Gator Charity Challenge halted by bad weather

The Florida football team's highly-anticipated Gator Charity Challenge was halted after just two events due Friday night to lightning and impending inclement weather.

The Gator football players were divided into six teams representing various charities in the hopes of raising awareness and money. The players were scheduled to compete in several strength and conditioning events including the obstacle course, but severe lightning suspended, then eventually cancelled the event.

Former Gator Jamar Hornsby to be indicted, will not play for Ole Miss

Former Gator Jamar Hornsby has been indicted on felony aggravated assualt charges in Starkville, Miss., and was immediately released from the Ole Miss football team.

The indictment stems from charges that Hornsby assaulted a man in a McDonald's parking lot last March.Benjamin Jenkins alleges that Hornsby repeatedly hit him with brass knuckles, causing a fractured nose, swollen jaw, and scrapes and cuts . 

Hornsby played last season at East Mississippi Community College and was scheduled to join the Rebels this fall.

Hornsby was kicked off the Florida team in 2008 after he was arrested and charged with using the credit card of a UF student who died in a motorcycle accident in 2007. Hornsby, who was a friend of the woman, used the card after her death.

More on the story here.

Sneak peak: Gators' first two football practices will be open to the public

Wanna see what the 2009 Florida football team is going to look like in early fall practice? You've got two chances.

Florida athletic officials announced Thursday that only the Gators' first two practices - Thursday, Aug. 6 and Friday, Aug. 7 - will be open to the public. Both sessions will be held at the UF football practice field.

But if you want to see Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, you'll have to get up early.

There will be two sessions on Thursday. Returning players will practice from 6:10 a.m. until 8 a.m. Freshmen will practice later that day from 5:10 to 6:30 p.m.

On Friday, returning players will again practice from 6:10 a.m. until 8 a.m., and freshmen will practice from 4:35 p.m. until 6 p.m.

SI covers: first Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, now Florida coach Urban Meyer

One week after Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, coach Urban Meyer has become a cover boy.

Meyer is featured on s special issue of Sports Illustrated in an SEC Preview. He is one of several covers distributed including covers of Tennessee's Lane Kiffin, Houston Nutt of Ole Miss and Nick Saban of Alabama.

Meyer is posing with sunglasses tilted down and photos of Gator players juxtaposed into his sunglass lenses.

The issue is on newstands now.

[Photo by: Michael J. LeBrecht II / 1Deuce3]

It's great to be Pac-10 commissioner . . . and a Gator fan

Larry Scott, former head of the Women's Tennis Association, recently  took over as Pacific-10 commissioner, and had a surprising revelation.

He's a Florida Gator fan.

Scott told the Los Angeles Times he became a fan while living in St. Petersburg.

Former Florida recruit FrankieTelfort has career-ending heart problem

Frankie Telfort, one of the most sought-after linebackers in the nation last season who chose USC over Florida, will not play football after being diagnosed with a heart condition.

The former Miami Gulliver Prep star has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart defect, and USC was not able to get him cleared by specialists to play, according to ESPN.com.

Tennessee and Florida take different approaches in promoting the Heisman

Give Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin credit. The guy knows how to generate national attention.

On Wednesday, the school's athletic department unveiled a massive campaign strategy touting safety Eric Berry as a Heisman candidate. The campaign will include several electronic billboards - including one in South Florida - a Web site berry4heisman.com, a word-of-the-day calendar that will be sent to Heisman voters, and a 20-foot-high, 15-feet-wide, inflatable jersey that will be outside of Neyland Stadium on game days. It's an exact replica of Berry's No. 14.

Tennessee's approach to this Heisman campaign is in stark contrast to Florida's when quarterback Tim Tebow won the coveted award in 2007. The Florida communications department made the decision not to promote Tebow for the award. There were no notepads or DVD's shipped out to sportswriters across America. After the final regular season game, voters did receive a short e-mail detailing Tebow's stats and how he stacked up against other candidates.

Florida's communications director later explained that the school had decided to use a more grassroots form of communication. And frankly, Tebow was generating so much national media attention, UF didn't need to pay for more. 

So they decided to let Tebow's play speak for itself.  Last season, Oklahoma and Texas refrained from national campaigns for Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. Bradford eventually won the Heisman.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow among early nominees for Unitas Award

Tim Tebow, the Florida Gators' senior quarterback, is among 22 players who have made the initial cut for the 2009 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented annually to the top senior quarterback in the country.

Tebow is joined by a list of candidates that includes Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, South Florida's Matt Grothe and Juice Williams of Illinois.

Tebow is also a nominee for the Allstate/American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team, which honors college football players who make outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement.

Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez named to Mackey Watch List

Florida junior Aaron Hernandez is among 30 players who on Wednesday were named to the John Mackey Award Watch List, the award given annually to the nation's best collegiate tight end.

Hernandez, who was also a preseason selection to the All-SEC second-team by the media and league coaches, started 11 games last season, and caught 34 passes for 381 yards. He ranked first in the SEC in touchdowns by a tight end with five and led the Gators in receiving against Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship game with five catches for 57 yards.

Gator football players going all out for charity challenge

With short notice and little publicity, about 1,800 fans showed up last year for the Florida football team's inaugural Gator Charity Challenge.

The event centered around Florida's final team workout before fall practice began and featured intensive competition in various strength and conditioning events between Gator players. It was designed to raise awareness for various charities including the American Cancer Society.

But this year, the players wondered how big might the event be if they really went all out to make people aware? 

On Wednesday, a group of Gator players will be at the 34th Street Wall in Gainesville painting one last annnoucement about the event. It will be the culmination of weeks of work with six charitable agencies - American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Children’s Miracle Network, March of Dimes, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the North Florida Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help promote their causes.

Friday, they'll find out if the hard work has paid off.

The Gator Charity Challenge will be held July 31, at 6:30 p.m. at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. It features the football players, broken down into teams, challenging each other in a series of strength competitions. The event is free and open to the public.

Gates 1-4 on the west concourse of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium will be open for entrance to the event at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Because the Gator players are not allowed to take donations, pledge cards will be available on the West Concourse of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for fans to have an opportunity to donate to their designated charities. Cash and checks will not be accepted on site, only pledge form donations.

Check back here later this week for a story about how senior receiver David Nelson has helped lead the way on this year's event in what he calls a "life-changing'' project.

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