On the field, the Gator football team played spectacular football down the stretch after that heartbreaking loss to Ole Miss. Much attention has been given to Tebow, Spikes, the rest of the team, and Coach Meyer for the championship, but Meyer will be the first to point out that it all starts behind the scenes with his coaching staff.

The assistant coaches are a vital part of every team and the national champion Florida Gators are no exception. They are relied on for game planning, recruiting, coaching, mentoring, and even dealing with disgruntled players. The head coach gets all of the publicity, but these guys make the clock tick behind the scenes.

Here we will take a look at key parts of the Gator team that get little or no recognition. They tend to be some of the best in the nation and that’s why so many move on to become head coaches and why they are constantly linked with other schools position openings. The latest to go was the sometimes loved and sometimes hated Dan Mullen. When you look at the assistants on this year’s team, the list must clearly start with one guy.

	Charlie Strong, Defensive Coordinator- Coach Strong might be the best coach in the nation who doesn’t have the title head coach on his desk. He has been a Gator coach four different times with stops at other schools such as Notre Dame and South Carolina. Strong is a passionate coach who his players love and trust like a father. A great number of Florida recruits cite Charlie Strong as the reason they came to Florida. It is a travesty that he isn’t a head coach yet but Gators fans should support the University in efforts to keep him at any costs. In his sixth year as the Gator Defensive Coordinator he turned a young inexperienced defense into a national title defense. If the Gators didn’t have Coach Strong for the last two national title runs who knows what might have happened.
	Steve Addazio, Offensive Coordinator/O-Line Coach- Coach Addazio was recently promoted to Offensive Coordinator when Dan Mullen left for Starkville. He has been a part of the staff since Urban Meyer came to Gainesville in 2005. He has also coached at Notre Dame and Syracuse. Addazio took a line that was pretty bad in 2007 and turned them into a solid line which was able to allow the Gators to rush for an amazing 3,236 yards last season. Addazio is a level-headed coach who is a master at teaching O-line technique. He should go on to become a highly effective offensive coordinator for the Gators this season.
	Billy Gonzales, Wide Receivers- Gonzales is one of the hottest young coaches in the nation right now. He has been linked to numerous jobs over the past few off seasons but has remained at Florida thankfully. He has probably signed the most high profile recruits of any of the Gator assistants in recent years. He also is heavily involved in play calling and is considered to be one of the young masterminds of the spread offense.
	Kenny Carter, Running Backs- Coach Carter joined the Gator staff prior to the 2008 season and was instrumental in putting together one of the most effective rushing attacks in Gator history. He was able to merge the talents of diverse players like Jeff Demps, Percy Harvin, Chris Rainey, and Brandon James. Carter has also coaches at LSU and Vanderbilt among other schools. He has received a great deal of praise from Coach Meyer in his first season and has also become an integral part of the recruiting game.

These guys are key to everything the Gators do and will either allow them to win another title or miss something that could lead to missing out on a chance at a title. The other five assistants on the staff will be covered in depth in part 2.