Esophageal Spasms Caused Chest Pain That Led To Urban Meyer Briefly Resigning

Back in December -- shortly after Alabama quashed Florida’s hopes of repeating as BCS champions -- when it came out that “chest pains” were forcing Urban Meyer to step down from his post as the Gators’ head coach, the immediate reaction was: did he suffer a mild heart attack? Would he ever be able to return to the sidelines again, or had the cumulative stress of major college football coaching made that a foregone possibility?

Of course, Meyer abruptly reversed course, and announced that he would merely take an “indefinite leave of absence” rather than resign...which then turned in to him coming back to coach spring ball. All the while, Meyer kept private what had caused his chest pains, and what his prognosis was for the future -- until now.

At halftime of the University of Florida-South Carolina game, there was quite a stir when Urban Meyer started talking to reporters. According to ESPN’s broadcast team, a bevy of reporters huddled around Meyer (at the game, below), who politely answered questions and explained that yes, he will be coaching spring football practice at the University of Florida.

...Wait what? What happened to taking time off to focus on his health? First he was retiring. Then it was an indefinite leave of absence. Then it was “I’ll coach by the fall.” Now? He’s coaching spring practice. Those two weeks off must have been really, really refreshing…

The call was placed at 4:27 a.m. During the call, Shelley Meyer says that Urban attempted to get up out of bed and fell to the floor, and that he was experiencing chest pains. She said that he would not wake up and throughout the audio she can be heard attempting to do so.

Meyer was rushed to the hospital shortly thereafter.

Florida coach Urban Meyer’s indefinite leave of absence has grown a little less indefinite. During Sunday’s press conference, he had this to say:

To recap: first it was reported that Meyer was retiring after the Sugar Bowl. Then it was speculated that he might return to coach college or professional football someday. On Sunday afternoon, it was reported that rather than resign, he would take an indefinite leave of absence. Now Meyer believes he will coach in fall 2010.

After a flurry of reports and rumors, we hear it straight from Urban Meyer’s mouth: the Florida head coach will take an indefinite leave of absence. To open the press conference on Sunday, Meyer announced the news, and he also confirmed that assistant coach Steve Addazio will serve as head coach on an interim basis.

They haven’t been explicit on the matter, but it’s presumed that Meyer will still coach the Sugar Bowl against Cincinnati as rumored.

In case you’re not able to watch it where you are, MSNBC is streaming live video of Florida coach Urban Meyer’s press conference. Here’s the link. To get the full experience, follow along with Alligator Army’s live blog while you watch.

As of this moment, Urban Meyer’s 4:30 P.M. press conference is still on the schedule. Our Florida blog, Alligator Army, will be live-blogging the presser starting at 4:00. UPDATE: Here’s the link. Follow along and join the conversation.

Also, the Internet is going nuts over word that Meyer has rescinded his impending his resignation to a mere leave of absence. Keep track of this page for all the latest.

Well, this is certainly the biggest news since Urban Meyer’s announcement of his impending resignation on Saturday. ESPN’s Chris Mortenson is reporting that instead of resigning outright, Meyer will merely take a leave of absence from Florida.

We don’t yet know how long Meyer’s leave of absence will be, or what led Meyer to re-evaluation his decision. Stick with us for details. Hopefully, more will be revealed at 4:30 P.M. Sunday when Meyer holds his press conference.

In the wake of Florida coach Urban Meyer’s impending resignation, our SB Nation bloggers are producing some of the best writing you will come across. At the forefront, naturally, is our Florida blog, Alligator Army. On Sunday, they offer a series of anecdotes that shed light on what kind of man Meyer is, and what he means to his players, his fans, and college football at large.

Read on and enjoy yet another must-read piece of writing from our SB Nation bloggers.

Florida coach Urban Meyer’s health is in question, as is his long-term future as a coach, but there is no question about his commitment. He’s an enormous talent, and throughout his career, he’s made sure that every ounce of this talent was combined with tireless effort to construct one of the greatest coaching careers in the history of college football. Over at Every Day Should Be Saturday, our own Spencer Hall ponders this truth, among others. Predictably enough, EDSBS has produced what is arguably the most eloquent take on Meyer in the wake of his resignation.

This is required reading. Check it out.

Even before the announcement of his impending resignation, Florida coach Urban Meyer was scheduled to hold a press conference. It was originally intended to address the Sugar Bowl match-up with Cincinnati on New Year’s Day, but for obvious reasons, the agenda is likely to change entirely. However, there’s no reason to believe that Meyer won’t hold the press conference as scheduled.

UPDATE: Via Pat Forde, the presser is scheduled to start at 4:30 P.M. Eastern.

Following Urban Meyer’s announcement of his resignation as Florida’s head coach, he conducted an interview Saturday evening with the New York Times’ Pete Thamel. Meyer told Thamel that he experienced chest pains following Florida’s loss to Alabama on December 5th.

Even were it not for Meyer’s health issues, it’s clear that his job was taking its toll.

Our Georgia blog, Dawg Sports, has plenty of thoughts on the exit of Florida head coach Urban Meyer. T. Kyle King, at least at this juncture, isn’t concerned with rivalry implications or anything else of the sort.

Instead, he tips his cap to a man he hated as a coach, but ultimately respected as a human being.

Though we know Urban Meyer stepped down as Florida’s head coach due to health reasons, we’re still digging for all the specifics. An Orlando TV station, WKMG-6, reports that Meyer suffered a heart attack during the 2009 season.

It should be stressed here that WKMG is relying on a single anonymous source for this story, so this report certainly can’t be confirmed at this time. Here it is, for what it’s worth:

The impact of Florida head coach Urban Meyer’s resignation reaches far beyond Gainesville. Our SEC blog, Team Speed Kills, has plenty to offer on the news.

This comes as the most celebrated player in the program’s history, Tim Tebow, prepares to wrap up his career at Florida.

Our Florida Gators blog, Alligator Army, is all over the news of Urban Meyer’s retirement as head coach. You’re advised to check back with this page habitually for updates. Here are some of the highlights so far:

Health concerns are the reason for Florida coach Urban Meyer’s resignation. Thankfully, it appears that we do not have immediate cause to worry about Urban Meyer, the human being. Chris Mortenson tweets:

It sounds as though Meyer is making a wise decision. Here’s Jeremy Fowler:

Less than an hour after Florida coach Urban Meyer announced his retirement, College Football Talk is already looking to Florida’s future. Who will succeed Meyer as the new Gators head coach?

CFT also mentions a name that we at SB Nation are quite skeptical about:

Our Florida State blog, Tomahawk Nation, relays a tweet from ESPN’s Bruce Feldman:

Though not confirmed at this time, it’s possible that Meyer’s health concerns stem from a brain cyst discovered in 1998.

The retirement of Florida coach Urban Meyer, which was announced minutes ago, is taking everyone by surprise. Our Tennessee blog, Rocky Top Talk, offers an immediate reaction to the news:

Also, make sure you check back with our Florida blog, Alligator Army, for much, much more.

According to a press release from the University of Florida, head coach Urban Meyer will resign from the team after he coaches the Sugar Bowl in January. Meyer, who’s seen Florida rise to become arguably the most successful program in the country, included the following statement in the press release:

It’s a shocking move that comes without any warning or hints from Meyer. As for his health condition, it may have something to do with this report, which said that he was hospitalized for “dehydration” after the Sugar Bowl loss. Perhaps that wasn’t the whole story...