Florida casts Tebow's legend in bronze; Wuerffel, Spurrier, too

Laurie Hice Michaelson / Associated PressTim Tebow (center) stands in front of a statue of himself, which was unveiled Saturday at the University of Florida.

Steve Spurrier is passing, Danny Wuerffel is preparing to throw, and Tim Tebow is, well, doing what he does best.

He's running with the ball.

The University of Florida honored its three Heisman Trophy winners with life-sized statues outside the stadium. The Gators unveiled bronze likenesses of Spurrier (1966), Wuerffel (1996) and Tebow (2007) during halftime of Saturday's spring game.

Tebow's depiction stood out among the three.

"That's fine," said Tebow, who's now with the Denver Broncos. "You have to change it up. We can't all be throwing."

Tebow and Wuerffel were on hand for the unveiling. Spurrier thanked his alma mater in a videotaped message because he was in Columbia, S.C., for South Carolina's spring game. One of his daughters, Amy Moody, attended the ceremony in the Gamecocks coach's place.

"It's kind of hard to put in words," Moody said. "It's not often in life people dedicate a statue to you. It means a great deal."

The statues, which weigh between 1,700 and 2,000 pounds, were placed on the west side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium near the skybox entrance. Private donations covered the costs.

"When do you ever think growing up that you'll have a statue somewhere where people will look at it and have great memories?" Wuerffel said. "It's even more special being next to two guys that I love and admire in my coach, Steve Spurrier, and my friend, Tim Tebow. That even makes it more special for me."

Spurrier threw for more than 4,800 yards and 37 touchdowns as a three-year starter at Florida, but his most notable play might not have been at quarterback. He kicked a 40-yard field goal to beat Auburn 30-27 during his senior season.

Spurrier returned to coach his alma mater in 1990, then led the Gators to six Southeastern Conference championships and the 1996 national title with Wuerffel at the helm. Under Spurrier's guidance, Florida won 122 games in 12 seasons and went 68-5 at home. Spurrier helped create one of the best home-field advantages in college football and even nicknamed the stadium "The Swamp."

Spurrier also played and coached in the NFL. After winning the Heisman in his senior season, Spurrier was the third overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1967 draft. He played 10 seasons in the NFL with the 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Spurrier returned to the league as a head coach in 2002, guiding the Washington Redskins to a 12-20 record in two seasons. Wuerffel was Spurrier's quarterback in 2002.

Spurrier welcomed the process of posing for the statue, but he made his priorities clear by filming his message in a black South Carolina shirt and sitting in a Gamecocks team meeting room.

"This is one of the best honors I've ever had in my life," Spurrier said.

Wuerffel, who threw for more than 3,600 yards and 39 touchdowns in 1996, echoed Spurrier's sentiments. But Wuerffel stopped short of calling it one of his best moments at Florida Field.

"There have been so many wonderful memories, from hugging a teammate after a touchdown to being picked up after a sack from one of my buddies," he said. "This is one of those that is kind of hard to grasp at the moment. I'm sure as the years go by it'll become more clear what this means."

Wuerffel was a fourth-round draft pick by New Orleans in 1997 and spent six years in the NFL with the Saints, Redskins, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.

Tebow, a first-round pick by the Broncos in the 2010 NFL Draft, had the largest contingent on hand for the ceremony. Friends, family members and a bunch of former teammates were at Florida Field.

One of college football's greatest players, Tebow threw for 32 touchdowns and ran for 23 more in 2007, making him the first player to score at least 20 passing and rushing. That season, he became the first sophomore to win the Heisman.

Tebow led the Gators to the BCS national championship in the 2008 season, two years after also winning one as Chris Leak's backup.

"I feel like I'm not just a player, but I'm part of it," Tebow said. "I grew up a Gator and that just makes it that much more special."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Eagles' Vick casts his vote for MVP: 'I would take ... myself'

PHILADELPHIA -- Michael Vick's MVP pick?

That would be Michael Vick.

Asked after practice Friday whom he would select if he had a vote, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback said, "You put me on the spot."

Then he added with a smile: "I would take ... myself."

Vick and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady are widely considered the top two candidates for the award, which has been won or shared by a quarterback 17 of the past 23 years.

Brady leads the NFL with a 109.9 passer rating. In his past nine games, he has thrown 21 touchdown passes and no interceptions. The Patriots (12-2) have won 11 of their past 12 games.

Vick's 103.6 passer rating is third-highest in the NFL and leads the NFC. He also has 613 rushing yards and has run for eight TDs -- more than all but nine NFL running backs.

Vick spent Christmas in 2007 and 2008 incarcerated at Leavenworth Penitentiary in Kansas while serving an 18-month sentence on federal charges of running an illegal dogfighting ring.

"I'm just blessed to be here," Vick said. "I spent two Christmases in Kansas, and that was by far the toughest thing I've had to do. Each and every year, I reflect on that, and I think it will always make the holiday season more gratifying.

NFL Network analyst
Brian Baldinger believes there shouldn't even be a debate about the NFL MVP award. Michael Vick is the best player in the league. More ...

"(I'm) just thankful for a lot, thankful for the opportunity that I've been given, thankful for the blessings, and hopefully they'll continue to come."

The Eagles (10-4) would clinch the NFC East title Sunday with either a home win over the Minnesota Vikings (5-8) or a Packers victory over the New York Giants in Green Bay.

"We all know what's on the line," Vick said. "We know what's at stake. Like I say each and every week, every game is going to be a tough game. You have to go and play as hard as you can. You can't let up and you can't go into a game sure you're going to win. You have to earn it. That's our mentality and that's our mindset, and this week is no different."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

View the original article here