City in 1906. And when the wagons were loaded with professors and equipment to bring everything down to Gainesville, Norm was driving the lead wagon.'"

Well, not quite. But there is no better source for UF football knowledge than Norm Carlson.

Carlson has witnessed the growth of a powerhouse, and now he has put together a collection of stories and images that tell the tale of a state school that has moved from old Fleming Field to Ben HIll Griffin Stadium, showcased legends like Jack Youngblood and Danny Wuerffel, invented Gatorade, and captivates the city of Gainesville every Saturday during the fall.

If you're a Georgia or Tennessee fan, you might not think too highly of the University of Florida, but you've got to respect the Gators. The SEC wouldn't be the same without the tradition-rich program that has achieved monumental success on and off the field over the last 100 years.