Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Mullen re-energizing fan base
New coach works relentlessly to excite students and alums
GAINESVILLE — It is a typical Thursday in late March at UF’s Southwest Recreation Center, where the daily beehive of activity fills the air with energy.
The new counter attendant soon generates a buzz of his own. Florida football coach Dan Mullen is making the latest stop of his perpetual pep rally on the school’s sprawling campus.
A couple of students do a double take as they check themselves in. A couple more exchange knowing glances with Mullen as he swipes their key cards.
Before long, the indefatigable 45-year-old is on the PA system to deliver a high-octane, 60-second call to arms, drowning out the din of churning treadmills and clanking weights.
Mullen has some heavy lifting of his own to do to revive UF’s flagging football.
One of his first orders of business is to re-energize a fickle student fan base able to find better things to do than show up on Saturdays and cheer on a losing team. Without the buy-in and passion of students, Mullen believes the Gators will struggle to become winners again.
“The student body is the lifeblood of the program,” he said. “You get there and the student section is sold out, going crazy … well, the rest of the fans are kind of going to feed off the students.
“I want to make sure that they understand that we’re all in this together.”
Since Mullen’s return after nine seasons at Mississippi State, he has spread his message throughout Gator Nation.
During a halftime speech at a January basketball game, he promised to deliver fans another national title. Mullen doubled down a month later with similar claims during a statewide speaking tour to Gator hubs Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando.
Back in Gainesville, Mullen has focused much of his energies on connecting with UF’s student body.
Mullen runs a few miles through campus some mornings with members of the ROTC program. He also has been a regular on fraternity row and has visited more than 30 frat houses and sororities.
“When I was back in college, I didn’t get the same reception in sorority houses I do now,” he joked.
Mullen is eager to see his Gators’ reception during Saturday’s spring game in the Swamp. Setting his sights high, as always, Mullen hopes for record-setting crowd of more than 65,000.
“We want a lot more than that,” he said. “We’ll be there. We’ll be going hard. We’ll be giving relentless effort. The question is who else in the Gator Nation is going to be giving relentless effort on Saturday? “That’s their challenge.” Whether it is big-money boosters, long-time season-ticket holders, former players, future prospects or an 18-year-old chemistry major who has never set foot in the Swamp, Mullen has challenged everyone to be involved as he looks to return the Gators’ to national prominence.
“I think the key for our success is alignment,” Mullen explained. “We need everybody headed in the same direction to build a championship program. A lot of people think, ‘Hey, if the team wins we’ll show up and support the team, but if they don’t we’re not that interested.’ It doesn’t work that way. “It’s actually the opposite.” At the Southwest Rec Center, Mullen looked to generate energy with UF students during a few games of intramural dodgeball. He later played the basketball game knockout, pouring in some 3-pointers until calling it day.
Anything to lift the cloud hanging over a program fresh off a 4-7 season and without a championship since 2008, when Mullen was in his final season as Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator.
“It’s been pretty significant. Dan really understands the big picture as well as any coach I’ve been around,” said UF athletics director Scott Stricklin, who worked with Mullen at Mississippi State. “By that I mean, obviously he knows the job of the coach is to build a program and to win games. But he understands how the external side of that fits in and supports the goal of educating young people and winning games.
“Some coaches, it’s like pulling teeth to get them to talk to alumni groups or interact with students on campus. Dan really enjoys it.”
Mullen used a similar approach to build moribund Mississippi State into a competitive SEC program.
“I think anybody that’s successful leading an organization does it through their personality,” Mullen said.
Mullen has a need to connect with everyone and touch everything involving his football program. It is in his DNA.
This comfort in his own skin skill has served Mullen well building a football program and delivering an appealing product in SEC country.
“It’s entertainment. We want to put on a show,” Mullen said. “My idea of football Saturday is not just a football. It’s somewhere between an SEC football game, a Broadway show and a rock concert ... and a state fair. You combine all those things.
“Home football games are about an event that is much bigger than the game itself.”